How do you manage to get satisfied with less?

I don't blame you if you don't want to go this route but I have been using Belviq and they really help with the cravings. My other advice would be to bring something filling with you and eat it before the cravings (eg an apple) -- I know once I start eating sugar it can be hard to stop.

How is your fat intake? Even though I get plenty of protein (well above 120g daily), if I don't get enough fats along with it then I fall into the crave-and-cave thing. I have a hard time keeping my fats up, and really notice it if they fall below around 50g a day I totally stalk the fridge.

Look into flexible dieting.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/a-guide-to-flexible-dieting/

Also, take a look at this:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1317252/the-mental-part-of-losing-weight

What you are describing is akin to the elephant getting out of control and running loose for a while (from the second link). It might be better to give the elephant what he wants more frequently so you can control the beast!

Making sure your are meeting your fat and protein goals will help you feel full. I know if I have a low protein and/or fat day, I'm pretty much always hungry. Those days are hard for me to stay at/just below my calorie goal because I feel constantly hungry.

When you feel like snacking, even though you've just eaten, try to drink a big glass of water or some unsweetened tea. If, after drinking the water/tea, you are still hungry, try snacking on something high in fat and protein (cheese with a little lunch meat, nuts with some chicken, etc.).

Also, when was the last time you recalculated your calorie needs? As you get close to your weight goal, you should increase your calories closer to your maintenance needs. You'll still be losing, but when you're within 20 pounds of your goal, you should only look to lose 0.5 pounds a week. Double check that your weight loss goal in MFP reflects this. (If you still have over 20 pounds to lose, you should have your weight loss goal set to 1.0 pounds per week.)

If you're following the MFP calculations and exercising, are you eating back your exercise calories? If not, you might want to start eating back 1/3 to 1/2 of them back to see if that helps. MFP is set up to give you a deficit to lose even if you don't/can't exercise.

The first target in my diet is to avoid hunger because id find that annoying and more difficult to deal with. Ive switched from the empty calories or very dense caloried junk food to more fruit and veg, complex carbs plus lean protein, which gets me a lot more for my calories and is easier to meet my nutritional targets with. I then have an amount left for treats and higher density foods.

So your question was how do you make yourself satisfied with the smaller amount? And you are talking to a person who would have a massive plateful. Veg is not a smaller amount but still a massive plateful. That takes away the hunger.

Which then moves you onto the next question how do you deal with the fact you get 1 slice of cheesecake rather than the whole one? I enjoy and appreciate the portion I have, chew more or just take longer to eat and then keep my eye on the target that I want to lose weight and get healthy and fit more than I am bothered about treats. Once I have focused, then am always keen on completing and doing a good job as efficiently as possible.

I do have a safety valve though, which I think helps. I keep it all in perspective. I neither deny myself food and I know that if I really want a break or a pizza then its not a big deal if I have one, especially if I hit a target. Thats to be used sparingly though as im more interested in getting to target, but I always balance my own happiness against that and look at the bigger picture. This means im not stressed about it because it stops you feeling trapped. Willing lifestyle change v tortuous.

Another safety valve is to try and find an alternative that gives me most of the satisfaction of what i wnat to eat but is just lowe calorie. there was a thread for people who had a chocolate craving.

The other safety valve I use is exercise. I simple do my fare share and will do enough to blunt any binge i might have had or want to have. Its one of the more active ways you can supplement your need for food or treats. Hard work sometimes, but i think its often overlooked and like fighting with one arm tied behind your back if you ont use it as part of your strategy.

A lot of this is just mindset, but its importnat to think things through as it helps you feel more in control. Hope that helps.

Thanks. This is such a good program and I am going to try to get on track this very day. I am going to try to concentrate on the tea/water and small snack of cheese and nuts. Also this is my first day to post and I believe maybe the personal encouragement of others may help.

My experience has been that my appetite (hence my cravings) lessens as I decrease the amount of food that I eat. It's not a conscious effort of avoidance, or nagging when the need isn't met.

I've been told that your stomach doesn't shrink (which I won't dispute), but I certainly know my appetite does (perhaps I'm "special," would like to think so).

