eat until I'm full? that's how I got fat to start with!!

rockinright
rockinright Posts: 241
in Food and Nutrition
Lots of MFP'ers say to "eat until you're full." Now, I get the idea that the brain and body aren't always in sync, and sometimes it takes a few minutes to realize I'm full.

However...I'll eat my smaller, healthier portions, and even a half hour later, I'm still HUNGRY. My biggest problem these years has been the gargantuan portions I've been eating.

Last time I lost 40 lbs (before falling off the wagon and regaining 30 of them in 2011), I STILL never really felt satsified on the smaller portions.

Are there some people that will never change for? Do I just have to deal with feeling hungry most of the time for the rest of my life? Its as if my body is so used to huge portions, that it can never change.

I'm at about 1900 cals/day at the moment per MFP's recommendations for 1 lb/week of weight loss.

Replies

  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    I eat till im no longer hungry. Well except for that bowl of ice cream last night I was not hungry to begin with. Seriousley I do not eat till I feel full. Personally I feel that when I feel full that indicates that I overate. So I just eat till Im no longer hungry generally speaking.
  • rockinright
    rockinright Posts: 241
    I eat till im no longer hungry. Well except for that bowl of ice cream last night I was not hungry to begin with. Seriousley I do not eat till I feel full. Personally I feel that when I feel full that indicates that I overate. So I just eat till Im no longer hungry generally speaking.

    Good example. I just had lunch, and honestly, I feel just as hungry as before I ate.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    I've never heard anyone on MFP say eat until your full. That sounds like very bad advice. I'd stop listening to it.
  • hamton
    hamton Posts: 245
    You can change your meal frequency. I eat two meals a day. Lunch and dinner. Lunch I eat until I'm not hungry. Dinner I eat until I'm stuffed. Been at the same weight for a while. I'm sure if I want to lose weight I would have to cut a little more calories. I do work out 5-6 days / week though. This works for me because I really hate eating small meals and never feeling fully satisfied.

    If you are extreme enough, you can try the Warrior Diet. 20 hour fast with 4 hour eating period. Whatever rocks your boat.
  • jallen1955
    jallen1955 Posts: 121
    Eating until you are full only works if your body and brain know what the hell that means.

    If you have been a chronic over eater, your brain and body have no idea as you no longer have an "appetite off switch".

    You will need to train your brain and body to know what full means and to do that you need to plan your meals, calorie AND nutrition. Split your calories over 4 small meals a day and 1 snack,

    Eat nutrient dense foods like raw veggies and fruit and try to avoid processed food as much as possible,
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Bad advice...most people that are overweight/obese have a glitch in their hormonal response that indicates satiety. You shouldn't be starving all the time though either. You have to re-learn what feeling satiated after a healthy sized meal is! Sometimes people give advice based on what they are experiencing and forget what it was like when they started out- after a while you may be able to judge portions by a full feeling, but not right at the beginning.
  • rockinright
    rockinright Posts: 241
    This all helps some - thanks!!

    I'm still struggling with portion sizes. In fact, I have to change my line of thinking when it comes to cooking food. My natural/old tendency is to think to myself that "If I can only eat one-fifth of it now, what's the point of spending all the time making it" since a lot of times, I just don't eat leftovers.
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
    I eat till im no longer hungry. Well except for that bowl of ice cream last night I was not hungry to begin with. Seriousley I do not eat till I feel full. Personally I feel that when I feel full that indicates that I overate. So I just eat till Im no longer hungry generally speaking.

    This. I eat unitl I'm not hungry. I don't eat until I'm so full that I need to pop the top button my jeans. There is a big difference. I always finish my meal with a little room left over. I also eat 6 times a day so I never have the chance to be really starving.
  • 247momma
    247momma Posts: 14
    If you can't tell when you are full then it's not a good idea to eat util you feel that way. It sounds to me me like you could be experiencing some Leptin resistance. Leptin is the hormone that tells you you're full. The real indicator of this is when you said you are hungry 30 min later. Google Leptin resistance symptoms and see if that's you. If it is, then you may want to attempt to do a Leptin reset to reengage that hormone so you can "eat until you're full".

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