Hunger Suppression
greenlizard72
Posts: 76 Member
I am working on reducing how much coffee I drink, which I'm actually a little scared of for withdrawal reasons (headaches). I drink a lot of coffee everyday, from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. It's too much, and has begun to affect how much sleep I am getting (duh!). I've already switched to decaf in the evenings and noticed my evening hunger increasing, even after I have had dinner. While I am hoping to mitigate this by going to bed earlier, I also did a little research and apparently green tea and foods high in fiber help satiate hunger. Can anyone lend truth to this, or suggest other foods/drinks that really satiate hunger? I'm not looking for medication or supplements.
Edit Note: I realize green tea has caffeine. Sometimes the brain no worky.
Edit Note: I realize green tea has caffeine. Sometimes the brain no worky.
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Replies
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LOL Green tea has caffeine in it. Chamomile tea has a sedative effect. Or try just drinking more water.
Look up Konjac Root, sold as pill form as PGX. Take with LOTS of water so you don’t create a fiber plug.2 -
Satiety is a very personal thing. Some people find protein filling (I don’t). Some people find oatmeal filling. I find fiber filling (as do some other people). Try them and see.
Green tea may have caffeine so that might not help your goal. I don’t find it has any effect on my hunger. It’s a nice drink though.3 -
LOL Green tea has caffeine in it.
Duh! See! Lack of caffeine is making me daft!!! Seriously, I'm looking for through out the day too as I hope to reduce my coffee to a couple cups in the morning. If my evening experience holds true, this will cause me to be hungrier during the day.Chamomile tea has a sedative effect. Or try just drinking more water.
I am drinking more water and it does help. Ice cold water for me. Chamomile tea sounds good for the evening,
Thanks jgnatca
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Get an interest in teas... there are so many amazing varieties out there that are caffeine free, you can even get a tea that is chocolate flavoured.4
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I find high-fiber eating really does help me feel fuller longer. Some of the most filling foods are supposed to be oranges, oatmeal, and tomato soup, for whatever it's worth.
One thing, if you decide to increase your fiber intake, DEFINITELY increase your water, and don't do it all at once.1 -
Graelwyn75 wrote: »Get an interest in teas... there are so many amazing varieties out there that are caffeine free, you can even get a tea that is chocolate flavoured.
Is there one that tastes like coffee? I will check out teas. We have a nice tea thingy with a basket strainer for the leaves I think. Somewhere...2 -
nickssweetheart wrote: »I find high-fiber eating really does help me feel fuller longer. Some of the most filling foods are supposed to be oranges, oatmeal, and tomato soup, for whatever it's worth.
One thing, if you decide to increase your fiber intake, DEFINITELY increase your water, and don't do it all at once.
I love tomato soup (bisque is even better) and have some on hand. I'll try that out. Thank you Nickssweetheart!0 -
Most nights I drink mocha or hot cocoa in the evenings so I don't go to bed hungry and it meets my chocolate craving....cashew milk, cocoa powder, decaf coffee, stevia and sometimes a squirt of whipped cream....50 calories total. Other nights I drink herbal teas my favorites being cinnamon, mint, and berry.2
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I am a fellow coffee lover! To cut down on my caffeine I make decaf sometimes in the afternoon in the same brand as my morning caffeinated coffee. I can't taste much of a difference but I don't feel guilty about it and I get to sleep!0
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Chai doesn’t taste like coffee, but most coffee lovers adore the flavor. Give that a try.1
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Sometimes evening eating is boredom. You can pick different activities that have elements of self care. Like a hike. Reading a book.0
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You sound like a friend of mine...drank coffee from sunup to sundown. She switched to decaff in the early afternoon and in the eve for her snack ate an apple sliced up and dipped in nutella. Seemed to work for her.1
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greenlizard72 wrote: »I also did a little research and apparently . . .foods high in fiber help satiate hunger. Can anyone . . .suggest other foods/drinks that really satiate hunger? I'm not looking for medication or supplements.
Protein helps satiate hunger. I often have a hard boiled egg or a couple ounces of lunch meat in the evening if my hunger acts up. This usually knocks down my night time hunger.
