Newbie with hunger problems

LHannan62

Hey all. I'm three weeks into dieting and having real problems dealing with the sensation of being hungry. I've spend pretty much my whole life mildly underweight, primarily because I never felt hungry. Then I moved to America to study for a year, and 9 months of massive portion sizes and an admittedly unhealthy amount of alcohol later and I've put on a lot of weight I would like to lose before I go back home. Problem is, cutting absolutely any amount out of my diet is driving me completely mad with hunger. Its like just the act of paying attention to how much I'm eating makes me hungry. I'm quite an obsessive person by nature, and when I feel a negative sensation I focus on it to the exclusion of everything else, so its kinda hard to cope, especially since I've never had to think about how much I eat before. I was wondering what advice people had for dealing with hunger pains and the like? I'm drinking a lot of water, and that helps a bit, but not enough. I don't think I'm eating too little, as I am losing weight at the rate predicted by the macros (1-1.5lb a week)

Lots of love,

Currently-unable-to-sleep-due-to-being-hungry-and-going-slightly-mad-post-grad.

amwbox

There are lots of low calorie foods you can basically pig out on. Celery, cabbage, etc.

You might not like celery and cabbage or whatever very much, but making yourself munch on that instead of whatever calorie dense thing you were eating might beat feeling hungry.

velvet_violence

I've found that taking is water doesn't do a whole lot for me personally on the hunger front. It's like it works for a little while and then my stomach gets kinda mad at me. For whatever reason I do need to eat pretty regularly or else my tummy and my brain just defect on me in concert.

I started buying better ingredients and staying away from sugar as much as possible (I like an occasional sugary, creamy adult drink or piece of something I baked), increasing fat and "real food" intake, cooking for myself 95% of the time, and getting regular exercise. These are the things that have been keeping feeling satisfied as I cut down on fast food and pre-processed stuff.

bridgie101

I cannae see your diary!

What I'm doing that helps me is I'm never going to bed hungry. I might not have much for breakfast or lunch, dinner is 'average' and then I get supper and a biscuit. 2 if I can get away with it. So at the end of it all I'm sated, satisfied, comfortable. I can relax.

Knowing my milo is coming with my bikkies really helps me get through the day.

acpgee

I find protein and fibre keeps me feeling satiated. I also limit carbs to about 50 g per sitting. I find if I eat a lot of carbs it makes my blood glucose spike, causing an insulin spike, so that a couple of hours later it leaves my blood sugar low. This causes renewed carb cravings.

LHannan62

Just moved here from DailyBurn (gone off it), so I only have a day of diary on this site.

There is so much broccoli in my diet at the moment, its the only vegetable I can stand. It doesn't seem to keep me full for long though, must be the lack of fat. Whats a good choice for filling foods? I've heard nuts are good? They seem very calorific though, which puts me off.

I'll try shifting my meals about so I eat something closer to bed time, that sounds like a good idea.

Thanks so far guys

bridgie101

Just moved here from DailyBurn (gone off it), so I only have a day of diary on this site.

There is so much broccoli in my diet at the moment, its the only vegetable I can stand. It doesn't seem to keep me full for long though, must be the lack of fat. Whats a good choice for filling foods? I've heard nuts are good? They seem very calorific though, which puts me off.

I'll try shifting my meals about so I eat something closer to bed time, that sounds like a good idea.

Thanks so far guys

Broccoli's a bit depressing, and extraordinarily low calorie. Which makes it good I guess... but not going to satisfy all on its own.

you can sliver carrots really fine and put them in a red curry. Barely notice them that way, and they're the right colour! I have found slivered carrots in a stir fry are actually really nice, and in a satay are even better, you can eat heaps of them.

(Really thin slivered, using a tool.)

Other than that, the sauces you use for stir fry really help with satiety and maybe can cover the flavour of disliked foods. I'm sure I'm not supposed to mention it but MSG fills you up. it makes things more 'beefy' and that's why things like soy sauce help out.

A child will reject a food 10 times before he likes it. Try every food you hate ten times, and see if this changes your point of view. Humans very much want consistency, and habit, and familiarity. New things are mostly rejected: so try the 10 x test.

I'm eating more rice than I have in teh past: I've always limited my intake to 1/2 cup or less, but nowadays I'm going crazy and having a whole cup if I need it. it's not all that high calorie really.

I do avoid bread. Too many calories for the result. I could eat half a loaf of bread and still want more: so I avoid it completely. Weetbix are helping because they fill me up without too many calories. Lots of fibre.

for me it's getting my body into a routine that it's used to, so that my stomach doesn't send out hunger pangs till 'that' time of day. My stomach goes like an alarm clock nowadays, which is good.

morpheousneo

Different strokes for different folks. Maybe save more calories for your evening meal. I prefer this so I go to bed satiated and often happy. Saving more for my evening meal often means I have tasty, hearty meals, if need be, and also dessert There are lots of recipes online that can help. 'Hairy Bikers' have a diet book out now. I've just tried their chili con carne from their website. Gorgeous. Been my dinner for days. Eat with a bunch of veg or tortilla or rice.

Peanut butter and bananas are excellent staples. Almonds too. I'm not a fan of oatmeal but it's low cal and filling so I force it down some mornings. Egg is another must have. Find the right foods/recipes and your hunger should reduce significantly.

EddieCuellar77

Oh mate I feel your pain!!! I try and do what amwbox suggested. I have the most trouble late at night so I make sure there's lots of healthy options. Also, if its not in the house then I cant eat it... so I don't buy food/snacks with high numbers. A friend suggested green tea to suppress appetite but I've not yet tried it. Throughout the day I generally eat pretty light so I have numbers left over. Numbers, numbers.... bloody numbers.. Lol

VanessaRudden

Try Drinking Coffee black - this dispels the hunger a little

Squamation

For me eating more protein helps keep the hunger away longer.

But also remind yourself that it's not a bad thing to feel hungry. It's NOT ok to starve yourself, but there is going to be a period of adjustment for your body to get used to smaller, proper portions.

If you find you're hungry more often maybe eat 5 small meals a day- that way you're always eating something AND your stomach will start to shrink getting used to only small amounts of food at a time. <- that's what I did and now I can't eat large portions of anything.

lisaabenjamin

I just don't get it when people say they don't like "vegetables" - there are SO many different vegetables and they all taste different and have different textures so how can broccoli be the only one you can "stand" - it's not even the best vegetable! Try experimenting with vegetables cooked in different ways, they don't all have to be boiled or steamed, you can stirfry, roast, bake, eat them raw with dips, turn them into soups etc.

Archon2

When you feel hungry, tell yourself that a good feeling of fat getting burned off. Once your body gets used to less every day, it should get easier.

For me, coffee also helps me in-between meals. I take it with no sugar, with only a splash of 2% milk.

Sometimes I snack on celery and carrots in between meals along with that coffee. I make a dip out of 1-2tbs light sour cream, a shake of Ms. Dash, and a little salt and pepper. Makes things manageable without adding many calories.

LHannan62

@Lisaamartin: Childhood pickiness hasn't worn off yet. :P Its a bit hard to experiment at the moment as I'm broke and reluctant to spend on ingredients that may be wasted, but only a month of that before I actually get a job and start cooking more adventurously (my visa doesn't let me work in the US).

Coffee, I will try that too...

You guys are great.