Feeling Full and How I Overcome Cravings

[silver_blue]

I’ve noticed that since I’ve been eating healthier, my body has been feeling full longer and I’ve been needing to eat a lot less. I used to eat sooo much and never feel satisfied. Now, I’ll eat a medium sized apple and a turkey sandwich with spinach and feel like I overate. I’m still trying to figure out the feeling of when I’m actually full or when I’ve eaten too much, but I’m doing much better than I have in the past.

Tips on how to actually accomplish eating less and feeling full longer are as follows:

1). Drink water. I know that this has been said to DEATH, but it is so so important. Sometimes your body will tell you it’s hungry, but you’re really just dehydrated. I find that drinking water not only helps me to satisfy unnecessary feelings of hunger, but also helps out your body a lot. I have severely oily skin, but when I’m drinking 9 cups of water a day, my skin and hair feel amazing for days on end without having me to wash them every day.

2). Less carbs, more of the good stuff. This one is more of a personal choice since my diet is ketogenic. Eating meats, fruits, fats, and vegetables are mandatory. By eating more fats and less carbs, your body will actually rewrite itself to burn off excess fat instead of the sugars found in carbs. Yes, it’s ok to have SOME carbs that aren’t in vegetables, but the less you have it, the healthier you’ll be.

3). Give your body time. I know that in the beginning, I was so so hungry almost every 2-3 hours and I just wanted to binge. Don’t. It takes time for your body to get used to these new changes in your diet. Once it does, you’ll notice that you’re feeling fuller longer, and that you’re eating less.

Now onto the most difficult part of any new lifestyle/diet: Cravings. They’re the worst. The way I do my best to not give into them by reminding myself that Cravings aren’t worth it. Believe me when I say, that I LOVE everything I shouldn’t have. Pizza, pasta, cheeseburgers, french fries, milkshakes, breadsticks, cakes, etc. However, I found that whenever I did indulge, I was always disappointed because it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it’d be. Sometimes cravings are that great, but most of the time you just feel sick and gross afterwards. I remember having a cheeseburger for the first time after a couple weeks of eating better, and it was extremely salty. My mouth was coated in the fat and it was gross to me. It’s because your taste buds are going to change and morph as you go through this journey. You can also picture yourself at your end goal and know that that’s what you’re working towards. The brownies and the ice cream will be waiting for you when you’re all done. Just be sure to limit yourself and to continue looking after your body. Hope this helps! Please comment any questions you may have!

[Zest]

Hi silver_blue

Glad to hear you're enjoying a Healthy lifestyle and thanks for sharing your experiences. I hope you'll enjoy participating here in the Healthy Eating forum, and that you're having an enjoyable weekend.

Zest

[Hidden]

Hi silver_blue, I think that the reason you feel full for longer is healthy foods satisfy us whereas a junk food diet leaves people over fed and undernourished so their bodies are constantly craving nutrients, hence the hunger pangs...😊

[andyswarbs]

Jerry is right on the money. Cravings imply your body is short of some nutrient or other. That, for many people may be caused not because they are not eating the right foods, but rather because their body does not metabolise properly.

By increasing the meat in your diet you are hiding the problem for now. But hiding is not the same as getting rid of the problem. I would argue that you need to sort out why you are not metabolising food properly. I hope I am wrong but, without that understanding, downstream I predict you will end up with gastric issues SIBO, IBS etc.

[silver_blue in reply to andyswarbs]

I appreciate the concern, and will take that into account. I have had tests run and as far as I know, the doctors haven’t found anything. A lot of my cravings are due to the fact I have Binge Eating Disorder, so I constantly want to eat the junk food I can’t have. When you go from having whatever you want to eating a healthier diet, it’s extremely difficult, especially when you have an eating disorder. Your mind is your enemy and it torments you throughout the process, which feeds my urges to binge eat. I think of it as having this bully constantly looking over everything you do, and no matter how well you do, it still tells you that you’re not trying hard enough. I am getting help for all of these things, and I appreciate the concern ❤️

[Hidden]

Well done on getting rid of the junk, it isn't worth it. I started making raw fruit bars and no longer either crave or enjoy chocolate. I've become Vegan for my health i.e. I suffer with IBS but have noticed a significant change since going Vegan. I now eat the good fats.

[silver_blue in reply to Hidden]

So happy for you!

[Hidden in reply to silver_blue]

Thank you and me you as well, it can be hard but definitely worth persevering.