can I get some advice please?

JoshDC1988
JoshDC1988 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I need some help well more so advice. I'm a person who has a problem with eating oversized portions like maybe 2 cheese burgers or sandwiches instead of one. Does anyone have some advice to how someone like me could maybe stop this bad habit or slow it all together? Its apart of the reason I gained my weight in the first place and if I don't stop if I lose the weight I'll just wind up gaining it back.
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Replies

  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    Self control.
    If you can't do it right away, please learn to do it gradually.

    The way I was raised caused me to eat huge portions because "you have to eat everything on your plate or it's wasted", plus many other things.


    Anyway, it was tough for me to not eat like that in the beginning and now, I don't and I'm not looking back. Try to drink a full glass of chilled water before every meal and one after. That helped me tons.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Finances, man.

    Buy one, sock away the other $5.

    Are you logging? If not, then start. Once you see this out in the open, you'll see how it affects your daily goal. If that doesn't get you to stop, then you just need to grow up and realize you can't have everything you want. No easier way to say that.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Drink a glass of water before each meal and snack and you will eat less. In addition, I think it is well worth the investment to read and consider following this advice:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • JoshDC1988
    JoshDC1988 Posts: 8 Member
    I grew up in a household like that too Sinisterly. It's one of the reasons I'm still doing it. Thanks for the method I'll try it to see if that helps
  • JoshDC1988
    JoshDC1988 Posts: 8 Member
    Finances, man.

    Buy one, sock away the other $5.

    Are you logging? If not, then start. Once you see this out in the open, you'll see how it affects your daily goal. If that doesn't get you to stop, then you just need to grow up and realize you can't have everything you want. No easier way to say that.

    going to be starting everything on may 5th I'm currently trying to get a hold of a scale and get ahold of my dietary situation first so I don't have to worry about it. So it can become a routine rather than a habit. Something programmed into my brain so that I never mess up again.
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    So many people struggle with portion control - that's the reason most of us got here, I'm sure.

    My advice is to slow down. Have your meals with other people and go slowly, talk to them, put your food down to look at your phone, etc. Some people like to drink a glass of water before eating, others prefer to take a sip between every bite. Either or both is fine. Water is a great appetite suppressant, it'll keep you busy and slow you down, and staying hydrated is important for weight loss anyway.

    If you're going to buy two of something, immediately put one away for later. Or instead of two sandwiches or burgers - get a burger and a salad or a sandwich with soup. Eat the soup or salad first as it has more volume per less calories and will fill you up.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Pre log everything at the start of the day, and then only eat what fits in your calories.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Order one cheese burger, than LEAVE the establishment.

    Fill up one plate at dinnertime, then pack the rest of the food in Tupperwares and put it away.

    It's much harder to overeat if it entails extra work, like driving back to McDonald's for more, or getting out more dinner and reheating it.

    Eat off salad plates instead of dinner plates, use ramekin cups instead of soup bowls. Also don't let yourself get STARVING before a meal, so you son't lose your head and order an entire party platter for yourself, like I've been known to do, lol! Have small frequent snacks to keep your hunger at bay, so when mealtimes roll around you'll be able to make smart choices with your head, not insane impulses with your stomach.
  • dearannna
    dearannna Posts: 60 Member
    If you find it too hard to reduce the amount of food you eat then eat the same volume but make changes to the content to reduce the calories. So still have two sandwiches but have a low calorie filling like tuna salad with no mayo or butter. Or have one sandwich but add a salad or a cup of soup to it. Eventually you'll be able to reduce the portion.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Some great advice already. I'll just add my 2¢:

    1. Eat slowly and savor each bite. I eat more when I wolf down my food.

    2. When you eat, don't do anything else. It's amazing how much I can eat if I'm watching TV or on the computer with a bag next to me.
  • logan45367
    logan45367 Posts: 2
    What I do, is I A) Either drink my soda slowly or water, which fills you up faster or B) I have a tendency to look up the news while eating on my phone, which essentially makes you eat slower, or watch a T.V show with family or if no family then with friends or play a game while you eat. In the end, doing multiple tasks at once while eating will lower the need in your brain to want to eat more and your brain will focus on the other tasks at hand and not be fixated on the food in front of you. I too used to eat bigger portions, and part of that was also due to stress and anxiety issues that I have. I don't take medication for those though. So big thing is, be distracted, talk to family or friends more, look up the news, or something interesting like a new factoid on the internet, or entertainment like TV and Video games. That will help, I am working on self-control and it will be a forever event for you to work on, else you go back to the same habits. Hope I helped and I honestly wish you good luck on wieght loss! (This probably only works if you get fixated on a lot of things like I do lol...)
  • Roughgalaxy
    Roughgalaxy Posts: 219 Member
    Drink water before you eat, it will fill your stomach a big so you feel full sooner. One thing I do is I plan and cook all my meals for the week on sundays. that way I know exactly how many calories I'm getting every day. Then you just have to practice restraint when tempted by bad things.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    You already got really great advise! I think once you get your food scale, and start to weigh and measure everything, you'll see how many calories your consuming, and that will help a lot!! I used to think that I was having one serving of dry cereal, but when I started to weigh and measure everything, I realized I was actually eating @4 servings!!! So then it really helped me see exactly what I was eating.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    What I've done that helps me a lot is to eat more of my calories in veggies, especially fibrous ones. You have a cup or two of roasted cauliflower or broccoli with cheesy sauce, it fills you up a LOT. And the calories are pretty low (even with the cheese sauce). I find that when I'm eating more nutrient dense food, it's much easier to control portion size and oftentimes, I don't need to worry about it at all.

    For me, when I'm eating stuff that isn't nutrient dense and has a lot of wasted calories in highly refined carbs/sugar or highly processed foods, it's much harder to control portion size. I want to eat a LOT more of it. So, adding in veggies has really helped with that. Drinking lots of water has also helped as sometimes I think I've mistaken hunger for thirst.
  • ErinMcMom
    ErinMcMom Posts: 228 Member
    Tricks that work for me:
    -log your food ahead of time so you know exactly what you can eat to fit into your calorie goals
    -at home, use a smaller plate, so even if it is full it is not such a crazy portion size.
    -drink lots of water throughout the day, it helps curb hunger.
    -when snacking, put your portion of snack into a bowl and take it to the tv instead of bringing the whole bag/box/container of snacks. That way you'll stop eating when the bowl is empty and not eat forever.
    -eat slowly and enjoy every bite!
  • MistyRose0424
    MistyRose0424 Posts: 114 Member
    Very good advice given here already. I always carry around fruits, veggies, nuts and yogurt in a lunch bag so I always have options to add to my meals or for a snack. Also as said above water lots and lots of water. Hope this helps Good luck to you :)
  • JoshDC1988
    JoshDC1988 Posts: 8 Member
    thank you all very much I'll have to try some of these methods hopefully I can find one that works for me or even make up my own :smile:
  • wriri7_x
    wriri7_x Posts: 94 Member
    Drink some water or eat some fruit before you have your burger, you will then be more full and probably eat 1 burger.
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
    My friend was often like this too - he would always say "I'm a big guy so I don't get full as quickly". But those big portions were the reason he was a big guy! Its all about perception! Try eating more slowly - so that your body has time to adjust and you feel more full. Sometimes when you eat a lot really fast your body can't keep up and it takes 20 mins to realize your full

    Not sure if thats helpful. But just remember that your stomach is adaptable so you maybe stretched it out. start eating smaller portions and maybe you will just get used to it
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    In addition to the great advice already given, here's another 'trick' that helped me out. When I go out to eat, it's either with my husband, my parents/sister, or some close friends. It's people I trust and I know they care about me. So I would tell them, "I'm ordering Such-and-Such off the menu because I've already researched the nutrition facts and it fits into my day today. Don't let me switch and order anything else." Then I felt like I had to be accountable and stick to that promise. And if I didn't, someone would check in with me "Are you really sure you want to do that?"

    Really, it was just about making a commitment and staying with it. Now, after 1.5 years, it's gotten fairly easy to do that by myself. But the communication and back-up helped in the beginning.

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