Apetite supression?
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purpledream89
Posts: 14 Member
I'm the girl who gets upset + eats until I feel better. I always do this and enough is enough.
Has anyone tried to take and appetite suppressants? I'm considering this.
I just eat too much and feel like it may help me to take this for about a month while I get used to modifying/restricted diet. After that, I'm hoping my body adjusts and I won't feel like I'm dying of starvation.
anyone try this? have tips? recommendations?
-tired of using food as a crutch
Has anyone tried to take and appetite suppressants? I'm considering this.
I just eat too much and feel like it may help me to take this for about a month while I get used to modifying/restricted diet. After that, I'm hoping my body adjusts and I won't feel like I'm dying of starvation.
anyone try this? have tips? recommendations?
-tired of using food as a crutch
8
Replies
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well...no. I wouldnt take anything for appetite suppression as im sure others will speak to...Im just going to say it sounds like your problem would be cravings and emotional eating....So i highly doubt even if appetite suppressors worked theyd help much. You need to work on the problem not trying to mask it with potentially harmful/useless things.
Maybe therapy, Some internal soul searching...Identify the reasons why you eat and fix them.
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If you're eating because you're upset, rather than because you're hungry, appetite suppressants aren't going to help. They could even hurt, since real appetite suppressants (rather than money-making schemes that only lighten your wallet) contain stimulants, which could makeyou nervous, jittery, and more susceptible to your emotions. A therapist who can help you disconnect food from emotional comfort might be more helpful.12
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Don't mess with your appetite. It sounds to me like you need to get to know it - you refer to a feeling of dying of starvation, later in your post.
So which is it? Is it cravings? Or hunger? Are you eating enough? Height, weight, calorie target, do you hit it, and do you eat real food? If you're not eating enough, it will be worse and worse. If it's cravings, you (not your body) can get used to it. It helps to eat food you like and not demonize any foods, food groups or nutrients.
And you have to learn how to handle emotions, actually handle them, not try to numb them with food. You do that by accepting and feeling your feelings, and you can't do that if you're numbing them with pills instead.9 -
Thanks for everyone who commented
Its cravings for random things all day long. When i get sad it just intensifies.
I actually feel hungry but i think my body is lying to me. I eat enough everyday. well over 2000 cals. Maybe perhaps i dont eat the right things but i do try to incorperate veggies into it where i can.... esp veggie pizza
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I stress/upset eat as well. I used to QUICKLY grab something to munch on, usually high fat high carb junk. The only advice I have is slow down and more importantly I found that increasing my workout at the gym burned off a lot of stress, and relaxed me.
It also gives you extra calories to work with. I don't stress eat as much, when I do I grab better foods.... and log them.0 -
purpledream89 wrote: »Thanks for everyone who commented
Its cravings for random things all day long. When i get sad it just intensifies.
I actually feel hungry but i think my body is lying to me. I eat enough everyday. well over 2000 cals. Maybe perhaps i dont eat the right things but i do try to incorperate veggies into it where i can.... esp veggie pizza
If your over-eating is related to emotions or stress, an appetite supressant may not help, and even if it does, the problem will still be there when you stop taking it. A better plan might be to break this bad habit once and for all. The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit. So come up with other things that could be calming or happy, surround yourself with reminders to do these other things instead, and be patient
Another tip is to prelog everything before you eat it. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to bury a bad day with a spoon, a pint of ice cream and a beer, but after logging it and seeing what it would do to my numbers I decided on a weighed out serving of ice cream and a cup of tea! Figuring this stuff out now and accepting it might take a little time will set you up far better for the future than taking something and white-knuckling it through fast weight loss and then not knowing how to maintain once you're there.
Good luck!9 -
In your first post you mentioned eating that had to do with stress and not hunger. Try having a glass of water, or a cup of tea/coffee (protein hot chocolate is yummy) when those urges strike. Sometimes thirst masquerades as hunger and having some fluid and a little flavor may ebb any hunger pangs mixed in with the stress eating.1
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In your first post you mentioned eating that had to do with stress and not hunger. Try having a glass of water, or a cup of tea/coffee (protein hot chocolate is yummy) when those urges strike. Sometimes thirst masquerades as hunger and having some fluid and a little flavor may ebb any hunger pangs mixed in with the stress eating.
Coffee usually helps me.
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purpledream89 wrote: »Thanks for everyone who commented
Its cravings for random things all day long. When i get sad it just intensifies.
I actually feel hungry but i think my body is lying to me. I eat enough everyday. well over 2000 cals. Maybe perhaps i dont eat the right things but i do try to incorperate veggies into it where i can.... esp veggie pizza
I don't get the munchies when I have adequate protein, exercise, and sleep.
What's your protein target set to and are you hitting it?
You mentioned veggie pizza - are you a vegan/vegetarian? Are you diligent about eating legumes and other non-meat sources of protein?
I used to be an emotional eater but now I manage stress with regular exercise.2 -
Walking is a great appetite suppressant.2
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purpledream89 wrote: »I'm the girl who gets upset + eats until I feel better. I always do this and enough is enough.
Has anyone tried to take and appetite suppressants? I'm considering this.
I just eat too much and feel like it may help me to take this for about a month while I get used to modifying/restricted diet. After that, I'm hoping my body adjusts and I won't feel like I'm dying of starvation.
anyone try this? have tips? recommendations?
-tired of using food as a crutch
If you use food as a crutch, using appetite suppressants might be like using a different brand of crutches. They both do the same thing-- stop you from learning how to eat properly and change your eating behaviours and relationship with food. By "properly" I mean eating in a way that is tied to your body's dietary requirements and not your emotions.
Modifying your diet is helpful. Restricting it might not be. If you tell yourself you can't have specific foods you might crave them more, then binge, then beat yourself up for not being able to control yourself. Whatever eating habits you have, they won't be resolved unless you deal with your emotions and stress.
Right now, what you eat may not be as important as *why* you eat. Clearly it's a coping mechanism, so you have to find a different way of coping that doesn't involve reaching for food. I think for you, your attitude towards food has to change from seeing it as an emotional support to seeing it as a fuel that keeps your body working. That's difficult, but with perseverance it can be done.1 -
Are you talking about taking appetite suppressing pills? I’ve never done that and I feel like they wouldn’t work anyways, and if it does it’s probably just a mental thing. You said you’re an emotional eater but that alone shouldn’t make you feel like you’re dying of starvation, how many calories do you usually eat? If you’re only eating like 1200, try eating more, it can make a huge difference in how you feel. Or try planning your meals to be filling but low calorie and save calories for some emotional snacking, since it might be hard to stop doing what you’ve been doing.
For me, drinking water (especially with mio/crystal light) helps suppress my appetite. Also, coffee, tea and diet soda. Keeping myself busy helps a lot too. I have a problem with thinking I’m hungry when I’m bored.
Last thing, do you exercise? I know this doesn’t sound as good as emotional snacking, but maybe you could try going on a walk or going to the gym when you feel like you need to eat to feel better. A lot of people say exercise helps them clear their mind and endorphins will make you feel better. Plus, you’ll burn more calories which will let you have a snack anyways without affecting your progress 2 -
I'd address the mental aspect if I were you. Feeling less physically hungry won't help if you're eating to cope with emotions. Do some research and find some other coping mechanisms, and learn how to implement them, then reassess.2
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Look at the two bolded bits.purpledream89 wrote: »Thanks for everyone who commented
Its cravings for random things all day long. When i get sad it just intensifies.
I actually feel hungry but i think my body is lying to me. I eat enough everyday. well over 2000 cals. Maybe perhaps i dont eat the right things but i do try to incorperate veggies into it where i can.... esp veggie pizza
Your body isn't lying to you, but you might be unable to interpret what it's telling you, yet. You can change that. "The hunger scale" has been a great help for me - I had to modify it a little to fit how I think/feel, and there are many slightly different versions on the web, but I believe it is a wonderful tool. There's one model that grades your physical hunger:
and one that teaches you to separate physical from emotional hunger:
And then the issue of "not eating the right things". Yes, a balanced and varied diet is a healthy diet, and a healthy diet nourishes you, and when you're nourished, you're not famished. BUT, you also need a healthy relationship with food. Do you ever feel guilty for eating something you shouldn't? Or, maybe more importantly in this case, for not eating something you feel you should? Trying to incorporate veggies where you can, is a good idea, but it must be done cleverly. You can't just force new things and things that feel strange to you. Vegetables are a natural part of any meal - for those who are used to it. I am used to it now. But I won't eat any vegetable with any meal, it has to go together with the other components. And this is where eating becomes interesting - and fun - you are going to use your senses and learn about what you like! In this process, you will notice that you do have preferences, which is the platform for priorities. When you start to believe that you can eat anything you want, truly believe it, food stops taking up so much room in your head. You start to prefer being just the right kind and degree of full, you might even start to enjoy being hungry, because you anticipate a good meal. After you have eaten, you will feel content, not upset. You may want to eat more, but that's just because your appetite has been stimulated - it's proof your meal was delicious! Your goal is to feel satisfied, but be aware - it's physical satisfaction, not emotional satisfaction, you're after. You can indeed, and I think you should, seek out and eat food you find enjoyable, but you can't, and shouldn't, expect food to fill all your emotional and spiritual needs. Food is, after all, just food.12 -
Keep your protein up. Restrict fast digesting carbs to within 30 minutes after your workout. That is the only time when those types of foods are pretty much guaranteed to not turn into fat. I’m not saying you can have a dozen donuts but that would be a good time to have your treat. You can also have a high carb day if you are low on carbs during the week. Gummy bears or pixie sticks are good because of the dextrose in those foods during that window. Depending on how old you are, a DHEA supplement may be beneficial for you. Over time, DHEA levels drop. More importantly, be aware of how you feel after you eat something. If you feel like crap when you eat a particular food try to remember that feeling so you can avoid what makes you feel that way.15
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beatyfamily1 wrote: »Keep your protein up. Restrict fast digesting carbs to within 30 minutes after your workout. That is the only time when those types of foods are pretty much guaranteed to not turn into fat. I’m not saying you can have a dozen donuts but that would be a good time to have your treat. You can also have a high carb day if you are low on carbs during the week. Gummy bears or pixie sticks are good because of the dextrose in those foods during that window. Depending on how old you are, a DHEA supplement may be beneficial for you. Over time, DHEA levels drop. More importantly, be aware of how you feel after you eat something. If you feel like crap when you eat a particular food try to remember that feeling so you can avoid what makes you feel that way.
No "types of foods" will turn into fat if you are in a calorie deficit, and any type of food will be stored as fat if you are in a surplus.
Do you have any sources on your point about DHEA, and how would that help her feel satiated or deal with emotional eating while staying at her calorie goal?11 -
Hugs!!
Coffee can help suppress your appetite, and sometimes chewing gum can too. although chewing gum can cause wind and bloating it is really helpful if you're tempted to binge eat 1 -
When you feel emotional or stressed - at that very moment you are ready to grab something, ask yourself, "what am I feeling?" Think about it. Write it down like a little diary. That way you will be able to see what the pattern is. With that information, figure out what you are going to do about it. Make sure you are eating ONLY when you are truly hungry. Don't let your emotions sabotage you.1
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saraonly9913 wrote: »Walking is a great appetite suppressant.
Walking is also a great stress reducer.
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Especially if you can walk in a park or somewhere quiet and relaxing.0
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