corn oil

Ok, I know I have a problem...I eat way too much and can't seem to lose any weight. Its not so bad in the summer but the winters are killing me since I've reduced riding time and family obligations increase for the holiday season. I admit I have no self control. It's not that I eat that bad but its the portion sizes and frequency that is my biggest problems.

Anyone have any tips or tricks to try and control my hunger? Or, give into the hunger, just ride and increase workouts to counter the calories?

Machka 

How much do you exercise now?

Have you started keeping track of absolutely everything you eat? That can often be VERY revealing.

slowandsteady

I am on a medication that makes me hungry all the time, so I have developed some coping skills. I have also lost 30 lbs so far.

Eat food that is bulky but low cal such as vegetables(not corn!), salad greens, tomato juice, clear broth soups, and so on. Fill your stomach to not feel hungry.

Drink 6-8 cups of water a day.

Also, what works for me is to eat every 2 hours. You never get the chance to be hungry. Of course you have to eat smaller meals, but it is easier than waiting until you are famished and try to eat a 300 calorie lean cuisine.

And if I am really in a pinch, I take two fiber choice tablets. They don't taste half bad and they fill your stomach almost immediately.

grebletie

More riding probably won't help. It's a vicious (or virtuous) cycle. The more you ride, the more you eat.

You already hit the nail on the head - control your portion sizes. Eat smaller meals more frequently, so as to avoid stuffing yourself. It usually takes some time before you get the message that you're full.

Also, like others have said, and in vegetables. Lots of them. That, and eat clean foods, and you should be alright.

Btw, how much weight are you looking to lose? That might dictate what sort of program you ought to adopt.

corn oil

Right now its been hard to work out consistantly, with a 4 month old and minor renovation l've only managed to squeeze in 2-3 workouts per week. However, this is not a new issue...it happens every winter and I want to learn how to break this cycle.

Keeping track is difficult with my job and family, just trying to get workouts in is hard enough and I know I'll just simply forget.

Do you carry around some sort of food diary?

corn oil

I eat rather healthy 90% of the time with alot of vegetables but I also eat whole wheat pasta 1 to 2 times a week and have a portion size for 4 people.

I drink usually at least 2 litres of water a day and have meals/snacks approx every 2 hours.

These fiber choice tablets...are they like Metamucil?

corn oil

-I agree with this....



-This is where I fail....I don't know when I'm full. I eat until I can't breath and realize that not even one more fork/spoon of food will go down because there is food blocking my throat!

-My wife and I don't eat junk foods, pop, or fast food...all we really eat is home cooked food which is 99% of the time healthy...maybe once a week we splurge on eating more fatty foods.



-My goal is 20lbs...right now 190.

recneps

My friend is a nutrisionist(sp?) and she says really its not what you eat its how you eat. When you feel full stop eating dont finish your plate and dont go back for seconds. Along with not eating double cheese burgers everyday.

She also says that if you do need to get a double cheese burger, do it but leave 3-4 bites lefts and dont eat all the fries.

corn oil

I have maybe have 5 cheese burgers in a year...and they are during the summer BBQ season when I'm not worried about weight gain.

I don't think the "feel full" signal ever reaches my barin. Like I said when I can't shove another piece of food down my throat then and only then do I realize I'm full.


Does anyone think this is some sort of a condition where the signal doesn't travel to my brain?

ModoVincere

Try to slow down when you eat. If you are not getting the "all full" signal until you are stuffed, perhaps you are eating everything in too big of a rush. It takes time for the stomach to signal the brain.

Do you take at least 30 minutes to eat or do you woof it down in 10 minutes like a lot of people?

kuan

Well if you need help with intaking your food, invite someone over to help you.

I know, I have problems myself too. I eat all the time. Notice my sig. I think it's some kind of a disorder. Glad I'm not alone.

corn oil

10mins max......who takes 30 mins to eat??? 30mins maybe if I go to an all you can eat buffet!

Turboem1

i recomend reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. An extremely breif summary is eat as many vegetables, fruits and beans that you want and watch the weight come off. Obviously the book is much more involved and goes into all the reasons why but this should definately help.

I also love to eat and this is working great for me. I have lost about 20lbs in 2 months which I am very excited about.

There is no calorie counting or measuring portions. For example for breakfast I usually have fruit. A banana, apple, pear, a box of raspberries an orange ect to get me full.

