How do you learn to be satisfied on less food?

[JumpyTheFrog]

I just got over a stomach bug and so my appetite is still on the lower side, although it has returned. I'd like to use this unpleasant kick-start to weight loss as a springboard to further, healthy weight loss. My question is, how do I make sure that I don't go back to eating the larger amounts of food that I'm used to? I'm doing well so far today, but am worried that I'll return to the larger portions I'm used to.

 

I don't want this to be a debate about which way of eating is best or anything. I'm not planning on changing what I eat, just reducing portions.

 

Any ideas? We had already switched to small plates and bowls.

[saraha]

:bigear:   I tried this very thing last time I had a stomach bug.  Needless to say, it didn't work for me.  I hope you get some great advice!

[KungFuPanda]

Get comfortable with the idea and feeling of not 'topping off." Eat until you are no longer hungry, but not until you feel full. Being 3/4 full might feel inadequate if you're always stuffed, but you can embrace it if you're not afraid of it. Eventually, eating to capacity will be the uncomfortable feeling and you won't WANT to stuff yourself. Don't be the person who is terrified of feeling a wee bit of hunger before the next meal.

[Slache]

Smaller plates, more protein, less carbs, little to no prepackaged food, carry a water bottle with a large spout.

[Night Elf]

For me, the weight loss was the most important thing. The first week was kind of hard because I was eating less than I was used to eating, but I really wanted to lose weight so I dealt with it. When I lost weight that first week, it motivated me to continue. I loved seeing the scale go down. And honestly, after a while, I got used to eating less food. If I tried to eat too much, I felt very sick to my stomach. I still have days when I want to snack all day though and I've been on a weight loss and management program for 3 years now. I do have days when I eat more than I should, but they are rare. I just track every BLT: bite, lick, taste. That usually holds me accountable to stop eating when I've had too much. And once I reached my goal weight, I have kept it off because being 50 lbs. lighter just feels so good. It's still a challenge though, but one I've managed to keep up.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I will say that I eat too quickly. Is there an easy way to slow down my natural chewing speed? Or do I just have to "manually" do it until someday chewing slowly begins to feel more natural?

[Guest]

I'm with Sadie.  

 

Orthodox Christians fast about 1/2 the days of the year (abstain from certain foods, eat smaller portions) and at first it is WEIRD to be hungry and not do something about it right this very minute now now now!  But we *use* the hunger to remind us of our hunger for God--and turn to prayer.  We use the hunger to remind us that some people *live* like this, with hunger, all the time--and we turn to charity and giving.  Maybe these can be of some help to you.

 

The other thing I have to say is that in *general* (YMMV), we eat really fast in America. We don't linger over our food.  It takes 3x as long to make it as to eat it.  To use the motto of a great diner I used to frequent, "Eat it and beat it."  But if you can learn to eat more slowly (count to 20 between bites, or say something as part of a conversation between bites) and slow down the eating process, that might help.  Your body needs a little time to feel full. 

 

I have learned to make sure I get enough fat and protein at each meal...carbs burn off too fast and I have an incredibly high metabolic rate.  In my twenties I ate more calories per day than most professional football players eat...and never gained an ounce.  I still don't gain weight...high metabolism.  But if all I have is carbs, I'm totally messed up.  

 

And finally, sugar can be a cue to your body that it is done.  So have a cup of tea with a leetle bit of sugar in it at the end of the meal.  Or a *small* bowl of ice cream.  That's a great one, actually, because the sugar and the fat make you feel full and the cold freezes your taste buds so you don't really have the same taste sensation anymore.

 

I know I have a lot of nerve posting on here as a non-weight gainer, but I do get the hungries many times in a day and sometimes I have to just DEAL with it.  :0)

 

Good luck to you.  I have a relative who used the stomach flu recovery as a path to better eating.  She took off more than 30 pounds in the flu and by keeping smaller portions, she kept it off...and lost 20 more which she has kept off.  She's stable at a weight that is 10 pounds over perfect and she's just fine with that.  :0)  

[hornblower]

Slow down eating, avoid reading or tv or web surfing while eating, drink a glass of water before a meal. If you think you want seconds, tell  yourself you can have seconds but you have to wait 20 minutes. I find it's often the mouth & the eyes that want it, the stomach was all done (& the brain is going are you kidding me? You didn't really need any of that... :D  )

When I'm being good, I have green smoothies before my meals. Clear low cal soups also work to fill you.  I don't do well with hunger in the daytime - I get super irritable & stop thinking well so I do eat small meals frequently. I'm sometimes hungry in the evening but I just go to bed.

