feeling full after a meal - how long to wait?

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MelbourneBelle
MelbourneBelle Posts: 105 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

So the conventional wisdom is that it takes 20 mins for the "feeling full" signal to get from the stomach to the brain, but for me, its often 30 or even 40 mins. It can be really tough waiting, feeling still a bit hungry, but knowing that if I eat again too soon I'll end up feeling over full.

How long does everyone else wait to find that full feeling?

Belle

Replies

  • pinkyleigh83
    pinkyleigh83 Posts: 148 Member
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    For me it takes between 20-30 min. But I eat enough at each meal to feel 'done' eating. I don't feel overstuffed or leave myself hungry.
  • rlmadrid
    rlmadrid Posts: 694 Member
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    I honestly never feel full. I could eat all day, every day. It's not all that helpful of a contribution but I hope it makes you feel a bit better! :heart:
  • phlower
    phlower Posts: 103
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    I try to slow my eating down, that helps the full feeling come sooner. If your food is gone and you think you might still be hungry, try drinking water. Don't gulp it, but sip. It will help with the full feeling as well. Also, we often mistake thirst for hunger, so I would try staying hydrated as much as you can. Hope this helps!
  • AlichiaMJohnson73
    AlichiaMJohnson73 Posts: 186 Member
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    Sometimes we mix being thirsty up with being hungry...try drinking some water (before & after) your meal and see how that helps.
  • rubix08
    rubix08 Posts: 33 Member
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    I sometimes get it right away and sometimes it can take a while for my brain to take the hint that the meal is finished and no more is coming.

    I have found over time that if I drink some extra water (like 20-30oz) by the time the food is gone I tend to have that full feeling more quickly, but I also have taken to chewing gum after meals or just in between because the motion of just chewing something seems to help me avoid sneaking in little extra snacks.
  • Evachiquita
    Evachiquita Posts: 223 Member
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    I never feel full either. I am very meticulous about my eating (most of the time). I try to eat foods that are low-calorie but high in volume (i.e. veggies). But it seems that no matter how much I eat I am still hungry. I also notice that I am more hungry (ravenous really) the day after a long bike ride. So I'm trying to learn to live with a feeling of hunger most of the time. If I ate until I was full I would no doubt go back to being over weight in no time.
  • atjays
    atjays Posts: 798 Member
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    I eat often enough that not feeling "full" is pretty normal. I think we can all agree feeling bloated and full after a big meal is uncomfortable and miserable if you're planning to do anything besides take a nap. I also tend to plan my meals and I know that 3-400 calories is just fine to hold me over 3-4 hours until I eat again. Breaking my meals up over the course of the day keeps me content and plenty of energy without the sluggish effects
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Why not figure out about how much food it takes to make you feel full, and then always eating the same amount at a meal?
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
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    I try not to eat till I'm full, I eat till I'm satisfied. That usually takes 15-20 mins. Sometimes when we're out of tune with our bodies it can take quite a while to start hearing our body wisdom again. Body wisdeom is very subtle so sometimes I eat past satisfied then feel icky and bloated.
  • MelbourneBelle
    MelbourneBelle Posts: 105 Member
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    Thanks guys, glad to know I'm not the only one.
  • jpinozzi
    jpinozzi Posts: 1
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    Tip- if your at work and warming up your lunch, trying making sure it is pretty hot so you can only take in small amounts at a time. This will help to eat slow and get to the full feeling much quicker.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I have a desk job so I can do this and I realize not everyone can but generally speaking when I wake up I have a bit of a nibble and then pretty much throughout the day I'm having snack after snack after snack. Bites of chicken breast, a little protein shake, some veg, a bit of sandwich and then the day is over. On my MFP diary I split it into 5 meals but really its just a smear across my day.

    Do I ever get to the "full" feeling? Well...no, I guess I don't. But the thing is I never experience hunger either. Never hungry so I find I don't have any desire to "get full" if you know what I mean.

    I guess my advice therefore is if you can eat in a way that you don't get hungry in the first place you won't care about being full.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    I eat VERY slowly now and drink water between every few bites. It might take me a while to finish a meal, but I'm never hungry afterward.

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