Appetite suppressants

ahnamac wrote: »

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.