Appetite suppressants
Replies
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Getting enough sleep is key for some.1
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Waste of mental effort, possibly time and money too. If you need time or "something" to "get used to" a diet, you're eating too little. It will backfire later. Eat enough, but not too much. You lose weight by consistently eating less than you burn. Any amount below maintenance will make you lose as long as it's consistent. Then acccept and embrace hunger and appetite. Appetite is good. Hunger is good - it reminds us to eat - eating is necessary. So food is good, and having access to enough, delicious, healthy food is a blessing. Sensations aren't always completely reliable though. Cravings is not the same as hunger. Hunger is not the same as a need to eat. We have to think too.5
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I find playing video games works well, as it keeps my hands occupied. Can't eat if you don't have time to do the hand-to-mouth thing!4
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Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm reducing my calorie and fat intake a lot right now. I'm talking about getting through the first couple of weeks of that. I'm eating consistently throughout the day, protein, veg, etc. I'm meal planning. I'm exercising. I'm drinking tons of water. I got all of that. What I need is something to help with the cravings for the things I'm not eating (bagels with lots of cream cheese, for example), and for those cravings, what do you do? Exercise, distraction, water, none of it works in those moments for me.
no your clear. My response is the same. Your eating to little or macros are to off. You shouldn't have massive cravings. Why did you reduce "fat alot" ? How many grams? Fat doesn't make you fat.3 -
How many calories are you eating? You really could just be too aggressive with your goal.
You say you are reducing fat. Many people find it a key component to reducing hunger and it's an essential macro for many bodily functions.
And play around with you meal timing. Maybe eating lots of little meals and snack throughout the day is horrible for controlling your appetite where for others it's perfect. I skip breakfast on workout days because I'm generally not hungry in the morning. I'd rather eat more for lunch and dinner.
So it can take some experimenting but I'd like to know what your calorie goal is first of all.3 -
"... Today was rough. 4pm I was starving, but I ate healthy snacks and meals regularly throughout the day."
In my experience eating throughout the day is counterproductive for appetite suppression. What you're doing is stoking your hunger hormones(look up Ghrelin) all the time, thereby telling your body to expect and prepare for food on a near-constant basis. Limit snacking, eat at set mealtimes, eat adequate protein and calories, and drink a lot of water with electrolytes.
Cutting too much and eating an unbalanced diet are usually the culprits with constant cravings and hunger.1 -
It took me a little while to get used to eating my calorie deficit too. I wouldn't say I was starving, but I did miss my old way of eating. If I could fit it into my calorie count I'd have a healthier snack instead, other times I just went out for a walk to distract myself. After the first week I had that a lot less, and by the second week I think I'd adjusted. Then I had my TOM and I've had cravings like crazy... But if you're weighing and counting calories and getting good nutrition you're probably fine. Often the cravings are more mental than anything else and they trick you into feeling like you're starving. But it never hurts to review what you're eating and make sure you're getting what you need.0
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I find getting a high amount of lean protein and 10 servings of vegetables a day is the best appetite suppressant. However, you need a certain amount of fat in your diet, and it can be very satiating as well. An excellent snack is a small amount of hummus or guac with some carrot sticks or bell pepper slices, or maybe a large apple and an ounce of cheese.
I drink diet soda or tea with just the tiniest amount of sugar or honey as well, and that helps.
A cappuccino in the mid-morning is also a great suppressant and helps me kick some serious butt at my noon workout.
You just have to figure out what works for you and then gear your daily plans around that. I try to get all my needs met with real food rather than supplements and such. (I will eat a Quest bar from time to time if I don't get my snacks packed for the day: one bar is 190 calories and has 15 g fiber and 20 g protein.)0 -
Intermittent fasting. I actually get hungrier at lunchtime if I have a small breakfast. If I skip breakfast all together, my morning hunger is very manageable.
A nice hot cup of broth soothes hunger and my salty cravings. I just add some chicken boullion powder to hot water. Sometimes I throw in a bit of gelatin powder for protein and health purposes. Tom Yum soup boullion is also super tasty.1 -
Coffee, green tea and getting good nutrients from the foods I eat helps me0
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Low fat or fat free yogurt holds me over.0
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Caffeine works great for me...is also super cheap in pill form.0
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Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm reducing my calorie and fat intake a lot right now. I'm talking about getting through the first couple of weeks of that. I'm eating consistently throughout the day, protein, veg, etc. I'm meal planning. I'm exercising. I'm drinking tons of water. I got all of that. What I need is something to help with the cravings for the things I'm not eating (bagels with lots of cream cheese, for example), and for those cravings, what do you do? Exercise, distraction, water, none of it works in those moments for me.
When I get this craving, I buy the Thomas Bagel Thins (110 cals each) and the Philadelphia Very Berry Cream Cheese (50 cal serving). So that's 160 calories. You can satisfy your craving without blowing your calories if you want to. I never try to avoid something I'm craving I just plan and make it fit. Sure its not a giant 400 calorie bagel with an inch high amount of cream cheese and a giant glass of OJ like the old days but that's the price I'm willing to pay to not be 268lbs anymore
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I'd also love to know how and when folks eat what to keep from feeling hungry. Today was rough. 4pm I was starving, but I ate healthy snacks and meals regularly throughout the day.
I have found that I do best when I have a lot of protein with my breakfast, and when my breakfast is my biggest meal of the day. I usually have a protein shake with almond milk and a banana blended in around 6am, then around 9am I will have either an English muffin with 1 egg (and maybe a slice of Swiss) or steel cut oatmeal with berries. I might have a Greek yogurt or hard boiled egg late morning if my lunch is going to be later than noon. If I don't have a good deal of protein for breakfast I'm starving by lunch and spend the rest of the day snacking every two hours trying to keep the hunger at bay.
The other thing I have to do is eat a fat or protein with my fruits/veggies when I have a snack. If I don't do this my blood sugar drops about an hour after I eat it and I get lightheaded and a headache. So apple or banana w/peanut butter, carrots /hummus, fruit w/string cheese or nuts are how I do snacks.0 -
This may help - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8068733.stm0
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Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm reducing my calorie and fat intake a lot right now. I'm talking about getting through the first couple of weeks of that. I'm eating consistently throughout the day, protein, veg, etc. I'm meal planning. I'm exercising. I'm drinking tons of water. I got all of that. What I need is something to help with the cravings for the things I'm not eating (bagels with lots of cream cheese, for example), and for those cravings, what do you do? Exercise, distraction, water, none of it works in those moments for me.
Perhaps some of us were not clear. IMO you should not be desperately hungry or crave-y (not everyone agrees with this, BTW).
As some have mentioned, your calorie deficit may be too large. You should not be striving to lose more than 1% of your body weight, but substantially less than that is fine if it helps the process be sustainable over the long haul. Weight loss is a long-haul proposition.
Some people find it easier to ease into deficit eating - start with the calorie level suggested for losing 0.5 pounds a week. Eat back most of your exercise calories (at least 50%). When that becomes a manageable routine, set a little bigger deficit. Rinse and repeat. But don't exceed an average of about 1% of bodyweight loss weekly, unless you are extremely obese, and under close medical supervision.
Beyond that, cravings and satiation are very individual. Several people have suggested what works for them. Those are things you can try. The two major variables are timing of eating, and composition of eating.
On the timing side, anything from small meals or snacks many times a day, to one big meal daily, are possibilities. I've seen people here succeed with those and everything in between. Some people need to save calories for an evening snack. Some people like to skip breakfast, whereas that makes others want to eat All The Foodz before the day is over. Some need snacks, some find that makes meals too small to be satisfying. There are endless variations.
