How long until your stomach shrinks?

How many calories are you eating? I know that some people say they needed to go hungry for a bit to shrink their stomachs, but personally I haven't been hungry the whole time I've been here. If your calorie goal is appropriate then you can work on getting enough protein and fat. That will help you stay full longer. Another trick I have learned for myself is to have hot tea, coffee, or broth. Something about the hot liquid seems to help. But if you're still hungry after that, you need to eat. Just make it something healthy. As you noted, if you're really hungry you're much more likely to get out of control and blow your day.

water! when my stomach growls I go for water. It has helped in the long run mine has shrunk without me noticing!!

:drinker:

If you are eating healthier foods you can probably eat larger portions, my meals often look much bigger than previously as I am eating lots of veggies and wholesome foods which aren't as dense in calories. I'm not an expert as have only been going since the beginning of January but I often have a drnk initially when I think I am hungry, plus with me it is breaking the habit of eating rather than the need to eat.
Good luck!

You can't target where you lose fat, and it's different for everyone.

Some people lose weight on their stomach first, some don't. Just keep losing weight and as you become lean eventually your belly fat will go away

masfe: I think the original poster is referring to shrinking his stomach (the organ where the food goes) --- not the belly fat. He is trying to make his stomach smaller so he becomes fuller faster (something different than spot reducing, which you're right, is not possible).

oh ok

I don't know about how long your stomach takes to shrink but I'll vote with the people who say drink water (or unsweetend herbal tea) when you're hungry. I was amazed when I started logging calories how many calories were in bread and oil and how few were in things like courgette (zuchini I think in the US) or mushrooms (provided they're not fried). If you cut fat out of your diet (use a non-stick pan and far less oil for example) and bulk up with stuff that is really low calorie then you can eat more volume so you're not as hungry.

Oh try to cut out sugar too as it makes you hungry (by changing your insulin levels), I don't think anyone has shown sweeteners doing the same thing but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Your stomach never actually shrinks, it's the same size. Eat some celery or a pickle?

I spread my calories out over 6-8 meals. Plus if you eat clean you can eat a LOT more food.
Also most hunger pains are dehydration. Drink 100 oz of water a day and especially if you get hungry.

The trick is to never get hungry.

Myth or Fact: If you cut down on your food intake, you'll eventually shrink your stomach so you won't be as hungry.

Answer: Myth. Once you are an adult, your stomach pretty much remains the same size -- unless you have surgery to intentionally make it smaller. Eating less won't shrink your stomach, says Moyad, but it can help to reset your "appetite thermostat" so you won't feel as hungry, and it may be easier to stick with your eating plan.


Edited to add, got info from here - http://women.webmd.com/pharmacist-11/stomach-problems

From my own reading, it can take two to three weeks for your stomach to "unstretch" down to it's normal size. Like others who have posted, I am concerned about the growling and the feeling of hunger you are experiencing. I have only had this type of issue when I ate far too few calories which can send your body the message that it needs to lower its metabolic rate. Unless you are using something like fitbit, you may have underestimated your average or normal activity rate which in part determines the number of calories you should consume for weight loss. I applaud you going for the banana and cottage cheese and not giving in to the nasty food. I also have found that hot drinks help me feel full like another person posted. One of my newer healthy habits is to drink a full glass of water before a meal and a full glass with the meal which helps me feel full too. Another trick is to eat a half or full portion of almonds, walnuts, or pistachios along with a glass of water. The healthy fat and protein will give you long lasting energy and the fiber and water will help stave off your hunger until your next meal.

Smoothie, Smoothie, Smoothie, Smoothie. Best thing i did was get into Smoothies.

If thats too high in calories, try a chunk of Watermelon.

Ive tried the water thing. Its never really worked for me. Still feel hungry after a short while.

Grazing works a treat too. Just keep it heathy and you can eat all day.

To keep the growling attacks down you should eat 5-6 small meals a day, every 2-3 hours. So breakfast at 6am, a snack (or protein shake) at 9am, Lunch at Noon, a snack ( or protein shake) at 3pm and Dinner at 6pm. Don't eat carbs after 7pm. And if you do get hungry after 7, reach for a protein shake, cook up some eggs or even drink water. If you keep this up your stomach will shrink, but it will also keep you full throughout the day. Good Luck!

Water has never helped me with hunger. I eat a serving of fruit between meals to help with the hunger. The one key to all this is to figure out and recognize when your "body" is hungry versus when your "mind" is hungry. Most people who say they are hungry are hungry in their "mind' and their body is not actually needing nourishment. That's why a lot of us are here. We haven't listened to our body and thus it has been over fed. When you get to the point of recognizing real hunger you will make progress.

Are you eating enough fat, fiber and protein?
*For fat, try to avoid vegetable oil based fats (cooking oil, margarine, anything with soybean oil in it) and try to stick to monounsaturated fats (Olive oil, avocados) and saturated fats. Change your fat settings to 20-30% of daily calories.

Eat enough protein.
*Try to have at least 40% of your daily protein at your first meal of the day. 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight is a good rule of thumb for people who want to lose fat and preserve muscle.

Increase fiber intake to 30-50 grams a day.
*Do this slowly if you are at a very low fiber intake. Once you start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, it will be pretty easy to get up to these levels without supplements. Having some psyllium husk powder on occasion will help on the days you can't get enough from your foods.

Cut back on Wheat and processed grain products.
*Eat more whole grain foods like rice and oatmeal and try to eliminate wheat. Recent studies indicate that wheat can create a cravings cycle that increases hunger and the tendency to over eat. This is especially true when combined with vegetable oils and sugar (PB&J would fit into this category).