How to decrease appetite?
jocimccann
Posts: 1 Member
I feel like I can eat healthy without issue. But my issue is that since I’m so over weight my stomach is so large that I feel hungry after eating a normal sized healthy meal. I’m drinking plenty of water but what else do y’all do to help curve that appetite?
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Replies
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I load up on healthy salads , pickles etc but try to stay within the calories im aloud.
Its easy in theory then you lose weight.1 -
I’m less hungry on days I work out.4
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Experiment with your eating to see what's most satisfying for you..
Some people feel most full after lots of low-cal, fiber-containing foods (such as salads and veggies/fruits). Others feel full with more fats (nuts, avocados, peanut butter, etc.). Still others are satiated by protein (meat, fish, soy, etc ). Some people need complex carbs like potatoes or grains.
Changing timing of your eating may also make a difference: Big breakfast/no breakfast, big dinner, snacks or not, etc.
Literal stomach shrinkage, in a physical sense, is not a major thing, though it can feel that way. It's really about hunger and satiation hormones, and habits.
It takes a little time to adapt to a different eating regimen, but you can figure it out.
Best wishes for success!14 -
Do you actually feel hungry, or just bored or dissatisfied? Is your deficit too large? Perhaps you're just used to always eating until "satisfied" (or overfull), which to be honest is probably why you're in the position to need to lose weight.
There is nothing wrong with hunger. You don't always need to be full or satisfied. You can of course lessen your hunger somewhat by being more realistic about your rate of loss (slower =more calories), and by making smart food choices. beyond this though, it might just be some work on your mindset.
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With time your appetite will adjust. But it takes time. Also remember, it is okay to be hungry, we tend to eat far too much and can go for months without being hungry, this is not really a good thing. I have started doing the 16:8 eating schedule, I have been doing this for 7 weeks now (basically you don't eat for 16 hours a day and do eat for 8, I personally eat between 11am and 7pm. This really works for me and my lifestyle. I like big portions but the trade off is that I don't eat breakfast so I am pretty hungry by lunch time, but can have a bigger portion than if I was to have had breakfast. It is all down to calories in and out. If you like feeling full, you can either have a bigger portion and cut out elsewhere (like what I do) or you can bulk up your meals by having low calorie foods to bulk your meal out (such as leafy greens and so on).3
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I used vegetables to increase the amount of food I could eat. In time your stomach shrinks. However there is a difference in truly being hungry and your mind telling you that you are. That is going to require you to find something else to do not to dwell on it. In time you will learn to be satisfied instead of full.3
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Plate up the veggies.
Also what do you consider a healthy meal?0 -
Appetite is not the same as hunger. Are you eating enough - quantity: your calorie need is based on your height, weight, sex, age and activity level, and you should set your rate of loss to no more than 1% of your body weight per week; and quality: you've probably heard about "five a day" and "the food pyramid" - those recommendations aren't supposed to make you feel restricted, but to make sure you get in the nutrition you need. You can actually be starving yourself even if you're overweight - from malnutrition. MFP's default macro setup, combined with a drop of common sense, is a good baseline.
Your stomach is fine. You're just used to eating too much. Satiety usually takes some time to set in after eating. Healthy eating is getting in enough of all the nutrition you need, in the form of foods you enjoy, but not too much over time. It's normal and healthy to be hungry before meals, quite satisfied after meals, and empty most of the time between meals.
Appetite is good, and you must learn to tolerate excess appetite. Even if you are eating the best diet possible, you will occasionally, or often, want more, or something else. It's okay to give in to cravings sometimes, but you can't routinely eat too much, and still have good health.
Keeping busy is a good idea if your problem is boredom eating.4 -
You're on a good path.. just keep notes and change what is keeping you hungry. Try to figure out what combinations of foods keeps you satisfied, and which lead to hunger.
I find high salt processed foods..even if low calorie ...make me more hungry all day long. When that happens...the constant hunger all day is so distratcting . .. I look back at what I ate and try to figure out what to eliminate from my diet.
