I AM STARVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chew lots of gum and drink some green tea. Its an appetite suppressant. Especially if the tea is hot, it makes you feel "fuller"

ME TOOOOOOOOOOO!! The first 2 weeks were great..I was doing good not hungary..but this weekend and today I am starving...my stomach is growling and I ate! so I dont know what to do either...would love some input as well

eat lots of veggies! they will fill you up because they are full of fiber and they are low cal! (+ like others said drink green tea/water)

Do you have time to exercise? i find without exercise, i don't have enough calories and sometiems I am hungry..

Other than that, try eating oatmeal for breakfast it keeps me full until lunch. Tea throughout the day also helps. Keep yourself busy and you won't think about it as much.


Also eat meals thata re filling but low in calories, big salads, or lots of lettuce in your sandwich, vegetable. You can have snacks of broccoli, celery..etc and won't use many calories

Baby Carrots. Only 35 caloeries for a cup. And there are only so many carrots you can eat at once. :sick: :laugh:

Look at your carbohydrate types. You are looking for slow releasing carbohydrates, and protein. Avoid processed food and sugar/glucose. Believe it or not fresh fruit can be quite high in sugar. This messes up your blood sugar levels and makes you feel hungry. Keep at it.

Lots of water and foods that sit heavy for a bit like Oatmeal, Bran muffin, Fiber one bars are FANTASTIC.. Its what works for me..

Chew lots of gum and drink some green tea. Its an appetite suppressant. Especially if the tea is hot, it makes you feel "fuller"

I'm chewing gum right now because I'm so hungry today. I also LOVE green tea when I'm hungry and its not time to eat yet. Great advice!

You did not gain your weight by eating raw veggies. Snack on them through out the day if you are hungry. Drink water and don't skip your protein. Your body will get used to the amount of food you are taking in. Make sure you are eating something every 3-4 hours. Save your fruit for snacks. Make a cabbage/veggie soup and keep on hand to eat before or after a meal.

Drink water!!!!

And also, make sure you're eating the right kinds of calories. The fullness you get from fat and protein will stay with you longer than if you ate empty carbs. Of course of these need to be eaten in moderation. Good luck!

:flowerforyou:

lisamarie - how long have you been counting calories on here? This is my 2nd week. THe first week was terrible, I was starving, exhausted. Week 2 better, but sometimes still hungry - this is my 3rd week and sometimes i get to have a dessert or two to make up some calories at the end of the night. It does get better, you stomach will get smaller (or seem less hungry).

I recommend keeping lots of cottage cheese in the fridge - seriously, filling, low cal - it helped especially week 1 and 2...and I'll probably rely on it this week too!

Also, when I make a sandwich, I put tons of lettuce on - low/no cal and helps fill you. (one time it was like a cup of romaine on a sandwich-but healthy and helps fill you)

look for things that are high in fiber and/or high in protein. Fruits and vegetables are great for fiber. Kelloggs Fiber Plus bars are also really good...120 calories and 9 grams of fiber. With a big glass of water afterwards, you feel full for a long time! Water water water! It takes a while sometimes while your stomach shrinks to the appropriate size, so don't feel bad. But listen to your body....if you truly feel hungry, after you've had lots of water and fiber/protein...EAT! Low fat meats or cheese can also help. Slim Fast has high proteing meal bars. My protein of choice is Bolthouse Farms Vanilla chai Tea Drinks. A little over 300 calories, this drink gives you a whopping 20 grams of protein (soy). Experiment with what makes you feel fuller fiber or protein or both. Gum is a good idea, however for me, it makes me feel MORE hungry because it increases salivation which can lead to hunger....so for me, I stick to a big bottlle of water!

Good luck!

One strategy i have tried is actually stopping for a moment and analyzing the sensation of being hungry.

I know it sounds weird but what does the sensation of being hungry really feel like?

I have found that it is not that bad, i have been trained to reflexively feed any feeling of hunger.

When i slow down and think about the feeling of being hungry i realize I can live with it.
Remember it is just electrons running through your nerves telling you your stomach is empty.
In fact i have been enjoying the sensation of being hungry.
Is that crazy?

The breakdown happens when i smell something really good.

Good luck.
Ed

Hmmmm.
Did I read this right on your profile? You are looking to lose 7lbs? If so, perhaps rather than "starving" yourself, you should try kicking up your exercise. Just eat healthy (no processed foods), stay under your maintenance calorie intake, and burn a lot of calories. (3500 calories burned=1lb)
Try it that way. Starving is really not good for you. Seriously, your body is telling you something. And no amount of water or gum will help that.

I am home a lot so I am able to do this effectively. But, what I do is have a 200-250 calorie breakfast around 7:30. Around 9:30 I have a 100+/- calorie snack, usually fruit. (apple or banana) Around 11:00 I have a protein snack that is savory in taste like 2 Wasa Light crackers with 2 TBS of Garlic Lover's Hummus from Aldi. It satisfies my craving for REAL savory food, crunch and it has the protein to stave off my hunger. Around 12:30 I have lunch and again keep it to around 300 calories. Lately I have found comfort and satiety in a BLT made with 3 slices of Butterball Low Sodium Turkey Bacon, lettuce from my salad bag, couple of slices of Roma tomato, Mayo on one side of bread and mustard on the other. The bread I use is Pepperidge Farm 7-Grain Light, only 45 calories per slice. All this for around 200+/- calories and then you can still have something else with it for about 100 or so calories. Around 3:00 or close to it, I have another snack, only around 100 calories, and it will be just whatever I'm in the mood for at the time. Lots of water. I mean sip on it ALL day constantly. I know it's hard to do.

Then for dinner, I check my totals logged for the day and see where I stand, then based on what I'm having for dinner, I adjust my portions to accommodate my needs. The hardest part, is finding those foods which are low enough in calories, but also satisfying, and which you can have enough of to make you feel full. The goal with the smaller meals, is that you never feel stuffed, and it also gives your stomach the opportunity to get smaller so that eventually it takes less and less to fill you up. It has taken me three weeks to get to the point where I'm not hungry all the time. Also at regular meal times, you should feel hungry enough to eat something, while not being so hungry that you overeat; which will lead to a stretched out stomach and also more cravings. (This was always my biggest problem!!!)

I also read today, that when we eat too much salt, it makes us crave drinks that are not good for us as well as more and more food. It's a chain reaction. I have HBP, and am on medication, so I really try to watch my sodium as much as possible. I no longer walk around feeling bloated all the time.

I know this is difficult to control 100% of the time, but just remember, even if it takes a while, and you have to take baby steps in the right direction (as I have had to do) it will be worth it once you lose the weight you want to lose and you learn not to let food control you. I have let food control me for years, and I am slowly learning how to not let it control me anymore. It just takes time.

I'm here if you need any support. :0)