Feeling too full, need help

kevstorms
kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
edited December 1 in Food and Nutrition
First a QUICK history. Injured in Iraq, retired now. Used my injury as an excuse and gained 80 lbs. No longer like what I see so I changed my life around 2 weeks ago. Although it's only 2 weeks, I am **LOVING** this new way and feeling. Never want to go back to the crap I was doing! Huge diet change as well. Only healthy, fresh foods, 5 times a day (2 snacks for the 2 extra)

So today for breakfast I had 2 eggs scrambled, 1 cup of yogurt blended with half a banana and 2 strawberries, half a cup of oatmeal, an apple, and a bottle of water.

The issue I am having is I am feeling HELLA full (THIS IS AFTER EVERY MEAL, SMALL OR LARGE!), and want to somehow cut down what I am eating to prevent this feeling. Any ideas guys? Also, by the end of the day with my meals and healthy snacks I again feel TOO full, and last night I was 600 calories UNDER my goal, and that was without even adding in my workout to re-figure my calorie intake. What is going on here?? I am already eating WAY LESS than I was before my diet, how the hell am I feeling too full?? Like, to the point where I may want to vomit?

If anyone has any ideas or opinions please share!

Replies

  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Your breakfast sounds huge. Thanks for serving.
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Your breakfast sounds huge. Thanks for serving.

    What would be better? I am open to all suggestion as I am still new at this.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    kevstorms wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Your breakfast sounds huge. Thanks for serving.

    What would be better? I am open to all suggestion as I am still new at this.

    You are under your calories (saw your diary is open), I would just spread it around. Eating to extreme fullness isn't your aim, eat until satisfied. You don't need a set number of meals a day - I have two, some have 8. You don't have to eat more in a meal just to sneak in extra "healthy" stuff like fruit or yogurt. My breakfast usually ends at 2 scrambled eggs and plenty of coffee and water
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Also, no butter logged - either you have an excellent non-stick or you should be accounting for that. And if you're not using butter, half a tbsp is enough for two eggs and will make you slightly more satisfied with just eggs.
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    Yea I basically cut out butter. I really only used it to cook. I changed over to coconut oil for a non-stick surface when cooking, but my egg pan is really good without. I was thinking maybe remove the eggs, and add a shake? The oatmeal is really the only carbs I get. I cut out breads, and potatoes are something for dinner once in a blue moon because I was never a fan of them anyway.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    edited April 2016
    kevstorms wrote: »
    Yea I basically cut out butter. I really only used it to cook. I changed over to coconut oil for a non-stick surface when cooking, but my egg pan is really good without. I was thinking maybe remove the eggs, and add a shake? The oatmeal is really the only carbs I get. I cut out breads, and potatoes are something for dinner once in a blue moon because I was never a fan of them anyway.

    Can I ask why you're cutting all that stuff out, though? Carbs aren't the devil, and while I'm not a huge bread person myself there's no problem with eating it in moderation. Nothing that you're eating is bad, or even worth cutting out if you're not meeting your calories. You just need to get to the point where you're eating within your calories, but only until you are satisfied. If you continue eating as you are and feeling that uncomfortably full, you will eventually get used to it and will need to eat more to feel that way.

    It happens to many people, which is why you see so many repeat offenders on this site: someone gets comfortable eating a lot of "healthy food", and eventually the calorie amount creeps until you're back in the danger zone. Eat what you enjoy in the right amounts, and stop eating when you're not hungry anymore. If you're uncomfortably full, you're overdoing it.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    You have quite a bit of fiber with apple, strawberries, banana and oatmeal. Cutting fiber a little bit may help the over full feeling. I would keep the eggs because it is a good protein source and also gives you some fat.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    kevstorms wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Your breakfast sounds huge. Thanks for serving.

    What would be better? I am open to all suggestion as I am still new at this.

    You are under your calories (saw your diary is open), I would just spread it around. Eating to extreme fullness isn't your aim, eat until satisfied. You don't need a set number of meals a day - I have two, some have 8. You don't have to eat more in a meal just to sneak in extra "healthy" stuff like fruit or yogurt. My breakfast usually ends at 2 scrambled eggs and plenty of coffee and water

    He's falling 600 calories below his goal, without accounting for exercise, and you're advising him to eat less? You're really missing the point.

    OP, like many people, you have apparently gone from a diet of calorie-dense foods (lots of calories for the volume you're eating) to nutrient-dense foods that have more volume per calorie. This is good if you weren't meeting your nutrient needs before, but it logically means you get filled up on a lower number of calories.

    You need to include more calorie-dense foods. If it's important to you that these foods be "healthy," consider avocados, nuts and nut butters, olive oil, full-fat dairy, and other healthy fats that don't come with added sugars (I'm not demonizing any fats or sugar, but based on your post, I'm guessing that this is at least in part what you mean by healthy). You need a certain amount of fat to make use of fat-soluble vitamins, regulate hormones, have healthy skin, etc.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    kevstorms wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Your breakfast sounds huge. Thanks for serving.

    What would be better? I am open to all suggestion as I am still new at this.

    You are under your calories (saw your diary is open), I would just spread it around. Eating to extreme fullness isn't your aim, eat until satisfied. You don't need a set number of meals a day - I have two, some have 8. You don't have to eat more in a meal just to sneak in extra "healthy" stuff like fruit or yogurt. My breakfast usually ends at 2 scrambled eggs and plenty of coffee and water

    He's falling 600 calories below his goal, without accounting for exercise, and you're advising him to eat less? You're really missing the point.

    OP, like many people, you have apparently gone from a diet of calorie-dense foods (lots of calories for the volume you're eating) to nutrient-dense foods that have more volume per calorie. This is good if you weren't meeting your nutrient needs before, but it logically means you get filled up on a lower number of calories.

    You need to include more calorie-dense foods. If it's important to you that these foods be "healthy," consider avocados, nuts and nut butters, olive oil, full-fat dairy, and other healthy fats that don't come with added sugars (I'm not demonizing any fats or sugar, but based on your post, I'm guessing that this is at least in part what you mean by healthy). You need a certain amount of fat to make use of fat-soluble vitamins, regulate hormones, have healthy skin, etc.

    No, I told him to eat less in one sitting.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    kevstorms wrote: »
    LazSommer wrote: »
    Your breakfast sounds huge. Thanks for serving.

    What would be better? I am open to all suggestion as I am still new at this.

    You are under your calories (saw your diary is open), I would just spread it around. Eating to extreme fullness isn't your aim, eat until satisfied. You don't need a set number of meals a day - I have two, some have 8. You don't have to eat more in a meal just to sneak in extra "healthy" stuff like fruit or yogurt. My breakfast usually ends at 2 scrambled eggs and plenty of coffee and water

    He's falling 600 calories below his goal, without accounting for exercise, and you're advising him to eat less? You're really missing the point.

    OP, like many people, you have apparently gone from a diet of calorie-dense foods (lots of calories for the volume you're eating) to nutrient-dense foods that have more volume per calorie. This is good if you weren't meeting your nutrient needs before, but it logically means you get filled up on a lower number of calories.

    You need to include more calorie-dense foods. If it's important to you that these foods be "healthy," consider avocados, nuts and nut butters, olive oil, full-fat dairy, and other healthy fats that don't come with added sugars (I'm not demonizing any fats or sugar, but based on your post, I'm guessing that this is at least in part what you mean by healthy). You need a certain amount of fat to make use of fat-soluble vitamins, regulate hormones, have healthy skin, etc.

    No, I told him to eat less in one sitting.

    To expand, if you look at his diary he is eating almost 1/2 of his calories during breakfast. Then he eats 2 leaves of lettuce and some tuna for lunch, and some ground chicken for dinner. Looks like a protein shake and yogurt as a snack somewhere.

