somebody must know what I mean...

helenoftroy1

ok, I've started cooking and eating healthy (yay me), I have started doing smaller portions.
However what got me here I think is going to put me back. Basically, food tastes soooooo good that even though I'm full and know I should stop something in me says but it tastes so amazing I can't stop. I have used smaller plates and smaller servings.
Take today for example. 2 slices of hovis wheatgerm (56 cals each), spinach, and crab with some Philadelphia light. After much wrestling with my conscience I left a piece of bread but honestly I just wanted to eat it all even though I was full. Now I know a lot of people are perfectly able to leave food but surely there are some people out there on this site that know what I mean. What do I do, cook less appetising meals? Help?!

dls06

Try wrapping what's left in a napkin and throw it in the trash.

vim_n_vigor

Cooking less appetizing meals will probably not satisfy you and will make you want to rebel against your diet. Maybe you can start making yourself think through what extra exercise you will need to do to make up for the extra calories you wil need burn if you eat that food and use that as a way to think through whether it is worth it or not. One thing that has worked for me in the past too is giving myself 1 meal a week that I can eat as much as I want of whatever I want without worrying about the calories (over time I made much better choices for this meal, but it gave me the chance to let myself go without guilt)

randa_behnam

i am EXACTLY the same!! iv started to cook smaller quantities and i dont deprive myself. ill serve myself a portion and if im still hungry after 15-20 mins ill have a bit more.

make sure you drink lots of water before and after your meal, that should fill you up. orrr even better, put the remaining food away. in the fridge or freezer, hide it from sight. brush your teeth and make yourself a hot herbal drink. by the time youve done all that you would have forgotten about eating it.

dont get me wrong, i have failed a few times but now i have trained myself that my eyes shouldnt be bigger than my belly.

dcmat

If you have food left over and feel full try and resist for 30 mins as you be less likely to actual want or need it

jesscsock

I agree, if I find myself wanting to eat the rest of a meal when i'm full and picking at it, I throw it in the bin... I'm not going to eat it out of there!!
I do purposely cook non appetizing meals sometimes actually too :blushing:

jacquerd

HANG IN THERE!! It is hard, but you MUST make the choice to stop eating when you are full, or when you know you've had enough. Yes, food is delicious, but it will pack it on. The good thing is that if you exercise more, you can eat more. I love days where I exercise a lot, do yard work, or whatever and burn a lot of calories, so that I can eat lots of delicious food. it encourages you to exercise more, which is good for you. Again, hang in there!

sammys1girly

If I feel like that, I shove about 3 pieces of gum in my mouth and chew hard, and walk away from the food!

ajbeans

If it's something that will taste good cold, I tend to immediately wrap up the leftovers and put it in the fridge before I even start to eat. You know about how much you'll be able to eat before you get full, so just put the rest of it away. Then you can enjoy it again tomorrow!

nhendri

I am with you. I struggle with this daily!! If there is food out I tend to pick at it or eat it. I have had to ask my family to help. After meals if were done its put away ASAP. I have asked my coworkers to do the same, they now put it in the break room. Now its up to me to stop myself. Its very hard and sometimes I dont realize I am eating until its too late. Now that you have admitted and know your doing it or feel this way you can confront why you do it. For me I am an emotional eater. Any emotion I have I want to eat. It will take time but I know you can do it.

GemmieNoWobbles

I know EXACTLY what you mean! But the way I see it is that its better to fill yourself up on something healthy than to not eat as much and be left wanting something more as you are more likely to reach for the bad things. If you are in your calorie range then you are doing great! Just dont go over your kcals!! :flowerforyou:

Emismom77

It's "Human Nature" to want to keep eating. I fight the urge every day! But it takes longer for your brain to register that you are full than it does your stomach... so if you keep eating, you get that "OMG I am so stuffed" feeling. You have to eat to get you metabolism going and as long as you are within your calories, you should be ok. I wouldn't cook something you don't want to eat, because, if you're like me, that'll just make you toss it out & head to McDonald's. :laugh: What I would do is try to leave a bite or two on your plate each time, or only put 1 serving spoon on your plate in the beginning... and once you're done, you're done. Eventually your body will catch on & it'll be easier.