Lunch is usually a huge salad and dinner some dish with a lot of beans. And then I just drink water. Its pretty easy to stay on although I do go off occasionally.

race newbie

My boyfriend can get 3 plates in by the time I am done, but he also has a fast metabolism. He said he started that when he was a kid becuase he had 5 brothers competing for the food. Two things that maybe would help? Try drinking a full glass of water just as you sit down to eat, that will help signal fullness. Also, my grandmother used to do the "chew each bite 10 times" thing. She was never fat and she was your typical Italian grandma who cooked pasta and other goodies and ate them ALL the time. Good luck!

bikedaddy

I just recently started keeping track of what I eat using fitday.com . It is easy and takes up little time. I have three kids 4 and under and find that I can fit ten minutes to track my food (usually at my lunch at work). I am a commuter so get most of my workouts in during the week. I find I eat more on the days I don't ride. I just try to make up for those days on other days.


Also don't look to change your habits over night. As with most weight related goals slow change is the way to go.

SSP

You're going to have to find it.

It's not rocket science...when you sit down to eat a meal:

1) Put a reasonable amount on your plate (do some research on portion sizes...you'll be surprised how small a standard "portion" really is).

2) Clean your plate, and don't go back for seconds.

Roody

It very well could be some sort of condition. I know that I have the same problem. for me the solution was to get in the habit of planning by portion size. A good resource is a book called "The Portion Teller."

If your body doesn't tell you when you're hungry or full, you have to let your brain tell you instead. I keep a journal of my exercis and food intake. At first I listed everything I ate, and broke it down into portions of each food, as described in "The Portion Teller." This was helpful but took quite a bit of effort.

Now I only need to list each meal I eat in general terms. For example, yesterday I wrote in my journal:

"Walked 82 minutes. Intake=Med. Bkfst, Lg. lunch, med. snack, Sm. dinner, sm. snack."

This only takes a minute a day, but it sure helps me to stay focused.

SSP

Why are you doing that? If you know that this is the problem, why eat until you can hardly breathe? Put less on your plate to start, and don't go back for more.

Also, have you considered that you may have a mental health issue related to food? It sounds like you're eating compulsively (binging).

Greg180

I use Fitday https://www.fitday.com/ to track my food during the winter. You can either use the free online diary or you can cough up the $20US dollars and get a PC version. For me this is a big help. During the winter the calories I burn drop so my caloric intact has to drop also. As Machka said this information is VERY revealing. It also has a great side benefit of educating yourself on portion size and the overall benefit of good food.

The rest is all discipline...and I know first hand that is the toughest part. But I lost fifty pounds last year so I know it works.

ericgu

Here's what works for me:

1) Look for foods that have more bulk and fewer calories. Fresh vegetables etc.

2) Fiber is your friend. Not only are the foods bulkier, but they won't spike your blood sugar as quick, leading you to get hungry later.

3) Drink extra water during/after you eat. That helps you stay full.

4) Don't be afraid of good fats. If you're hungry and you eat - say - 20 pistachio nuts, the chance that it will satisfy you is pretty good. But if you eat something that's purely carbs, you'll end up hungry again soon.

5) Don't be afraid of snacking, just make sure they're good snacks.

6) Look for healthier replacements for foods you're already eating

Finally, recovery nutrition is very important. If you replace the carbs you burn in a workout, you can skip replacing the fat. If you don't replace the carbs, it's really hard not to overeat.

corn oil

I'm liking this idea....

corn oil

I'm also Italian, and my mother used to force feed me because she thought I was too skinny (and still does). Lucky I was active and could keep most of my weight gain to a minimum...

This idea of chewing 10 times.....new to me....usually I just swallow....I'll try it out - thanks!

corn oil

If you can find it be my guest....but like I said I have a problem and what I'm looking for are tips to trick myself into not eating large meals.

Do you know what its like to eat at an italian mothers house? Its like a 5 star buffet...everyday. If you don't eat until you puke they take offense to it like "what you don't like my food?" And they really do get angry! Now fast forward after living with this everyday of you life and you can see where my problem is. Bad habits are hard to break especially when it comes to food, which when compared to drugs or alcohol, doesn't seem that bad.

corn oil

Its hard for me what can I say...did you every hear the term "your eyes are bigger than your stomach"? Well my eyes are f_ing huge and I can't control it.

I also do believe I have some sort of issue...

corn oil

I just want to say thanks for all the ideas - cheers!