how to stop overeating

[Luca]

I notice a lot of the old questions pop up on here every so often. I find it helpful to reread and learn new ideas from everyone.

My question is how do I stop overeating? I know at this stage of my weight loss (about 20 more lbs. to go) I have to reduce calorie intake. I honestly get fuller faster and do not need as many calories. The only way I notice weight loss is by eating less calories (low carb of course). I DO get full using all the suggestions everyone here on LC has given me....BUT somedays I just can keep eating and eating and eating....

What are your suggestions? I am feeling frustrated with myself...

[DiamondDeb]

How do you know you need to cut calories? Are you stalled (defined as 6 weeks w/no loss in inches or on scale)?

It sounds like you are eating out of boredom & habit. Is that correct? You are eating when you are not hungry? Not having cravings?

I never, ever eat till I feel full. haven't done that since before I heard of low carb. There is a difference between feeling satisfied & feeling full. Which did you mean?

I eat three meals per day. No snacks. I know how much I need to eat for each meal, put that on my plate & that is what I eat. Nothing more, nothing less. It is pretty simple.

[Casey]

I would recommend reading "the diet cure" - the author goes into a variety of health and eating issues and how to use amino acids to stop cravings and overeating. I still struggle with binges and the aminos help me feel less anxious and not inclined to overeat.

[CindyCRNA]

I can put it away, that's for sure! I have been in maintenance since 2005 and the only thing that works for me is measured portions and logging every bite. I have a food scale and weigh everything and log it into an online tracker. I have learned that I can about 1700 calories a day in any combination I want. It could be all Snickers bars, it doesn't matter. What I have learned is to have smaller portions of calorie dense foods and fill out the plate with volumes of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leafy greens, kale, mushrooms, carrots, brussel sprouts, ect. Mentally, my body doesn't think we are done until "X" amount of food has been consumed in a sitting.

[Casey]

Also, Luca, you might look at the Lean for Life or Stillman plans, which can be low carb and calorie controlled. After years if maintaining at a good weight I reached an age where low carb, clean eating and exercise wasn't working anymore - I have to watch calories now.

[svenskamae]

Here are some approaches that I use:

Limit time periods when you eat. For example, pick an "eating window" and stick to it. You might start with a 12 hour window and winnow it down to an 8 or 6 hour window for when you eat. You can set guidelines for what you eat outside that window (for example just coffee with some measured cream for breakfast)

Limit occasions when you eat: Meals only, no snacks.

Limit amounts you eat. I let myself eat some high calorie items like nuts, cheese, and heavy cream in coffee, but only in weighed and measured amounts (no more than 2 ounces of cheese, no more than 1/4 cup nuts, no more than 2 T. heavy cream in coffee)

Plan and track what you eat. I combine a lot of approaches: JUDDD calorie limitation plus carb limitation plus protein limitation. The only way I can stay within parameters is use an online tracker of what I'm going to eat that day BEFORE I eat it. And if I veer off plan, I have to go back and write it into the tracker and modify my plan for the rest of the day to accomodate it.

Drink no-calorie fluids before you eat food: Unless I am stomach growlingly hungry, I try drinking something like a cup of tea or a glass of filtered water with lemon before I eat something. Often, that's all I need for the time being.

You may also want to work through some books about intuitive eating with exercises to follow, to eat more mindfully and be more aware of cues like real hunger vs head hunger and what satiety feels like.

[synger]

Depending on your plan, you may want to add more leafy greens or veggies. By and large, they can help you feel fuller for not too many calories. But if you are very low-carb, they add up very quickly.

You may also want to look at Intermittent Fasting. I know that the JUDDD plan, which allows you to eat very few calories one day, and more than normal the next (like 500 one day and 1800 the next) really helped me with feelings of satiety. On my Up Days I could eat many more calories (still low carb, though some do JUDDD with ohter plans) and feel completely satisfied. And the Down Days weren't so bad after a while.

[Punkin]

I can't eat a lot without gaining weight because I am small. I used to eat as much as everyone else in social situations and at dinner with my husband, not realizing that I was consuming way too much food for someone my size. Now that I am LC I realize that the HC/LF WOE was the problem. I count calories and limit myself to 1500 cal/day which should be my daily intake based on my stats. I try to land comfortably on this number every day. I have noticed a few things that either help or cause me to over eat.

1. Too many daily carbs equals hunger and cravings. I have to limit mine to less than 25g and that means counting everything.

2. Protein helps but I have to be careful not to overconsume.

3. VLC veggies + high fatty sauces = satiety. Eg. 300g of bok choy with a fatty sauce, or escarole with a high fat, high flavour dressing.

4. For me, several small meals a day works but that is because I find it easier to regulate my blood sugar that way.

5. Not eating too few calories. I find if I go below 1350cal, my body shifts in down regulation and I started getting hungry LC or not.

6. Drinking beverages whenever I feel a bit hungry helps. Usually it is decaf coffee or tea with a bit of heavy cream in it.

7. Exercise, but I am careful with how much I do because exercise can work against you. You will know if it is because on days where you don't do any, you will be hungry and want to consume extra calories.

[Leo41]

Luca-
When I was in your situation, I realized that although my body wanted (and needed) less food, my 'head' wanted to feed it a lot more! That's still the situation, and I have to control my 'head.'

I know how many calories I need, and I don't allow myself more, although I 'cycle,' so if I have an especially hungry day (hormones!), I cut back the next.

Also, decide what works best for you with your lifestyle. For example, I happen to be a 'morning person,' and breakfast is actually my main meal. In the beginning, I worried about 'using up' my calories too early in the day, but I went through the day hungry if I didn't eat enough in the morning. Once I began eating enough in the morning, I discovered that I really wasn't very hungry later on and could manage with just a couple of snacks for the rest of the day. Most people don't eat this way, but it works for me. You need to find what works best for you.

Keep in mind that if you're in weight-loss mode and feel 'hunger,' that's your body's warning that it wants to be fed, and if you don't feed it, it's going to tap into your fat stores. That thought always helped me enjoy the hunger