What works for me is consuming smaller quantities of food at each sitting (I'm not recommending anyone go below their healthy caloric intake), which may result in more frequent, but smaller (of course), meals.

No, this isn't needed to lose weight, and it may work for no one else but me.

About a week ago, I went out and "splurged" on a modest-sized dinner (burger, fries, and appetizers). I was feeling uncomfortably full towards the end of the meal...a situation which would not have happened previously.

Here is my opinion so far:

This is one of those things that doesn't necessarily have a simple solution.

It SOUNDS to me like the issue may not actually be hunger in a traditional sense as much as it could be hunger when you start eating hyper-palatable food. So for example if you had a meal of plain boiled potatoes, broccoli, and tilapia I would question whether the need to continually eat is still present. Maybe it is, I don't know as I'm only speculating based on what you're describing.


So the next question I would have would be whether or not you NEED to address this by trying to reduce your portion sizes of those food items.

What I'm getting at is this --- suppose you allow yourself to over-eat when you're at a restaurant and you also allow yourself to over-eat when you're at a social event. But you don't do these events frequently enough to derail your progress as a whole. IF this is the case then I'd say rock on.

Can you do these things infrequently enough that you still make progress?

When I feel this way I'm usually dehydrated. Make sure you're drinking enough!

I think I get you. I really don't think it's a matter of hunger, it's a matter of your desire being satisfied. I'm not sure it ever completely happens, at least not for me. I have to self talk myself to convince I don't "need" the extra, I just "want" it. I like food. I like the taste of food. I like high calorie food. I can have 2 pieces of pizza and my hunger is satisfied, but the part of me that likes food because it tastes good is not satisfied....I think that's what you're referring to. I haven't found a way to make me stop wanting that extra piece of pizza, so can't help you there. I just have to talk myself out of taking it. Sometimes I win that battle and sometimes I lose.

To elaborate a bit just as far as your thread title goes --

For me the answer is "I don't".

I'm a volume eater. So I make sure to select enough calorie sparse food items in my diet to allow me to have large portion sizes at least a few times per day.

Small portion sizes basically piss me off.

Me, satisfied? Never. *sighs* I eat a snack with protein *and* carbs before being in a situation because that's what the nutritionist said to do. It doesn't make me satisfied, but it gives me just enough of an edge not to fly out of control and binge.

That said, I am NEVER satisfied with the amounts allotted to me. But it's that or gain weight. I measure the portions, eat what I'm allotted, then get up and leave the table sometimes still feeling hungry. I drink water and chew gum. I keep hoping one day I will get used to the whole thing. Been on the weight loss program and seeing the nutritionist since March. It's really, really hard, I won't lie.

SideSteel wrote: »

To elaborate a bit just as far as your thread title goes --

For me the answer is "I don't".

I'm a volume eater. So I make sure to select enough calorie sparse food items in my diet to allow me to have large portion sizes at least a few times per day.

Small portion sizes basically piss me off.

This is exactly what I do too...

For me the key to feeling satisfied longer was to load up on the lean protein & drink A LOT of water!

If one eats a lot of simple - sugary carbs, then one will crave more simple - sugary carbs (scientific fact of the vicious cycle).

Every month during that special time (LOL) I do find myself crave more carbs than usual. I don't believe in depriving myself but I do try my darnest to have healthier satisfying alternatives & stock up ie. portion size of dark cocoa covered almonds to satisfy the chocolate craving - if that doesn't do it, I eat it with some PB - YUM! I found this to be much more satisfying than say a king size twix bar.

And if you are consistent enough, your body will eventually adjust the the new portions. For example I use to be able to eat 1 1/2 footlong subway sandwiches. Now I can only eat a 6" comfortably ... can I still consume an entire footlong - probably but I know I would feel like a stuffed turkey afterwards so I don't.

Good luck!

Cbhubbybubble - I have the same issue with pizza and lots of other foods. However, I have allowed myself to eat whatever I want for the most part as long as I have the calories. There are days and or weeks where my eating has been over because I started out by just overeating on pizza. I guess it really is will power.