Help Suppressing My Appetite
Replies
-
Hi, So tonight I had leftovers - chicken, broccoli and cauliflower. I definitely feel full so no need or want to eat anything else. At night watching tv when I "feel" like eating I will actually chew a whole pack of gum (not at once lol but probably 2 or 3 hours. Great advice all of the above you received.2
-
This strategy might not be for everyone, but it has helped me a great deal recently. If it’s more of a mental craving for food and not actual true hunger, then when I feel like snacking, before I open the fridge, I just open my phone and look at the brutally honest unflattering full body selfie I took, right before I started to be on the path to health again. Seeing how I look reminds me of how much I really want to get back to a healthier place again. It overpowers my desire to snack, and then after I feel good about myself for not caving.
Not sure if this is the way to go for you, but it’s helped me. It might be potentially triggering for some, but I realized, hey, this is my reality and it motivates me0 -
GoingSaiyan wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Here are my general tips for cravings. Ignore the ones that don't apply
When I do the following, I don't have cravings:
1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food. Additionally, mild to moderate exercise appears to work as a mild appetite suppressant for me.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.
Probably my biggest downfall is getting sufficient sleep. I typically get 6 to 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I've been told that's not the worst but I should probably be getting more. I also wake up super tired so I guess that's one aspect for me to work on.
If you wake up super tired, definitely try to get more sleep. If you still wake up tired, ask your doctor for a sleep clinic referral. Even thin people can have sleep apnea (among other possible issues), and it's very common among people who are overweight. It's potentially pretty dangerous, too: Heart disease risk, among other things.
The other possibly useful idea is to experiment with what you eat (relative amount of protein, fats, fiber, carbs) within a healthy range; and to experiment with meal/snack time (how many of each, how big, when). Satiation is very individual, and it can change over time or with differences in life routine.
I also think it's a good idea to consider targeting slower weight loss until you get satiation dialed in. You can increase your weight loss rate later, potentially, if you can first figure out more accurately what foods/schedule keeps you more full and satisfied.
Best wishes!1 -
My best coping mechanism is to engage my brain.
If I logon the PC and play something, my focus is on that. Give it a try. Gaming has it's uses 2 -
I have a sweet tooth, sweets has always been my downfall. Over time I have found things that I enjoy eating that satisfies my sweet tooth without busting calories, it also gives me something to look forward to so I don't feel deprived. My favorite are:
1) Strawberries with dark chocolate balsamic vinegar
2) Sea Salt dark chocolate almonds (these taste very rich so I can eat 3-4 after dinner, it's under 100 calories and it tastes amazing)
3) Yasso bars (typically between 90-110 calories...i love pistachio)
4) Adding a Stur packet to my water with dinner. Sometimes this is enough and it has 5 calories, it is basically like Crystal Light but different ingredients
And yes, lack of sleep does all kinds of things to your hormones over time, which can increase your cravings. So try to go from 6.5 to 7 for starters. I know it isn't easy because I am up at 5 to workout but I'm a night owl, so it is hard for me sometimes also.
0 -
Have you tried having chamomile tea before you go to sleep and peppermint is great for digestion too. If you feel hungry keep busy and drink more water, herbal teas try and avoid stimulants with caffeine like coffee, tea, soft drinks.
Good luck you will get there don’t give up😉0 -
GoingSaiyan wrote: »GoingSaiyan wrote: »hellonew2015 wrote: »Coffee helps suppress appetite. I do decaff when used in the evening and sometimes I add unsweetened irish grass fed butter in it if I have room for more calories.
@hellonew2015 I love coffee and I think you just put me on to something. I didn't know butter coffee was a thing. I read that it's a good way to replace a meal for breakfast. I'm gonna give that a try. Just gotta find some unsalted/unsweetened grass-fed butter!
But keep in mind, butter has calories, which need to be logged. Would 100 calories of butter in your coffee keep you more full than 100 calories of eggs or yogurt or something more solid?
While I find caffeine in general and coffee in particular can be a slight appetite suppressant, it's only a plus for me if it has the bare minimum calories. I am not satiated even a little by beverages, no matter how many calories they have.