BigBoneSista

I'm like that as well. My portions are normally small but sometimes...just sometimes the food is just so tasty...that last bite I just have to have it. I wish I could tell you what to do. I have no answers as of yet.

Drunkadelic

I am the same way. I feel full (I guess) but I feel like I could still eat everything in the house like bags of chips or loaves of bread or even tubs of ice cream. I don't know why I'm like that but I feel like it takes serious will power to stop myself from doing just. I guess I just love to eat? Oh and it's like once I start eating, I have trouble stopping.

PuzzleGirl65

I've found it really helpful to eat every meal every day. I know what you mean about wanting it just to want it, but now that I've gotten used to feeding myself regularly throughout the day, the thought of over-indulging actually makes me a little nauseous. It might not be possible with your family/work/life situation, but another thing I do is only prepare as much food as I'm going to eat for that meal.

granniejane

I know exactly what you mean! I was raised poor, and have a REALLY hard time letting food go to waste, and b/c of not having much food or a variety of foods growing up I LOVE food and lots of it...lol But that got me to 270 lbs. I lost 120 lbs, of which I have gained about 40 lbs back..(I have lost 27 lbs of that since Jan) All I can say is I feel your pain...you just have to decide what you want worse,..the food & be unhealthy or do without & be healthy!
One idea, make LESS food, or divide it up and put a portion in the frig for the next day, before you start eating.

vinnysgirl

I know exactly what you mean. I used to be terrible for that, all because I hate things going to waste.

I used to clear my own plate and then any leftovers my hubby had too :embarassed:

So now as soon as I am full, any leftovers go straight into the bin, my hubby does the same too so I am not tempted

SeasideOasis

It comes down to sheer will power to say no. Last night, I went out for sushi on date night. I could have 'easily' eaten another two full rolls (I LOVE sushi....), but knew I shouldn't/couldn't.

Dizzle_65

Try drinking water before an during your meal. May help give you that "full" feeling.

EAt slowly too as it takes time for your body to realise that you are full, I think I read somewhere up to 20 mins

bcattoes

I definitely have that problem! I always say that loving my own cooking is both a blessing and a curse. Some days the food is just too good to stop when I'm full. I try to make sure it doesn't happen too often and work in a little extra exercise if I really overdo it. Also, thinking about the leftovers I'll have for lunch tomorrow if I don't eat it now helps a lot!

KwilsonStPeteFL

My aunt (who is super slim) told me she brushes her teeth right after dinner and that makes her stop eating. It's worked for me.

richellecc

I am exactly the same way...I make great meals in my opinion, and just drink lots of water during the meal and after, and if there are leftovers I put them in the fridge for the next day. I try to make equal portions for the day I'm eating the meal and the next day, so that I don't over indulge. (I portion my plate full, then put the same amount in Tupperware right away)

skinnyinnotime

We know what you mean!!

If i find myself wanting an extra portion, i think am i still hungry or just want more food? If it's hunger i'll have more if it's just wanting it because it's so damn good i'll tell myself NO, that is being greedy, leave it, i've had enough!!

ncgingerich

I try to fill my plate with what I had planned on my log and put the remainder of the food out of sight... this usually does the trick but this is difficult with "family meals" when I typically leave food out to fill the belly of my 16yr old son. I have also found that eating slowly helps as does making myself wait 20 or 30min before having more. It is that old adage that it takes 20 minutes or so for your brain to register that your stomach is full! Good luck!!