[fairfarmhand]

Start using dessert or salad plates.

 

Stay busy. Don't think about what you're not eating.

 

Put extras in the fridge after everyone's plates are fixed or at least get them off the table.

 

Remember that slightly hungry (not STARVING, but a little on empty) means that you are losing weight.

 

Fool yourself into waiting (If I am HUNGRY in an hour, I'll get a bit extra of dinner, but not ice cream or chips or whatever)

 

For ice cream use those tiny sundae cups.

 

Start the day with fat and protein. Too many carbs for me means that I crave cookies all day long!

 

Don't buy little bitty snacks that are just one bite. A bag of Hershey's kisses can kill my willpower.

[marbel]

I lost some weight a few years ago.  It was relatively easy to do, and I'm kicking myself for starting to gain it back, but it is my own fault because I have stopped following the basic principles:

 

- Eat only when physically hungry.  Not for fun, not for comfort, not because everyone else is, but when physically feeling hunger. 

 

- Eat very very slowly, savoring the food and really tasting every bite.   Be aware of your body's signals that you have had enough. Don't ignore them because the food is tasty, or you don't want to waste it.  

 

- Eat only foods you truly like, so you feel satisfied.

 

I agree with those who say we (general we) don't wait for hunger to eat.  I think we've been taught that feeling hunger is a bad thing.  It's actually good to feel hunger - just not for a long time and not till ravenous. 

[myfantasticfour]

Things that have helped me a lot are:

 

Buying only old dishes from the 1970's or before, that were made back when a cup of coffee was 5 oz. and a large mug, 10 oz, and a bowl that was for one person instead of a serving dish, held so little by today's standards, that you'd assume it was a ramekin now. Even dinner plates back then, were more the size of what we'd call luncheon plates or breakfast plates, now. Juice, if you drink it at all, should be in 4 oz juice glasses, and because modern "juice glasses" in dishware sets tend to be a whopping 10-12 oz, I recommend Goodwill or garage sales, for old jelly jar glasses that actually are 4 oz, or antique juice glasses.

 

Not eating out as a general rule also helps, because restaurant portions just keep getting larger and larger, and set our expectations on "absurd" if we experience that too often.

 

Eating only at the table, sitting down, when at home, and restricting all snacks to the kitchen, helps a LOT. If you have a ritual of bringing a treat with you, to sit at the computer, or read a book or watch TV, you can keep your treat ritual, just make it an attractive glass of water with ice and lemon, or seltzer, or a hot tea or whatever you prefer (so long as it's not a whipped-cream caramel latte).

 

Eating more protein and fats, and far fewer carbs, really makes a difference for me, both in weight, and in how satisfied I feel. Anything too high-glycemic sets me on a blood-sugar roller coaster and invokes cravings and addictive behavior, if eaten in any quantity, so I generally reserve treats for very small, very pretty old-fashioned dessert bowls, eat in tiny bites, and with great relish, and only after a good, satisfying meal, so I don't feel the temptation to fill up on treats.

 

I also learned, just this winter, to be okay with feeling the sensation of hunger. It's really not an emergency! I used to eat by habit, and feeling hungry had nothing to do with it. I wasn't even aware of the question of hunger; I just ate because it was time to, or because I was bored and wanted some stimulation of my taste buds. Now, I try to ask myself what I'm really after, if I go into the kitchen. And if I get hungry while preparing lunch, instead of munching something while cooking, I think about how much better the meal is going to taste, now that I'm hungry for it! And it's true: it does!

 

Doing this has allowed me to reset my portion norms, and allowing myself to feel hunger before eating, and acknowledging that feeling hungry is not an emergency, that I can wait and will still not starve, has helped my stomach shrink a bit, I think, because now I feel satisfied on less than I used to require when I ate without really noticing that I was eating.

 

Hope this helps any!

[Guest]

Can you just snack on peppers or something healthy??