On the composition side, it's good to strive for basic nutrition. Personally, while losing, I tried for 0.6-0.8g of protein (minimum) per pound of healthy goal weight, 0.35-0.45g per pound of healthy goal weight minimum fats (as much as possible from healthy sources like olive oil, avocados, nuts, etc.), and at least 5 servings of fruit or vegetables. After that, I experimented with where to spend any calories I had left, for best satiation and satisfaction.
Some people find fat satiating. Some people find protein satiating. Others find high-volume foods satiating (think low-cal veggies with lots of fiber - hence the 10 servings of veggies suggestion above). Some find that they must eat carbs (complex carbs, perhaps) in order to feel satiated, while others find that eating carbs makes them madly crave more carbs.
The way to figure this out is to try a different routine for a couple of days. If it improves the situation, keep this and build on it. If it doesn't help, do something else for a couple of days. Repeat until you find what works for you.
There are also substitutes that can reduce cravings for specific foods. Some have been mentioned by others (reduced-fat cream cheese and bagel thins was one example). This is also partly a "have the craved thing in a reasonable portion" strategy. I found that eating at least 3 fruit servings daily pretty much wiped out my cravings for hyper-sweet treats (baked goods, candy) at a much lower calorie expenditure. Some prefer reduced-calorie chocolate pudding or somesuch thing as a substitute for sweets, or substitute diet soda for regular. Cravings for salty foods may relate to electrolyte imbalances. Consider supplements or food changes to address those. Or eat pickles when you crave chips.
There's also a role, as others have mentioned, played by habit, emotion, and boredom. Sometimes, if one distracts oneself for a short time (brief walk, start a household task, etc.), the feeling will pass. New hobbies are an option (especially those requiring clean hands) for boredom eating. New habits (quick walk, say, or hot herb tea) are good for habit-based eating. Journaling or meditation or counseling can help with emotional eating.
Further, there are lifestyle factors that matter. Lack of sleep tends to cause hunger or cravings for many people. Stress can have the same effect. Dehydration is a factor for some. Some women have terrible cravings related to menstrual cycles. (Some use different calorie goals at different times of month to deal with the latter.)
Your food log can be a great tool in all of this. When you have an especially bad day, look at that day and the day before. Look for triggers. What was different: Macronutrients? Specific food choices? Timing of eating? Exercise/activity? Sleep? Stress? Social triggers? Boredom? Time of month? . . . etc. Eventually, you'll begin to see patterns you can work with.
You can do this. There's no magic, though, only commitment and experimentation. First, get to a manageable, sustainable calorie deficit, then experiment with the other variables. The situation will improve, if you stick with it. It is hard at first, but it doesn't have to stay white-knuckle hard forever.5 -
Favorite appetite suppressants for those between meal cravings? I'm loving this lavender lemonade kombucha today (House brand).
My male co-worker swears by kombucha and lost about 20 pounds in a reasonable amount of time but he's a guy and could probably hold his breath to lose weight. lol Seriously though, if it works for you, stick with it.0 -
I wish there were such a (reliable, non-side-effect-y) thing. I doubt it. Even OTC stuff that I tried a jillion years ago when I was young and stupid didn't work. Trust me, I'm lazy (or would be if I didn't push myself). If there were reliably such a thing, and within relatively easy access, I'd be there. I'd be popping a pill. AFAIK, there isn't. So instead of popping pills I'm redefining what "a portion" is (hint: NOT 64 oz. of Mountain Dew and NOT a restaurant plate), eating high-volume, lower-calorie foods and plenty of protein, and working out.1
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If I only have an hour or so to meal time, I find a stick of gum can help tide me over for a bit.1
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Coffee is a good one, but how do you all deal with the caffeine? Even decaf past a certain point in the day gets to me.
you really shouldn't be needing to feel like you need to suppress your hunger all day long. Eating should take care of it at some point. so If so then something else is a problem. Calorie goals or macros or needing to eat food with more volume or depending on how long you have been doing this, a maintenance break. Or a combination of any of that.
I find that even with eating enough I STILL feel hungry. Some people just are like that.
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