Should I force myself to eat?

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ArchyJill
ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to space my calories out evenly through the day (in an effort to stop the binging) but that means I am eating when I am not hungry...it's seems like the best solution is to "listen" to my body, but usually my body is yelling "EAT CAKE!!!!" so I am not sure it can be trusted. Thoughts?

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  • Kwauhop
    Kwauhop Posts: 27
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    I find that scheduling meals and snacks makes sticking to my diet easier. If I get the slightest off track I end up cheating. I'm not always hungry when I eat but it keeps me from getting too hungry and binging. I've lost more weight doing it this way so why not try it. My body cannot be trusted...lol....
  • BiliousMouse
    BiliousMouse Posts: 4
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    I agree - though it might seem odd, I find it better to schedule snacks and eat them whether I'm hungry or not. Guaranteed if I didn't eat at snack time I'd get caught out half an hour later when I was passing a cake shop or something and suddenly need a little something.... It was hard at first, but it's become easier the longer I've been doing it.

    Good luck!!
  • aks1985
    aks1985 Posts: 27
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    fight the urge!

    it helps after 2 weeks...your body won't even want or crave it! trust me!! :) this is coming from a sugarholic
  • zachorymaji
    zachorymaji Posts: 6
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    Agreed! Scheduling your food and snacks is better........even pre-making food helps because then all you have to do is heat and go. It's hard at first, but you'll find you'll eat less and your metabolism will start to speed up if you eat every 4 hours........Good luck your off to a great start!
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    For the average person, "listen to your body" is sound advice. Not for me, and not for most of the people who have had eating issues. I eat fast, and when I over-eat I actually get really hungry about 30 minutes later (I still don't know why).

    Once you've become used to your new eating habits you'll be better prepared to listen to your body, but for now following a set schedule is the way to go for most of us. Yes, this means sometimes you'll need to eat when you aren't hungry, and sometimes you won't be able to eat when you are hungry. It's all part of developing new habits and disregarding the one's that got us in trouble in the first place.
  • libertyj77
    libertyj77 Posts: 35
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    Well you have to first learn to turn off that voice in your head telling you to eat cake..lol. I have one to that likes to pop up and say that twinkies are ok but my thighs would show otherwise...ROFL!! I actually was surprised to find that I am still hungry after I use up my calories for the day. Fill up on fiber, low carbs, lean protein and slowly that craving will subside. If you have sugar cravings then I know that 5HTP right before bed worked for me and it helped me sleep too. Its a vitamin (aka Herb) that you can get. Slowly I was able to fight the craving although time to time I have it pop up in my face, especially during that time of the month. (wink, wink). Hope this helped!!
  • Luckymam
    Luckymam Posts: 300
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    I would absolutely say NOT to eat if you aren't hungry. We're supposed to be teaching ourselves good habits; eating when you AREN'T hungry is not a good habit. Listening to your body doesn't mean giving into cravings. It means taking note of your body's signals. A rumbling tummy means you should eat. A full, satisfied feeling means you should stop.

    The reason we're overweight in the first place is because we've over-ridden our bodies' signal. It's time to listen.

    Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full.
  • TateFTW
    TateFTW Posts: 658 Member
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    I would absolutely say NOT to eat if you aren't hungry. We're supposed to be teaching ourselves good habits; eating when you AREN'T hungry is not a good habit. Listening to your body doesn't mean giving into cravings. It means taking note of your body's signals. A rumbling tummy means you should eat. A full, satisfied feeling means you should stop.

    The reason we're overweight in the first place is because we've over-ridden our bodies' signal. It's time to listen.

    Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full.

    When I should stop eating, I never feel full. I have to eat and eat to feel full, then I get hungry again very soon afterwards. I didn't get to where I am today by listening to my body. I got here by making a plan and sticking to it, regardless of how I felt.
  • Luckymam
    Luckymam Posts: 300
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    I would absolutely say NOT to eat if you aren't hungry. We're supposed to be teaching ourselves good habits; eating when you AREN'T hungry is not a good habit. Listening to your body doesn't mean giving into cravings. It means taking note of your body's signals. A rumbling tummy means you should eat. A full, satisfied feeling means you should stop.

    The reason we're overweight in the first place is because we've over-ridden our bodies' signal. It's time to listen.

    Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full.

    When I should stop eating, I never feel full. I have to eat and eat to feel full, then I get hungry again very soon afterwards. I didn't get to where I am today by listening to my body. I got here by making a plan and sticking to it, regardless of how I felt.



    Hey, do whatever you feel comfortable with, but I was asked my opinion - and my opinion is that it's crazy to eat if you're not hungry. It doesn't make sense to me to eat if my body's not asking for food, but starve myself if my tummy's rumbling simply because it's not a certain time of day.
  • gentlebreeze2
    gentlebreeze2 Posts: 450 Member
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    I struggle at night, but I found a good solution for me. I have dinner a little later and I also save about 500 calories for night time snacking. Usually yogurt, apple, cocoa roasted almonds, and sometimes some dry cereal. I think the trick is to plan it out. Left to my own devices... it would be chocolate chocolate and more chocolate. But something crunchy really helps.
  • StaciO
    StaciO Posts: 998
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    I do plan my meals and snacks and usually stick to it. But if I am not hungry at the particular time I don't eat. I just save it for 1/2 hour or hour later when I do get hungry and eat it then. Occasionally, I have just skipped one altogether. I don't skip any meals though.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
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    Maybe start out like this is an experiment...give it a month to see whats happens. If you have preplanned your snacks etc I would say take a few nibbles when you have planned to eat them. If you planned a serving of cashews (say 18 nuts) I would eat 6-9 if you aren't feeling that hungry...let that sit for a while and then go to the next scheduled eating time...you would still be rescheduling yourself bt not over eating when you aren't hungry...Nibble at your snacks for a weeks...just to get used to eating at those times but on't force yourself to finish them....if in a months time...you haven't noticed a difference in when you are hungry and the desire to eat big at night then I would say it was worth the effort but not for you....I personally like to have a lot of cals left over for dinner and food for when the kids are finally in bed then I feel like I am eating like a "normal" person. I eat plenty through the day that I am not hungry but try to make sure I haveat least 700 cals for dinner..and maybe more so I can really eat.

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