I never feel full...

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TexasTallchick
TexasTallchick Posts: 133 Member
in Motivation and Support
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve had *3* WLS or I just have no bottom, but something in me is messed up. I can eat 4 giant pieces of pizza or a double cheeseburger, large fries and a drink
from Wendy’s and still be wondering what’s for dessert.

Is it something mental that I’m missing or is the satiety valve (?) in my stomach/brain just not even working? I’ve been like this awhile. I occasionally feel satisfied, but only after I’ve consumed A LOT of food.

I know I’m eating for comfort because I’m super sad and devastated all the time after losing my 42yo husband unexpectedly last year.

I’ve already gone up a whole size...I can’t keep going this way. Any advice? Thank you!!!

Replies

  • kevont
    kevont Posts: 19 Member
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    After you finish eating do you feel full later? I'm pretty much like you. I never feel full. Sometimes an hour or two after I eat I start to feel full but that really just means I need to go use the bathroom. Otherwise, I can always eat something. I have to make myself stop eating or I will eat everything in sight.

    Since I started losing weight, I've had to tell myself that I can eat what is on my plate and then make myself stop eating anything else. It is not always easy to do. It is one of the reason I like to eat out more than most people. At the restaurant, when the food is gone there is usually nothing else I can eat without ordering more food. I know some restaurants bring rolls or some kind of bread but now I just ask the wait staff to not bring any to the table. At home, I just walk away from the table when the meal is over. Usually, if I can get involved in doing something (playing a video game, reading a book, watching TV, house work, etc.) I can get my mind off of food for a while and that keeps me from eating anything else.

    Hope that helps some. You aren't alone in this.
  • VelociFit
    VelociFit Posts: 32 Member
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    I'm so sorry for your loss! Such deep grief must make everything much harder.

    When you eat, say, the 4 slices of pizza, and start wondering about dessert, is it a "I could possibly fit more in me" feeling or a true "I'm still hungry" feeling? Is it a craving? My brain can still crave sweet things even though my stomach is telling me it's plenty full, especially if it's full OF sweet things, and it's very hard to resist.

    In your shoes, I'd talk to my doctor (especially one that knows weight-loss surgeries) and possibly a therapist. It could be that your body is overproducing ghrelin (the big hunger hormone) and/or not giving you enough leptin (the satiation hormone.) One thing as I recall that stimulates leptin is the stretch of a full stomach, and I'm not sure how that interacts with WLS.

    It could also be that you're craving food as a way to self-treat your grief. Carbs (in particular simple carbs, a.k.a. the really yummy ones) stimulate the pleasure/happiness pathways in our brain, which is one reason they're so easy to crave and so hard to resist/quit. That's where a therapist might come in handy, to tackle the grief and finding new ways to process it.

    (I'm mainly referencing two books, "Fat Chance" by Dr. Robert Lustig, and "Salt Sugar Fat" by Michael Moss. Both good, I thought.)
  • VelociFit
    VelociFit Posts: 32 Member
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    Kevont actually included some useful tips, unlike me, lol!

    I'll chew a piece of sugar-free gum after eating, which helps because I don't generally want something else on top of that minty-flavor. Some people brush their teeth after each meal for the same reason, I've heard. Protein and fiber-rich foods also help, and avoiding simple carbs. Once I start giving my brain the sugars, it just wants more. Good luck!!
  • curlygirlusn
    curlygirlusn Posts: 61 Member
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    First of all, I am sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine. My question is are you hungry or just not full? There is a difference. Are you drinking enough water with your meals? Try eating "volumetric", meaning eating lower calorie, high volume foods --- veggies, fruit, broth based soups, etc.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    edited November 2018
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    I never feel full either. I have to count on the food log to help me know when to stop. I'm learning to visually estimate pretty good, but double-check with the scale.

    Extra eating isn't a good long term coping strategy. It is OK to live a happy rest of your life. Lots of people contact will help. Maybe a gym. Maybe a team. Maybe church activities. Maybe volunteer (www.justserve.org has nearby opportunities). Maybe take some classes. Maybe rescue a puppy and take it to puppy classes. Fill your day so you are too busy to eat

  • DW1Texas
    DW1Texas Posts: 131 Member
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    Prayers for you with your loss.

    I all to well understand your scenario you described - if I wanted it I ate - had nothing to do with if I needed it.

    Everyone is different on what works for them - When I started I really struggled with eating to just eat, what I had been doing compared to eating when I was hungry and not going overboard when I did eat. This took several weeks and I had to experiment with timing and went through some HANGRY times. I planned my meals and portions out on MFP first - I know it takes effort and time but it is worth it. I could see calories, macros etc and how that fit into my goals.

    As curlygirlusn said earlier - cannot stress enough how important drinking water is - many times when you feel "hungry" you simply need more water. Also realized that when those hunger pains start, if I could hold out 30-45 min they went away and I ate much more sensibly after.

    Have you consider a counseling for your loss and a dietician or trainer for your health goals? Nothing wrong with asking for help - and commend you for taking steps to improve your health - don't get discouraged, keep working even little changes will pay off.
  • kevont
    kevont Posts: 19 Member
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    If I may add a couple other things to what I said earlier (sorry, I was heading to bed when I wrote that last night and I do not think well in the evenings).

    One thing that has very much helped me is that I have designated eating times and do not allow myself to go into the kitchen except at those times. Those times, in case you are interested, are after I work out in the morning, at 12:45(ish) since that's my lunch break at work, and at 6:00 pm for dinner. If I have calories left after dinner I will have a treat (namely, ice cream) before going to bed. Since I like ice cream, I almost always have calories left over for it.

    Finally, it took me a while to figure out what helps me feel full. I tried doing veggies but I can eat them for an hour and never feel my hunger decreasing. Meat/protein helps me some but not near as much as my wife claims it should. I've found that fat helps me feel full so I try to get some fat in most of my meals (cheese comes to mind but probably yogurt would work if you like the taste of it). Sadly, I get most of my fat from my nightly ice cream but after eating ice cream I'm satisfied for several hours (of course most of them are while I'm sleeping).

    Again, I hope this helps.
  • Running2Fit
    Running2Fit Posts: 702 Member
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    I’m so sorry for your loss. Grief is such a painful emotion. Have you sought out any therapy? It could be hugely helpful in helping you heal and in your weight loss journey.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I would start with dealing with the grief, and then work with someone who specialises in people who've had weight loss surgery once you're able to reduce the comfort eating.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I'm so sorry for your loss. Emotional hunger is a totally different thing and you may want to seek some counselling for that.

    Don't know if this will be any help at all but I was never full for the longest time. When I finally got into a rhythm losing weight I finally found times when I splurged a bit and was OVERFULL! I thought it was impossible. It came about a year after losing about 75 pounds. I decided to splurge on my birthday and got full so quick I felt sick. I think what happened was my stomach was no longer stretched out from overeating and became accustomed to much less food. Now it happens rarely because I continue to eat smaller portions but I'm beginning to understand when I've had enough. For now you need to trust the calorie log. It will come but it takes time.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    I can identify with eating because of loneliness; it's a tough journey through the morass of grief, and there are lots of folks to support you.

    I've been interested in how much more satisfied I am as a result of paying attention to balanced macros in each meal.

    If I go carb heavy, I have trouble stopping the fork-to-mouth action.

    But protein and fat are not as difficult to stop when the measured portion is eaten clean off the plate.

    I think this is partly because fats linger on the taste buds longer , and the retained flavor I think helps comminucate to the stomach that 'all full now, no need for more'.

    Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with ice cream for breakfast. Shake up the way you eat - food is food, it doesn't have to be meal specific about what is eaten when.

    GOod luck to you,

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