I can't stop eating
Replies
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I know what you mean. It is brutal at the beginning but gets easier with time. Start drinking more water, especially before you eat. Often hunger pains are a sign that we need more water, but our body doesn't know the difference, so we need to just train it. I also drink water with a little ACV first thing in the morning and for some reason that curbs my appetite- but that's not for everyone. Hang in there!0
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Are you also physically hungry or are you "psychologically hungry"? Do you stop to make sure you're not bored, angry, lonely, or tired?0
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For me it was all about recalibrating. I was so used to eating until I was full (and even stuffed), that learning to just eat until satisfied feels like hunger. Satisfied is the feeling that you're not hungry anymore, but you still could eat a lot more. It's hard to get used to, because I don't think there's an emotional pay-off to eating until Satisfied. It doesn't feel complete like Full does.
It just feels OK, which is a miserable place to be if you are used to the full on happiness of Fullness (#EmotionalEating). Any way, as you start eating until Satisfied, you get used to it. It doesn't feel quite as bad as it does in the beginning. And you can still eat until Full on the odd occasion, but it's good to be able to recognize it.
I use a lot of tricks to maintaining satisfaction: High fibre, complex carbs, Protein, Lots of veggies for volume.
Also, you need to eat back those excercise calories - at least a good portion of them.0 -
It's hard to nail down the root cause of your issue from what you write.
Generally, if you are hungry all the time, you are spiking your insulin too much and often throughout the day. Sugar and processed carbs are the biggest culprits.
Eliminating or significantly reducing your sugar and processed carb intake will go a long way to eliminating or reducing your cravings.0 -
I found that after about 3 or 4 weeks of toughing it out, the hunger got much more manageable.
This, for me as well. It took me about 2-3 months to get used to not eating what I was so accustomed to eating. It's very strange when you realize how large your portions were before you started. I also try to keep myself busy if I'm starting to feel "hungry" because 9 times out of 10 I'm not actually hungry. Just bored or thirsty.0 -
Here's the best I have to support you. Take your body weight, divide by 2, and drink that many ounces of water a day. This keeps you fuller longer. Then.... Drink 20 ounces 30 minutes before a meal. Do not drink while eating. The reason behind this is that the liquids wash the food into the bottom of your stomach. If you don't eat during the meal the food stays at the top turning on the "full feeling" receptors earlier. If you have eating your portion, and are still hungry, stop anyway. Get another portion, and get up!!!!!!!! Go do something for the next 20 minutes. I generally clean up the kitchen, fold a load of laundry, check the mail... Whatever for 20 minutes. It takes the brain 20 minutes to realize it's full. If you are still hungry, then eat healthy. Fill up with Fiber. Ask yourself if you are really hungry still or if it's because it's what you are used to. I don't EVER eat back my exercise calories. It's good that they are there, but I lose more weight by burning. Best of luck.0
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I'm trying to lose weight, but I have chronic daily migraines that are triggered by hunger/not eating (among other things). Because of this, I've become fearful of becoming hungry, because I don't want to end up in pain. Any suggestions to help keep me fuller, longer, thus allowing me to possibly lose weight?
I have the same issue, complicated by hypo-thyroidism and low cortisol. Besides the hunger itself, I have found that there are many wonderful foods that are actually migraine triggers - avocado, dried fruits, aged cheeses, gluten (of course, you KNEW that was coming)...
I have been following a gluten free vegan diet for about a month now, which was great initially. But after a recent trip abroad, I still can't shake the jet lag - it feels horribly familiar, like a migraine.
What has really helped me is a book by David Buchholz about which foods to avoid. There seems to be no easy way to do this.
I, too, would love some suggestions if anyone can help.0 -
I can NOT have too many simple carbs because it starts a vicious hunger cycle in me. I am gluten free for many reasons, but even so, I have to carefully monitor how many servings of foods such as rice, corn, & potatoes I'm having.
A quick example: Doritos are gluten free, so technically I can eat them. But, if I have a handful, I notice that all of a sudden, I'm hungry for another, and another, and maybe some popcorn, and then a piece of cheese...soon enough, I've eaten in excess of 500 calories of nothing but fluff. When I stay away, I don't crave it and my hunger abates.
Like others have said, tons of water helps too (but you've said you do that already).
Good luck to you!!0 -
I am learning to be a mindful eater. that means i am paying attention to my body queues. so, i noticed a pattern with my eating. i based my meals and snacks on my cravings. breakfast has to be a good source of protein, mid morning is something sweet. lunch is mostly carbs. mid afternoon is something crunchy. dinner is mostly vegetables and some carbs. before bed is something sweet. i eat until i am satisfied. i don't deny myself any foods or drinks. it's a recipe for failure, IMHO.0
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Didn't see if you answered this up thread...how much protein and fat are you averaging? (Not your goal; what are you actually consuming?)
Your profile says that you're transitioning to vegetarianism, and one of the most common errors people make when they first go veg is to replace meat (a source of protein and fat) with vegetables/fruits (not a source of protein or fat). For example, they'll turn a burger into a portobello sandwich, but that's not a good swap from a nutritional perspective. I've been a vegetarian for most of my life and it is absolutely possible to get adequate fat and protein without meat, but in order to do that, you need to be paying close attention to your macros. Eating an unbalanced diet can totally cause uncontrollable hunger and the feeling of not being satiated.0 -
ivylaurenolsen wrote: »Girl, I am struggling with this same thing right now! Ya, making sure you're getting enough nutrients, especially protein, is important. I have been learning that as I've been trying to live off off a bunch of low-calorie, low-nutrient foods like popcorn and I find that I am hungry all the time! Also, if you're like me, you eat most of your calories at night. So what I try to do is save most of my calories for then by having a light breakfast and lunch. Good luck! I know it's a struggle!
Oh man, I'm so glad you know the feels! It really sucks! Feeling hungry is actually the worst feeling.
Unfortunately I'm not one to be able to eat a light breakfast or lunch because that just makes me h-angry throughout the day haha. It's not ideal!
What kind of meals have you been eating? I've recently been trying to convert to pescatarian with a goal of being vegetarian eventually. It's not working out well so far
Given the bolded point, plus the fact that you mentioned that you do better when you eat oatmeal & Greek yogurt for breakfast, I'm suspicious that you may need to increase your protein consumption. I'm saying this as a long-term (41 year) ovo-lacto vegetarian who's seen a lot of newly-veg folks here complaining of being hungry, who are eating way to little protein for people who are in calorie deficit, especially while working out regularly. Quite a few meat-eaters seem to under-do it, as well.
I know I don't do well (in terms of feeling full) if I don't put a priority on protein, as a veg.
Generally, I agree with the general idea that you should try getting more protein, sufficient healthy fat, and eat more high-fiber/high-volume foods, since those cover the things that most people seem to find satiating.
I'm not saying you must do this, but I was finding it reasonably achievable to get 80-100g protein/day on 1500 cals as an ovo-lacto veg when I was eating at that level - and I don't eat protein bars, shakes, powders, or fake meat products (not a crusade - I just don't like them - I prefer food).0 -
It's the food. And 2000 calories if you are active may not at all be too much.
You might want to add in some healthy animal protein and fat. Not everyone does well on a high carb/high fibre, plant based diet. The essential macro-nutrients are fat and protein things which plants are poor sources of. Yup, as already mentioned energy dense food is actually more filling because they have the stuff your body needs. You are hungry because you are need things you aren't getting.
Needing to eat huge volumes of food is BS. Or filling up on water, even more BS (drink what you need, no more no less). When I'm on my best WOE the amount I eat looks small but the food is far more filling (and totally resolves all of my health problems including T2 diabetes).0 -
This probably doesn't help much but I am so freaking busy I don't have time to be hungry. Maybe keeping active? Or more active?0
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This has been my exact problem since losing 10 pounds the first year of MFP. More than half way through the 2nd year now without any loss progress. I totally relate- walked at fast pace yesterday for 5 miles. I felt STARVING at night and couldn't sleep until feeling satisfied- which was all the exercise cals. Thanks for posting this- I am going to try following some of this advice too:)0
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Akimajuktuq wrote: »It's the food. And 2000 calories if you are active may not at all be too much.
You might want to add in some healthy animal protein and fat. Not everyone does well on a high carb/high fibre, plant based diet. The essential macro-nutrients are fat and protein things which plants are poor sources of. Yup, as already mentioned energy dense food is actually more filling because they have the stuff your body needs. You are hungry because you are need things you aren't getting.
Needing to eat huge volumes of food is BS. Or filling up on water, even more BS (drink what you need, no more no less). When I'm on my best WOE the amount I eat looks small but the food is far more filling (and totally resolves all of my health problems including T2 diabetes).
It's totally possible to get both fat and protein needs met on a plant-based diet.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Akimajuktuq wrote: »It's the food. And 2000 calories if you are active may not at all be too much.
You might want to add in some healthy animal protein and fat. Not everyone does well on a high carb/high fibre, plant based diet. The essential macro-nutrients are fat and protein things which plants are poor sources of. Yup, as already mentioned energy dense food is actually more filling because they have the stuff your body needs. You are hungry because you are need things you aren't getting.
Needing to eat huge volumes of food is BS. Or filling up on water, even more BS (drink what you need, no more no less). When I'm on my best WOE the amount I eat looks small but the food is far more filling (and totally resolves all of my health problems including T2 diabetes).
It's totally possible to get both fat and protein needs met on a plant-based diet.
Hi Jane -
I would LOVE some tips on how to get more protein with a vegan diet.
Thanks!0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Akimajuktuq wrote: »It's the food. And 2000 calories if you are active may not at all be too much.
You might want to add in some healthy animal protein and fat. Not everyone does well on a high carb/high fibre, plant based diet. The essential macro-nutrients are fat and protein things which plants are poor sources of. Yup, as already mentioned energy dense food is actually more filling because they have the stuff your body needs. You are hungry because you are need things you aren't getting.
Needing to eat huge volumes of food is BS. Or filling up on water, even more BS (drink what you need, no more no less). When I'm on my best WOE the amount I eat looks small but the food is far more filling (and totally resolves all of my health problems including T2 diabetes).
It's totally possible to get both fat and protein needs met on a plant-based diet.
Hi Jane -
I would LOVE some tips on how to get more protein with a vegan diet.
Thanks!
First of all, I LOVE this article: http://food52.com/blog/14291-how-to-get-lots-of-protein-as-a-vegan
This is one of my favorite food bloggers (her recipes are incredible!) and she's actually in the medical field. Her recommendations are very grounded in science.
Here is another, similar, article she wrote for her own blog: http://www.thefullhelping.com/15-simple-affordable-and-protein-rich-combinations-of-plant-foods/
Here is a copy of a list she provides in the first article:
Quinoa, 1 cup, cooked: 8 grams
Buckwheat, 1 cup, cooked: 5 grams
Oat bran, 1 cup, cooked: 7 grams
Rolled oats, 1/2 cup, cooked or raw: 5 grams
Sprouted grain bread, 2 slices: 8 grams
Tempeh, 3 ounces: 17 grams
Tofu, 4 ounces: 12 grams
Edamame, 1/2 cup, shelled and steamed: 9 grams
Almonds, 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup), raw: 6 grams
Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons: 7 grams
Hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds), 3 tablespoons: 10 grams
Nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons: 8 grams
Lentils, 1/2 cup, cooked: 9 grams
Chickpeas, 1/2 cup, cooked: 7 grams
Black beans, 1/2 cup, cooked: 8 grams
Seitan (wheat protein), 1/3 cup, cooked: 21 grams
Broccoli, 1 cup, steamed: 3 grams
Kale, 1 cup, steamed: 3 grams
Collard greens, 1 cup, steamed: 5 grams
Hummus, 1/4 cup: 5 grams
I eat the majority of these foods often -- some several times a week.
She basically talks about using combinations of foods to meet our protein goals. So while a non-vegan may be able to grab some chicken or fish to meet protein needs, we may want to look at the total sum of what we're eating in a meal. You may hear that things like broccoli have protein. Well, that's true . . . but most of us aren't going to be capable of eating enough broccoli to meet our needs. But when we include broccoli in meals that have other sources of protein, it can help augment what we're getting.
So I do use vegetables with protein to help meet my protein needs. 1 cup of steamed collard greens has 5 grams of protein. On it's own, that isn't going to meet my needs. But in the course of a day, it adds up -- and the greens have very few calories. In addition to the foods on the list, I also eat regular refined wheat products (like bagels or pasta), commercial meat substitutes (probably once a week or so), and I will sometimes have a protein shake (made with hemp or pea protein powder).0 -
Thanks! You have saved me HOURS of research! This is just terrific!!!0
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janejellyroll wrote: »
(snipped: Useful list of tasty protein foods)
She basically talks about using combinations of foods to meet our protein goals. So while a non-vegan may be able to grab some chicken or fish to meet protein needs, we may want to look at the total sum of what we're eating in a meal. You may hear that things like broccoli have protein. Well, that's true . . . but most of us aren't going to be capable of eating enough broccoli to meet our needs. But when we include broccoli in meals that have other sources of protein, it can help augment what we're getting.
So I do use vegetables with protein to help meet my protein needs. 1 cup of steamed collard greens has 5 grams of protein. On it's own, that isn't going to meet my needs. But in the course of a day, it adds up -- and the greens have very few calories. In addition to the foods on the list, I also eat regular refined wheat products (like bagels or pasta), commercial meat substitutes (probably once a week or so), and I will sometimes have a protein shake (made with hemp or pea protein powder).
IMO, this is really good advice for veggies (of all sub-groups) - thinking in terms of lots of different protein sources, big & small, in your meals. The small amounts do add up, and mixing different ones helps get a variety of essential amino acids (most, not all, plant-based protein is short in some essential amino acid(s) so variety helps).
Need extra crunch on your salad? Add seeds or nuts instead of croutons. Want a snack? Pick crispy chickpeas or pea pods instead of chips. Want to add thickness to a soup or sauce? Puree some beans. Pasta craving? Try chickpea or edamame pasta (the latter can be a minority taste
). Bread? Find the one with more protein. Etc. 0 -
Hi all!
So i'm trying to stick within 1500 calories per day and I have been crazy struggling to say the least. I will do some sort of exercise everyday and I end up eating back all the calories earned from exercise so i'll end up with almost 2000 calories on a normal day.
How on earth do you guys stop at a reasonable amount. I get so hungry that I just NEED food!! I've also been eating healthy things such as quinoa, or salads, and heaps of fruit/veg but I will get hungry so quicky!! couple times a week will eat something bad (one serving of chocolate) but that is a tiny proportion of my food.
I'm usually the kind of person who will eat until i'm stuffed - perhaps not the best habit but i'm trying to break out of it! Do I need to take time for my stomach to shrink? Do I have a high metabolism?
Any advice? The struggle is real and it's so frustrating when I end up eating back calories I worked so hard to shed
You should be eating 3 meals a day and at least two snacks. Increase your protein...you do not necessarily have to eat all your calories back...but listen to your body. If you are hungry than eat some of those exercise calories back....if you are not then don't. Ideally, you should be eating every two to three hours to fuel your body. Be sure to pack snacks in your purse that are portioned and include a protein. For a 1500 calorie diet a good rule of thumb is 300 to 400 calories for meals and then two smaller calorie snacks. Good luck!!! You are doing great!
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For me it was all about recalibrating. I was so used to eating until I was full (and even stuffed), that learning to just eat until satisfied feels like hunger. Satisfied is the feeling that you're not hungry anymore, but you still could eat a lot more. It's hard to get used to, because I don't think there's an emotional pay-off to eating until Satisfied. It doesn't feel complete like Full does.
It just feels OK, which is a miserable place to be if you are used to the full on happiness of Fullness (#EmotionalEating). Any way, as you start eating until Satisfied, you get used to it. It doesn't feel quite as bad as it does in the beginning. And you can still eat until Full on the odd occasion, but it's good to be able to recognize it.
I use a lot of tricks to maintaining satisfaction: High fibre, complex carbs, Protein, Lots of veggies for volume.
Also, you need to eat back those excercise calories - at least a good portion of them.
This is interesting to me, because Full doesn't feel like happiness or completeness to me - it feels gross and uncomfortable and, occasionally, miserable. Nothing but bad emotions are associated with it.
OP, are you me or Chaagy? You won't know until you give both a good college try.0 -
So I'm a vegan...have been for over a year. I'm never hungry and get my protien. My profile is open so feel free to take a look. I do have cheat meal once a week. So, protien easiest way Seitan made with Vital Wheat Gluten. I make my own and I suggest this for you as well; the store bought premade stuff to me is gross. There is tons of recipes out there my favorite is an italian sausage one which has beans in the recipe give a great non chewy texture and I add it with a homemade tomato sauce and veggie noodles (if you haven't tried veggie noodles you have to try it). Word to the wise on making seitan....don't boil it....it get really chewy either cook it in the oven or use a double boiler wrapping portions in foil. Anyhow onto the hunger issue...I always have snacks...if I start having a craving its time for a snack.......skinny pop (popcorn) is my fav, apples, craisins the have this new tropical mix that amazing measure a portion size and have it on hand or something of the sort. I sometimes will eat apples but have found two seconds later I'm craving food again. Nuts I don't use so much when count calories it's to high in fat and cal so rarely use nuts another quick fix is vega performance protien bars my favorite is the peanut butter one; I work 12hr shifts so I will use this sometimes as a meal replacement. I'm not a strick vegan and the vegan community would probably kick me to the side...there are certain things I haven't given up well only two really....powder creamer and Qdoba queso...other then that I'm full on vegan.0
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Larissa_NY wrote: »you don't NEED food.
This scares me. Does this mean I can stop eating altogether?0 -
Larissa_NY wrote: »you don't NEED food.
This scares me. Does this mean I can stop eating altogether?
That's an interesting reductio ad absurdum, but okay, I'll play along. Yes, once you have ingested enough food to sufficiently fuel your daily living activities, you may feel free to stop eating altogether until the next time your body actually physically requires food.0 -
I know some people (my husband, for one) need protein to fill them up, but for me, it's fiber. I can eat all the protein I want and be hungry 15mins later if I don't have fiber too.
Another thing I do, is get breathmints and when I want to eat, I have one (they're like 2-3cals each). That gives me 5 mins or so to forget that I wanted to snack, plus I hate to eat with the taste of mint in my mouth! So that gives me even longer to forget about snacking. Not a foolproof method but it works for me, most of the time0 -
Larissa_NY wrote: »you don't NEED food.
This scares me. Does this mean I can stop eating altogether?
Sure. Feel free. Remaining alive is (technically) optional.
But we digress significantly from OP's original question, though the original context of the above snip did not:Larissa_NY wrote: »I mean, there's really no other answer here than "Quit eating so much."
That sounds facile, but if you let yourself be hungry you'll find out pretty quickly that it's not the end of the world; do something to take your mind off it, and it's not even a particularly unpleasant sensation. Unless you live in pretty dire economic circumstances and are literally in danger of starving to death or going blind from malnutrition, you don't NEED food. You WANT food. There's a big difference.0 -
Hot water with lemon is my life-saver. When I feel hungry, and know I probably shouldn't be, I'll have a cup, and the hungry usually goes away. If it doesn't, I know I am actually hungry, and I have a little snack. Almonds are also amazing for killing the hungries. A small handful of raw almonds make an awesome snack.0
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For me it was all about recalibrating. I was so used to eating until I was full (and even stuffed), that learning to just eat until satisfied feels like hunger. Satisfied is the feeling that you're not hungry anymore, but you still could eat a lot more. It's hard to get used to, because I don't think there's an emotional pay-off to eating until Satisfied. It doesn't feel complete like Full does.
It just feels OK, which is a miserable place to be if you are used to the full on happiness of Fullness (#EmotionalEating). Any way, as you start eating until Satisfied, you get used to it. It doesn't feel quite as bad as it does in the beginning. And you can still eat until Full on the odd occasion, but it's good to be able to recognize it.
I use a lot of tricks to maintaining satisfaction: High fibre, complex carbs, Protein, Lots of veggies for volume.
Also, you need to eat back those excercise calories - at least a good portion of them.
YES!!!! You litearlly just described how it is for me!!!
I'm SO use to just eating until i was stuffed! And so I guess that was a terrible habit that is difficult to get out of. Eating until i'm "not hungry" is really difficult because It's the first time I've had to train myself to stop.0 -
mrsthompson662 wrote: »So I'm a vegan...have been for over a year. I'm never hungry and get my protien. My profile is open so feel free to take a look. I do have cheat meal once a week. So, protien easiest way Seitan made with Vital Wheat Gluten. I make my own and I suggest this for you as well; the store bought premade stuff to me is gross. There is tons of recipes out there my favorite is an italian sausage one which has beans in the recipe give a great non chewy texture and I add it with a homemade tomato sauce and veggie noodles (if you haven't tried veggie noodles you have to try it). Word to the wise on making seitan....don't boil it....it get really chewy either cook it in the oven or use a double boiler wrapping portions in foil. Anyhow onto the hunger issue...I always have snacks...if I start having a craving its time for a snack.......skinny pop (popcorn) is my fav, apples, craisins the have this new tropical mix that amazing measure a portion size and have it on hand or something of the sort. I sometimes will eat apples but have found two seconds later I'm craving food again. Nuts I don't use so much when count calories it's to high in fat and cal so rarely use nuts another quick fix is vega performance protien bars my favorite is the peanut butter one; I work 12hr shifts so I will use this sometimes as a meal replacement. I'm not a strick vegan and the vegan community would probably kick me to the side...there are certain things I haven't given up well only two really....powder creamer and Qdoba queso...other then that I'm full on vegan.
The vegan community, generally speaking, is glad you've reduced your consumption of animal products and wouldn't want to kick you. But if you're still choosing to consume dairy sometimes, describing yourself as "vegan" may lead to confusion in others as to what the term actually means.0
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