Guys, how the F do I stop eating so much?!

@dawn16 My eating habits changed when I was 25. Now 27. No major changes other than appetite.

I tried keto for a few months and I started to binge eat for the first time in my life (on keto friendly foods), so I don't think that's the solution for me unfortunately :(
 
@lostandtired This might sound weird, but we had literally the exact same stats so maybe it’ll help. Have you tried taking medicine for acid reflux? Since you mentioned issues with your stomach, it might be worth a shot. I used to have issues with stomach pains/butt problems/stomach noises like crazy. I went through the usual college weight gain and ended up at about 140-150 depending on the day. My acid reflux was out of control in that I would get these pains/noise in my stomach that I would think were hunger, but they were actually just my acid reflux acting up.

Again, that could just be what happened to me, but I hope it helps! I started taking Zantac fairly regularly and that seemed to help a lot. I’m back down to around 130 or below some days after getting that under control.
 
@lostandtired This thread made me realise that feeling hungry 2hrs after eating a big meal isn't normal? That's been me my entire life! I'm 5'7 and I used to be 133 but my weight 'crept' up to 178, now at 168 and it's SO HARD losing when I'm constantly hungry!!
 
@lostandtired You said your job is stressful and eating seems to soothe it. I would start there at trying to find alternative ways to deal with that stress. Stress causes cortisol to be released which tells your body to eat more. So find other activities to deal with this stress. Pick back up a hobby you used to enjoy or a new one even. Meditate. Listen to music. Dance. When you're focused on something else particularly something you enjoy it's hard to keep focusing on food. Good luck.
 
@cr0011 I'm not a doctor, so this is not an exhaustive list, but diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and hyper/hypoglycemia can all be causes of hunger that isn't satiated by eating.
 
@lostandtired I’ve felt out of control with my eating and one thing that’s helped me is a “hunger scale”. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, but basically it’s just a scale where 10=painfully stuffed, 5=neither hunger nor full, and 1=famished/super hangry. I basically asses my hunger every time I want to eat. If I’m not a 3 or more, then I don’t need to eat.

I feel a little obsessed with how much I think about the scale, but it’s directly related to how much I think about food if I’m not auto-pilot eating. Since I’ve started, it’s helped me curb a lot of mindless snacking.

Another thing I’ve started doing is making a conscious choice to sit down and only eat. I can’t browse my phone or do anything except focus on the meal/the people I am eating with. This helps with my attention to feeling of satisfaction, like sometimes I eat and I’m not eating paying attention to whether I feel full, only if I’ve gotten tired of the flavor.

Here’s a link to an article about the hunger scale https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...8bb83e-5048-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html
 
@hope122213 Thanks for this information. Often times I know that I'm not Actually Hungry, but I'll stuff my face anyway just so I can move on and focus on something else. So I feel like the hunger scale method won't work on me...

Since you've employed this method, has it gotten easier over time?
 
@lostandtired It has gotten much easier to discipline myself, but it was REALLY hard at first to be like “okay I am at like a 7, so I need to stop”.

It helped to have some kind of control meal to help calibrate the scale. I eat the same breakfast everyday regardless of how “full” it makes me. After my bowl of milk and cereal, I stop eating and have to move on with my day or I’ll be late as fuck to work.i
used that post-meal feeling to be like “okay, this is what a 7 should feel like”.

At first, I had to physically leave the kitchen when I finished eating and do something else. If not, I would just nibble on other shit. I also made this rule that I cannot, under any circumstances, eat my kid’s food. That kid food will destroy you. Fucking pop tarts and macaroni and cheese. I’d suggest stocking your kitchen with only healthy foods, or less appealing, but necessary foods, that way you won’t feel tempted to snack. Like, who the hell wants to snack on bell peppers?
 
@lostandtired I had the same problem for so long. Ive tried a bunch of different macro variations but I’ve found success following Keto diet plans to curb my appetite. My macro count is about 75%fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs. this works the best for me because the high fat level tricks me into always feeling full. Plus, my lifts at the gym haven’t suffered even though I’m still losing weight and only about 8lbs above my goal weight (after losing about 25 so far).

Plus, the recipes on r/1200isplenty are a lifesaver. I’ve also eaten a lot of Lettuce salads with ranch SEASONING (not dressing) on them just to fill up my belly.

Good luck!!
 
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