Can't Stay Full?

[desy007]

I do have a problem with my portions. I love to eat to the limit and feel full. I have tried eating small meals throughout the day and it does NOT work for me. I've been trying to cut how much I eat in meals in general, by slowly weaning myself lower but it isn't working, it's doing the opposite. Because I'm cutting back the entire day I sit there and think about how hungry I am and how miserable I am and how much it sucks and I end up comfort eating so it backfires. Help?? I've tried drinking a glass of water before a meal, waiting twenty minutes, everything. On top of everything I'm an extremely picky eater and unfortunately will not touch fish or poultry unless it's fried. I do not mind vegetables and I try to fill up on them but I still overeat and I figure it's still not healthy vegetables or not. Being a picky celiac person is miserable. Any tips on how to cut back eating and stay full? I do take a fiber pill and vitamin pill.

[Skylark]

Hi and welcome.

It sounds like you have stretched your stomach by eating to the limit all the time. As far as I know the only way to handle it is to do what you're doing, break the bad habit of eating to the limit. All the tricks you have, water before meals, bigger portions of low-cal veggies, extra fiber, hot tea after meals, are all helpful. I bet you are just trying to cut back too far, too fast. A lot of people try to diet very aggressively and then end up hungry and frustrated, rather than taking baby steps. Even worse, you kick your metabolism into starvation mode and the weight stays more stubbornly than ever.

Figure out what you usually eat. You may want to measure or take a snapshot to get a visual idea, mostly so you don't fool yourself. Then dish out your usual plate and remove a small amount of food. Just enough so you'll barely miss it, like 10%. You will not get quite the "ate to the limit" feeling you're looking for and you will have to remind yourself that you should never feel "ate to the limit" and you are breaking a bad habit. A small cutback like 10% should not leave you hungry and miserable though. You may have to do things that feel weird like throw away 10% of an egg or cut a sliver off your toast and discard it; do what is necessary because weight loss is a worthwhile goal.

Once you're used to the ever so slightly smaller portion in a couple weeks, take away 10% more, until you've gently eased down to the size meal you feel like is reasonable. Don't aim to have normal portions in a week; aim to have normal portions in three months. It will be much easier.

[Coolclimates]

thanks for your tips..they are very useful!

[Skylark]

I've gotten into that "too full" habit myself. Fortunately I never gained more than 10 or 15 lb. It hits when I'm depressed and hypothyroid and I deal with hypo- weight gain plus comfort eating.

It's almost impossible to eat less all at once but not so hard to gently ease your portions back down to reasonable sizes.

[pricklypear1971]

I doubt this is what's getting you, but it has been an issue I've been dealing with lately: I am "acting" hypoglycemic without actually having my blood sugar drop below 60. When this happens, I eat nonstop - all the healthy stuff - veggies, proteins, etc. I finally gave in and ate 32 semisweet chocolate chips (one serving/8g sugar) and the grumbling and urgent desire to eat more stopped. Tried it again with a low gci nut bar (some sugar in it) and it worked again. Drove me crazy til I figured it out.

Now I know why I've always preferred high fat sweets - lots of fat to slow down the sugar which I need to reverse the hypo. I also figured out sugar binges cause a hypo episode - so I have really cut down on sugar and rarely eat it (and in extreme moderation).