helenoftroy1

thank you so much for your responses, they have actually helped a lot.
I guess it's about reconditioning our brains towards our thought on food. I was brought up being told to eat everything on the plate, and I think I'm constantly battling this, so may be like someone said I should make myself leave two bites everytime and recondition myself.
I have tried throwing stuff in the bin but I end up just sitting there thinking about it for ages (I know, it's disgusting but it is who I am)
Sometimes I think it's like an illness this overweight business :mad:

madforplaid

I've been doing subtle tricks to help with this. I use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate ( 8 inches round versus 12 inches round) - only vegetables can be given an additional plate/bowl. I've had to give up (and get rid of) all bread/crackers/biscuits in my house and I've replaced them with sandwich rounds (are these available in the UK? high fiber and 100 calories for what is basically two slices - bread is my weakness). When I cook, I do make extra, but before I serve myself, I put the extra into tupperware/plasticware containers and put in the freezer (if it's out of site, it's out of mind). And finally, I have reintroduced to my diet the 16 ounces of water (two glasses) at least 10 minutes prior to every meal. I've found that having the two glasses PLUS waiting a bit makes me much fuller and also is having the strange effect of eating slower. Which is wonderful, yet bizarre, side effect.

I also have been allowing myself one guilt-free, comfort food meal a week. I have been ensuring that I exercise enough that day to cover the calories, so even though I am being "bad," it still fits in with my daily calorie count. Granted, I haven't tried cake yet (the thought of how many miles I'll have to bike for that is a bit daunting). And, my guilt-free, comfort food meal pretty much consists of CHEESE - lovely, soft, French raw milk cheese - on a yummy yummy whole wheat baguette (that my local bakery will slice super thin for me!). And, I have the added luck of the cheese shop being a 6 mile bike from the house, so it's a result/reward scenario for me!

apapandrea

I am completely on the same page as you! I find I do one of two things- if I'm out I pour ketchup on everything (I don't really like ketchup so it makes things unappetizing) and then I know I'm done. If it is a really good meal I made at home that I know I'll eat more of later I will wrap it and put it in the back of the fridge then walk away and do something completely unrelated to food. It takes my mind off of eatting. If I sit with food in front of my that I like I know I'll eat it. Don't worry, it gets easier to make those healthy decisions as you make more and more of them!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Only put what you will eat on your plate, and the remainder away before you start eating (then you have to go through the process of getting everything back out). input all your meals for the day in the morning, when I put in my breakfast this morning I also put in my snacks and lunch. I did not under budget for the day, and if I am full part way through one of these meals and want to eat for pleasure I already am calorie budgeted. Besides, in my diet I need the calories so that extra couple of bites are not glutenous, they are necessary for me to eat enough calories for weightloss. Now, if you really only need the one piece of toast to meet your daily calorie intake, then don't put the second one on your plate to begin with.

helenoftroy1

And, my guilt-free, comfort food meal pretty much consists of CHEESE - lovely, soft, French raw milk cheese - on a yummy yummy whole wheat baguette (that my local bakery will slice super thin for me!). And, I have the added luck of the cheese shop being a 6 mile bike from the house, so it's a result/reward scenario for me!

Great now I want cheese!!!

webdiva1

One thing that helps me is remembering that eating something I really, really want (but isn't really good for me), will make me happy for maybe 5 or 10 minutes.

Eating something I like that's good for me will make me happy for the rest of my life.

I think you're right: so much of this journey is literally in our heads, and old habits die hard. But they CAN change. Hang in there!

diverchic73

I have that problem too... I grew up eating as much as I wanted and everyone used to joke around that I had hollow legs cos I could each so much and it wouldn't show... then I hit my late 20's and working more inside behind a desk... now I'm in my late 30's I've got to get rid of a decade of eating like I did when I was younger only without the young metabolism or amount of exercise. AND I was trained so that the more I like something the faster I'd eat it as the rule was that you got seconds when you finished your first helping and if you took too long there might not be any for you to have seconds.

So, I've got to undo a lifetime of eating LARGE portions super fast and feeling really stuffed at the end of a meal.

I now only put a proper portion size on my plate and try to eat it slowly and savour each mouthful. I also will drink a glass of water once I'm done to try and get rid of that 'still hungry' feeling as my brain hasn't got the message yet from my stomach.

It's still a struggle thought!