Does your stomach shrunk/adjust to your calorie intake?

kaylabrose

I've always been an over eater, and recently with support from my mother I'm trying to eat a ''normal'' amount of food instead of snacking continuously, will my body adjust to this? (it's really embarrassing writing this because I'm a recovered anorexic, so you'd think I'd be able to just stop eating and ignore boredom hunger)

darrensurrey

Yes! Nothing else to add. The body's great like that. Adapts - push more food down, it stretches so you can eat more and more; eat less, it shrinks.

Xiaolongbao

A lot of people claim their stomach shrinks. Sadly didn't happen for me. I can still eat just as much as I ever could...I just generally don't allow it.

DancingDreams1234

It stretches, and comtracts to digest food - calories Are in what you eat.

AmberleyAngel

No need to be embarrassed at all.

Yes, your stomach does adjust. It takes a little time to shrink and this is where most people fail because they don't push through the first days of hunger, but once it happens you'll find yourself satisfied on less food. Just make sure it's nutritionally good food.

Best wishes.

EmmaKarney

It's mind over matter - you learn to recognise the difference between genuine hunger and just eating for the sake of it out of boredom, emotion or habit.

If you continue to be genuinely hungry you may need to look at your calorie intake and edge it up by a hundred or so until you find your sweet spot.

ashlinmarie

I was anorexic as well and turned over-eater...plus a fear of "restricting" and laziness...well, you know.

I go through cycles. There are some times that I catch myself wanting to boredom eat, but I have noticed I handle considerably less food than I used to. Sure, I can still put down a 2000 calorie binge day, but I can no longer eat a bunch of crap foods.

I've had a combo of adjusting and trying to learn will power. How many calories are you set at? I noticed when I was on 1200, I was starving constantly but I've upped to 1500-1800 (depending on the exercise) a day and am usually satisfied by this.

TavistockToad

A lot of people claim their stomach shrinks. Sadly didn't happen for me. I can still eat just as much as I ever could...I just generally don't allow it.

same for me! i just dont eat as much, even though i still could!

changergirl

Yes it does. After 6 months of eating proper portion sizes I can't eat what I used to before. Even if I eat half of what I used to eat (junk food) I feel sick. It's awesome because I never thought I'd be able to control my unhealthy binging on snacks/junk food.

kaylabrose

I was anorexic as well and turned over-eater...plus a fear of "restricting" and laziness...well, you know.

I go through cycles. There are some times that I catch myself wanting to boredom eat, but I have noticed I handle considerably less food than I used to. Sure, I can still put down a 2000 calorie binge day, but I can no longer eat a bunch of crap foods.

I've had a combo of adjusting and trying to learn will power. How many calories are you set at? I noticed when I was on 1200, I was starving constantly but I've upped to 1500-1800 (depending on the exercise) a day and am usually satisfied by this.

It's really good to know that there are people out there who relate, I had to gain weight urgently by doctors orders and was put on 3000-4000 calories a day with no exercise, so I guess that hasn't helped with my appitite now I've got the OK to maintain my current weight!

I too go through cycles of restricting to 1200-1400 calories, then jumping up to 2000-24000 calories. It's really difficult, and I'm sick of food still controlling my life. There doesn't seem to be an end when it comes to my eating habits.

kaylabrose

Thanks to everyone who's responded kindly, I always get scared I'm going to be attacked when it comes to posting! :flowerforyou:

kingscrown

I've found the answer to be yes and no. When MFP got me down to 1200 calories a day I found it very hard to adjust too. I felt so hungry and deprived most of the time. I did it for several months and didn't lose much weight either. I asked my trainer about it and she suggested I raise my calories to 1400 a day. She said I work out too much to eat so little. The first week of 1400 felt luxurious. I felt like I was eating too much. It came time to weigh in and I dropped 3 pounds for the first week. I've been at 1400 for a month and I'm losing about 1 pound a week and I'm pretty happy with that and having a little more food in my day. 1400 feels good to me.

ironanimal

More quantity of food than calorie intake, but yeah, it definitely adjusts. My eyeballs bulge out of my head when I consider the AMOUNT I used to eat.

lacroyx

A lot of people claim their stomach shrinks. Sadly didn't happen for me. I can still eat just as much as I ever could...I just generally don't allow it.

same for me! i just dont eat as much, even though i still could!

