pinenutcasserole

I cracked 150 last week - had been hanging around there for ages! Now into the 140s, which is fab. I'm doing 6 days a week of some thing or other now, vs 4, which I'm sure is helping.

But with regard to eating, I only recently realized that Fitday tracking has taught me to attend to satiety. I've re-learned how to eat! The 'full' feeling I used to have at the end of almost every meal would now make me uncomfortable. (Actually tried this out the other day, mostly because I wanted to carb my way out of a hangover - bad! - and it felt AWFUL.)

I can say I haven't obsessed over numbers - been focusing more on quality, and failing there sometimes too. I very roughly aim for between 1200 and 1500 cals a day, and for the 'calorie balance' bars to show more expenditure than intake, and adjust the next days if I've eaten too much. And I've lapsed with the tracking some, too.

But now, even when I don't track until the end of the day, I find I only want to eat btwn 1200 and 1500 - I leave a table feeling sort of 4/5ths full. Which leaves me feeling both satisfied and mobile, if you know what I mean... I no longer have to sit for a bit to digest my food. I feel like I've re-set my hunger levels, weirdly!

I'll continue to track obviously, in case of slippage, but how interesting that one's subjective feelings of hunger can be so altered just by tracking!

Kathy13118

I don't know about that yahoo paragraph. There are lots of studies out there and unless you're looking at them, the allusion to SOME studies can be pretty persuasive, without seeing the other studies, too.

What I do know is that you don't have to do much to have fat flooding into your diet. I try to NOT add any fat to my normal diet and I still come up with percentages like yesterday's - 24% - just because so much fat is added to food and is a component of so many natural foods. This is not a big deal, it's just that fat has 9 calories a gram (compared to 4 calories a gram for carbs and protein) so it's easy to eat a lot more calories.

I try to watch the saturated fat, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat percentages on fitday. I cannot imagine how to get 30% monounsaturated fat. I get 10% on a good day - using Benecol spread and Smart Balance Peanut Butter (both are high in monounsaturated fat and low in saturated fat). There are monounsaturated fats in meats, for example, but they are matched and exceeded by saturated fats in the same meats. I think it would be really a feat to have 30% monounsaturated fat show up on the fitday chart that accompanies the food log.

rpmcduff

What is your fat intake? Fat, beside being essential for nutrient transfer and neurological functions has been shown to satiate hunger. I personally will eat about 10 almonds and drink a glass of water when I am feeling hungry. I beleive the healthy fats in the almonds help be conquer my hunger pains.

I have read of others strategies for over coming their hunger by using popcorn, vegetable sticks (celery, carrots, brocolli, etc.), and sugar free pudding. Do some experimenting to find what works for you. I don't believe any life style change that has you hungry all the time is sustainable long term.

I can be satisfied at 1300-1400 calories but I have had to change what I eat to include more vegetables and salads (with little dressing) so the quantity of food I eat now is greater but less calorie dense.

Kathy13118

Oil is going to pump up your calorie count. There are less than half the calories of oil in the same quantity (grams) of carb or protein.

Fiber: an apple has fiber. But there are lots of foods that have fiber, and some may be much more effective at helping you feel filling. Protein is also filling. So, if you can combine those two, you've probably got a winner. I am a big fan of GG crackers (Whole Foods has them, also amazon.com) even though they are basically pressed bran and you wouldn't seek them out if you were looking for a tasty cracker. As far as filling you up, they do just that. With some low-fat cottage cheese, that's a good filling snack. Eat two or three - they are extremely low in calories (in fact, they show up having zero points plus on the WW calculations!).

FutureizNow

It's a good question. If it were obvious how much to eat there would be many fewer unhealthy people.

But perhaps more important than how much you should eat is *what* you should be eating! Because generally speaking this determines a lot of your hunger. Do you have a handle on what you are eating and what you want to be eating?

Again, generally speaking, healthy, nutritious foods are going to fill you more more than unhealthy ones. They create fewer cravings and satisfy. Your body knows this and does make it pretty clear that it is done eating. On the other hand, sweets, salty snacks and fatty foods (or some combinations thereof - eg, buffalo wings) can be eaten nearly to the pont of no return. If you are mainly eating "junk" then it will be hard to get and hear the message to stop.

On the other hand, if you make a varied selection of healthy foods - the food pyramid is not a bad place to start - have a goodly amount of protein, dairy, vegetables, whole grains and fruit, you body should find its own way. You should be eat according to your needs and maintain your weight. I've heard the fistful of protein example as well, and it is not a bad guideline, though if you are hungry lean protein going to fill you better than most other foods.

