can I get some advice please?

JoshDC1988

Ok so I need some help well more so advice. I'm a person who has a problem with eating oversized portions like maybe 2 cheese burgers or sandwiches instead of one. Does anyone have some advice to how someone like me could maybe stop this bad habit or slow it all together? Its apart of the reason I gained my weight in the first place and if I don't stop if I lose the weight I'll just wind up gaining it back.

Sinisterly

Self control.
If you can't do it right away, please learn to do it gradually.

The way I was raised caused me to eat huge portions because "you have to eat everything on your plate or it's wasted", plus many other things.


Anyway, it was tough for me to not eat like that in the beginning and now, I don't and I'm not looking back. Try to drink a full glass of chilled water before every meal and one after. That helped me tons.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Finances, man.

Buy one, sock away the other $5.

Are you logging? If not, then start. Once you see this out in the open, you'll see how it affects your daily goal. If that doesn't get you to stop, then you just need to grow up and realize you can't have everything you want. No easier way to say that.

Branstin

Drink a glass of water before each meal and snack and you will eat less. In addition, I think it is well worth the investment to read and consider following this advice:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

JoshDC1988

I grew up in a household like that too Sinisterly. It's one of the reasons I'm still doing it. Thanks for the method I'll try it to see if that helps

JoshDC1988

Finances, man.

Buy one, sock away the other $5.

Are you logging? If not, then start. Once you see this out in the open, you'll see how it affects your daily goal. If that doesn't get you to stop, then you just need to grow up and realize you can't have everything you want. No easier way to say that.

going to be starting everything on may 5th I'm currently trying to get a hold of a scale and get ahold of my dietary situation first so I don't have to worry about it. So it can become a routine rather than a habit. Something programmed into my brain so that I never mess up again.

ottermotorcycle

So many people struggle with portion control - that's the reason most of us got here, I'm sure.

My advice is to slow down. Have your meals with other people and go slowly, talk to them, put your food down to look at your phone, etc. Some people like to drink a glass of water before eating, others prefer to take a sip between every bite. Either or both is fine. Water is a great appetite suppressant, it'll keep you busy and slow you down, and staying hydrated is important for weight loss anyway.

If you're going to buy two of something, immediately put one away for later. Or instead of two sandwiches or burgers - get a burger and a salad or a sandwich with soup. Eat the soup or salad first as it has more volume per less calories and will fill you up.

TavistockToad

Pre log everything at the start of the day, and then only eat what fits in your calories.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Order one cheese burger, than LEAVE the establishment.

Fill up one plate at dinnertime, then pack the rest of the food in Tupperwares and put it away.

It's much harder to overeat if it entails extra work, like driving back to McDonald's for more, or getting out more dinner and reheating it.

Eat off salad plates instead of dinner plates, use ramekin cups instead of soup bowls. Also don't let yourself get STARVING before a meal, so you son't lose your head and order an entire party platter for yourself, like I've been known to do, lol! Have small frequent snacks to keep your hunger at bay, so when mealtimes roll around you'll be able to make smart choices with your head, not insane impulses with your stomach.

dearannna

If you find it too hard to reduce the amount of food you eat then eat the same volume but make changes to the content to reduce the calories. So still have two sandwiches but have a low calorie filling like tuna salad with no mayo or butter. Or have one sandwich but add a salad or a cup of soup to it. Eventually you'll be able to reduce the portion.

bwogilvie

Some great advice already. I'll just add my 2¢:

1. Eat slowly and savor each bite. I eat more when I wolf down my food.

2. When you eat, don't do anything else. It's amazing how much I can eat if I'm watching TV or on the computer with a bag next to me.

logan45367

What I do, is I A) Either drink my soda slowly or water, which fills you up faster or I have a tendency to look up the news while eating on my phone, which essentially makes you eat slower, or watch a T.V show with family or if no family then with friends or play a game while you eat. In the end, doing multiple tasks at once while eating will lower the need in your brain to want to eat more and your brain will focus on the other tasks at hand and not be fixated on the food in front of you. I too used to eat bigger portions, and part of that was also due to stress and anxiety issues that I have. I don't take medication for those though. So big thing is, be distracted, talk to family or friends more, look up the news, or something interesting like a new factoid on the internet, or entertainment like TV and Video games. That will help, I am working on self-control and it will be a forever event for you to work on, else you go back to the same habits. Hope I helped and I honestly wish you good luck on wieght loss! (This probably only works if you get fixated on a lot of things like I do lol...)

Roughgalaxy

Drink water before you eat, it will fill your stomach a big so you feel full sooner. One thing I do is I plan and cook all my meals for the week on sundays. that way I know exactly how many calories I'm getting every day. Then you just have to practice restraint when tempted by bad things.

zoeysasha37

You already got really great advise! I think once you get your food scale, and start to weigh and measure everything, you'll see how many calories your consuming, and that will help a lot!! I used to think that I was having one serving of dry cereal, but when I started to weigh and measure everything, I realized I was actually eating @4 servings!!! So then it really helped me see exactly what I was eating.

lindsey1979

What I've done that helps me a lot is to eat more of my calories in veggies, especially fibrous ones. You have a cup or two of roasted cauliflower or broccoli with cheesy sauce, it fills you up a LOT. And the calories are pretty low (even with the cheese sauce). I find that when I'm eating more nutrient dense food, it's much easier to control portion size and oftentimes, I don't need to worry about it at all.