[LucyStoner]

Being able to eat a lot of nutrient dense, relatively low calorie things is what helps me. Like spinach, peppers, broccoli etc.

[Guest]

Being busy helps me. If I'm sitting around, it seems like I should eat something, but if I have an agenda, I "forget" to eat.

[Guest]

I will say that I eat too quickly. Is there an easy way to slow down my natural chewing speed? Or do I just have to "manually" do it until someday chewing slowly begins to feel more natural?

Put down your utensils and sit up straight. You can even get all "woo-woo" about it and thank God (or whomever) for the food; appreciate how it tastes, smells, feels, looks.

 

Also, while i'm eating non-socially (such as lunch, usually eating by myself) I read a magazine while i eat. This also slows me down because im focused on the reading more than gobbling up another bite.

[Jasperstone]

I will say that I eat too quickly. Is there an easy way to slow down my natural chewing speed? Or do I just have to "manually" do it until someday chewing slowly begins to feel more natural?

This^^^^^

 

 

I try and chew for around 30 times to help with digestion.

[KungFuPanda]

I will say that I eat too quickly. Is there an easy way to slow down my natural chewing speed? Or do I just have to "manually" do it until someday chewing slowly begins to feel more natural?

Have courses. Eat a small salad, then wait at least ten minutes. Then, get a small plate of food, eat it, and wait at least 15 minutes. If you MUST have seconds, get a small amount and take your time. Eventually you can get used to making dinner last an hour. It's not weird. Lots of perfectly normal people spend an hour eating dinner. Really.

[Guest]

Buying only old dishes from the 1970's or before, because these days, it seems that single-serving bowls in dish sets, are the size soup tureens used to be, and coffee or tea cups, which were once 4 or 5 oz, or for large mugs, were a mere 10 oz, these days start at 16 oz and go up from there, to bucket-sized! Even forks and spoons are so large, I wonder how anyone gets them into their mouths, and I know for a fact that silverware was not shovel-sized when I was a child, nor in my mother's fine sterling. But look at flatware sets these days, and it seems the forks were meant for hay, and the spoons are serving-spoon-sized.

 

This is such a great point! I didn't really notice it as a "nowadays" thing, but whenever I have looked at the utensils for sale, they seem so large! They often make me think of the utensils at The Outback Steakhouse. Paul Bunyan forks.

 

P.S. Although I confess I like my coffee or tea in a big mug and tea cups are for parties with toddlers! :D

[Guest]

Smaller plates, more protein, less carbs, little to no prepackaged food, carry a water bottle with a large spout.

 

Totally agree with the bolded.  I almost always have a water bottle with me.  When I get the urge to snack on things when I really shouldn't, I drink water instead.  

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I am a grazer. I eat fruits, cut up veggies, and a shot-glass full of nuts throughout the day. I often skip either lunch or dinner. I never want seconds as I think my stomach has shrunk due to my grazing and I really don't like feeling stuffed.

 

I try to only eat snacks that are packaged individually. If I want oreos, I split a 6-pack/lunchbox size package with dh. However, if my mom makes two dozen homemade gingersnaps, all bets are off and I will eat and eat and eat..

 

Fwiw, I'm doing Whole30 with my dh and I really miss grazing and hate eating three large meals required by w30. By dinner, I have no appetite so I just eat a small dinner. Dh is doing well on it...so I'm sticking with it. 8 days to go.

[milovany]

I've learned to like being hungry.  I prefer being on the edge of hunger most of the time and then eating something satisfying but not something that stuffs me full.  (I prefer this, but don't always accomplish it!  I do like to eat, too, and have a daughter that loves to cook really good food so it's a constant struggle for me.).  The Orthodox fasting practice/mindset that Patty Joanna mentioned above helps a lot. 

[Mommy22alyns]

I lost weight by counting calories, so I weighed and measured everything. I realized that I was eating way more than I needed to.

 

When I eat, I make sure to take a bite or two, then have a sip of my drink, repeat. Often I multitask so I'm not paying complete attention to my meal.

[KungFuPanda]

If you like Corelle dishes, they have luncheon-sized plates and small bowls that really are good for serving up respectable dinner portions. Goodwill always has these.

[Btervet]

I've done best when drinking a full glass of water immediately before I sit down to eat a meal. I also use tic tacs to help me with snack cravings, as snacks are my biggest challenge.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I've learned to like being hungry. I prefer being on the edge of hunger most of the time and then eating something satisfying but not something that stuffs me full.

Can you expand on this a bit? At first glance, it sounds almost like an eating disorder, although I'm sure you mean something else.

[Anne in CA]

Keeping busy during times you would normally eat things you shouldn't can be very helpful. If I have a "free" afternoon I like to read, but I have learned that I will snack when I do so, so now I only read when it's okay to have a snack, and do fun projects on any afternoon I would be tempted to eat too much.

[Joyoustxmama]

Drinking water or having broth before you eat.

Make only enough food to have 1 serving, or make the usual but immediate freeze half for use later, so the temptation is less.

Waiting 20 minutes after your 1st serving before allowing yourself another. It takes a bit for your stomach to get the "full" message to your brain.

Get a daily weight tracker app (seeing the small consistent losses can help you motivate).

 

These are all things that worked for me trying to lose baby weight (I always gain 50-60 lbs and need to work hard to shed the last 30 post birth.) I like big servings... and I like to eat. ;)

[trulycrabby]

It takes a little while for your body adjust, but it does become the body's new normal and you do adjust. I sometimes sip on water with apple cider vinegar to reduce cravings.

[6packofun]

I'm someone who cannot lose weight without dieting AND exercising.  I have to make sure that nearly everything I eat is WORTH it!  lol  I'm also never truly *full* and feel some hunger on most days.  I don't go overboard on carbs and think my diet--when I'm doing well and being intentional about it--is very good.  I just have to get used to being a little hungry at certain times of the day.  I'm a night owl and so this is absolutely the hardest in the evening.  If I eat a light snack at 7:30 or 8 (no later) and go to bed near 1 a.m. that's a long time to be consciously aware that I haven't eaten in 4-5 hours!!  LOL  So I try to be sure that I don't stay up too late.

 

Editing to add that I try to snack twice a day and really get in a good dose of filling protein for those!  Here are some good suggestions:  http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1938

[ErinE]

Eating food while sitting down, even snacks. I don't get to do this for breakfast, but I usually eat a small breakfast anyways.

 

Understand real portion sizes. There are several internet articles showing the visual size of servings. This helps me when I don't want to pull out the kitchen scale.

 

Recognize you're done eating when you're no longer hungry. To me, feeling "full" means I ate too much.

 

At dinner and lunch, I put down the utensil and asking myself after the first few bites, "Am I really hungry or am I bored?" It helps me recognize the difference between hunger and satiated. If I'm done (no longer hungry, but not full), I remove the food or push away the plate and put my napkin on top if it's a family dinner. This is a visual and physcial cue that I'm done eating.

[Guest]

Can you expand on this a bit? At first glance, it sounds almost like an eating disorder, although I'm sure you mean something else.

I am not milovany, but she is not talking about an eating disorder. Patty joanna is saying a similar thing up thread. I believe they are speaking about it more from a faith perspective, but even from a human evolution standpoint, it does not make sense that humans should or must eat any time they experience any hunger. Speaking from an evolutionary standpoint, would it be logical to expect humans to wake in the morning and have a belly-stuffing meal within minutes? Likewise, ancient peoples would have often been hungry without the ability to eat right away and hardly ever without expending energy to secure the food.

 

I think this is one reason first world humankind has such a difficult time eating moderately. Because we've been trained to think if we (esp. Women) delay eating or choose not to eat when we feel hunger, then we have an eating disorder and are fat-phobic. That is one thing I like about the way Paleo eating has become widely known. It makes sense to me to eat the way ancient humans would have (at least in some approximations). Part of that is understanding ancient humans did not likely have the ability to eat regularly and in belly-stuffing quantities ever time.

[Justified]

I find it is helpful to have just an eight or ten hour window to eat all my calories. I started with ten at first because I would get this hangry/I'm-gonna-eat-a-kid feeling trying to do the eight hour window. I have worked up to an eight hour window without any hangry moments. I feel satisfied. Also a too low fat diet will make you tired and depressed, and a too low carb diet will make you tired and naseous. Both situations led to hangry binges. Good luck. I finally found a great diet that works for me. Good luck finding one that works for you. Don't give up. Try a new technique each week. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many restrictions. Get healthy and nurture yourself so you can recover well.

[milovany]

Can you expand on this a bit? At first glance, it sounds almost like an eating disorder, although I'm sure you mean something else.

 

What Quill said.  I like the natural, normal cycle of eat something (hopefully something satisfying, but not overly filling because that's not ever a happy place physically), then wait until I'm hungry again, and then eventually eat something satisfying again.  A regular part of the Orthodox faith is moderation/strictness in what we eat (esp. according to the fasting days Patty Joanna mentioned above, but really the ideal is at all times), so in that for my faith I can learn to embrace hunger rather than seeing it as something to avoid.  I think this is both spiritually and physically healthy.  (Again, all that said, I'm not very good at it, but I'm thankful for the tools the Church has given us in aiming toward success with this practice!)

[Momof3]

Drink plenty of water. Throughout the day. (This is the most important aspect IMO. Most people just don't drink enough water.) I'm working on backing off sugar...and I've found that a lot of times when I'm craving sugar, my body is actually screaming for water. I just can't hear it. :)

 

Don't eat to be 'full'. Eat to be not hungry. Our food is made to appeal to our taste buds. We often eat more than we need b/c our taste buds are screaming for more... But you sometimes have to pause long enough to let your stomach realize that it actually isn't hungry anymore... Chewing slowly is part of that, too. 

 

Only eat at the kitchen table (or wherever). If you have a designated place, it prevents the grab n' go snack-thru-the-day potentiality.

 

Take care of yourself. Eating is one way to cope with depression/feeling 'down'... If you feel better about whatever you're going to do after a meal/snack, you won't spend as long at the table. :)

[Heidi]

Great tips! Replying so I can come back and read it again.

[Jasperstone]

Another thing I do, is to mix grated raw carrot or zucchini into my pasta or rice dish. Same serving size as everyone else, but lower carb count.

[Night Elf]

Another thing. I rarely restrict myself of certain foods. I eat anything I want but I do it in small portions. Dd made brownies last night. I was happy to have a small piece as I understand that I was feeding my mouth not my stomach. I enjoyed a taste. I couldn't have a diet where foods were restricted. I'd never survive it.

 

Also, I have one particular snack every evening when I go to bed. I really look forward to that snack because it's the only time of day I allow myself to have it. I keep an open space in my daily point total. (I use Weight Watchers, but the word calorie count would work as well).

[MEmama]

Yes to all of the above tips. Also, set an evening cut off time for snacking; this goes along with not being afraid of a little hunger.

 

I often brush and floss right after dinner, which takes away the temptation to snack. It's a very effective mental trick for me.

 

One of the biggest changes I made a couple years ago when losing weight was not eating BEFORE I was hungry. I realized that I would very often eat a snack in anticipation of becoming hungry--like, before leaving the house I'd grab a yogurt or whatever to stave off potential hunger. What I realized when I gave up that habit is that I was actually creating MORE hunger. Because my body didn't need the fuel, the snack would cause my Insulin levels to spike, thereby increasing my need for more food soon after when it crashed again. It was a really sick cycle that I hadn't been aware of until I stopped. Immediately my need for food decreased, bloating was a thing of the past, and I no longer experience sugar and energy crashes. It was a small change and seems obvious now, but it made an enormous positive effect on how my body is allowed to process food.

[MEmama]

Another thing. I rarely restrict myself of certain foods. I eat anything I want but I do it in small portions. Dd made brownies last night. I was happy to have a small piece as I understand that I was feeding my mouth not my stomach. I enjoyed a taste. I couldn't have a diet where foods were restricted. I'd never survive it.

 

Also, I have one particular snack every evening when I go to bed. I really look forward to that snack because it's the only time of day I allow myself to have it. I keep an open space in my daily point total. (I use Weight Watchers, but the word calorie count would work as well).