You don't indicate if you are dieting or just trying to maintain your weight. If you are trying to lose weight, then you also need to cut calories below your requirements, and may not be able to eat as freely. In that case, in general portion control is more important. I don't think it's crucial that all meals be the same size. If you are not tired or lethargic from skipping breakfast and catch up on the nutrients later in the day then that is ok as well. However if you find your studies or work suffer then you should have something. A fruit, some cereal (oats are great), glass of milk, etc to get you going.

Hope this helps ...

FIN

boolz

I agree with the others about experimenting. It sounds like you basically do like I do: higher protein. For me, that's key. When I get the right protein balance/amount, I have little or no hunger, even with few calories. Some things to consider experimenting with:

- does it make a difference when you eat your protein? For me, it works best if it's fairly evenly split between the 3 meals.

- What proportion of carbs/fats/proteins gives you the best hunger control? For me, I need carbs to be no more than a third of my calories, and protein to be at least a third, better if it's 35-40%. I can tolerate a pretty wide fluctuation in fat% without it effecting my hunger feelings, but try to keep it under 33% or it tends to rob me of protein calories.

- Are there any foods that just plain make you feel fuller, for no obvious reason? I can't explain it, but, for me the order of hunger satisfaction is: beef/pork > turkey > fish > chicken > eggs. (assuming equal amounts of lean choices). I eat all of those choices, but use that knowledge to balance a day, ie not have a day where my protein is eggs for breakfast, fish for lunch, chicken for dinner. That will leave me hungry.

Anyway, for me, the whole secret is in the protein management, but it took a bit of noticing to make it really work.

AmJam04

Hey guys!

So I've been trying to read about some ways that can assist in losing extra weight, and one of them is drinking a lot of water.

Basically, I've read that it's important to stay hydrated throughout the day (which is sort of a no-brainer, since doing that in general helps your overall health) but also that drinking a cold glass of water before every meal and attempting to replace a craving with a glass of water is supposed to help you feel more full and your body has to put in a little extra work to warm itself up again after the icey-cold water hits your stomach.

mecompco

I'm all for moderation. As you point out, a "diet" is a short-term affair. A lifestyle change is what many of us need--one that we can live with forever.

I personally have chosen to abstain from any desert-type items as they are a particular trigger for me. Anything else, though, is fine--just in moderation.

I do like to eat at least 100 grams of protein a day and try to eat "good" foods including fruits and veggies every day. I also do best when I limit simple carbs so I eat whole wheat bread and the like.

Regards,
Michael

rpmcduff

While simple carbs like sugar and white flour are often identified as anti-weight loss foods because of their fast digesting calories, alcohol is often overlooked. Yet alcohol has 7 kcal per gram, simple carbs only 4.

In my opinion the freshman 10 or 15 pound weight gain isn't because there is plentiful food at the cafeteria. It is because of an increase in alcohol consumption. I enjoy a good beer as much as the next guy but my consumption has gone to less than 1 per week because I now understand the consequences.

taubele

I generally have 1-2 "cheat" days per month -- I usually don't plan them (unless there is a holiday or a known party coming) but rather, I just have a day where I'm feeling really hungry and I just let my body guide me on it. Those hungry days come less and less often now, so it's easier for me to feel okay about giving myself the cheat. My cheat days tend to run me 1800-2200 calories (though I've been known to hit closer to 3k sometimes), and I do log them, unless I am on vacation and away from a computer.

My cheats usually involve lunch or dinner - my breakfast is almost always rigorously controlled because I have stomach troubles if I eat heavy foods soon after waking. I don't have a huge sweet tooth - it's usually salty/savory or fried food that I want!!

The danger comes when a "cheat day" turns into a "cheat week" and you start getting back into old/bad habits. If you're thinking about cheats, maybe ease into them - give yourself a "cheat snack" or a "cheat dessert" and see if it triggers you to eat more for more than that one meal or snack? Then you'll see what you can and can't handle.

My personal philosophy on "cheats" is this: I don't believe that a diet which focuses on cutting out foods is one that will work in the long run (the exception may be vegetarianism/veganism). I think one should be able to eat everything one wants to - just mindfully, and in moderation. So if you're craving a food that's a little less healthy, that's okay - just be mindful of every bite, and REALLY enjoy it Making yourself feel deprived isn't going to do any favors for your diet or lifestyle, it's just going to make you feel resentful. Sit there and eat it slowly, indulge your senses, don't gobble it down like it's your last meal! I find that's what helps me, anyway.