For me, when I'm eating stuff that isn't nutrient dense and has a lot of wasted calories in highly refined carbs/sugar or highly processed foods, it's much harder to control portion size. I want to eat a LOT more of it. So, adding in veggies has really helped with that. Drinking lots of water has also helped as sometimes I think I've mistaken hunger for thirst.

ErinMcMom

Tricks that work for me:
-log your food ahead of time so you know exactly what you can eat to fit into your calorie goals
-at home, use a smaller plate, so even if it is full it is not such a crazy portion size.
-drink lots of water throughout the day, it helps curb hunger.
-when snacking, put your portion of snack into a bowl and take it to the tv instead of bringing the whole bag/box/container of snacks. That way you'll stop eating when the bowl is empty and not eat forever.
-eat slowly and enjoy every bite!

MistyRose0424

Very good advice given here already. I always carry around fruits, veggies, nuts and yogurt in a lunch bag so I always have options to add to my meals or for a snack. Also as said above water lots and lots of water. Hope this helps Good luck to you

JoshDC1988

thank you all very much I'll have to try some of these methods hopefully I can find one that works for me or even make up my own

wriri7_x

Drink some water or eat some fruit before you have your burger, you will then be more full and probably eat 1 burger.

ParkerH47

My friend was often like this too - he would always say "I'm a big guy so I don't get full as quickly". But those big portions were the reason he was a big guy! Its all about perception! Try eating more slowly - so that your body has time to adjust and you feel more full. Sometimes when you eat a lot really fast your body can't keep up and it takes 20 mins to realize your full

Not sure if thats helpful. But just remember that your stomach is adaptable so you maybe stretched it out. start eating smaller portions and maybe you will just get used to it

NaomiJFoster

In addition to the great advice already given, here's another 'trick' that helped me out. When I go out to eat, it's either with my husband, my parents/sister, or some close friends. It's people I trust and I know they care about me. So I would tell them, "I'm ordering Such-and-Such off the menu because I've already researched the nutrition facts and it fits into my day today. Don't let me switch and order anything else." Then I felt like I had to be accountable and stick to that promise. And if I didn't, someone would check in with me "Are you really sure you want to do that?"

Really, it was just about making a commitment and staying with it. Now, after 1.5 years, it's gotten fairly easy to do that by myself. But the communication and back-up helped in the beginning.

ccf_trainer

My advice to you is to set up a nutrition plan, and set one up with a balanced diet. If you can't set one up, there are people who can do it for you. I set up nutrition plans for my clients for free. I am a personal trainer and health coach, and I have clients all across the nation asking me to help set their plans up. Most of them are part of my nutrition program, and believe me when I tell you that you are not alone. Others have given you great advice, and the advice I have to give you is to have your nutrition plan set up. You do need 5 meals per day, which include two protein snacks. The key for you to control your hunger is more protein, less carbs. Protein goes a long way. Meal replacement shakes wouldn't be a bad idea. Whatever you are consuming with a nutrition plan set up, make sure you include vitamins and supplements for micronutrients and absorption. The absorption is extremely important for your digestive system, and your cells. I don't know if you are familiar with the term "villi," but based on what you're eating, you are damaging your villi. Villi are used to absorb the micronutrients, and that will feed the cells in your bloodstream. You need these vitamins and minerals in your body. If you aren't getting the absorption you need, you will have health problems. It is something to think about, and it's something I've helped my clients with. This is really a matter of you being healthy, not just the issue with you needing to lose the weight. Being healthy overall is the key for you. You can do this. Get a balanced nutrition plan set up, consume your proteins, reduce the carbs, drink lots of water, and I promise you that you are going to see changes in how you feel, and how you eat.

gemmamummy

I always have a cup of good old English tea after my meals, if I'm not feeling quite full, this always fills me up.

dso122783

I am the same way...first off, if you are doing this at home like making your own cheeseburgers, use ground turkey but only make one, but make the burger alittle thicker than you normally would. Also, try boca burgers if you want two. I make "mcdoubles" out of veggie burgers, LF cheese and wheat hamburger buns. Very good.
If you find yourself at McDonalds order one and the get the heck outta there. I know where you're coming from man. "Self Control" doesn't always work for us, and most people don't understand that.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

nixxthirteen

Google low calorie but filling recipes. Doing so is like 85% of the reason I'm still sticking to my goals and not hungry or grumpy. I've found all kinds of ways to alter my favourite foods with better ingredients to be just as delicious and filling, but with far fewer calories.

The first few weeks were very hard because I was used to having to feel STUFFED to think I was full. That need to completely fill myself up has gone away with time, though.