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Apples work well for me. Along with tea0
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Don't try to suppress hunger. Make sure you're not undereating (you should never aim for a weekly loss of more than 1% of your body weight). Then balance your diet so that you get in sufficient nutrition - there are certain "universal" minimum ranges for fat, protein, vitamins, minerals. Your "personal" need for certain nutrients may be higher, this is something you have to figure out by trial and error. Then there is learning to differentiate between cravings and hunger, between real hunger and boredom eating; you have to tolerate some discomfort, but not deliberately hurt yourself.
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Technically decaf has caffeine in it too. It's better to consider it "reduced caffeine".
As for reducing hunger I tend to drink water if I feel hungry. Can't say it always works but it's helping me get used to my body. What I used to think was hunger was really "I fancy <insert food here> because it tastes damn good" rather than "I'm so hungry I need energy in order for me to complete this simple task and not feel lethargic". I try to only eat when I get to (or am about to get to) the latter. Unless I'm on my period and then I need all the food.
Edit: it's also easy to get in a rut if you eat at a specific time. I used to work in an office where we'd have breakfast at 1030. Then I switched jobs and started having breakfast before I left for work. At 1030 I'd get hungry. But I think actually it was my body saying "hey, you normally eat now, where is my food?"
Sorry if I make no sense!0 -
I stop taking caffeine around 2pm or it will keep me up. I deal with hunger by practicing IF. I don't eat breakfast, eat a light lunch around 1pm, then save the majority of my calories for dinner around 6pm. I feel full and satisfied all evening and at bedtime. You could always try it!0
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Coffee lover here. I've been up for 3 hours and have already had 5 cups.
I'm a high fiber believer. I'm not vegetarian but tend to eat lots of meatless meals made with beans or lentils. For evening hunger an apple with an oz of blue cheese has been helping. Or a small cup of soup.
I also prefer eating more of my calories in the first 8-10 hours of the day. I often have 2 breakfasts before noon especially if I work out.
Remeber that everyone is different. That whole IF thing wouldn't work for me but obviously it works for a lot of other people.
Not a big tea drinker but I do like the chai flavor.1 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Don't try to suppress hunger. Make sure you're not undereating (you should never aim for a weekly loss of more than 1% of your body weight). Then balance your diet so that you get in sufficient nutrition - there are certain "universal" minimum ranges for fat, protein, vitamins, minerals. Your "personal" need for certain nutrients may be higher, this is something you have to figure out by trial and error. Then there is learning to differentiate between cravings and hunger, between real hunger and boredom eating; you have to tolerate some discomfort, but not deliberately hurt yourself.
Interesting ... I'm often sitting in the hunger pangs, stomach growling/light headed, shaky, loss of focus area.
I can eat ... and within 2 hours, I'm there.
If I eat something like honey on bread, or oatmeal, I'll be there within an hour.
Regarding tea ... I drink a rooibos variety most evenings. I find it is sweet enough to satisfy any sweet cravings I might have.
Sometimes I mix it up and have lemon-ginger. This is good if my stomach is feeling a little upset.
And then I drink a variety of chamomile just before bed.0 -
@Machka9 if you are getting the light headed feeling you might be hypoglycemic. If so, you might need to eat like a diabetic to have continued, sustained energy. I find any food that has all the macros is the best and preventing this. This includes nuts, hiker's mix, Edamame, cheese and crackers, or half an energy bar. In desperation I've bought Muscle Milk from a convenience store and that worked, too.
If you want to know if you are hypoglycemic, test your blood two hours after eating. Maybe a friendly diabetic will lend you her meter.0 -
greenlizard72 wrote: »Graelwyn75 wrote: »Get an interest in teas... there are so many amazing varieties out there that are caffeine free, you can even get a tea that is chocolate flavoured.
Is there one that tastes like coffee? I will check out teas. We have a nice tea thingy with a basket strainer for the leaves I think. Somewhere...
I switched from coffee to tea to lower, but not eliminate, caffeine. In the morning, I drink English Breakfast Tea. It is about as coffee like as any tea I have tried. But it still contains caffeine - about 40% of what coffee has. So no headache from dropping caffeine because I didn't. Then I switch over to green tea, which has less caffeine, or herbals. I do not like decaffeinated black/green tea mostly because I like less processing.
