is it true that...

holliebattershell

your stomach shrinks?!
I am trying to eat 1200 calories a day but its so hard because I get super hungry between lunch & dinner,
my friend told me to stick with it because my stomach will shrink after a couple of weeks so I wont be as hungry, is that true?
I really need some reassurance that things will get easier because when im hungry I just feel like giving up!

_hi_hat3r_

Your appetite may adjust to the low calorie intake....I don't know but if you're hungry you probably need to increase your calories a little. Atleast increase your PROTEIN and FATS.

EternalJourney

People have said this but I don't know if its true. For about eight months I did really good and ate small portions daily, yet I binged for a week eating a ton of food like a whole box of pasta in one sitting and I realized my stomach was probably still the same size it was eight months ago.. as it didnt affect me at all except for feeling bad and the weight gain.

Ritzbrit

I'm at 1200 (which is right for my current weight and goal weight), make sure your eating something every 3-4 hours, drink lots of water which helps you feel fuller and pick foods that are more filling.

missikay1970

i dont' know if it's true. but for me, i have noticed a HUGE change in the amount i can eat since i lost my weight. i used to eat large amounts of food and now i can't. it seems true for me. even to this day, i will make my plate at dinner, eat half, and say, "why did i get this much?" i'll be totally full at half-way and can't eat another bite. and the amount i serve myself isn't even as much as i used to eat! LOL this is a good question.

chrishgt4

Whether it's stomach shrinking or something else - If I don't eat for a day or so, when I do start back up I have to force food in. I get full so quickly.

Captain_Tightpants

That's a really interesting question. I don't know for sure if it physically shrinks (gonna have to look into that) but I can tell you that your appetite and hunger definitely decrease with time. Even more so if you are eating whole foods that promote satiety - veggies, lean meat, eggs, nuts etc.

Edit: this study suggests that there is a decrease in physical stomach capacity after reduced calorie intake.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8561056?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1

secretlobster

It does physically EXPAND when you eat a lot of food, but it can only shrink down to its original size, no further.

kristen6022

I'm sure if it physically shrinks, but after losing 35+ pounds I can't eat as much as I could then. Like, for example, last night I decided to treat myself to my 3 favorite things, hot wings, beer and french fries. At 190ish, I could down a ton of food. At 153 I could only eat 4 wings and half of my fries and one beer. I was STUFFED.

My appetite is still there, I still get HUNGRY, but smaller amounts of food satisfy me.