Also.. focus on breakfast.. make sure that what you're eating doesn't make you hungry an hour later..which leads to all day long.1 -
Check out this thread! http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
For those of us who like to eat large amounts and feel full.2 -
Are you eating back at least some of your exercise calories? If not, I'd start there.1
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I do IF. Fasting acts as an appetite suppressant for me. I don't get that hungry tell I eat then I awaken the "beast" and then I get real hungry! That works for me tell about 1 or 2 p.m. then I will get hungry anyways. If I'm trying to fast longer than that, I will drink lots of water and 1/2 tsp of coconut oil will shut my hunger down without setting me off eating like eating just about anything else will after that long of a fast. I make sure I get enough protein in and I take supplements which I think helps also. I think we might get hungry if we are deficient in something so I try to eat good foods and not have any nutritional deficiencies. Good luck!
p.s. I know someone that is eating chia seeds in the day to help them "mostly" fast tell the evening meal. They say it solves the hunger for them. They eat them soaked so bloating will not occur.1 -
My experience has been that it does get better with time. Your stomach will get used to smaller meals and eventually big ones will make you feel stuffed. Try eating low calorie foods to tide yourself over - I like salted radishes and cabbage slices, but there are lots of vegetables which are very low in calories.0
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Assuming you are eating a reasonable amount and not cutting way to low in an effort to speed lose, I'd say that probably feeling like you need bigger meals is just a result of eye-hunger -- your idea of what a meal should look like and how much you need. You will likely adjust in a few days or week (this was my experience when cutting out snacking, and with meals I would at first think it wouldn't be enough but found if I ate it and waited and really assessed how I felt it was plenty).
That said, if you are not, adding in a good volume of vegetables helps, as the meals will look large, even without lots of calories.
If you still have the issue, check calories and try experimenting with meal timing and split and macros. For me, eating 3 regular meals is FAR more satisfying for the same calories than trying to have a bunch of snacks (although the snacking thing works for some others better).0 -
I noticed that "feeling hungry" following a meal went away in less than an hour, and turned into "I could eat something but I don't have to." I made friends with that feeling-a-bit-hungry sensation, I guess.2
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A friend told me that having sex more often helps decrease appetite.1
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DebLaBounty wrote: »A friend told me that having sex more often helps decrease appetite.
Nope. If only!
Maybe the idea is that some people sub the endorphins from sex for what they would have gotten from eating. Something semi-woo like that. Not I. After sex I want to eat like an animal.0 -
jocimccann wrote: »I feel like I can eat healthy without issue. But my issue is that since I’m so over weight my stomach is so large that I feel hungry after eating a normal sized healthy meal. I’m drinking plenty of water but what else do y’all do to help curve that appetite?
@jocimccann
It worries me when people say they're "eating healthy" around here.
That usually implies they're aiming to lose lots of weight as quickly as possible, by starving themselves on salads and the occasional smoothie. This is a Bad Thing, and the easiest way to crash and burn and never make it to your goal.
What's your idea of "eating healthy"?4 -
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I’m less hungry on days I work out.DebLaBounty wrote: »A friend told me that having sex more often helps decrease appetite.DebLaBounty wrote: »A friend told me that having sex more often helps decrease appetite.
Nope. If only!
Maybe the idea is that some people sub the endorphins from sex for what they would have gotten from eating. Something semi-woo like that. Not I. After sex I want to eat like an animal.
Moderate exercise works as a mild appetite suppressant for me, too, and I do get a bit of an endorphin release from that. I get more from sex, and am ravenous afterwards, so maybe there's a sweet spot for endorphins and appetite suppression?0 -
jocimccann wrote: »I feel like I can eat healthy without issue. But my issue is that since I’m so over weight my stomach is so large that I feel hungry after eating a normal sized healthy meal. I’m drinking plenty of water but what else do y’all do to help curve that appetite?
Lots of possibilities:
1. You may be trying to lose weight too quickly for the amount of weight you have to lose, so are legit not eating enough.
2. Or you may need to give your brain more time to receive the message from your stomach that it is full.
3. Or you may not be eating enough foods that fill you up. Adding more fiber to your diet is always a good place to start.
Understanding satiety: feeling full after a meal
...Tips on how to feel fuller
So how can we best try to enhance these feelings of fullness to help us control how much we eat? Here are some top tips for helping you feel fuller:- Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.
- If you are watching your weight, opt for lower fat versions, using leaner cuts of meat, cutting off visible fat and avoiding the skin on poultry as this will help reduce the energy density of the diet, which can help to enhance satiety (see below).
- Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.
- Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.
- The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods. Click here for more information on energy density.
Read more: http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
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