Take a look at your macros and make sure you are at least hitting your goal for protein, fat, and fiber. If not, bring the stragglers up to par.
How many lbs per week are you aiming for? Are you eating foods you enjoy?
A valid point you have there. I've noticed that I can typically live on fluids like coffee and water up until lunchtime until recently. Though I think I'm better off not having something so small as yogurt or eggs as you mentioned since I feel like it'll only make me want more solid food.
I have mfp set to 2lbs a week, with 1500 being the goal. I think my issue is controlling myself around foods I enjoy! lol
Only 1500 calories?! You’re not eating enough which is why you’re hungry. I’m female, 5’ 4” and eating 1900/2000 calories on exercise days (5 days) and 1300 on rest days (2 days). I’m in a 500 calorie deficit. I’m not super active either. Play around with your macros, try Intermittent fasting (works really well for men) and try eating abit more.
Yes, I am also female, older, and presumably shorter than the OP and I'd be hangry on 1500 calories.
@GoingSaiyan this is for women so says 1200 calories, but substitute 1500 for 1200 and can you relate to it at all?
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/2 -
When I'm craving something (usually chips or chocolate or pizza), I ask myself if an apple or some leftovers from dinner will work instead. If yes, then it's true hunger and I'd probably better eat. If those don't sound appetizing (and usually they don't) then I recognize it's a craving. From there I decide what to do. Sometimes I have it (chocolate) in small quantities. Sometimes I decide to indulge (pizza) and forget about the calories. Sometimes I exercise more and drink more water (chips).
There's a lot of good advice here. Come back and tell us what works for you!3 -
kshama2001 wrote: »GoingSaiyan wrote: »GoingSaiyan wrote: »hellonew2015 wrote: »Coffee helps suppress appetite. I do decaff when used in the evening and sometimes I add unsweetened irish grass fed butter in it if I have room for more calories.
@hellonew2015 I love coffee and I think you just put me on to something. I didn't know butter coffee was a thing. I read that it's a good way to replace a meal for breakfast. I'm gonna give that a try. Just gotta find some unsalted/unsweetened grass-fed butter!
But keep in mind, butter has calories, which need to be logged. Would 100 calories of butter in your coffee keep you more full than 100 calories of eggs or yogurt or something more solid?
While I find caffeine in general and coffee in particular can be a slight appetite suppressant, it's only a plus for me if it has the bare minimum calories. I am not satiated even a little by beverages, no matter how many calories they have.
Take a look at your macros and make sure you are at least hitting your goal for protein, fat, and fiber. If not, bring the stragglers up to par.
How many lbs per week are you aiming for? Are you eating foods you enjoy?
A valid point you have there. I've noticed that I can typically live on fluids like coffee and water up until lunchtime until recently. Though I think I'm better off not having something so small as yogurt or eggs as you mentioned since I feel like it'll only make me want more solid food.
I have mfp set to 2lbs a week, with 1500 being the goal. I think my issue is controlling myself around foods I enjoy! lol
Only 1500 calories?! You’re not eating enough which is why you’re hungry. I’m female, 5’ 4” and eating 1900/2000 calories on exercise days (5 days) and 1300 on rest days (2 days). I’m in a 500 calorie deficit. I’m not super active either. Play around with your macros, try Intermittent fasting (works really well for men) and try eating abit more.
Yes, I am also female, older, and presumably shorter than the OP and I'd be hangry on 1500 calories.
@GoingSaiyan this is for women so says 1200 calories, but substitute 1500 for 1200 and can you relate to it at all?
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
@kshama2001 Ooof. Yeah.. that looks familiar. So I read somewhere that you could determine your activity level based on the average number of steps taken in a day. I think my problem is that I've set myself for sedentary when I'm actually lightly active/active. Luckily for me I have a smartwatch which tells me that I take almost 10,000 steps daily on average. Weekends usually not so much so I've upped my activity level to lightly active. I'm now given 1750 calories a day and it seems a bit more manageable.1 -
You are seriously all so helpful thank you6
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 897 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions