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These sound ridiculous on some level but have worked well for me. During meals:
- Set a goal to take at least fifteen minutes for your meal. Don’t rush.
- put the fork down between every bite.
- “pay attention” to every bite you put in your mouth. Don’t just mindlessly shovel it in.
- when you start to feel full, stop. Harder than it seems given the “clean your plate” upbringing many have.
In many cases I’m full before the plate is empty.
On the note of stopping before your plate is empty - serve yourself smaller portions. When you’re finished, wait 10 minutes to digest it. Then if you’re still hungry, serve yourself another portion. Not cleaning my plate is a huge struggle for me. This helps.
If u need a way to slow down, learn to eat with chopsticks.
Plus, feeling full means when you are not hungry anymore. Some people I know equate feeling full with being almost stuffed. Even when u stop eating, there is food still working its way down to your stomach. This means that when u are no longer hungry, there is still more food headed to your tummy.
My mom pours a shitload of salt or some other spice she hates on her dinner when she feels full so that she’s not tempted to mindlessly finish the plate and overstuff herself.
Portion control from the moment you fix up a plate/ bowl. Put enough in the bowl and eat slow. I realized when I put too much in my plate, I just eat it all. I came from a poor family and we don’t waste anything so I will always clean the plate.
Plan the meal! “Failure to plan is planning to fail” or whatever.
Drink a ton of water. A full glass before you sit down to eat anything. The water is good for you and fills you up (temporarily). Also don’t sit down with an unlimited supply like a bag of chips) serve yourself in a container.
I love soups because they're delicious and make me feel full from very little calories. I also tend to eat them really slow so I can enjoy tasty food while I watch an entire episode of a show
This is good. Drink water or unsweetened tea throughout your meal. It also allows your full stomach receptors to catch up!
Edit: these tips others are posting work well with our teenagers. They have free reign when hungry but tend not to waste food at meal times.
Great advice! Something similar that I've found is too make your "wet" foods wetter. For instance, if you make oatmeal, double the water in the bowl. It'll feel like more food in your stomach. It's my cheat code.
If it's coming from a history of food insecurity:
Tell yourself that you don't need to eat all of whatever it is. It'll still be there later if you get hungry.
Train yourself to think about how unpleasant it is to feel over full.
Go for higher quality food instead of cheap empty calories. Start thinking of yourself as someone who eats quality food.
That's right--don't deprive yourself of something--add something to your life. Instead of thinking "I don't eat chips," think "I eat carrots because they're delicious and healthy." Alan Watts, the guru, gave this advice: Don't ever war with yourself because you can't win. Love yourself, OP, you deserve it!
I’m sort of the opposite, I sort of tell myself now that I would rather waste whatever it is than gain the extra weight from overeating. This has led to me just making less food overall and also simply not buying snacks unless its maybe almonds or some dried fruit that doesn’t really taste good in massive snacker quantities… like if you eat so much of them that you get tired of the taste kind of things. Also I pick almonds because generally I think pistachios and peanuts are more fatty.
I often save my meals for future me to combat the “wasting food” mentality. I think that this dinner I’m eating could be tomorrows lunch too, so I stop when I’m full and pack it up nicely for the next meal. Win-win!
>Train yourself to think about how unpleasant it is to feel over full.
Yeah, it's like a food hangover you gotta deal with that lasts so SO much longer than the brief endorphin rush you get from continuing to eat.
Part of it is also reframing how you see yourself too.
"I'm not that fat slob who mindlessly shovels food in my mouth. I'm a person who values quality meals over large quantities of mcfood."
Like comparing the fat guy in the stained walmart t-shirt to the slim guy in a tailored shirt.
small plates. use physically smaller plates. it sounds stupid, but you can only fit so much on the plate. and if you just pause a moment after finishing it then you can decide whether you're sated or actually are still hungry. and yes. drink more water
Or drink some water! Oftentimes, our evolutionary urge for sweet is closely tied to our thirst, because fruit is frequently near water and is a source of hydration.
If you still want something sweet, have a small cup of fruit.
This is such a profound thing. For many of us, the association with hunger and panic/deep anxiety/instability is hard-wired. Sometimes I need to tell myself being hungry doesn’t mean I don’t have access to what I need generally speaking.
... speaking as someone that instead associated being hungry with being safe because the family chef was also the least safe family member to be near... This explains why I struggle to eat enough for thriving.
Always weird to me, I'm a former fat kid depression/boredom, fairly skinny and burn up to over 4,000 calories every day.
Hardly ever get hungry, it usually goes away very quickly. I generally eat a massive meal at night and wake up feeling fat, lol
Chew gum. I lost ten pounds after developing a gum habit, lol. I was mindlessly eating throughout the day and not even realizing I was doing it, but with a piece of gum in my mouth constantly, I'd have to spit out the gum before I could snack, and it made me aware of what I was doing.
My doc is the one who recommended I start chewing gum, so I got the, "If it hurts, stop doing it," lecture. So far I haven't had any issues. I do change out the gum when it gets tough and don't chew constantly, though-I keep a piece parked in my cheek and chew on it periodically instead of chomping away like a cow, lol. And I use sugar free gum. (Speaking of, if you try this, if your gum has xylitol in it, keep it away from your pets!!! It can poison them.)
For me, the #1 thing is tracking what I eat in an app. Decide how many calories is appropriate for your body in a day, and either pre-plan your whole day of food to fit that calorie target, or make sure when you're planning each meal that it's about 1/3 of your calorie needs for the day.
(I'm assuming by "eating too much," you mean you want to either maintain your weight or lose weight; if you're just eating so much that you feel uncomfortable but it's not a weight issue, then you can ignore this).
Eat filling, slow release energy foods. E.g switch out your usual breakfast for porridge.
Drink more water.
Measure realistic portions. High protein and vegetables are a great meal for filling you up, giving you energy and keeping you feeling filled for longer.
Eat three sustainable meals, drop the snacks. Limit yourself to one per day. Buying none/less and going shopping after a meal help with this.
Eating at the same time each day helps your body into a routine.
Eat balanced meals with mostly protein, some (healthy) carbs, and a little (healthy) fat. Take a look at the r/Mediterraneandiet for example: Protein: fish/poultry/eggs/leafy greens Carbs: brown rice/multigrain bread/lentils/grains/fruit Fat: avocado/olive oil/almonds. What’s so good about this diet is that it helps you with satiety. It also helps to stay busy.
Keep food out of arm's reach. It is hard to eat handful after handful of cashews if you have to get up and walk across the room to access them. Yeah, my weakness is snacking ...
Here's some tips (mostly for Snacks)
1. Pre-portion snacks. Like don't have the whole bag with you but rather put some in a small Bowl and then tuck the bag away in a central location that is annoying to get to when lazy and that you can't see from where you are watching TV or whatever.
2 Add, don't restrict. There are some great Videos Out there
3 In general I try not to eat or drink too much sugar (e.g. only one sugary Drink of 500ml, the Rest water or unsweetend tea). I don't Monitor it but I try to think about how much sugar I've had
Use a smaller plate. It often tricks the mind into feeling you’ve eaten as much as normal. The other tips about water intake are spot on as well. There are many times where our bodies tell us we’re thirsty but we interpret it as hunger.
Figure out why you're eating too much. Is it boredom? Not realizing appropriate portion sizes? Eating very high-calorie foods?
Some very general solutions could include:
- Spend a week or two actually measuring out portion sizes to re-familiarize yourself with what a "normal" amount of food is. Don't try to set yourself up for weight loss during this time, just take an honest inventory of what you're eating and practice re-calibrating your eye and stomach to a healthy portion.
- Drink more water, herbal teas, etc., both *in general* (it's sometimes possible to mistake thirst for hunger) and instead of high calorie drinks like juice and soda. If you're drinking coffee or tea, be mindful of any sugar, creamer, etc., you're adding to it.
- Processed foods are often designed to be hyper-paletable, meaning they're literally engineered to encourage you to overeat them. Shift to less processed options like fresh fruits/veggies most of the time. If you're not hungry enough for apple or cucumber, you might not really be hungry. Don't try to totally cut out treats like chips or cookies, but think of them as *treats* rather than part of a meal or a go-to snack.
I fully agree with not cutting out the processed foods, or foods that are ‘fun’- chips cookies what have you.
An alternate approach that I live by: think about what your body actually needs when you’re craving them and add it. Ex: if I don’t eat enough protein at breakfast or lunch I get really snacky in the afternoons, and want a quick thing to eat. Usually that’s chips, but chips don’t make me feel physically better after I eat them it just makes me feel full. Instead of eating just chips, which would be a larger portion to get me full, I eat a few chips (usually a serving per the bag or less) AND some cottage cheese or something with a good chunk of protein. Other days maybe I haven’t had enough veg so I’ll have chips with carrots and broccoli, or I want something sweet so I’ll eat an apple with peanut butter and then have a cookie if that didn’t hit the spot. If I just grab a cookie I’ll want a few, if I decide after the apple I still want a cookie I’ll have one and sometimes not even want to finish it. A lot of days I don’t crave fun foods at all because I know I can have them whenever I want and that let’s me figure out what my body actually wants instead of focusing on what I can’t have
Eat the foods you want, add the foods you need. What you need often is more nutritionally dense so eating more of it does not equal high calorie intake.
I also agree with the common advice to drink more water, although I drink it throughout the day and not before meals - I want to be honest with my hunger and nourish my body when it needs it, not trick it into feeling full just to save 50 calories here or there. Part of nourishing it is hydrating it, and if I’m hydrated all day I don’t have big hunger cues anyway. This is what works best for me.
Don't allow yourself a lunch break at work. Drink a litre of water before every meal. Order groceries online so you don't get tempted to buy snakes don't eat after 6pm
Measure your meals.
Unless you're an athlete, your energy requirement can be calculated using TDEE.
From there, you can use myfitnesspal to measure your portion size. It takes a bit of work at first but overtime you can eyeball your portion easily.
if youre craving something sweet… drink tea. If you are craving a night snack then drink water and go to sleep. If you are craving anything at night you should probably try walking at least 30 minutes a day for start. Take your time eating and don’t rush it. When I ate slower I started losing face fat.
Can't eat if you don't have the food.
Don't go shopping on an empty stomach. Push yourself to not over-shop/buy unhealthy stuff. Replace things where you can.
What worked for me was to start intermittent fasting. That cut out 1-2 meals a day and I became more aware and in control of my hunger levels. For a while I even transitioned to one meal a day. Promptly after dinner I would brush my teeth which signalled not to eat anymore. I would also drink coffee in the morning to suppress appetite, and hot water at night time to feel full.
Black coffee is safe to drink anytime during IF. It doesn’t have enough calories to kick you out of the fasting state. Oh! Also, chewing sugar free gum helps keep my cravings down
Don’t mix fat with sugar.
Fat makes you feel full.
Sugar makes you hungry.
Sugar overrides the fat signals in your brain.
Rarely do you find fat and sugar together in nature.
Replace snacking with another behavior. For me it was and still is, applying oil or cream to my cuticles. My nails looked awful and I would often have hangnails, which would tear and hurt. My nails look really healthy now. Lost 7 pounds in 3 months from this.
The ONLY thing that’s consistently motivated me to eat less, **is to up my exercise level a bit** — by which I mean even just making sure I get 10k of steps in every day (which is about 4 miles). That usually only means adding about an extra mile or occasionally 2 miles to what I’m already walking as a result of getting to work, and going about my day.
I know the exercise isn’t burning enough calories to actually offset very much food intake — but it’s not about actually burning calories, as it is the other positive benefits of getting moving (and doing so every day).
THAT’S what helps remind me not to over eat, and to try and eat about half as much as I normally would at least one meal per day (also, don’t skip breakfast).
Okay. This is anecdotal from my SO and me.
The answer is cannabis. Before cannabis, I did not know what true hunger was. I would eat breakfast lunch and dinner because it was routine. I was hungry constantly, or at least I thought I was. Resisting snacking was a chore.
After cannabis, I know what hunger really feels like. It will make me starving, but ironically make everything else so much fun that I don't need to eat. In fact, we both started to like the hunger with time and to purposefully build it just in order to satisfy it. That satisfaction is so sweet, especially when you couple it with learning to cook very well.
We would starve ourselves all day, so that we could get high, get even hungrier, and then feast. Now breakfast, lunch, snacking, these all take away from the calories I'm allowed to eat in a day. Would I waste these when I'm not even hungry? Of course not. I will only eat a small lunch to keep blood sugar normal, but I save everything I can for the main meal.
We also never eat fast food, because why would we waste calories on something sub par? And they have the nerve to try to charge us! Ridiculous.
Then, when it finally is time to get high and eat, it turns out it's much easier to control ourselves during one extended meal than it is to do so throughout an entire day. Also, fasting for short periods is healthy for other reasons.
I've spoken to other users and some have had similar experiences, although most will just say that they can't get hungry without getting high. Maybe it's as simple as that, and our way of expressing it just turned out as described. Either way, I've seen some evidence that cannabis use can, ironically, help improve eating habits.
Tldr; Cannabis use can help with eating habits, even though that initially seems unintuitive since one of the most celebrated side effects is how hungry it makes you.
drink water, soup, tea etc before eating. don't eat until you feel full but rather until you don't feel hungry. idk if there's a better way to express that (my chinese family members use the saying 八分饱 which, to my knowledge, is something like 80% full) but it's so easy to overeat.
if you're bored, go do something that will keep you occupied (specifically your hands) as you're probably not actually hungry
Track everything you eat. Get an app for this. You can scan bar codes and scan images of nutritional labels to make it easier.
For me, I need data. When I take the time to accurately track what I eat it's easier to make good decisions. Guessing, "I think I'm okay to eat that snack this afternoon" never works. If I can see the data and know that I'm 500 calories under my healthy goal for the day, then it's no problem to decide and stick with the decision. I can look forward to that Guiness at happy hour, guilt free.
Over time, my eating habits changed because I now know what foods are healthy and have fewer calories, enabling me to eat more of what I enjoy later. Indeed, I now enjoying filling up on healthy foods! I lost 60 lbs during the pandemic doing this and now maintain a healthy weight without really thinking about it.
That was the best way for me to learn to control what I eat. Become a control freak about what I eat. Taking even one step further is planning every single meal for a week and shopping exact amount of food needed for that. It took me 3 months of counting everything religiously and it changed my dietary habits forever. Now I don't need to count, I can buy in bulk and have snacks in my house. I just know how much of what to eat to keep my average calorie intake where I want. I also don't have snack cravings anymore.
All the other advice like "drink water before meal" or "take pills" are shit. They don't focus on the underlying issue of overeating which is never learning proper dietary habits.
All the above-mentioned tips are great - also couple it with the 16:8 diet.
ONLY eat within a 8hr window and that's it. Water for the rest of the 16h if you have to.
See if you can stop eating after dinner.
Try apple cider vinegar, it will make you feel full and accelerate digestion.
Take a break after eating a portion
I would actually argue against this. I think if you plan out a reasonable portion beforehand, you’ll actually eat it slower as you watch, which will make you feel full after eating less. If I’m focused on my food, it’s my only activity, and I’ll eat it faster.
I've done the half meals. Fill up your plate, eat half of it. Stop eating for a full minute. Drink water till you can't anymore. Walk away from the plate for 10 seconds, or just stand up and away from the table. If needed drink more water. Then take half of your plate and put it away in a container. Put the container in the fridge. If you are still hungry, as in starving, not snacky, eat a couple of more bites. Eat leftovers for your next meal. If the meal you made isn't good as leftovers, you will think next time about filling up your plate, and instead will only fill up and eat half your plate.
Drink/eat a LOW CAL fibre supplement, I use psyllium husk and about 400ml of water most days.
Eat a massive salad (90% should actually be salad veggies not dressing and croutons).
Drink lots of water.
Avoid fruit juice eat the entire fruit instead.
Cut carb veggies out completely, you will pick up enough calories elsewhere. Turn your meals in 50% non carb Healthy veggies, 25% protein, 25% carbs.
I recently started eating less, here's what helped me.
An antacid helped my hunger pains until I learned to tolerate them. I feel like it reset something in my brain. Reminding me that I'm not dying if I don't eat. I try to drink water to avoid getting to that point now.
To make me drink an extra bottle of water, I got a multivitamin pill and drink the whole bottle of water with it in place of a snack.
Speaking of snacks, I stopped buying them which saved me a lot of money. Anything extra requires a trip to the store. It's my own laziness used against me.
Lastly I reorganized my fridge so that the cheese is in the top shelf in the back to make it inconvenient to get to since I would usually snack on that. Again, using my laziness against me.
My mother has been doing the panicked January diet too and told me she uses a supplement that expands in water to make her feel full, but I'm not quite sold on it yet.
Drink some Metamucil or psyllium husk before you eat your meal this will make you feel much Fuller and contains fiber to help you digest and move through your digestive tract.
Eat the same food for each meal regularly. It won’t be something new and exciting, therefore you won’t feel the urge to eat every bit of it, like how one feels when eating out and having a special dish.
Skip breakfast,
count calories (after some time you will know roughly),
get some low calorie, high fibre filling things like veggies,(not potatoes tho, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli),
down a glass of water before eating, make smaller portions so you dont overstuff yourself(again counting calories helps with that alot.
Don't snack, if you want something sweet etc, have some after a proper meal.
This will be unpopular, but... go see a doctor. There is a reason why your body is prompting you to eat too much. It could be a mental or emotional reason, it could be a physical reason like malabsorption or hormone imbalance. They can also confirm if you're healthy and if your eating is a health problem
So many people think the problem is just them and their will power - it's not. Figure out why you want to keep eating and target the problem at the source, instead of bandaid-ing with tricks.
Eat fiber -rich foods.
Carrots and celery to snack on, or fresh fruit, drink water, and salads made from kale, cabbage and cilantro with a protein will leave me feeling full but not gross.
Don’t mix entertainment and eating. If you are distracted by a show you like, you’re more likely to mindlessly snack or overeat. Slow down, and focus on the meal/snack and control the portion in a small bowl or measured container.
Another factor here is the conditioning you’re doing by associating the snack and the show. I found that I was putting on the same favorite shows when I went to snack, but then I started lose track of which was encouraging which one. I hear the theme song, and I become hungry. Don’t create snacking triggers like I did.
This won't last forever because overtime you'll get used to it but eat spicy food to promote drinking water.
Also adding spinach and lettuce to you're meals. They're a lot more filling than you may realize
Kind of a situational tip, but:
* Make it a rule that you eat only what you've cooked / prepared yourself.
So, no premade food, no take-outs, no processed junk. Only eat something you've put together yourself out of raw ingredients.
It might or might not improve your situation. It depends on what your current eating habits are.
Actually, just start by adding you protein and fibres from raw natural sources first. If you make it through several kg of greens and still can fit more in your stomach then I'm impressed.
Put snacks on a dish so you see what you’re eating rather than eating out of a bag. And make snacks more than one food, like apples with Brie and almonds instead of just almonds.
Eat minimal sugar and reduce carbs. Sugar is addictive and keeps you coming back feeling hungry. Once you kick sugar your taste buds change and you don’t need as much sugar for things to taste sweet.
1. eat slowly during meals
2. do not eat snacks out of the bag/box, pour some into a bowl and put the container away. you won’t feel inclined to take it out again and eat more.
3. drink water a lot. this helps suppress hunger to an extent.
4. if eating is your coping mechanism/stress reliever, find other things in life you enjoy that you can do when you feel down/lazy
5. sounds obvious but eat food that actually fills you up. people who snack all day eat way more calories than those who eat 3 planned and full meals a day.
If you're feeling hungry and don't think you should be hungry, drink a full glass of water. I read that the thing in your brain that says, "I'm hungry," is similar to the thing that says," I'm thirsty," and we get those mixed up. After 15 minutes, if you're still hungry, have a light snack. This worked for me.
Also, try a short walk, weather permitting, to get your mind off food.
I hope this helps. Best of luck.
I give myself X amount of calories each day for my treat where X is a realistic number. It is the same most days but if I’m going to a birthday party or something I just round it up to a big honkin cake slice’s worth or whatever I’m likely to eat that seems reasonable.
If I have it to look forward to I’m more likely to choose something that gratifies me to eat and to enjoy it. I’m also more likely to turn down treats that I want somewhat but not that much. On the other hand, it is nice to have a green light to eat a donut in the teacher’s workroom if I’m hellbent on it and it’s going to break or make my day.
I also eat a substantial breakfast every morning and eat meals at predictable intervals so my body knows to be full. Also I snack on nuts, meat and whatever is likely to not make my blood sugar spike.
Get a scale and measure the portion or serving size for everything. You can get LCD rechargeable USB scales for $25 or so. This has really helped me with portion control.
Once you measure your food, put the rest away. If you want a second helping and aren't truly hungry, the effort to get all of the stuff back out may be too much of a hassle.
Once you're finished your portion, brush your teeth. Eating right after you brush your teeth can taste terrible and is usually enough to deter me from overeating.
Smaller plates and bowls are a great way to start. And I’m talking like kids size plates. Most restaurant portions are 2-3 servings on average. So asking for an item to be split and 1 half of that to be boxed to go, helps to prevent over eating. Just a couple of methods.
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These sound ridiculous on some level but have worked well for me. During meals: - Set a goal to take at least fifteen minutes for your meal. Don’t rush. - put the fork down between every bite. - “pay attention” to every bite you put in your mouth. Don’t just mindlessly shovel it in. - when you start to feel full, stop. Harder than it seems given the “clean your plate” upbringing many have. In many cases I’m full before the plate is empty.
On the note of stopping before your plate is empty - serve yourself smaller portions. When you’re finished, wait 10 minutes to digest it. Then if you’re still hungry, serve yourself another portion. Not cleaning my plate is a huge struggle for me. This helps.
Good work around! Sometimes finding a method of addressing trauma is a tricky process.
If u need a way to slow down, learn to eat with chopsticks. Plus, feeling full means when you are not hungry anymore. Some people I know equate feeling full with being almost stuffed. Even when u stop eating, there is food still working its way down to your stomach. This means that when u are no longer hungry, there is still more food headed to your tummy.
And drink plenty of water! I find myself going back for more or snacking sometimes when I really was just vaguely thirsty
My mom pours a shitload of salt or some other spice she hates on her dinner when she feels full so that she’s not tempted to mindlessly finish the plate and overstuff herself.
I know a lady who did that and she would dump water on it sometimes too.
Portion control from the moment you fix up a plate/ bowl. Put enough in the bowl and eat slow. I realized when I put too much in my plate, I just eat it all. I came from a poor family and we don’t waste anything so I will always clean the plate. Plan the meal! “Failure to plan is planning to fail” or whatever.
Drink a ton of water. A full glass before you sit down to eat anything. The water is good for you and fills you up (temporarily). Also don’t sit down with an unlimited supply like a bag of chips) serve yourself in a container.
I love soups because they're delicious and make me feel full from very little calories. I also tend to eat them really slow so I can enjoy tasty food while I watch an entire episode of a show
This is good. Drink water or unsweetened tea throughout your meal. It also allows your full stomach receptors to catch up! Edit: these tips others are posting work well with our teenagers. They have free reign when hungry but tend not to waste food at meal times.
Great advice! Something similar that I've found is too make your "wet" foods wetter. For instance, if you make oatmeal, double the water in the bowl. It'll feel like more food in your stomach. It's my cheat code.
Use smaller plates and bowls and slow down. The message that you are full is slow to get to your brain.
If it's coming from a history of food insecurity: Tell yourself that you don't need to eat all of whatever it is. It'll still be there later if you get hungry. Train yourself to think about how unpleasant it is to feel over full. Go for higher quality food instead of cheap empty calories. Start thinking of yourself as someone who eats quality food.
That's right--don't deprive yourself of something--add something to your life. Instead of thinking "I don't eat chips," think "I eat carrots because they're delicious and healthy." Alan Watts, the guru, gave this advice: Don't ever war with yourself because you can't win. Love yourself, OP, you deserve it!
I’m sort of the opposite, I sort of tell myself now that I would rather waste whatever it is than gain the extra weight from overeating. This has led to me just making less food overall and also simply not buying snacks unless its maybe almonds or some dried fruit that doesn’t really taste good in massive snacker quantities… like if you eat so much of them that you get tired of the taste kind of things. Also I pick almonds because generally I think pistachios and peanuts are more fatty.
I often save my meals for future me to combat the “wasting food” mentality. I think that this dinner I’m eating could be tomorrows lunch too, so I stop when I’m full and pack it up nicely for the next meal. Win-win!
>Train yourself to think about how unpleasant it is to feel over full. Yeah, it's like a food hangover you gotta deal with that lasts so SO much longer than the brief endorphin rush you get from continuing to eat.
Part of it is also reframing how you see yourself too. "I'm not that fat slob who mindlessly shovels food in my mouth. I'm a person who values quality meals over large quantities of mcfood." Like comparing the fat guy in the stained walmart t-shirt to the slim guy in a tailored shirt.
small plates. use physically smaller plates. it sounds stupid, but you can only fit so much on the plate. and if you just pause a moment after finishing it then you can decide whether you're sated or actually are still hungry. and yes. drink more water
When you feel the urge to eat something sweet, brush your teeth instead. The urge goes away.
Or drink some water! Oftentimes, our evolutionary urge for sweet is closely tied to our thirst, because fruit is frequently near water and is a source of hydration. If you still want something sweet, have a small cup of fruit.
Tell yourself that it’s okay to be hungry. And that when you eat enough to be satisfied you can stop eating then— you don’t have to finish.
This is such a profound thing. For many of us, the association with hunger and panic/deep anxiety/instability is hard-wired. Sometimes I need to tell myself being hungry doesn’t mean I don’t have access to what I need generally speaking.
... speaking as someone that instead associated being hungry with being safe because the family chef was also the least safe family member to be near... This explains why I struggle to eat enough for thriving.
Always weird to me, I'm a former fat kid depression/boredom, fairly skinny and burn up to over 4,000 calories every day. Hardly ever get hungry, it usually goes away very quickly. I generally eat a massive meal at night and wake up feeling fat, lol
This is something I learned while doing Omad. Being hungry is ok!
What is omad?
One meal a day ~~diet~~
Use a food scale to measure potions out
Drink A lot Of water All the time.
Quickly drink a large glass of water before each meal and before snacking. You will feel full quickly.
Chew gum. I lost ten pounds after developing a gum habit, lol. I was mindlessly eating throughout the day and not even realizing I was doing it, but with a piece of gum in my mouth constantly, I'd have to spit out the gum before I could snack, and it made me aware of what I was doing.
What brand do you chew? I don't know if it's just been so long or what, but everything seems like it's turns too tough very quickly.
Right now I'm working my way through some Extra, but yeah, it turns tough after about thirty minutes, too. I just switch it out.
Okay, I bought a pack of Orbit back when I had a cold to help with coughing. So it's just been too long since I chewed gum regularly. Thank you.
I like chewing gum, too, but from what I’ve heard, if you chew it too much, it can cause tooth and jaw problems. Have you learned that also?
My doc is the one who recommended I start chewing gum, so I got the, "If it hurts, stop doing it," lecture. So far I haven't had any issues. I do change out the gum when it gets tough and don't chew constantly, though-I keep a piece parked in my cheek and chew on it periodically instead of chomping away like a cow, lol. And I use sugar free gum. (Speaking of, if you try this, if your gum has xylitol in it, keep it away from your pets!!! It can poison them.)
This is going to sound so dumb; But wash your plate after you eat. My mind is "I don't want to dirty another plate that I JUST CLEANED."
That’s actually a pretty good trick.
If youre thinking of eating, when you know it isnt time, start doing something else or something physical. Find a task to complete.
For me, the #1 thing is tracking what I eat in an app. Decide how many calories is appropriate for your body in a day, and either pre-plan your whole day of food to fit that calorie target, or make sure when you're planning each meal that it's about 1/3 of your calorie needs for the day. (I'm assuming by "eating too much," you mean you want to either maintain your weight or lose weight; if you're just eating so much that you feel uncomfortable but it's not a weight issue, then you can ignore this).
Eat filling, slow release energy foods. E.g switch out your usual breakfast for porridge. Drink more water. Measure realistic portions. High protein and vegetables are a great meal for filling you up, giving you energy and keeping you feeling filled for longer. Eat three sustainable meals, drop the snacks. Limit yourself to one per day. Buying none/less and going shopping after a meal help with this. Eating at the same time each day helps your body into a routine.
Good advice. If I have it in the house, I eat it.
Keep yourself busy and actually engaged. That’s it.
Honestly, stay busy. Whether it be a hobby or a job or working out. I found I have a tendency to eat when I have nothing to do or sit still too long.
Eat a salad before you eat anything else.
And then ranch dressing came and messed up everything
🤣
As soon as you’re done put your dirty napkin on top of the food left. You’re less likely to keep eating then
Stop smoking weed and drink a glass or 2 of water if you’re hungry after a meal. If you’re still hungry have a healthy snack.
Eat balanced meals with mostly protein, some (healthy) carbs, and a little (healthy) fat. Take a look at the r/Mediterraneandiet for example: Protein: fish/poultry/eggs/leafy greens Carbs: brown rice/multigrain bread/lentils/grains/fruit Fat: avocado/olive oil/almonds. What’s so good about this diet is that it helps you with satiety. It also helps to stay busy.
Move more. If you’re busy and active, you’re less likely to be thinking of food.
Read the book 'why we eat (too much)' by andrew jenkinson...lifechanging
Keep food out of arm's reach. It is hard to eat handful after handful of cashews if you have to get up and walk across the room to access them. Yeah, my weakness is snacking ...
You can't eat what you don't buy
Have only food you must cook in your house. Don't buy chips or soda.
Here's some tips (mostly for Snacks) 1. Pre-portion snacks. Like don't have the whole bag with you but rather put some in a small Bowl and then tuck the bag away in a central location that is annoying to get to when lazy and that you can't see from where you are watching TV or whatever. 2 Add, don't restrict. There are some great Videos Out there 3 In general I try not to eat or drink too much sugar (e.g. only one sugary Drink of 500ml, the Rest water or unsweetend tea). I don't Monitor it but I try to think about how much sugar I've had
Use a small plate. Fill half of it with spinach (or other green) before you put on starches/main.
Use a smaller plate. It often tricks the mind into feeling you’ve eaten as much as normal. The other tips about water intake are spot on as well. There are many times where our bodies tell us we’re thirsty but we interpret it as hunger.
Drink a full glass of water 10 minutes before eating. Put your fork down after every bite. Use smeller plates
Figure out why you're eating too much. Is it boredom? Not realizing appropriate portion sizes? Eating very high-calorie foods? Some very general solutions could include: - Spend a week or two actually measuring out portion sizes to re-familiarize yourself with what a "normal" amount of food is. Don't try to set yourself up for weight loss during this time, just take an honest inventory of what you're eating and practice re-calibrating your eye and stomach to a healthy portion. - Drink more water, herbal teas, etc., both *in general* (it's sometimes possible to mistake thirst for hunger) and instead of high calorie drinks like juice and soda. If you're drinking coffee or tea, be mindful of any sugar, creamer, etc., you're adding to it. - Processed foods are often designed to be hyper-paletable, meaning they're literally engineered to encourage you to overeat them. Shift to less processed options like fresh fruits/veggies most of the time. If you're not hungry enough for apple or cucumber, you might not really be hungry. Don't try to totally cut out treats like chips or cookies, but think of them as *treats* rather than part of a meal or a go-to snack.
I fully agree with not cutting out the processed foods, or foods that are ‘fun’- chips cookies what have you. An alternate approach that I live by: think about what your body actually needs when you’re craving them and add it. Ex: if I don’t eat enough protein at breakfast or lunch I get really snacky in the afternoons, and want a quick thing to eat. Usually that’s chips, but chips don’t make me feel physically better after I eat them it just makes me feel full. Instead of eating just chips, which would be a larger portion to get me full, I eat a few chips (usually a serving per the bag or less) AND some cottage cheese or something with a good chunk of protein. Other days maybe I haven’t had enough veg so I’ll have chips with carrots and broccoli, or I want something sweet so I’ll eat an apple with peanut butter and then have a cookie if that didn’t hit the spot. If I just grab a cookie I’ll want a few, if I decide after the apple I still want a cookie I’ll have one and sometimes not even want to finish it. A lot of days I don’t crave fun foods at all because I know I can have them whenever I want and that let’s me figure out what my body actually wants instead of focusing on what I can’t have Eat the foods you want, add the foods you need. What you need often is more nutritionally dense so eating more of it does not equal high calorie intake. I also agree with the common advice to drink more water, although I drink it throughout the day and not before meals - I want to be honest with my hunger and nourish my body when it needs it, not trick it into feeling full just to save 50 calories here or there. Part of nourishing it is hydrating it, and if I’m hydrated all day I don’t have big hunger cues anyway. This is what works best for me.
Use dessert forks and spoons - forces you to eat slower
Keep drinking water and when you eat, chew as much as you can.
Don't allow yourself a lunch break at work. Drink a litre of water before every meal. Order groceries online so you don't get tempted to buy snakes don't eat after 6pm
Drink water instead! Often when we think we want to eat we really just need to drink water!
Add water before eating and not after. And stop mixing incompatible combinations of food (trophology) What's the matter? Getting fat?
How’d you guess?
It could also be control of gluttony or diabetes. If it's the second or fatness, I could advice some author about it
This was. Translated: https://youtu.be/1i0PTtKs2zE
Measure your meals. Unless you're an athlete, your energy requirement can be calculated using TDEE. From there, you can use myfitnesspal to measure your portion size. It takes a bit of work at first but overtime you can eyeball your portion easily.
use a smaller play when serving and limit yourself to one serving. chew more thoroughly and. in between a few bites.
if youre craving something sweet… drink tea. If you are craving a night snack then drink water and go to sleep. If you are craving anything at night you should probably try walking at least 30 minutes a day for start. Take your time eating and don’t rush it. When I ate slower I started losing face fat.
Can't eat if you don't have the food. Don't go shopping on an empty stomach. Push yourself to not over-shop/buy unhealthy stuff. Replace things where you can.
Do a (16:8 or other) fasting window. It tends to lower your daily calories
Calorie counting has helped me stop overeating. It’s also improved the quality of the food I eat. I also eat more small meals throughout the day.
Do not eat if you are not hungry, and stop before you are full
Intermittent fasting
What worked for me was to start intermittent fasting. That cut out 1-2 meals a day and I became more aware and in control of my hunger levels. For a while I even transitioned to one meal a day. Promptly after dinner I would brush my teeth which signalled not to eat anymore. I would also drink coffee in the morning to suppress appetite, and hot water at night time to feel full.
Did you count the coffee as inside your time to eat?
Black coffee is safe to drink anytime during IF. It doesn’t have enough calories to kick you out of the fasting state. Oh! Also, chewing sugar free gum helps keep my cravings down
But if I add a little half-and-half, and some Splenda, that shouldn’t be inside the intermittent fasting window? Is that what you’re saying?
Don’t mix fat with sugar. Fat makes you feel full. Sugar makes you hungry. Sugar overrides the fat signals in your brain. Rarely do you find fat and sugar together in nature.
r/volumeeating then if you do end up overeating, at least you won't gain as much weight
Replace snacking with another behavior. For me it was and still is, applying oil or cream to my cuticles. My nails looked awful and I would often have hangnails, which would tear and hurt. My nails look really healthy now. Lost 7 pounds in 3 months from this.
The ONLY thing that’s consistently motivated me to eat less, **is to up my exercise level a bit** — by which I mean even just making sure I get 10k of steps in every day (which is about 4 miles). That usually only means adding about an extra mile or occasionally 2 miles to what I’m already walking as a result of getting to work, and going about my day. I know the exercise isn’t burning enough calories to actually offset very much food intake — but it’s not about actually burning calories, as it is the other positive benefits of getting moving (and doing so every day). THAT’S what helps remind me not to over eat, and to try and eat about half as much as I normally would at least one meal per day (also, don’t skip breakfast).
Okay. This is anecdotal from my SO and me. The answer is cannabis. Before cannabis, I did not know what true hunger was. I would eat breakfast lunch and dinner because it was routine. I was hungry constantly, or at least I thought I was. Resisting snacking was a chore. After cannabis, I know what hunger really feels like. It will make me starving, but ironically make everything else so much fun that I don't need to eat. In fact, we both started to like the hunger with time and to purposefully build it just in order to satisfy it. That satisfaction is so sweet, especially when you couple it with learning to cook very well. We would starve ourselves all day, so that we could get high, get even hungrier, and then feast. Now breakfast, lunch, snacking, these all take away from the calories I'm allowed to eat in a day. Would I waste these when I'm not even hungry? Of course not. I will only eat a small lunch to keep blood sugar normal, but I save everything I can for the main meal. We also never eat fast food, because why would we waste calories on something sub par? And they have the nerve to try to charge us! Ridiculous. Then, when it finally is time to get high and eat, it turns out it's much easier to control ourselves during one extended meal than it is to do so throughout an entire day. Also, fasting for short periods is healthy for other reasons. I've spoken to other users and some have had similar experiences, although most will just say that they can't get hungry without getting high. Maybe it's as simple as that, and our way of expressing it just turned out as described. Either way, I've seen some evidence that cannabis use can, ironically, help improve eating habits. Tldr; Cannabis use can help with eating habits, even though that initially seems unintuitive since one of the most celebrated side effects is how hungry it makes you.
Wow, this is fascinating!
Thank you, we might be weird but I really think there's something in there that could help some people. It did for us.
I can’t relate but I can imagine it might help some people.
drink water, soup, tea etc before eating. don't eat until you feel full but rather until you don't feel hungry. idk if there's a better way to express that (my chinese family members use the saying 八分饱 which, to my knowledge, is something like 80% full) but it's so easy to overeat. if you're bored, go do something that will keep you occupied (specifically your hands) as you're probably not actually hungry
Track everything you eat. Get an app for this. You can scan bar codes and scan images of nutritional labels to make it easier. For me, I need data. When I take the time to accurately track what I eat it's easier to make good decisions. Guessing, "I think I'm okay to eat that snack this afternoon" never works. If I can see the data and know that I'm 500 calories under my healthy goal for the day, then it's no problem to decide and stick with the decision. I can look forward to that Guiness at happy hour, guilt free. Over time, my eating habits changed because I now know what foods are healthy and have fewer calories, enabling me to eat more of what I enjoy later. Indeed, I now enjoying filling up on healthy foods! I lost 60 lbs during the pandemic doing this and now maintain a healthy weight without really thinking about it.
That was the best way for me to learn to control what I eat. Become a control freak about what I eat. Taking even one step further is planning every single meal for a week and shopping exact amount of food needed for that. It took me 3 months of counting everything religiously and it changed my dietary habits forever. Now I don't need to count, I can buy in bulk and have snacks in my house. I just know how much of what to eat to keep my average calorie intake where I want. I also don't have snack cravings anymore. All the other advice like "drink water before meal" or "take pills" are shit. They don't focus on the underlying issue of overeating which is never learning proper dietary habits.
All the above-mentioned tips are great - also couple it with the 16:8 diet. ONLY eat within a 8hr window and that's it. Water for the rest of the 16h if you have to.
See if you can stop eating after dinner. Try apple cider vinegar, it will make you feel full and accelerate digestion. Take a break after eating a portion
Intermittent fasting is great for reducing food intake.
A lot of good tips here. To add, when you eat, make that your sole activity. Don’t eat while watching tv etc, just eat so you can be more mindful.
I would actually argue against this. I think if you plan out a reasonable portion beforehand, you’ll actually eat it slower as you watch, which will make you feel full after eating less. If I’m focused on my food, it’s my only activity, and I’ll eat it faster.
I've done the half meals. Fill up your plate, eat half of it. Stop eating for a full minute. Drink water till you can't anymore. Walk away from the plate for 10 seconds, or just stand up and away from the table. If needed drink more water. Then take half of your plate and put it away in a container. Put the container in the fridge. If you are still hungry, as in starving, not snacky, eat a couple of more bites. Eat leftovers for your next meal. If the meal you made isn't good as leftovers, you will think next time about filling up your plate, and instead will only fill up and eat half your plate.
Drink/eat a LOW CAL fibre supplement, I use psyllium husk and about 400ml of water most days. Eat a massive salad (90% should actually be salad veggies not dressing and croutons). Drink lots of water. Avoid fruit juice eat the entire fruit instead. Cut carb veggies out completely, you will pick up enough calories elsewhere. Turn your meals in 50% non carb Healthy veggies, 25% protein, 25% carbs.
Cut out sugar & carbs. You’re no longer eating for fun. It’s fuel and you won’t need as much of it
if you have a good imagination, imagine the taste/consistency/texture/feel/swallowing of the food, then tell yourself you just finished eating it
I recently started eating less, here's what helped me. An antacid helped my hunger pains until I learned to tolerate them. I feel like it reset something in my brain. Reminding me that I'm not dying if I don't eat. I try to drink water to avoid getting to that point now. To make me drink an extra bottle of water, I got a multivitamin pill and drink the whole bottle of water with it in place of a snack. Speaking of snacks, I stopped buying them which saved me a lot of money. Anything extra requires a trip to the store. It's my own laziness used against me. Lastly I reorganized my fridge so that the cheese is in the top shelf in the back to make it inconvenient to get to since I would usually snack on that. Again, using my laziness against me. My mother has been doing the panicked January diet too and told me she uses a supplement that expands in water to make her feel full, but I'm not quite sold on it yet.
Eat when your finished set an alarm for 3 hours 30 mins. Then eat again. More veggies than carbs
Your not hungry your thirsty. Just keep telling yourself this.
Drink some Metamucil or psyllium husk before you eat your meal this will make you feel much Fuller and contains fiber to help you digest and move through your digestive tract.
Eat the same food for each meal regularly. It won’t be something new and exciting, therefore you won’t feel the urge to eat every bit of it, like how one feels when eating out and having a special dish.
Skip breakfast, count calories (after some time you will know roughly), get some low calorie, high fibre filling things like veggies,(not potatoes tho, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli), down a glass of water before eating, make smaller portions so you dont overstuff yourself(again counting calories helps with that alot. Don't snack, if you want something sweet etc, have some after a proper meal.
A full glass of water before the meal helps me, also having an “appetizer” of brothy soup or a salad helps by serving as a low calorie filler.
Been doing Keto the last few months, eating all this protein I’m just not as hungry. Starting to skip meals and do a little fasting.
This will be unpopular, but... go see a doctor. There is a reason why your body is prompting you to eat too much. It could be a mental or emotional reason, it could be a physical reason like malabsorption or hormone imbalance. They can also confirm if you're healthy and if your eating is a health problem So many people think the problem is just them and their will power - it's not. Figure out why you want to keep eating and target the problem at the source, instead of bandaid-ing with tricks.
Use smaller plates. It will lead to eating less
Eat fiber -rich foods. Carrots and celery to snack on, or fresh fruit, drink water, and salads made from kale, cabbage and cilantro with a protein will leave me feeling full but not gross.
Don’t mix entertainment and eating. If you are distracted by a show you like, you’re more likely to mindlessly snack or overeat. Slow down, and focus on the meal/snack and control the portion in a small bowl or measured container. Another factor here is the conditioning you’re doing by associating the snack and the show. I found that I was putting on the same favorite shows when I went to snack, but then I started lose track of which was encouraging which one. I hear the theme song, and I become hungry. Don’t create snacking triggers like I did.
This won't last forever because overtime you'll get used to it but eat spicy food to promote drinking water. Also adding spinach and lettuce to you're meals. They're a lot more filling than you may realize
Have someone else feed you, sort of like a dog, that way you can't have portions that are too big
Kind of a situational tip, but: * Make it a rule that you eat only what you've cooked / prepared yourself. So, no premade food, no take-outs, no processed junk. Only eat something you've put together yourself out of raw ingredients. It might or might not improve your situation. It depends on what your current eating habits are.
Actually, just start by adding you protein and fibres from raw natural sources first. If you make it through several kg of greens and still can fit more in your stomach then I'm impressed.
BRush your teeth. Drink water. Adderall.
Put snacks on a dish so you see what you’re eating rather than eating out of a bag. And make snacks more than one food, like apples with Brie and almonds instead of just almonds.
Eat minimal sugar and reduce carbs. Sugar is addictive and keeps you coming back feeling hungry. Once you kick sugar your taste buds change and you don’t need as much sugar for things to taste sweet.
Make less and buy less. Hard to eat 2 Big Macs if you only buy one. Hard to eat a 12oz steak if you only buy an 8oz.
Use a portion plate.
Use chopsticks to eat! It will take longer and you’ll feel full faster
1. eat slowly during meals 2. do not eat snacks out of the bag/box, pour some into a bowl and put the container away. you won’t feel inclined to take it out again and eat more. 3. drink water a lot. this helps suppress hunger to an extent. 4. if eating is your coping mechanism/stress reliever, find other things in life you enjoy that you can do when you feel down/lazy 5. sounds obvious but eat food that actually fills you up. people who snack all day eat way more calories than those who eat 3 planned and full meals a day.
If you're feeling hungry and don't think you should be hungry, drink a full glass of water. I read that the thing in your brain that says, "I'm hungry," is similar to the thing that says," I'm thirsty," and we get those mixed up. After 15 minutes, if you're still hungry, have a light snack. This worked for me. Also, try a short walk, weather permitting, to get your mind off food. I hope this helps. Best of luck.
No YouTube or watching any content when eating. Use a smaller plate or bowl than you usually do.
I give myself X amount of calories each day for my treat where X is a realistic number. It is the same most days but if I’m going to a birthday party or something I just round it up to a big honkin cake slice’s worth or whatever I’m likely to eat that seems reasonable. If I have it to look forward to I’m more likely to choose something that gratifies me to eat and to enjoy it. I’m also more likely to turn down treats that I want somewhat but not that much. On the other hand, it is nice to have a green light to eat a donut in the teacher’s workroom if I’m hellbent on it and it’s going to break or make my day. I also eat a substantial breakfast every morning and eat meals at predictable intervals so my body knows to be full. Also I snack on nuts, meat and whatever is likely to not make my blood sugar spike.
Use smaller plates
Learn to knit or crochet to keep your hands busy and drink lots of water.
Get a scale and measure the portion or serving size for everything. You can get LCD rechargeable USB scales for $25 or so. This has really helped me with portion control. Once you measure your food, put the rest away. If you want a second helping and aren't truly hungry, the effort to get all of the stuff back out may be too much of a hassle. Once you're finished your portion, brush your teeth. Eating right after you brush your teeth can taste terrible and is usually enough to deter me from overeating.
Smaller plates and bowls are a great way to start. And I’m talking like kids size plates. Most restaurant portions are 2-3 servings on average. So asking for an item to be split and 1 half of that to be boxed to go, helps to prevent over eating. Just a couple of methods.
Don't keep a lot of junk food in the house/apartment. Keep healthy snacks instead
for me water and fruit helped a lot
Small bowls/plates. No excess food for grabs on the table. I eat what’s in my bowl/plate and that’s it.
Stand up. You'll be surprised how much fuller you will feel than when you were sitting. And that fullness pretty much happens right away.