    He said he feels full no matter what meal it is, large or small, but having 2 eggs, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, and added protein for breakfast is quite a bit overkill if it makes you full. It's not a ton of calories, but it's a lot of actual food according to the OP. He said he doesn't want to go back to the same crap. Eating until stuffed is going back to the same crap - spread it out. Page through his food diary.
  • talialinn
    talialinn Posts: 30 Member
    edited April 2016
    First of all, nice work on changing your lifestyle. Keep it up!

    I am wondering if maybe you are feeling so full now because you have cut our processed fiber-free carbs and have added quite a bit of fiber to your diet all of a sudden. It takes a while for your body to adjust to eating a higher fiber diet. You might feel bloated, gassy, etc, as the bacteria in your gut adjust to the influx of fiber. Like LazSommer said, just try and spread your calories out. You're still trying to figure out what foods and how many meals will work with your body and schedule, so cut yourself a little slack. Also, the water will make you feel super full if you are not used to drinking that much at once.

    Keep in mind for the future, of course, bananas, apples and strawberries are all carbs, and yogurt, even plain, has sugar in it naturally, (lactose)and most of the time extra sugar is added. (I only mention this since you brought up that the only carbs you have is oatmeal and sometimes potatoes.) If the yogurt is sugar free, it might have some sort of artificial sweetener, some of which might cause stomach upset or bloating, so watch for that. (the fruit you consumed just in the morning had 39 carbs and 25g of sugar.) That being said, you need carbs, so don't worry about them right now. Just focus on one thing at a time. You don't need to mess with your macros too much in the beginning, just try to eat in a caloric deficit.

    Try and eat more meals containing less calories for awhile and see how you feel. All my best!
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    Thank you to everyone for your help and advice! I may "cut" oatmeal from the breakfast, and tack it on to my first snack. That way I am still eating the same at the very least, but not as much in the morning(?). I really am not counting anything, I do want to make that clear. I use MFP as just a tracker to see what I am doing, rather than use it to make plans and do math if you know what I mean.

    LazSommer, I cut out carbs like bread and rice simply because I never really ate them anyway, so I wasn't missing out on it. Really only used those items if a recipe called for them. I looked at wraps, and 1 wrap bread was about 210 calories with JUST the bread. So for the first month I decided against it until I can feel out how much I really am eating.

    But I see what is being said, I will do what I can to mix it up a little, shorten breakfast, make a slightly bigger snack with more options and such and see if that helps(?). But like Talialinn said, I am sure it will take some time to get used to the changes I made because I did it RASH and FAST! Like, 3 burgers at fast food and junk all day to suddenly on just 1 day I went to what you see now.
  • Btheodore138
    Btheodore138 Posts: 182 Member
    Try to incorporate more fats into your diet. Walnuts, avocados, olive oil...these things will add calories without adding fullness. Eat slower and stop when your full. Just eat more calorie dense foods and smaller portions.
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    Yea next week I will start adding nuts into the equation. I changed out olive oil for coconut oil for now. I deff. can eat slower though :)
  • smit7633
    smit7633 Posts: 182 Member
    It can be hard to get enough calories when all you eat is healthy food, I agree! Try adding healthy but calorie dense snacks and don't eat so much in one sitting. That is a ton of food for one meal, you might want to space out your food more. Are you able to snack more thought the day like having 4 snacks instead of 2?
    I know some people's schedules or jobs van make that hard....
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    I am retired, so I am home all day except when I am out at the gym. I try to STAY out once I am done, but I am a single father raising an Autistic 6 year old boy! So I have to be home before 14:45 5 days a week to get him off the bus! Once he is home I have no real set schedule. I do keep up with my snacking though, the 2 I have down. Each night I make 2 containers, one of a cup of fruits and 1 of a cup of veggies. Like I said starting next week I can move oatmeal from breakfast to snack as well, same with the apple. That leaves me with: 2 eggs, 1/2cup yogurt with banana and strawberry (I use this to take a powdered vitamin), and a bottle of water.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    kevstorms wrote: »
    I am retired, so I am home all day except when I am out at the gym. I try to STAY out once I am done, but I am a single father raising an Autistic 6 year old boy! So I have to be home before 14:45 5 days a week to get him off the bus! Once he is home I have no real set schedule. I do keep up with my snacking though, the 2 I have down. Each night I make 2 containers, one of a cup of fruits and 1 of a cup of veggies. Like I said starting next week I can move oatmeal from breakfast to snack as well, same with the apple. That leaves me with: 2 eggs, 1/2cup yogurt with banana and strawberry (I use this to take a powdered vitamin), and a bottle of water.

