Reducing Appitieite

[InbetweenDreams]

I think most of you here who have followed me for any length of time know I quit drinking soda almost a year ago, lost a good bit of weight back in the spring, completed a triathlon. So I did make some accomplishments. I will be honest I have slacked off quite a bit and as you might guess I've gained some of the weight I lost back. Not all of it thankfully.

I think my problem is not my metabolism, it's how much and how fast I eat. I'd probably be 140 lbs wet if I ate like most people. So my question is how in the world am I going to get that under control without being absolutely miserable. I know I can definitely eat less, but getting there is the problem. I know if I try to restrict how much I will eat I will end up snacking or being miserable.

A while back I was shopping and glanced over and seen a similar product like this...

https://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Control-...merReviews

Anyone try these, the only thing I dislike about it is the aspartame. I could really not care. I know some people use diet pills and those pretty much don't work. Some of it contains ephedrine and or diuretics...I'm not trying to kill myself.

Of course it probably would help if I maintained more control on what I eat, but I'm never going to get complete control over my diet as long as I live with my parents. I know you're like wth, can't you cook for yourself?!

Well I do cook for myself quite often. My folks though, they do dinner and I'm pretty much expected to eat it. If I am not home for dinner, get in late, no dinner...even if I say save some. My dad who does most of the cooking will pretty much make way too much, also does a lot of fried stuff... so limited healthy stuff there. Then there's the expense issue. Since I have got myself into a financial fiasco I have to limit what I spend on food. Of course by trying to be cheap ended up causing a lot of stomach issues back in September and thought I had some more serious problems. Anyway, I cannot afford to eat organic, or even much of the fresh produce... Then there's time, I used to do meal prep, which worked but could get very expensive, but also took an entire evening to cook. I can live with that but there's pitfalls to everything it seems. Run out of room in the freezer, try to go jog for an hour and cook and still have time for everything else.

Is there anything on the market that works and will not kill me or leave me broke? The good news is that I do still have a gym membership, which I have neglected since spring for the most part, but since it is getting darker earlier and starting to get cold I think I am going to try to start going and maybe run on the treadmill and swim some as well. I know finding a gym partner has been a no go. Got to love being in the boonies too.

Anyway, ideas would be great. I can't keep yo-yo-ing every year. I don't think that is particularly healthy.

Not looking for a diet plan, I know low-carb works but low-carb = miserable for the most part. Been there, tried that in 2012, plus running on top of that. Very easy to burn out trying to stick to it. It can become a chore, between work, friends and other commitments. It should be enjoyable if you ask me.

[LJay]

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION], sorry man, there is no way around it with pills! It is one of those things where if it worked it would be in use everywhere.

My siser has has tremendous success with Lose it! which can be easily googled. She uses the free version and has lost something like 50 pounds and feels great. It is an all 'round approach and worth looking at.

Another program well worth researching is The Zone which helps you to target a goal and shows how to get there. There are a couple of books you need, but you can probably get them in the library for review. People I know who have used it have felt GREAT!

As with other areas in your life, you need control. That means not eating with your parents. You are well versed in their health problems. How do you think you can avoid them by eating as they do?

Get back in that gym and look up Lose it! If my sister ca do it, you can.

[InbetweenDreams]

[MENTION=20933]LJay[/MENTION] No I don't really want to take a pill and lose weight lol. I know a lot of that crap is nonsesne, like Lipozene or whatever it is called.

I know one of my co-workers was very obese at one point and he was one who took a lot of ephedrine and lost a lot but he also went to the gym like crazy, runs a lot...

It seems that food is king. I also don't agree that exercise decreases appetite, I usually end up eating more, if not the same day, the next day. Eating is the problem, yeah I can be obsessive and track calories but I feel that will be temporary like everything else I have tried.

I do think going back to the gym is a good idea... I don't know I if I will renew my membership but I may just pay for a day pass or something...they're just too expensive and there are free gyms that have weights and treadmills and so on...the pool on the other hand is what makes them more attractive.

Now if we rewind to last December...I quit drinking soda...lost a lot of weight in one month, like 17 lbs...kept it up, starting doing meal prep. The one thing I remember was that I stayed hungry quite a bit and with meal prep you eat the same thing and get bored with it.... Then you always are thinking about it all, losing weight and eating, etc. It's insane and I hate it.

Anyway, what about these so-called fiber drinks that are supposed to make you feel full? (Link in my OP)

[LJay]

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION]: Well, the drink looks to me like another version of Metamucil. It is made by the same company. Not sure what the difference may be. I would ask your pharmacist about the difference and your doctor about prolonged usage.

High fiber food swill do pretty much the same thing, perhaps not as conveniently, though certainly in a more satisfying way for one who loves to eat. Do you get 25-30 grams of fiber per day? Really? Try doing a detailed log for a week. I'll bet that you do not come anywhere near that. Few people do.

Believe me, my oatmeal and blueberries in the morning does much to avert hunger and it is cheap, tastes great and is fast to put together.

[artyboy]

Only eat what you need, or actually eat less than that. Fasting isn't a bad idea either.

I've stabilised my weight by only eating under 1200 calories a day.
I'm disabled so I can't exercise that well.

[InbetweenDreams]

Only eat what you need, or actually eat less than that. Fasting isn't a bad idea either.

I've stabilised my weight by only eating under 1200 calories a day.
I'm disabled so I can't exercise that well.

Well eating what one's needs are is easier said than done. If it were easy to just eat what I needed to live on then there wouldn't be much point in the thread.

For most people, eating 1200 Calories a day can be dangerous. Me, my daily caloric needs are supposedly around 2200-2400 calories...but that's assuming I exercise moderately...a few times a week on average... Right now it's probably closer to 2,000.

At any rate. My big problem that leads me to overeating is eating too fast. A lot of that came from the places I worked at really didn't allow much of a lunch break...and my past jobs were pretty stressful. I'm a stress eater...Not everyone is, some people I know don't eat anything when they get stressed...Mind you stress itself is very bad for you.

So the thing I need to figure out how to do is to simply slow down, and consciously pay attention to eating...pretty difficult. Especially at work since I don't get a real lunch break....I do but I don't I have to stay behind a watch the phones so my break can often be interrupted and other distractions.

Anyway, I'll look at the app and see what it does. I think it is going to be hard to use it and have it fit my schedule...everything seems rushed on a daily basis...getting up and having breakfast, getting to work on time, eating lunch, eating dinner, trying to exercise...Trying to make time to the things that actually matter in life often get put on hold or people end up being busy or whatever... Things are out of balance, it is as simple as that.

[InbetweenDreams]

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION]: Well, the drink looks to me like another version of Metamucil. It is made by the same company. Not sure what the difference may be. I would ask your pharmacist about the difference and your doctor about prolonged usage.

High fiber food swill do pretty much the same thing, perhaps not as conveniently, though certainly in a more satisfying way for one who loves to eat. Do you get 25-30 grams of fiber per day? Really? Try doing a detailed log for a week. I'll bet that you do not come anywhere near that. Few people do.

Believe me, my oatmeal and blueberries in the morning does much to avert hunger and it is cheap, tastes great and is fast to put together.

Here lately I have probably been consuming well over 2,500 calories... Hell could have been double a time or two. Been doing bonfires, smoked sausages and whatnot...none are things I need to be eating, but it has been a way to spend time with my dad and try to de-stress.

Anyway, I'll look at the app and see if there might be a way to make it all fit...Got to try something I suppose because as I said the eating is the problem.

[TwisttheLeaf]

I personally don't suggest dietary aids like that. I've heard a LOT of stories about thing going wrong with that kind of stuff. The "easy way" to a goal just isn't always a good idea, or healthy... no matter how tempting.

My suggestion is 1) Drink at least 8 oz of water prior to any food you eat or any meals. It helps fill you up so you don't eat as much.

2) Start slowly (in small increments) cutting back on portion a bit. Not all at once, but a little at a time. Your stomach (the organ) stretches and shrinks to accommodate what one eats regularly. If you gorge regularly, your stomach will have stretched in order to accommodate all that food coming in at once. Someone who regularly eats smaller portions is unable to gorge in the same way, as their stomach has shrunk and can't handle the same volume of food. By slowly decreasing how much you eat at one sitting, you will shrink the stomach over time and the smaller portions won't come as such a shock to you physically or psychologically.

[InbetweenDreams]

I'd say my stomach is probably stretched out lol... In all seriousness it probably is. All I know is that if I don't get my act together I'm going to end up like one of these ham radio guys I was talking to this evening. His diabetes is so out of control that he's lost several of his toes, now two of his fingers (he burned one of them down to the bone) and smoke's like a freight train. It is so damn sad seeing a guy who's about my parent's age who I'm afraid won't be around much longer for the way he's going and he's a nice guy on top of that.

However, my main reason in addition to health is that who wants to hitch up with a, let's just say it, fat guy? I mean I may pull off being 215 or whatever I weigh right now, alright, but I really ought to be around 170... that's 45 lbs. Let's just say I need to burn 157,500 calories more than I take in...Suppose I create a 500 calorie deficit, that would take a year basically (315 days)...The thing is, in reality it will probably take longer. I have to find a way to do it and stick to it and not be miserable. I got too many irons in the fire, or soon will... I remember what happened when I stopped drinking soda...I was an emotional wreck, had terrible headaches.

I think I need to have more stuff to do, out of the office. The more I am out and about, the less I think about food. One thing, when I was still a smoker I could smoke and put off eating...of course smoking to lose weight is like fucking for virginity. Anyway, I think I need to approach this again, like I started, just this time I'm not training for a triathlon, I'm doing it so I can stay healthy, or get healthy. If the doctor had it her way I'd be on a statin and I'm not quite ready to trash my liver and kidneys to change a number but that's another topic for discussion.

I just need to get back into the routine I had last spring. I mean I was losing weight. Hell, when I was running on the treadmill I got down to having a 7:30 pace...but because I was trying to get good at so many things I slipped out of it before I actually got out to the dam to run and I basically never broke under 10:00 pace...now I'm basically at square one. I think I pretty much need to work on one thing at a time. I like jogging and biking...swimming, eh, it can be fun but without anyone really working with me to help me be better at swimming. Unless I can find proper swimming classes and I don't actually see one offered at the gym I go to probably best to leave it be. I think meal prep might be the way to go to be honest. You know the irony was that about the time I sat down to calculate how many calories I was eating at lunch was about the time I stopped losing weight. I know eating the same meal for lunch gets boring, so does having oatmeal for breakfast but I don't know what I can try that doesn't screw me up. It was when I changed things, tried doing things differently that slowed me down. At least that's how I see it in hindsight. I went from having like a chicken and vegetables to a 4 course lunch, all frozen in a container, but I wasn't really counting the calories, I was judging things by the food. Yeah, I had healthy food, but it was too much food, plain and simple.

Anyway, I'm ranting and rambling now. I think I have some ideas that might get me on a better track. Unfortunately, everything I can do is limited for a while.

[Camfer]

It might take 18 - 24 months to lose that much weight. You can do it.

I don't think the speed at which you eat is all that much of an issue. True, if you eat slowly, you might develop a feeling of satiety before you eat everything you have in front of you. The real trick is to just put less food in front of you. Use a small plate so the amount of food fills the plate, but the portions are appropriate for your real activity level.

Drinking a big glass of when hungry and right before meals can help. I suggest 2x what Twist suggests. Go for a quart/litre of water when you feel hungry, then wait 20 minutes.

Even if the food in the home isn't all that healthy, you can still do okay by eating less of it. Eating fried food is not the best, so eat half your normal portion and you just cut the calories from that item by half.

Portion control is your best strategy.

Instead of trying to replace the entire meal that is offered, consider replacing just one item in the meal. For example, roast yourself some sweet potatoes and eat one, or a half of one, as a substitute for something that is less healthy and higher calories.

Look at your snacking. Substitute an apple or some beef jerky for whatever you have been choosing, if you have to snack at all. Try the water trick first.

Balanced complex carbs, not a low carb diet. Just get rid of the white bread, white rice, pasta, bagels, donuts, cakes, cookies, sugar etc. Replace with sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc.

You can swim without additional swim lessons. In fact, your inefficient current swimming technique might be great for weight loss and cardio training.

Finally, it's okay to be hungry from time to time. Seems like some people are afraid of that sensation. It's okay to feel hungry. It's okay to get up from the table after you've eaten some food, but not enough to make you feel stuffed. You can develop an awareness around your eating that will allow you to get in touch with how much food it is really appropriate for you to eat to achieve your goals.