How do you manage to get satisfied with less?

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  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    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.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
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    Personally, I fill up on vegetables. In general vegetables are filling, lower calorie, higher fiber, and have necessary nutrients like iron and so on.

    At home I depend on frozen vegetables, some fresh, and canned beans. At family gatherings I try to fill up an vegetables before going to the gathering. I do not always have the opportunity to fill up before hand. At the gathering, I focus on vegetables and take a taste of the other items.

    This does not always work. I may not have time to fill up before hand, or I may be tempted by particular foods or social pressures. Alcohol is usually available. Besides empty calories, alcohol reduces inhibitions about restricting foods.

    Fitness is a skill. The more I practice, the better I get. I do not win every event.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    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.
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
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    Mostly I just fill up on protein, veggies and some fruit before I let myself eat anything else. I could down a 1000 calories in doughnuts in seconds but I hardly ever want them AFTER I eat some real food first.

    I think most of us like to imagine how the food will make us feel while we are eating it but I find if I contemplate how I will feel AFTER I eat the food I tend to make better decisions in general.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    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...
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    For me the key to feeling satisfied longer was to load up on the lean protein & drink A LOT of water! :D

    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!
  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
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    I think mindfulness is important too. Personally, when I used to binge out on buffalo wing pretzel pieces, or gas station pizza, or whatever, I wasn't really "aware" of it. I was just passively, automatically shoveling the food into my mouth. Yes, I was aware of the yum-yum taste and I could sense a part of my brain saying "Yay, party time!" but I was almost always doing something else like watching netflix at the same time.

    Now, when I have "fun food," I make sure to a) control the portion, and b) pay attention to the food itself -- texture, taste, the sensation of chewing and swallowing. Maybe it sounds corny, but it makes me feel happy with the small portion because my experience of the food is now so much "bigger."
  • mary659497
    mary659497 Posts: 483 Member
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    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.
  • Hipp706
    Hipp706 Posts: 28 Member
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    I am the same - could eat for England and still be hungry! My other half often jokes at he doesn't know where I put it all. My problem is I eat way to fast - due to the fact I don't like my food unless I eat it within a few minutes, seeing it for too long on my plate going cold just makes me feel ill - yep, I have issues haha. So, I eat it very quickly, and then I'm still hungry and eat more. I just have to tell myself I've had enough and stay strong - easier said than done sometimes.
  • KathyPerry70
    KathyPerry70 Posts: 40 Member
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    First off, congrats on your achievement so far - losing 80lbs+ is an amazing result! And it looks like you're so close to your goal that it would certainly be a shame if you self-sabotage now. A couple other responses have mentioned that this may be more mental than physical (e.g. feelings of deprivation as opposed to actual hunger). Having read all that you're doing correctly (watching protein, fats, water, etc.), that's what I'm thinking too. After a bit of a carefree weekend, I've had to have a word with myself and get back on track today. I find it's these internal conversations that help most when my desire to overeat and my weight loss goals aren't matching up. A quick reminder to myself of what I've already achieved and what I'm trying to achieve and why usually helps. Beyond that, yes, avoiding your food traps is the safest bet. Or do a little negotiating with yourself - I'll sometimes say yes, I can have that treat (or extra portion, etc...), but not until later. Then I'll really enjoy it later or there's the possibility that I won't want it later. Moderation is such a difficult one as some days it'll be easy as anything to shut the fridge door and not look back. Other days you'll want to pull a chair up to the fridge and park there! After your weekend of excess, are you now able to talk yourself back onto the path you really want to be on?
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I don't manage. If I want a double serving I will have a double serving. A sliver of cake is pathetic, and no I'm not going to have 1 oz of chips unless 1 oz of chips is what I want. If that's what moderation means, then I don't want it.

    The most important thing is to eat your meal knowing exactly what you are getting yourself into and that you are knowingly consuming a very high calorie meal. That you may have to work extra in the upcoming weeks to compensate or maybe even skip a meal here or there. Or if making up for it is not in the books, that by eating this meal you will be postponing further progress for a few days.

    If all of the above sounds like a reasonable price to pay for a great tasting full size meal, then by all means go for it. Sometimes I feel it's not worth it, other times I feel it is. You have lost 80 lb so far, so what you are doing is working for you.

    I have lost 90+ pounds as well, and I have had many of these conscious diet breaks, some I made up for, some I didn't. I even chose to maintain for a few months once. As long as I get up and start again every time, then it's just a temporary pause that won't affect the fact that I'm losing and will continue losing in one way or another.

    Just do whatever is you feel is best.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I'd say either:

    1) Try increasing fat and lowering carbs, if it's carb-heavy things you tend to over-eat. Since these are not very filling on their own.

    2) As mentioned, could be a mental block. Especially if flexible eating is not done with truly flexible mindset. I.e. you say "I can eat whatever! but I'm only going to eat chocolate once a week max." Those are still restrictions. Some weeks I might not eat junk at all, maybe because the week before I over-did it and I'm just tired of it, or over-did it and didn't reach my fibre needs and didn't feel as good.

    3) Your maintenance may be higher than you think, hence still hungry.

    4) I'm assuming you did not weigh your food at your family dinner, so you easily could have overestimated your servings. Also probably used generic entries for some things if you were logging, since you obviously won't have the recipe for certain things already in your private database. I over-estimated on Thanksgiving, by probably a few hundred calories (e.g. for cheese, I actually ate about 15g instead of 30g, I overestimated the weight of veggies and of my corn, had a dessert that may have actually been lower cal than I assumed, etc).
    Hipp706 wrote: »
    I am the same - could eat for England and still be hungry! My other half often jokes at he doesn't know where I put it all. My problem is I eat way to fast - due to the fact I don't like my food unless I eat it within a few minutes, seeing it for too long on my plate going cold just makes me feel ill - yep, I have issues haha. So, I eat it very quickly, and then I'm still hungry and eat more. I just have to tell myself I've had enough and stay strong - easier said than done sometimes.

    This is another likely possibility. I'm also a fast eater. I find that if I eat EVERYTHING within a few minutes then I need to wait a while before knowing if I'm full. If I eat small portions of the meal really quickly (e.g. I just scarfed down my banana bread, but I also had an omelet and some oatmeal that I have been eating in the last 10 minutes) then I'm likely to feel fuller right away.

    And another 6) possibility then, relating to 1) would be that maybe you need to be more mindful of your macro ratios at meals. I always aim for even distribution or more protein in the AM. Seems that I can eat carb-heavy in the evening without being hungry, doesnt' work so well for me in the morning and afternoon.
  • skinnycow256
    skinnycow256 Posts: 16
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    starbinka wrote: »
    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.

    Your mileage may vary on this drug. It is expensive over $200 a month. I tried it and it did nothing for me. The web site does offer a free 15 day trial. This is a must b4 spending all that money. You just need to download the free trial coupon and get your doctor to prescribe you 15 days worth.

    I find eating every 3 hours (sometimes every 2 hours if need be) keeps my blood sugar stable and I'm not having that awful stomach hunger all the time. Try a 150-200 calorie "meal/snack" every 2 hours. It's not really a big deal. It's not like your preparing a 4 course meal every 2 hours. Some greek yogurt, a handful of nuts, half a banana w/ peanut butter....qucik and easy! Once the food gets in your system and your blood sugar stableizes you'll find the hungries are a thing of the past once your body knows it can expect a little something every couple hours. Make yourself some 150-200 calorie snacks, put them in a zip lock baggie and make a few days worth. They'll be quick and easy to grab,
  • golden6911
    golden6911 Posts: 50 Member
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    I hear you, and I don't think the desire ever really goes away. I basically take the approach of eating healthy meals on weekdays, but then on weekends, I eat at least one very large satisfying meal where I don't think about nutrition, portions or anything. My particular favorite is a cheeseburger and fries....yum! I still tend to eat under my calorie goal for the day, because I will eat a very light breakfast and dinner.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    drink plenty of water and DO NOT TRY TO ELIMINATE FAT that will help you feel full longer

    Good Luck

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You say this will be the first month in 2 years that you haven't lost weight-- does that mean you haven't been taking periodic diet breaks?
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
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    Some foods are simply more filling than others.

    If you go to a party and all the food is delicious but lacks nutrition, you are sure to over-eat. It's the food. You can control yourself, sure, but that will power evaporates after some time. Some people can hold off for longer than others, but still, saying no to temptations takes effort.

    My only advice is to eat a lot vegetables/fruits for volume and nutrition before I head into the heavier foods.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited October 2014
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    To add to my previous post: I recently adopted my own personal version of modified intermittent fasting, so I don't restrict my quantities unless I want to. Here is what I do:
    1. I eat at will, logging everything. On days when I don't have access to logging I try estimate my intake to the best of my abilities.
    2. Even though I eat at will, I try to make smarter choices, like eating low-calorie things when I'm hungry but not particularly craving something. This makes some of my days lower in calories than others.
    3. At the beginning of the day I look at yesterday's intake and carry the leftovers to today. Say my goal is 1500, and I ate 1800 yesterday - meaning I ate 300 calories extra, I use the quick calorie option to add 300 to today. If it's the other way around, my goal is 1500 and I happened to eat 1200, I use the quick add option to add -300 to today.
    4. Once my carry over reaches more than 1000 calories I have a 500 calorie fast day. This is easier than you expect, because you only need to have willpower for this one day. I skip breakfast and lunch and have an early dinner single 500 calorie meal. I may need to do this again after a one day break if I really let myself go and accumulated more than 1500.
    5. If my carry over reaches -1000 I either have a splurge day or just keep going, knowing that there will be a day when I will be eating nonstop and these extra calories will be handy.
    6. Rinse and repeat.

    I call this perpetual banking (as opposed to people eating on a weekly calorie plan or banking for a certain event)

    You can take a look at my diary to see how it works. It works for me because on some days I just don't feel like eating much, but on others I could eat too much or have a night out or a party.

    Experiment with things and manipulate plans to form your own diet that works for you.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    cbhubbybubble wrote: »
    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.

    Yes this is what I meant. Not satisfied as 'not hungry'. And yes it DOES happen with fish or other things, just more rarely. I guess what I don't understand is why sometimes one piece is plenty, but one day a week, it's just not.

    And yes I 'zigzag' my calories a lot, on days my willpower is stronger I'll try to keep a bigger deficit. And I guess overall I do eat quite a bit in volume.

    Thanks for all the posts. I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it...

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