    Turkey rolled up with hummus is a good snack to get some nice protein with your calories.
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    LazSommer wrote: »
    kevstorms wrote: »
    Yea I basically cut out butter. I really only used it to cook. I changed over to coconut oil for a non-stick surface when cooking, but my egg pan is really good without. I was thinking maybe remove the eggs, and add a shake? The oatmeal is really the only carbs I get. I cut out breads, and potatoes are something for dinner once in a blue moon because I was never a fan of them anyway.

    Can I ask why you're cutting all that stuff out, though? Carbs aren't the devil, and while I'm not a huge bread person myself there's no problem with eating it in moderation. Nothing that you're eating is bad, or even worth cutting out if you're not meeting your calories. You just need to get to the point where you're eating within your calories, but only until you are satisfied. If you continue eating as you are and feeling that uncomfortably full, you will eventually get used to it and will need to eat more to feel that way.

    It happens to many people, which is why you see so many repeat offenders on this site: someone gets comfortable eating a lot of "healthy food", and eventually the calorie amount creeps until you're back in the danger zone. Eat what you enjoy in the right amounts, and stop eating when you're not hungry anymore. If you're uncomfortably full, you're overdoing it.

    This is great advice here. There's no reason to go to extremes and make drastic changes to your diet, especially all at once. The long term sustainability of doing this is really low. Instead, just focus on eating the foods you do like/were already eating, in smaller portions. After you get that established, then you can experiment a bit with different foods/add in new ones etc.

    Also, if you're having issues coming in under your calorie goals, add in some calorie dense foods that don't necessarily have high satiety levels. Nuts are a good one, or you can really be wild and have a serving of cookies (the ones I'm eating today are 140 calories for 2) B)
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    I am enjoying what I am eating though. I could eat raw fruits and veggies all day if I could. I do agree I have to add some nuts into the mix. And as for sweets I actually hate them, I ate them because of feelings and they were there and such. I am more of an "I want chinese, I will order $50 of that *kitten* tonight and wreck it!" kinda guy. I love the change in my diet, and since this is week one, I just need to fine tune it which is why I love all the advice you all are giving me :)
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    edited April 2016
    kevstorms wrote: »
    I am enjoying what I am eating though. I could eat raw fruits and veggies all day if I could. I do agree I have to add some nuts into the mix. And as for sweets I actually hate them, I ate them because of feelings and they were there and such. I am more of an "I want chinese, I will order $50 of that *kitten* tonight and wreck it!" kinda guy. I love the change in my diet, and since this is week one, I just need to fine tune it which is why I love all the advice you all are giving me :)

    You can still do the Chinese food, but maybe in a $20 portion lol :) Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders about this whole thing, with a bit of adjusting you'll get it figured out and will be on your way to hitting your goals!
  • kevstorms
    kevstorms Posts: 29 Member
    I hope so! I uploaded a pic just now of me on my start date. I DESPISE looking at it, but that is what I hope will help to keep me going. As for the food, I will find that niche sooner or later haha. As long as I stay under, and don't over do it on bad fats I figure I am good for now.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    My husband seems to have the same response to fiber/chewing a lot of food as you do. I make massive salads with a ton of greens that clock in around 450 calories, eat them, and want more food 20 minutes later. My husband can't finish a portion of the same size and complains about being stuffed for the next few hours. This is a man who can polish off a six-pack of beer and an entire bag of potato chips without thinking about it. Redistribute your fiber intake and the overfull feelings should disappear (maybe change "sugar" to "fiber" in your diary so you get a better sense of how much you're eating in one sitting; if you don't have a sweet tooth there's not much advantage to tracking sugar). Add more fats in to get your calorie count up.
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