Eating when hungry vs. eating just because

Eating when hungry typically doesn't work if one has a history of overeating because the body is used to getting more than it needs. However, there's good news: within a fairly short period of time, your body WILL adjust.

So: Set your calorie goal via mfp, pre-log your meals, so you know you're within your goal, eat and then stop. So what if you're hungry for a week or two? After that it will become easier because the body won't expect such quantities anymore.

I've been counting for just over a month and my "oh my god I am starving" moments stopped after about a week. I could still eat pretty much at any given time but that's an issue of self-controll.

Until you get there you can also cheat your body by drinking a lot of water before dinner, or having a big salad (low-calorie dressing) or a bowl of broth before your main meal.

Don't worry. Everbody binges sometimes. Everybody.

You just have to keep trying different things until you find out what works for you be it not having it in the house, filling up on veggies, working thro emotional issues - there's a million different avenues to be explored. A good start would be to log everything and attempt to stay within 200 of your calorie goal.

Good luck and don't give up! You've fessed up about it - that's half the battle, losing the 'denial' about your food intake.

Set yourself a realistic budget. Stick to it. Plan snacks throughout the day so you know when your next food is coming and only eat what you've set aside for that snack or meal. The rest is sheer willpower. Drink lots of water before a meal to help feel full and make sure you include protein so you aren't just filling up on empty carbs (the pizza) that digest quickly, give you a sugar rush and leave you looking for more food.

Here's an article elaborating on that last sentence: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/rice-affects-blood-sugar-hunger-1588.html

Ever feel really hungry right after a big bowl of chinese food? This is why.

I understand what you are going through. I used to eat a lot just to avoid feeling the hunger pains. I eat to fill up time. I eat just because the food is there. I believe you do know the difference between hunger and eating just because. The food is in front of you, you eat quickly and you don't have enough time to process that your tummy is full.

Are you eating good nutritious food that will fill you up? If you are feeling a lot of hunger pains, maybe you aren't eating enough. You can have 500 calories of frozen pizza as part of your daily allowances but you will get a lot more volume of food if you had 500 calories of protein and vegetables.

Its ok to feel hunger. I tell myself that my body feels hunger and it is turning to the fat stores to find energy. I know it doesn't quite work that way, but its a mental game I play that works for me.

Its ok to leave food on your plate. I know this goes against what most of us were taught as children when we were told to 'clean your plate because there are starving children in what ever country'.

I plan out portion size and calories before I eat, so I know how much I can have. I drink water (tea, whatever) with my meals. I eat slowly, it really does take the brain time to register fullness. Plus it gives me time to savor the food.

When I have had my portion, I get up and walk away from the table. Go do the dishes, something. If I sit at the table, I will most likely keep picking at the food. Or, only bring what you plan on eating to the table with you. This way you can still have family time but the extra food is not right in front of you.

I go for a walk or do some physical activity after eating. It takes my mind off the food, plus it aids with digestion.

These are things I have noticed that work for me. If you truly want this, you can identify real hunger and take control from there. I'm confident you can do this.

If you feel that your hunger cues aren't reliable, despite knowing you have eaten more than maintenance, you can go to an endocrinologist who can assess both serum ghrelin levels and ghrelin receptors on separate occasions. Thus, you can determine if there is a significant adaptation to either or both which is causing you to feel hunger despite meeting and even surpassing maintenance energy needs. The presence of both elevated ghrelin and disturbed receptor function is party responsible for people continuing to gain weight throughout adulthood. In fact, some persons can eventually become leptin resistant in certain cases.

I can totally relate to you, because i am very similar. I am hungry all the time! No matter how much i eat. I think its just a state of mind. This is where MFP has really helped me. Moderation. As someone else mentioned, its ok to feel hungry sometimes. I usually have small snacks between decent sized meals through the day just for this reason.
Also, i have heard this somewhere(not sure if its accurate), mind sends hungry/full signal slightly later than when you are done eating. So eat until you are no longer feeling hungry, but not full either and stop there. Practice moderation and control, after few days it becomes a habit. But never starve yourself. Figure out your TDEE and eat at a decent deficit from it and also workout :flowerforyou: