Does eating less get easier?

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I'm just restarting my journey after probably thousands of attempts. I'm having health issues that I must get under control.

I'm a binge and emotional eater. Celebrations, sadness, stress, boredom, you name it, i eat so much food until I'm comfortably miserable.

I'm 31 years old. 240 lbs. Female. starting off at 1700 calories per day. All I think about is food. I'm still hungry.

Will I adjust to this once I've been at it for a while? Does this get easier?
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    It will if you get your feelings and attitudes sorted out, adjust habits and environment, and have a good diet and eating structure that you can and will stick to.
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
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    Congrats on the decision to start again. It helps me to have some meals prepared ahead of time, even if they are just shakes and salads, so I can grab something healthy no matter what my mood or how my day turns out.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
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    It does get easier. Especially as you find low calorie foods that are filling and tasty. I mostly eat what I used to, just half the portion of starches and other high calorie stuff and two to three times as much vegetables.
    I'll admit, baked goods are still my weakness. So I save my calories for high quality homemade or bakery yummies instead of wasting them on bland grocery store packaged sweets.
  • NikkyT30
    NikkyT30 Posts: 91 Member
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    Are you drinking enough water? Sometimes I'm not really hungry I'm just thirsty. ....... And yes it does get easier. Start slow with a half pound lost to give you more calories and adjust the weight loss goal as you get into better eating habits. Everyone else's comments are also correct. Be forgiving of yourself. One day at a time. Good luck fit friend. It's a journey.... Not a race.
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited August 2016
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    As others have said, yes it does get easier. Focus on fixing the "why" of overeating, and do not throw in the towel because of a bad hour, day, or even after a bad week. When I was losing, it helped that I planned my meals a week or so ahead of time. When life got busy, I wasn't tempted too badly to overeat because I had a plan. After a couple months, I felt more comfortable and balancing a healthy diet became easier such that I no longer needed to plan so far ahead. For the most part, I now only log meals on the same day I plan to eat them.
    A helpful tip: if you're craving something, log a portion of the food FIRST into your diary and fill in everything else to help you meet your macros. This way, you're still keeping on track without feeling deprived.
    Humans tend to be creatures of habit. Make healthy choices as routine as your daily shower, and it will hopefully become relatively easy for you.
  • billglitch
    billglitch Posts: 538 Member
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    I think it gets easier. I was 355 and decided to try Low carb high fat eating (LCHF). I eat between about 1500 cals a day and have lost over 90 pounds, no exercise, no cravings and not hungry all the time. I also drink more water than I used to. If you are interested in LCHF check out dietdoctor.com. My son decided to try it and lost over 20 in a month and a half, my brothers gf is doing it and has lost close to 20 in 2 months.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    It gets easier. With experience, you pick up a bunch of tricks to manage your hunger, stress and calories. Now the emotional part, that you need to work on separately. Don't ignore it.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    Yes, but you can trick yourself a little. Google "volumizing food" or "volumetrics" for recipes that LOOK like a lot of food, have lots of volume to make you feel full etc. That can help get through the tough times.

    For example, make a small salad like normal then add double or triple the amount of lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers for virtually zero calories. Just dont add corresponding amount of toppings otherwise that have higher calories.

    Oatmeal - make with double the amount of water, let sit overnight, etc. It will blow up huge but have same amount of calories as regular bowl.

    Egg whites have very few calories - you can whip them (for a long time with beater) and add a VERY little xanthum or guar gum for thickness and use them for lots of things. It will actually make your stomach hurt they are so much/thick. I use them for pancakes (add some sugar free flavored syrup, protein powder, vanilla, etc, and bake - it gets HUGE, google for egg white pancake recipes). You can also just scramble them and add a little meat for an omelet. If not much flavor, add a single regular egg too.

    Lots of ideas to eat large amounts for same or less calories. I get so absorbed in finding recipes I actually forget to eat for a few hours while looking them up Lol.
  • Arapacana1
    Arapacana1 Posts: 117 Member
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    I have found that lean protein (chicken breast, sliced ham, broiled fish, shrimp, flank steak) is quite filling, especially when paired with a lot of vegetables. Soups are great too, and so are beans and lentils. I add extra chopped up tomatoes, onions, chilis, cabbage, and scallions to soups and beans and even scrambled eggs. Double the volume for just a few calories more! And yes, drink a lot of water. Herbal teas and low-cal instant hot chocolate are great too.
  • claraoswold
    claraoswold Posts: 89 Member
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    If you look at my diary I eat a lot of JUNK. But I eat at regular meal times and on schedule so am able to eat less. And that regularity has helped a lot.

    So it does get easier. You just have to condition your body for it.
  • michael_jordan7
    michael_jordan7 Posts: 176 Member
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    For me the physical aspect of eating less did get easier, I very rarely get physically hungry. The mental side comes and goes for me, some days I am right on point with no issues, other days I drive around from one fast food place to another loading up calories, am I hungry? NO, but do I want to eat? Yes, but the key for me is to have more good days than bad, and to remember that I am not really hungry (in my belly), just in my mind.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    It does get easier. It's important to pick the right foods. Like @DetroitDarin said, I get full much more quickly on way less food. I eat 2oz of pastrami and that fills me up where I used to eat a full sandwich with double the meat on 2 slices of bread and could still eat more.

    I eat Low Carb High Fat, and I'm almost never hungry now. I eat between 1000-1200 calories a day, and sometimes the last 200 calories are difficult to get down.

    But the first few weeks, when you're making that change from your old way of eating to the new...some of it is actual hunger, some of it might be thirst so make sure you're drinking enough, and the rest is psychological. I feel hungry every time I see pastries. But it's in my head, not actual hunger.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    It gets easier. Develop habits that you can continue. Allow for some things that you love to eat (that won't set you off on a binge).

    Once you've had time to develop more healthy habits, you won't have to struggle as much.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    edited August 2016
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    aylajane wrote: »
    Yes, but you can trick yourself a little. Google "volumizing food" or "volumetrics" for recipes that LOOK like a lot of food, have lots of volume to make you feel full etc. That can help get through the tough times.

    For example, make a small salad like normal then add double or triple the amount of lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers for virtually zero calories. Just dont add corresponding amount of toppings otherwise that have higher calories.

    Oatmeal - make with double the amount of water, let sit overnight, etc. It will blow up huge but have same amount of calories as regular bowl.

    Egg whites have very few calories - you can whip them (for a long time with beater) and add a VERY little xanthum or guar gum for thickness and use them for lots of things. It will actually make your stomach hurt they are so much/thick. I use them for pancakes (add some sugar free flavored syrup, protein powder, vanilla, etc, and bake - it gets HUGE, google for egg white pancake recipes). You can also just scramble them and add a little meat for an omelet. If not much flavor, add a single regular egg too.

    Lots of ideas to eat large amounts for same or less calories. I get so absorbed in finding recipes I actually forget to eat for a few hours while looking them up Lol.

    I am big on volumizing, which helps. I will say that my thinking about food all the time did not get better. I just had to trick my body by volumizing and drinking tons of water. I think personality type is a factor. If you have an obsessive personality, it may or may not get better over time.
  • MiaisMIAinMiami
    MiaisMIAinMiami Posts: 196 Member
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    It does get easier. Yesterday I portioned out a cup of cooked rice and my shrimp and vegetables (Cajun style yum) and I couldn't finish it. Take it one day at a time. :)