As far as hunger goes, I am a believer in getting used to not eating much. The first couple of weeks can be rough, but you get used to it, or at least I do. I eat Greek yogurt made from whole milk for breakfast and I use 2 tbs of pumpkin butter or apricot preserves to flavor a cup of it. That's 300 calories of deliciousness. Sure, I could eat twice as much fat free artificially flavored/sweetened yogurt and still have less calories. No thank you. I don't eat mammal meat, so I eat a lot of poultry and seafood which are low calorie, so I don't eat only small amounts of high calorie foods. i also eat a lot of vegetables, but I don't stuff myself with anything.0 -
There is a tea that tastes like coffee! Look up teachinno. Not super cheap but they are pretty good. I drink coffee right until I go to bed lots of nights and I am not looking forward to the inevitable day when they starts jacking with my sleep0
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I dunno, the other day I was ravenous til I had coffee. Decaf did nothing. I recommend staying hydrated, eating plenty of fiber and protein, and having healthy snacks around in the evening.
It also might just be a side effect of transition, and that eventually your body will adjust. Go slowly and see how you feel.
I don't like green tea personally, but I find that spice-y/cinnamon-y teas help my coffee cravings, so play around with what feels right for you.0 -
@Machka9 if you are getting the light headed feeling you might be hypoglycemic. If so, you might need to eat like a diabetic to have continued, sustained energy. I find any food that has all the macros is the best and preventing this. This includes nuts, hiker's mix, Edamame, cheese and crackers, or half an energy bar. In desperation I've bought Muscle Milk from a convenience store and that worked, too.
If you want to know if you are hypoglycemic, test your blood two hours after eating. Maybe a friendly diabetic will lend you her meter.
Yes, I am hypoglycemic ... I've been hypoglycemic since I was 17 and they ran me through a glucose tolerance test.
That's why I eat about once an hour, and also steer clear of certain foods which seem to make matters worse.
I also have to watch my coffee intake. I drink only black coffee (fairly strong), but after about the third cup, I start feeling light headed and shaky too. So I try to keep it down to 1-3 cups a day.0 -
If think I would quit the coffee cold turkey and then take equivalent caffeine pills and wean myself off of them. I think I would try that anyways. I don't have a caffeine addiction.6
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You can get caffeine free green tea. I use a lot of different type of Tea's from Organic India - Tulsi Tea's. Like you I used to drink huge amounts of coffee but I have been weaning myself off over the last few years and I am not totally satisfied with 2 cups a day.
During Summer (I am in California) I am happy to drink Lemon Water or similar during the day but during the colder times of the day or months, I need something warm and something with a bit of taste. They have two versions of the Tulsi holy Basil tea, one with and one without caffeine. It is the first green tea, that I actually like the taste off. Other versions that I like are Lemon-Ginger, Licorice, Raspberry-Peach and Sleep, which really does help me to chill out at night and get a good night sleep.
It took me years to find replacements that work for me. These do.0 -
greenlizard72 wrote: »Graelwyn75 wrote: »Get an interest in teas... there are so many amazing varieties out there that are caffeine free, you can even get a tea that is chocolate flavoured.
Is there one that tastes like coffee? I will check out teas. We have a nice tea thingy with a basket strainer for the leaves I think. Somewhere...greenlizard72 wrote: »Graelwyn75 wrote: »Get an interest in teas... there are so many amazing varieties out there that are caffeine free, you can even get a tea that is chocolate flavoured.
Is there one that tastes like coffee? I will check out teas. We have a nice tea thingy with a basket strainer for the leaves I think. Somewhere...
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There is a caffeine-free drink that has a pleasant coffee-like taste. It's made from chicory root. I had it in the Czech Republic and have been meaning to look for it in US. I've only found it online mixed with coffee.
If anyone else has had this and knows a brand name or where to get it, please advise.0 -
I'm another who has weened myself off a heavy caffeine addiction using tea, better hydration in general and the occasional coke zero treat. Yes tea has caffeine in it, but on average it can be as low as half. {comparing instant coffee to instant tea}.
I now start the day with a nice strong esspresso, and I may enjoy the occasional cola as a treat with a meal. But the 20 instant coffee's a day are long gone. Along the way I decided that much of my habit was the ritual of making and drinking a hot beverage. While I don't hate tea, I don't like it as much as coffee. But I decided to drink only tea after a certain time of day, and over time as my daily caffeine levels dropped, my urge to have one subsided with it.
Good luck with your goal. And good idea not just quitting.. The headaches are phenomenal.2
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