Same here but only when it comes to pizza.

timberowl

I think mine shrank a bit. After a few weeks of feeling like I was starving to death nonstop, it paid off when I had a binge and was full on about 1/2 the amount it used to take.

darrensurrey

It's mind over matter - you learn to recognise the difference between genuine hunger and just eating for the sake of it out of boredom, emotion or habit.

If you continue to be genuinely hungry you may need to look at your calorie intake and edge it up by a hundred or so until you find your sweet spot.

Well done!

And yes, it is about learning to recognise the difference. I find having a cup of any kind of Chinese tea is useful (aka flavoured, low calorie hot water).

Linuraleal

I don't really have much to add, other than you should be so proud of yourself to have recovered from AN

ashlinmarie

I was anorexic as well and turned over-eater...plus a fear of "restricting" and laziness...well, you know.

I go through cycles. There are some times that I catch myself wanting to boredom eat, but I have noticed I handle considerably less food than I used to. Sure, I can still put down a 2000 calorie binge day, but I can no longer eat a bunch of crap foods.

I've had a combo of adjusting and trying to learn will power. How many calories are you set at? I noticed when I was on 1200, I was starving constantly but I've upped to 1500-1800 (depending on the exercise) a day and am usually satisfied by this.

It's really good to know that there are people out there who relate, I had to gain weight urgently by doctors orders and was put on 3000-4000 calories a day with no exercise, so I guess that hasn't helped with my appitite now I've got the OK to maintain my current weight!

I too go through cycles of restricting to 1200-1400 calories, then jumping up to 2000-24000 calories. It's really difficult, and I'm sick of food still controlling my life. There doesn't seem to be an end when it comes to my eating habits.

I was lucky...my friends intervened before I got too bad. I was 15 pounds below my low end "healthy" BMI...about 103 lbs and through their encouragement, I started eating more bit by bit. I wasn't an over-exerciser so it was easy to get back to a "healthy" weight. I'm lucky they even noticed because even my mom didn't see how thin I'd gotten.

I definitely relate though...it has been a struggle my whole life. I wish food didn't control me, but to this day I have to work hard to not fall back into a cycle. If I get into a bad binge habit for a few days, I'll find for a few days after I'll eat very little...not even on purpose...so then I have to force myself back up to normal calories. Maybe try 1600 or so NET calories per day... it might help you not binge as much. I also try to keep junk out of the house and I keep almonds and a few other snacks that not only keep me full, but are higher calorie in case I'm low.

prattiger65

I don't really know if it literally shrinks or not. What I do know is that I have the same feeling of being full while eating less food. It could be my brain adjusting or stomach shrinking or both. I don't know what it is, but it is happening.

metacognition

It's not just the stomach getting smaller, which it does.

The key is to eat a lot of high volume, nutrient dense foods that are lower in calories. Your taste buds adjust a lot over the months and things start getting sweeter and richer in flavor. Even plain oatmeal is pretty good to me now. And that's a cup of food for 100 calories. Vs. something like tuna casserole which would be around 300 for the same cup.

Try to fill up on vegetables, fruits, lean protein (skinless chicken breast, legumes, greek yogurt). Having some fiber and protein at each meal will make you feel fuller longer, regardless of stomach size.

Eating small meals every couple of hours isn't bad for you at all, keep doing it if it works (just count the calories in each meal).

fShaw86

I was anorexic when I had postpartum depression. Instead of being a rosy-cheeked mom, I had lost 20-30 lbs (off of my lean body mass) after my son was born, and looked like the living dead. Not a good thing! I could only eat 1/4-1/3 portions of foods that I used to eat. So, yes, your stomach can shrink. Depends on each person's body, I guess.

I learned to eat healthy/normal after that, and gained the weight back- and then some, lol. It was after that, that I realized something else had to be done so I didn't become fat. I started eating right, clean. Now, I just have slightly smaller than normal portions. You can do it

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I was anorexic as well and turned over-eater...plus a fear of "restricting" and laziness...well, you know.

I go through cycles. There are some times that I catch myself wanting to boredom eat, but I have noticed I handle considerably less food than I used to. Sure, I can still put down a 2000 calorie binge day, but I can no longer eat a bunch of crap foods.

