Murdering hunger

SabinaBehague - "You didn't mention if you drink sodas or other sugary drinks. " - I only drink diet soda. No sugar, for sure, but they seem to boost my appetite... I tried munching on veggies, like you said, and I was constantly hungry though

Switch from diet soda to water if you can. Munch on the veggies *between* meals, not instead of meals. And remember that hunger is not the enemy. I'm hungry right now, but I just looked at the clock (10:40 my time) and reminded myself that I'll be having lunch in about 1 1/2 hours. I've learned that it won't kill me to wait a little while to eat.

Diet pills and restrictived eating don't work long term, which you've already discovered. I went through the same thing for years. Atkins "worked" for me too - for about a year - then I went on a vacation where I wasn't able to control the foods as well and after being completely off track and fully enjoying all the carby yumminess, I just couldn't find the willpower to get back to it and the weight came back over the next year.

So, this time around I decided to eat the foods I enjoy, just in smaller portions and with some healthier substitutes (more veggies, leaner meats, etc) and over time I figured out which macro balance works best to keep me satisfied. As long as you're eating within your MFP calorie allowance, you will lose weight. As you continue tracking, pay attention to how certain foods affect you. Most find that foods high in protein and healthy fats are more filling than high carb foods. Some find high fiber foods quite satisfying. I've also found that, for me, more processed foods are less satisfying than the more natural versions (example: instant oatmeal vs home cooked steel cut oats).

p.s. I eat the majority of my cals in the evening when we have a nice dinner. Tonight is Spagetti and salad. Going to bed hungry has never worked for me.

my favorite hunger suppressants are water, coffee, food, and willpower.

you're just starting, and making huge drastic changes are the quickest way to find yourself falling back on old habits.

i used to be able to destroy a whole pizza pie, but instead of ordering a whole pie, i'd order two slices of chicken and peppers pizza. get some extra protein and veggies on there.

Great post, just wanted to add that I noticed for me that drinking more water helps with the hunger. I don't have a source to site (anyone feel free to jump in), but I read an article in the past that suggested that people can sometimes confuse hunger with thirst. We actually get water from eating our food so that makes sense. So try drinking more water, it'll help.

Hey, I just signed up here... My name's Adam, from PA, I'm just under 40, 5'11, 238 lbs (belly only), and I have a totally sitting job - IT specialist, by my computer from 7 till 5:30, plus almost 1 hour driving one way...

Plus, I love food and it's hard for me to stop before getting really full. The foods I love most include fast foods - especially Popeye's, McDonalds and pizzas...

Veggies and fruits don't have to exist for me. I can eat them though. Sometimes :-)

I did Atkins for several weeks a few times in recent years, first 10-15 lbs were fast, then... I stalled.. my mood went bad... and I got back my normal style of life.

Right now I'm thinking about starting with a low carb again, maybe 2-4 weeks, and then just - SOMEHOW - get on smaller amounts of food.

I know pretty much about nutrition and I believe I would achieve my goals... especially on a lonely island, with no restaurants and grocery stores :-)


My question is about hunger suppressants - both chemical (pills) and 'natural', like water or some veggies.

I'm scared that my mood will go bad again really soon after I reduce the size of my meals and I'll end up with a whole pizza pie again...

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

- Adam

In the end you will do what works for you, however...my opinion is that without TONS of willpower low-carb doesn't work. I ended up craving nothing but carbs and overindulged.

The better answer is to start making little changes to what you do and build on them as time goes by.

1) Is there a gym in your building? If there is, when it's your 10 minute break..go there and hop on a treadmill or elliptical. Do some at lunch. I do this every day in my job and it took me from ZERO exercise a week to 100 minutes a week right away. 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. If you get an hour lunch, you'll be able to do even more than that. If it helps,think of it as "storing" more calories so you can eat more...
2) Start logging EVERYTHING you eat here. Don't worry if you OCCASIONALLY go over on calories... a day or two a week hasn't stopped me from losing so long as I didn't go crazy (I can have 6 slices of pizza one day and still lose for the week but I can't eat an entire PIE by myself ).
3) Don't overweigh. Once a week, same day, same time...especially if you obsess about scale numbers. Too many variables affect it...extra water after last night's Chinese food..haven't had your morning "constitutional" yet..etc. can vary it by several pounds either way.
4) Try and get more water in. Add flavoring if it helps. A lot of the times you think your body is saying "I'm hungry...." it's REALLY saying "I'm dehydrated". If your pee is yellow, you need more water. Aim for closer to a pale yellow lemonade-ish color.
5) When you start to get bored with your exercise routine (And you WILL) switch it up..start doing weight lifting for some of those (I do that with my 3rd break three of my 5 workdays now). Do a different machine. If it's nice walk outside instead of in. Take a tae kwon do/kickboxing class. Play tennis/basketball/baseball etc etc etc. Ride a bike.
6) Sometimes pre-logging helps. If you are planning on having a calorie-bomb meal at Popeye's, McDonald's, pizza...log it ahead of time and plan your other food around it.
7) Not a HUGE calorie-saver but a way to drop some calories here and there...If eating something super-fatty/greasy, dab it a bit with a napkin before eating (remove the pool of grease inside the pepperoni on your pizza, for instance). Every little bit of fat you remove will lower the calor-ifficness a bit but probably isn't enough to change the taste appreciably (I'VE never noticed a difference...)

Well actually diet pills like Phentermine do work to control appetite, however you can't live on diet pills so it's a vicious cycle (I know bc I've done it!) So after a while you start eating like you did before bc you are hungry or stressed or too many get togethers and that appetite comes back. So I think.... eat more protein with a good mix of healthy carbs in smaller portions every 3-4 hours, track it and make sure you do some type of exercise (even 30 min of walking) every day. Good luck! I know your pain!

" I only drink diet soda. No sugar, for sure, but they seem to boost my appetite"

Artificial sweeteners have been linked to increased cravings and appetite according to my doctor.

" I only drink diet soda. No sugar, for sure, but they seem to boost my appetite"

Artificial sweeteners have been linked to increased cravings and appetite according to my doctor.

When I'm starving after a workout but still have an hour until my boyfriend gets home, I drink a coke zero to tide me over until dinner. It works wonders, and I have not personally had problems with staying in my calorie goals due to cravings from sweeteners, and it has not hindered my weight loss.