"Off Button" - Mine is broken - How to fix?

LainMac
LainMac Posts: 412 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi Folks,

My "off" button aka feeling of “fullness” just doesn't work well. I truly feel "hungry" for long time after eating. I feel as hungry after a meal as I did just before I ate. It often takes between 30 minutesto an hour st 1/2 hour after eating to not feel “hungry”.

Logging is good for me because I can say to my logical mind "Hey, you just ate 600 calories with some carbo, fat, and protein. You can't eat more."

Does anyone else experience this?

Also, beyond the hot tea and broth "tricks" and tons of low cal veg, does anyone do something else to make the body into recognize it is no longer hungry.

I need to take my “will power” from the stop eating thing and focus it toward exercising, which I am truly lame about.

Thanks,
Lain

Replies

  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    How fast are you finishing a meal? Maybe take smaller mouthfuls, chew more thoroughly, eat slower overall, enough calories for your activity level. Nutrients that work together to confer satiety include protein, fibre, water and to a lesser extent fat - the tricks you mention are primarily water with a little fibre. Carbs are not that involved in satiety. Are you eating protein at every meal and snack from breakfast, at least nine servings of low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables, three servings of reduced fat dairy a day, nuts and seeds regularly, more than the recommended minimum of 14g fibre per 1000 calories?
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    It's not for everyone but within a matter of weeks eating a LCHF whole foods diet whatever was wrong with my appetite/hormones seemed to correct itself. It's a restrictive diet for sure but it doesn't feel restrictive it just feels great to be able to eat delicious food and be satisfied.

    The freedom from the constant nagging hunger or desire to eat all the time even if you should be full because you just ate still seems pretty miraculous to me. It's not for everyone but it worked for me and I can't imagine ever going back to eating the standard diet that's recommended for good health.

    LCHF
    http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
  • fatjavotte
    fatjavotte Posts: 96 Member
    I think mine is broken forever after years of bingeing. Ten years ago I was on 10,000kcal/day. Thankfully those days are behind me but I never feel full or sickened, even after eating a whole jar of Nutella. I have lost weight before with a healthy, balanced diet and smaller portions, but my body never learnt to say "stop" again.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Hi Folks,

    My "off" button aka feeling of “fullness” just doesn't work well. I truly feel "hungry" for long time after eating. I feel as hungry after a meal as I did just before I ate. It often takes between 30 minutesto an hour st 1/2 hour after eating to not feel “hungry”.

    Logging is good for me because I can say to my logical mind "Hey, you just ate 600 calories with some carbo, fat, and protein. You can't eat more."

    Does anyone else experience this?

    Also, beyond the hot tea and broth "tricks" and tons of low cal veg, does anyone do something else to make the body into recognize it is no longer hungry.

    I need to take my “will power” from the stop eating thing and focus it toward exercising, which I am truly lame about.

    Thanks,
    Lain

    Some reasons one feels hungry:
    They didn't eat enough <-if 600 calories is a lot of food to you, it's probably this one
    The are deficient on a/multiple nutrient/s
    They are thirsty
    They just changed their eating schedule (hunger pangs can sometimes be a time keeper for when your body thinks food is available)
  • mscrumbyy
    mscrumbyy Posts: 116
    I have a similar problem. As well as being caused by not drinking enough/changes in schedule etc it can also be caused by the hormones Grehlin and Leptin (the "hunger" and "full") hormones and their patterns can get a little messed up if you're overweight or in a habit of really overeating. Unfortunately the only real way to break it is to eat what you know logically is a good portion size and then kind of ride it out.
    I found that eating much smaller meals with more regular snacks helped at first. Eating your meals slower also apparently helps. As your weight drops and you get into good eating habits you should find it easier to handle as they come back into balance.

    Don't starve yourself though! If you genuinely are hungry you shouldn't deny yourself. Just make sure that your snacks are healthy and keep an eye that you're not overdoing it.
  • natajane
    natajane Posts: 295 Member
    Hello,

    I used to have the same problem! I could eat at any point - any time, anything! I never felt hungry. I didn't know what hunger was really. I ate out of routine, boredom, happiness, sadness or just if tasty food was about.

    I then by chance had a go at intermitant fasting as I'd watched a BBC programme on other health benefits of it (IGF1 hormone). This is where you eat what you like 5 days (within reason, no binging or utter rubbish all day) and then for 2 days you eat only 500 calories.

    Whilst I didn't continue with it every week, I did as a side note to it, learn what real physical hunger feels like. It's not so bad either, it comes and goes in quick waves.

    Since then, I think my relationship with food is much better. I don't feel as emotionally attachedandi know better when my body needs fuel too.

    I am healthy and checked this with my doctor by the way, don't do this without checking you're ok to.

Categories