I've had a combo of adjusting and trying to learn will power. How many calories are you set at? I noticed when I was on 1200, I was starving constantly but I've upped to 1500-1800 (depending on the exercise) a day and am usually satisfied by this.

2000 calories in a day is far from a binge and if you actually think it is then I think you should reconsider your relationship with food!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I don't really know if it literally shrinks or not. What I do know is that I have the same feeling of being full while eating less food. It could be my brain adjusting or stomach shrinking or both. I don't know what it is, but it is happening.

I think it's less stomach shrinkage and more just simply getting used to eating fewer calories. MANY people actually wind up eating more volume than ever in an attempt to feel full on fewer calories, so while dieting people "stretch" their stomachs more than in the past. Of course everyone approaches dieting differently but most people I've encountered eventually place high calorie items with more voluminous foods.

lcfairbairn74

First of all, huge congratulations on your recovery from anorexia!! That's a tough illness to beat! My stomach has definitely got used to smaller portions, and my definition of overeating now is vastly different from before mfp. I think psychologically the shift is so important too though. You realise you can live on a lot less calories than you were eating and learn when you are actually hungry instead of bored or emotional. It took me a few months on my new eating plan to get there though, it didn't happen overnight.:drinker:

ingeh

Mine did. Iv slacked abit recently over easter and birthdays but im back now. I used to be able to eat a huge 14inch pizza with my partner or eat a big plate special from our favourite restaraunt. Now I can only eat the jacket potato and sale with some cheese and meat and Im stuffed for 4-5 hours. I also feel so bad (headaches, sick, woozy headed) if I eat sweets and junk food now, so my body and mind have gotten used to eating better and smaller portions. Im terrible for eating when I dont need to though. Im a stay at home mum to 2 boys so can get bored and eat when I dont need to.
I think ours bodies get used to different things as mine hates sweet food and junk food now and I can eat less and smaller portions

clareyoung80

As a former overeater, who could seriously just eat and eat and eat and never get full, I went down to a 1200 cals a day for around 5-6 months. The difference was crazy. Firstly, I was eating clean and it's far more difficult (I found) to overeat for that long when you're eating clean. When my weight plateaued for a few months, I started trying to up my calories and found it really difficult! I still find it difficult to the point where usually for breakfast (when I feel the least hungry), I have a meal replacement shake just to get in enough calories for the day. It's not ideal, but in the last few weeks I can occasionally manage porridge for breakfast!

It's crazy, seeing as before I could seriously pack away anything and everything. It's nice to know my stomach has had a good rest from all those years of abuse...

wllwsmmr

I used to be anorexic too and totally understand what you mean because I now suffer with overeating and binge eating and emotional eating. Your stomach does shrink, but for me it isn't so much about stomach shrinking such that I CAN'T eat crazy amounts anymore, but that it takes lesser calories for me to get the nasty side effects of overeating, like carb/sugar crash, bloating, stomach discomfort, or just feeling gross!

ash_mason

Yes. As a *soon to be former* overeater, for me, it takes about a week of lighter eating for my stomach to shrink. When it does, I get fuller on less quantities of food and I notice IMMEDIATE discomfort if I overeat.

stefa711

I've always been an over eater, and recently with support from my mother I'm trying to eat a ''normal'' amount of food instead of snacking continuously, will my body adjust to this? (it's really embarrassing writing this because I'm a recovered anorexic, so you'd think I'd be able to just stop eating and ignore boredom hunger)

Same. I went from being anorexic, to bulimic, and back. Well, at some point I royally ****ed my metabolism and gained about 50 lbs that I held onto for the past 5 years (yo-yo-ing between fad lose-weight-overnight diets, over-eating, and purging). Finally, more than 8 years later, I am healthy.

It took a while, but recovery is possible! Keep it up :flowerforyou:

melaniefave41

My first few weeks of having a calorie goal I felt hungry a lot. Probably a mix of actually being hungry and simply thinking I was. Now my goal intake seems to be plenty, even more than enough at times. I would suggest first drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry as huger is often mistaken for thirst and to make sure that the calories you do ingest are nutrient dense. As others have said, if you are still finding you goal to not be ample, increase it a little. Also, make sure you are eating breakfast.