Weight-Loss How to "Fill Up" without "Topping Off"

Weight-Loss
S

Swoofie

New member
Hey,

Sorry for the gas references, just finding as many ways possible to remind myself to get some in the morning before class or I'll probably be left somewhere in the middle of the free-way.

Anyway, on to the real topic of this thread. I just started my diet/work-out routine on Monday, and so far, it's been been going ok. But I'm just having trouble finding ways to feel full without over-eating. Right now, I'm absolutely starving, but I told myself dinner was my cut-off and I've been good about not eating..but dear lord I'm hungry! So tempted to run into the kitchen and grab something to eat. Drinking water helps a little, but mostly I just need to use the bathroom.

So I was wondering, how do I fill up my stomach without over-doing it. I'm trying really hard to watch what I eat, but part of me is wondering, maybe I cut down too much? Or maybe I'm not eating the right types of food. Are there certain foods that make you feel fuller, longer? I know junk food is basically "empty calories" and I've cut that out for the most part. I try to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet, and I eat brown rice instead of white (I'm asian..it comes with the territory). I'm not exactly sure what to do about this and I'm hoping maybe someone here could help. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

~Swoofie
 
I'm still learning this myself.. but after years of overeating I have to retrain my mind to know when it's full and not starving. Anyways tricks/tips that I've found that are working for me are:
- drinking 8oz of water about 10-15 minutes before I begin to eat.
- really chew your food (takes awhile for your brain to register that you're full)
- eat complex carbs (whole grain bread, wild rice etc. they help keep you full and are way better for you in general)
- eat 5 smaller meals a day, vs 3. some debate about this I guess, but in my experience it's working for me. large breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner.
- 64oz of water daily, 1 extra 8oz water for every coffee that I have. (thanks to Dr. Oz ha)
- lots of protein and fibre
- smaller plate (you eat with your mind first! hence when you go to a buffet and select food)
- don't eat while watching tv or on the computer (my problem, focus on eating and eating slowly. enjoy it!)

Women need to eat atleast 1200 calories per day, more depending on activity level but atleast 1200. Men need to eat atleast 1500 per day, again more depending on activity level. So as long as you're getting all your necessary/essential dietary items in daily, and you're eating the minimum calories a day, you're not going to starve and you just need to retrain your mind.

I know going down from 2800 calories per day down to 1200, I had a lot of 'hunger' headaches at first but retrained my mind and I don't feel hungry, I actually feel a lot better and have more energy. Took about 2 weeks to not feel so hungry.

Disclaimer - I don't have a degree in nutrition, I'm not a medical doctor or anything like that. I've just done a lot of research myself and this is what I've come up with.

Make sure you get gas in the morning! :p
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the tips! I just checked one of those calorie-counter things and I've been mostly undereating. I forgot to take into consideration my extra activity and basically burned off a lot of what I eat working out at the gym, leaving me little left to work with throughout the rest of the day. Lol, silly Swoofie..calorie counting is for people who know what they're doing. Haha, I still have much to learn.
 
You're most welcome :) There's tons more on google most likely, but these are ones that I'm doing personally.

Definetly eat the calories you need based on your activity level. Starting tomorrow I need to start eating more because I'm starting to workout more and more vigorously. haha we all have to start somewhere. atleast you're learning and you're not going to harm yourself by undereating.

Nutrition and Exercising is one of those areas of life where one can never stop learning, or atleast that's how I look at it
 
Have you tried Shakeolgy

Hey. I'm Geoff..Like you I struggled to find something that could help with the cravings but not mess up my diet. Finally after much searching, I came across Shakeology. The shake is a meal replacement and its really good for you. When you are done drinking it, you are full, and your cravings stop.
 
JMoxon569 said:
Hey. I'm Geoff..Like you I struggled to find something that could help with the cravings but not mess up my diet. Finally after much searching, I came across Shakeology. The shake is a meal replacement and its really good for you. When you are done drinking it, you are full, and your cravings stop.
Click to expand...

Oh no..not another one. please remember this guy is a seller of the product so you have to take his opinion with a massive grain of 'Oh look! I just happen to push the thing I am in as a pyramid scheme..see I need to get people to also sell so I get a part of their profits so I don't really give a damn if it actually is a good product, I just want to make money'


or am I being way too harsh :)
 
So I have found that keeping a food log with EVERYTHING I eat at what times helps a lot. I mean everything, water intake, the stupid mint you ate, etc. You also need to notate what your are feeling at what times. That way you can watch out for the danger times where you are likely to stray. For example, about 2 hours after I eat lunch I get a big junk food craving and if I have one of my snacks ready at that time, I am a lot less likely to get a Snickers bar or something. Also, if I see a pattern where I am getting abnormally hungry maybe I need to look at my menu and what I am eating. Perhaps I am not feeding myself enough and need to shuffle stuff around.

As to foods that make your feel satiated, I have found protein,fat, or fiber are the better things to be focusing on. A handful of raw almonds is good, just make sure to really watch out for that one. They are super calorie dense, so it is easy to let it get away from you. Veggies, like carrots, sugar snap peas, or broccoli are good munchies, not super calorie dense and have a ton of fiber in them. Just do not use salad dressing on them and your are money. A banana is good for a pick me up as is an apple. Fair amount of fiber and has some carbs for the pick me up. Those are just for snacks, for meals you are going to have mix it up.
 
Last edited:
Ask yourself if you're already eating healthy and making sure to include moderate amounts of protein, fats, and carbs. If you are, then your body is probably trying to tell you that you're just not eating enough, which could actually be detrimental to your workouts. I'd snack on veggies and hummus, full-fat cheese and crackers, or a glass of whole milk.

Another thing to think about: Was your last meal carb heavy or protein heavy? I think that when people change their diet, they'll try to cut out fat (due to the 80's low-fat craze that people can't seem to get out of their heads, like a bad song), but fat is part of what makes you feel full. You'll notice the above snacks have a little bit of everything.
 
Last edited:
I found that if I made a drastic cut to my diet (about 2 months ago I took out 450kcals overnight down from 1850 to 1400kcals a day) the first week was hell, the second week was easier, the third week was OK, I had to add something back in by then as I felt I needed to so I added 100kcals and was fine! and here I am 2 months later, wondering if I can manage another 100kcal drop...

Basicly it gets easier the longer you stick at it, you will adapt and quite fast as long as your able to stay motivated to stick at it.
 
I have use the shakegology and I have to say it works but make sure you work out or else I think it bulks you up.
 
Swoofie said:
So I was wondering, how do I fill up my stomach without over-doing it.
Click to expand...


WHEAT BRAN!

Seriously nothing keeps me fuller... throw some in anything you cook or even into cereal or oatmeal. Check the nutrition facts and you'll understand why, it's essentially all fiber! It's actually so wonderful and so far has been working really well for me at least. Just make sure you don't eat too much of it because your intestines will not feel so good with the fiber overload (I never eat more than 1 cup total throughout the day)

I usually just mix like 1/3 of a cup of wheat bran with an egg and two egg whites, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, basil, or w/e flavors you want, throw it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, and then top it off with some low fat cheese and enjoy! Drink a lot of water and you'll actually not want to eat anymore because there is just so much fiber in it!

You can also cook it like oatmeal... For breakfast sometimes I'll microwave like 1/3 cup wheat bran, some small pieces of apple, a little water and skim milk, cinnamon, and brown sugar and you have a super high fiber breakfast option. Put some 0% cottage cheese or greek yogurt on top mixed with a little natural sugar, honey, or jam and voila! sooo good :)

EDIT: Or use splenda or stevia instead of sugar, jam, honey, etc. if you wanna keep the calorie count even lower
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top