I’m sure that most of us at some point in their life, including me, has felt like they’ve eaten too much. Sometimes I feel like after I eat a meal, I start feeling hungry all over again! I wanted to know why I was feeling this way, so with a little research, I was able to figure out why.
Eating wayy too fast. This happens a lot, especially when I’m at work and lunchtime starts creeping closer. I would wait until I was so hungry to eat, when I finally got my lunch I would wolf it down and in 5 minutes I ‘d be done. Then probably an hour later, I’d feel hungry again. So lately, I’ve been eating slower, enjoying and savoring every bite of my food, and I’ve actually found that to work. It takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize that it’s had enough. Now when I have lunch, I take my time, and eat as I catch up on reading blog posts in my Google Reader.
Knowing if I’m REALLY full or not. A recent example happened to me while I was on vacation. In Vegas, there are lots of buffets, and the idea is to just eat and eat so you get your money’s worth. I definitely did, and I’ll admit it wasn’t a wise choice because once you know you’re full, you’re full. Going overboard and over eating results in feeling really sick and then you really think about the value of eating at a buffet. Sure, you may think you got your money’s worth, but I think health is more important. Good thing I don’t live by any buffets!
Eating whatever you want. That sounds easy enough, but I’m saying this with some kind of control. With a mentality of wanting to avoid junk foods like chocolate and cookies will just make you want to indulge even more when you actually get to eat a piece of chocolate (its like gambling… you just want to pull that slot machine one more, leading to another one more and so on). Have a mentality where you’re going to have at the very least 2 pieces of chocolate and then put it away, knowing you’ll have more for another day. (I say chocolate because I actually just had two Hershey kisses and stopped there – it was dark chocolate btw!)
So whenever you’re eating, enjoy your food, savor the flavor because food is a treat in itself!
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
sooooo much the speed thing for me.
especially when I start the meal famished it’s hard to slow down.
great tips.
Here are a few tips to not feel so hungry all the time (and trust me, with the kind of mileage I do, I’m used to being hungry all the time…)
1. Eat regularly – if you don’t eat something every 2-4 hours then your body starts to slow down the metabolism and hold onto fat longer so that it can withstand a famine. If you eat a small meal or a snack every 2 to 4 hours you’ll be able to process the nutrients in the food more effectively and you won’t be as hungry throughout the day. (Carry snacks such as carrots or fresh fruit or nuts.)
2. Drink a lot of water – you have the benefit of your stomach being full of something plus the benefit of being well hydrated. I carry a 32 oz nalgene water bottle with me everywhere and I try to drink between 1 and 1.5 of those every work day.
3. Use chopsticks whenever possible – I use chopsticks to slow down my eating since I can’t physically get the food into my mouth as quickly. It works wonders for slowing me down.
great article! eating 5 meals a day and drinking loads of water is the best way to control appetite!:)
Great post and tips.
Although it won’t stop you from being hungry, it’s stops you from eating: brush your teeth or eat a mint.
btw, would you consider swapping links?
Good advice. I think eating slowly is a key one as is eating small meals more regularly. This way you are always satisfying hunger but you are never filling yourself up to the extreme, as you would with a buffet.
thanks for all the comments everyone!
@Blaine – great tips!
@Girl-Woman – linked you in my ‘Links’ page
I always make sure to leave food on the plate. I’ve also heard that a good strategy is to never eat more food than the size of your fist in one meal although I’ve never been able to follow that rule.
Nice tips! I totally stand by the “eating whatever you want” tip. If someone craves a brownie so bad, they should just eat a small serving of the brownie to satisfy the craving. Curbing the craving with something else will just turn someone to eating four bowls of cereal (which is perceived to be healthier) to make them forget about the brownie … only to end up eating the brownie anyway!
For me the best way to get over feeling hungry all the time is to stay busy. When I am preoccupied I don’t have time to think about eating.
I also try to drink a lot of water.
I think that water totally helps me before a meal. If I drink a glass before it tends to make you a little more satisfied when you sit down to eat. Also, what I’ve also learned is not to drink while eating. The reason for this is because it interrupts proper digestion and can cause uncomfortable feelings of gas and bloating. Try drinking before hand to help with appetite control and if that doesn’t do the trick real South African hoodia gordonii will. You have to make sure it’s 100 percent pure though and the ative ingredient comes from the peeled stem. The other thing that I know is so hard for all of us is learning to slow down as you mentioned. I think that’s half the problem, if we just savored our food a little more we would feel satiated and resist temptation a little more. It’s amazing what you will taste when you actually take the time to chew your food instead of inhaling it. Great article.
One of the most difficult thing for me when trying to lose weight is dealing with the hunger. I found a new product that forms a gel in your stomach. It has kept me from being hungry when taken 1/2 hour before each meal. It does not make me feel jittery, is FDA registered and is a non food item. It does not interfer with any medications. I have lost 8 pounds in 3 weeks without being hungry. I found it at http://www.thegelpill.com. This product has been a godsend for me in reaching my weight loss goals.
Great article to control appetite. Bookmarked your post.
T always feel hungry! its like my food isn’t actually going to my stomache! that it just goes off somewhere else! if your still at school then put a bottle of water in your fridge or freezer the night before, if you get hungry during lessons and inbetween them just drink water to last you until lunchtime or if this is not fulling enough just try a fruit or cereal bar, everyone knows that oats and seeds and fruit always fill you up!
i always feel hungry, i eat faster than my family, after i finish eating my meal i get full then one hour later, im hungry again, i used to exercise till i got sick, a really bad cold & i’ll be starting working out & eating healthy RIGHT NOW, well atleast i’ll try eating healthy, forget “try” I’LL DO IT.. i am 195 pounds & im 16 years old, in 7 months i wanna lose atleast 20-40 pounds.. you think i can do it?
my workout list.. i do this every morning on week days 3 times a day..
-wake up at 6:45am
-workout for one hour
-pliates
-push-ups
-regular sit-ups
-ski jumps (over bench or line)
-running (lengths of the gym && 200feet across the ice with broomball shoes [arena])
-wall sit
-plyometrics(box jumping)
-lateral movements(sliding) with medicine balls (10m)
-skipping rope
-lunges
-burpies
-lateral raises(deltiods) with weights
-shower
-eat
-school
then i’d sometimes go biking after schools (4:00pm)