All I want to do is eat!

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I'm eating whole grains and I've changed a lot of my produce/ dairy products to organic. Why can't I stay full? I've finally willed myself to NOT eat when I'm not hungry, but being hungry all the time is not helping. I haven't started an exercise routine yet and I'm a secretary, so my life is pretty sedentary, I'm sorry to say, so it's not a matter of not getting enough calories.

What to do, what to do???

Replies

  • LaceyMorley
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    Start exercising and you will have more calories to eat.
    Drink a lot of water to fill you up.
    Make sure you are getting enough sleep.
    Eat more fruits and veggies to fill up on, and soups are pretty filling as well.
  • jhawley2323
    jhawley2323 Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm in the same boat. I am feeling hungry all the time but think to myself, "I can't actually be this hungry after I have just eaten!" I am still debating between it being mental and just giving my body the time to adjust to a new eating schedule.
    Things I am trying:
    -Increase water intake
    -Increase cardio so can intake more calories
    -chewing gum
    Can't say that they help too much so just hoping in a few weeks my body will have accepted this new way of life :)
  • iheartchersee
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    Thanks, LaceyMorley and congrats on 31 lbs lost! Last time I was on a healthy eating plan, I snacked on baby spinach leaves like they were chips! I should do that again. P.S. I love your Walking Dead ticker so much, I had to make one for myself!

    jhawley2323, I've never been good with drinking water- guess I'd better get good at it! Thanks for the tips. Hopefully our bodies will stop fighting us and start working with us! Good luck to you!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Don't fight your hunger drive, just start having more foods that are low calorie density foods. Make sure you seek out a huge salad everyday, and make sure you have large quantities of fruit everyday. That will fill you up with fiber without filling you up with calories.

    It will also give you a heavy micro-nutrient load. I theorize that when we just cant satisfy our hunger it's because we aren't giving our body some specific nutrient that it is crying out for, so we stay hungry, despite putting something in our mouth. Going to high nutrient density foods, like green leafies and fruit, seems to knock out the hunger for me.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    open your food diary
  • nixirain
    nixirain Posts: 448 Member
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    open your food diary
    \


    Yes, you may not be eating enough for your size, or your goal may be too aggressive for being sedentary.
  • CottonCandyKisses
    CottonCandyKisses Posts: 246 Member
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    Get a Camelbak water bottle to keep on your desk.
    Drink other low calorie things ( I hate tea and coffee, but like hot chocolate--25 calorie packets, crystal light and Lipton 50 calorie soup packets)
    Snack on baby carrots, cut up celery, pepper strips or other veggies
    Gum or mints?

    At meals eat large leafy salads with a serving of healthy protein with a fruit or a filling soup.

    I also sit on but most of the working day as an Administrative Assistant and these are a few things I do.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
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    Try playing with your eating schedule. Try smaller meals more frequently with higher protein and fiber. Eat them before you get hungry. If that doesn't work try skipping breakfast. See if that settles your appetite. Also try drinking more fluids when you feel hungry, wait ten minutes and see if you're still hungry. I had this problem but I started intermittent fasting (it's not for everyone) and I LOVE it. Now I eat for nutrition and not just because my appetite is driving me to compulsive hunger/eating. Good luck. Everyone is different so play around with it and see what works for you.

    PS...before someone says it, there is NO such thing as starvation and you will not ruin, slow down or otherwise mess up your metabolism playing around with your meal times or by skipping meals :).
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    Some strange advice on here.... If you are eating enough healthy foods with adequate fat and protein, you don't need to "fill up" on water (I don't remember that ever working for me) and huge portions of low calorie foods. Many foods such as grains and sugars (fruit) can cause me to feel hungry incessantly and to binge. So I don't eat grain and I limit fruit to small, occasional servings. I eat adequate vegetables so I'm not losing any vital nutrients by limiting fruit. Personally, I prefer not to struggle with hunger and I'm enjoying the best health that I have ever had.

    At least the exercise advice makes sense, but if you are hungry then your body is telling you something. It might really need more food, or it could need nutrients that are currently inadequate in your diet.
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
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    Here is what I did to get started. Calculate the calories you would need to maintain your target weight. As long as you don't eat more than that you will slowly lose the weight. Once you are comfortable with that calorie quantity, then slowly reduce calories if you want to lose faster.

    Definitely start moving - you will feel better in so many ways.

    Be careful about some of these hard core restriction diets that target one or another food as evil. They are not based on science but anecdotal guesses. Many times they are based on pretty good "theories". but those theories are then accepted as fact and it just grows from there.
  • CelebrateLife
    CelebrateLife Posts: 247 Member
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    •Increase your Protein - eggs lean meats nuts ...
    •Have Oatmeal (prepare it in a liquid consistency) add cinnamon Almond Breeze honey(optional)
    •Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night
    •Increase your vegetable intake
    •Psychologically change the way you think of food
    •Sip on Tea throughout the day - Suppresses your appetite and Eliminates your cravings
    •Increase your Water Intake
    •Find things that you enjoy doing and do them keep active -Don't think of exercise as a chore make it fun
    ........

    Good Luck!
  • CelebrateLife
    CelebrateLife Posts: 247 Member
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    If you're consuming rice breads potatoes pasta ... It tends to make you hungry constantly I've personally experienced this now I've reduced them increased my veggies protein water and also having teas it has definitely helped

    Another thing that I do is Schedule my meals so every four hours I eat -I have already planned that meal know what I'm having it's usually prepared before the set time so when the time rolls around I reheat and eat then 4 hours later I repeat it
    If you're not hungry at the scheduled time give it another hour if you really don't want to eat but try not to extend it too long as it'll only result in you overeating ... etc.

    Good Luck!
  • Sparlingo
    Sparlingo Posts: 938 Member
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    I'm no expert at this, but I have been there.

    What I found helpful is to downsize my meals a little and make sure I have protein in each meal. That leaves me more full, and by not eating a tonne at each meal it leaves me free to graze the rest of the day on snacks, which helps me not to feel deprived. I have a hard boiled egg each day because it's an easy protein to fit into my diet - I eat it for breakfast or sliced in a wrap at lunch.

    I keep a wide variety of snacks on hand so that I always feel like I have options (another trick so that I don't feel deprived and want to run out and buy a lot of junk). My favourites have been veg (snap pea, carrots, or celery) + garlic hummus, mandarin oranges, slivered almonds with yogourt, apples with dip I make (vanilla fat-free greek yogurt + peanut butter + cinnamon), and when I simply must have a cookie I have a low cal one like blueberry brown sugar with flax (Lifestyles Selections).

    That's been the ticket for me. Small meals, space my protein out throughout the day, and lots of snacks (make sure healthy ones are in the house). There have been days where I've eaten at other people's houses or ate out and had to save calories, but I'm always hungrier and less satisfied on those days where I have big meals and few snacks.

    I slip up a lot, so I'm not claiming to be a good example at all, but if you'd like meal or snack ideas my diary is open.