I agree, allow yourself treats as part of your day. I have a chocolate caramel Luna bar every day; I build the calories in to my daily allotment and just knowing that I can have a chocolate treat after lunch keeps me from needing more throughout the day and keeps me on track. Plus, it's a Luna bar--there are benefits (iron, protein, etc). :)

[Sarah CB]

Have you looked into Whole 30?  I eat three meals a day and don't get hungry in between.  My trainer says it's really hard to overeat when you're eating the right foods (nutrient dense).  The first time I did Whole 30 I wanted to get on the scale so badly - only because I couldn't believe that I could eat so much and still lose weight, but my clothes were all fitting better so I knew something was happening.  

 

I feel like I have way more energy, my sugar cravings are gone, and I don't get headaches anymore.  Plus, I feel like I eat really well - I've found some incredible recipes.

[Chris in VA]

Such good tips--I struggle, so I am grateful you started the thread.

 

I do think I fear hunger. I am going to try to be more comfortable with that discomfort.

 

One little thing that does help me is to look at food from a point of abundance, not deprivation. So I look at all the things I can eat without restriction--all the veggies, fruits, water, etc. It helps me reduce the "fear" of not having enough. There is ALWAYS something I can eat, if I really *need* to. I can ALWAYS have veggies or fruit or water. So I don't have to feel uncomfortably hungry if I don't want to.

 

Maybe just knowing you don't have to reduce portions of those things will help you reduce portions of things that should be less (and that will depend on your particular body, mind and spirit).

[Omma]

Yes, this is a very helpful thread for me right now.  Thank you all!

[speedmom4]

I started doing the No S diet January of last year. It has helped me SO much with portion control. The rules of No S are very simple: No Sweets, No Snacks, No Seconds, except on days that start with S (Saturday/Sunday or special days). Cutting out snacking for me was huge. The author says that in the beginning you will probably overeat when you have your three meals  but over time you will eat less and less. I have definitely found that to be true. I don't freak out when I'm hungry now. It doesn't bother me at all. I also do not enjoy feeling full either. It really upsets my stomach. I've managed to lose 12 pounds and I'm 40. I still want to lose 10 pounds and although the weight comes off slowly I believe I can eat this way for the rest of my life.

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

[GailV]

I will say that I eat too quickly. Is there an easy way to slow down my natural chewing speed? Or do I just have to "manually" do it until someday chewing slowly begins to feel more natural?

 

I've seen suggestions to chew XX number of times, until the food is practically liquid and well mixed with saliva.  People claim that that alone will help weight loss.  I wonder if that's partially because it takes so long to eat that you just figure, "enough already, this is boring, " :001_rolleyes: and stop eating.

[Annie G]

 I wonder if that's partially because it takes so long to eat that you just figure, "enough already, this is boring, " :001_rolleyes: and stop eating.

 

That's how I feel about a big salad. By the time I'm halfway through it, I'm just sick of chewing.  I'm a slow eater so eating a large salad takes forever. 

[Sarah CB]

Such good tips--I struggle, so I am grateful you started the thread.

 

I do think I fear hunger. I am going to try to be more comfortable with that discomfort.

 

One little thing that does help me is to look at food from a point of abundance, not deprivation. So I look at all the things I can eat without restriction--all the veggies, fruits, water, etc. It helps me reduce the "fear" of not having enough. There is ALWAYS something I can eat, if I really *need* to. I can ALWAYS have veggies or fruit or water. So I don't have to feel uncomfortably hungry if I don't want to.

 

Maybe just knowing you don't have to reduce portions of those things will help you reduce portions of things that should be less (and that will depend on your particular body, mind and spirit).

 

I don't think you have to be very comfortable with hunger.  I'm hungry when I wake up, and by the time meals come around I'm definitely hungry, but it's not something I have to live with all day.  Meals are satisfying.  I eat a lot of veggies and some fruit and I make sure that each meal has a good protein source and a source of healthy fat (1/2 to a full avocado, coconut oil, cashews, etc.).  Having protein and a good source of fat is key to feeling satisfied long past meal time.  

 

I just had my post-workout meal - stir fried chicken with 1/2 a potato, tons of green veg (kale, broccoli, chard, snap peas), cashews and sunshine sauce (like peanut satay sauce).  

[gardenmom5]

for me - it was cutting sugar significantly.  I automatically ate less/was full faster.  among other things, sugar changes how the brain recognizes satiation.

 

I eat more vegetables, and avoid fake sugars and sugar substitutes (re: honey is still sugar.) as well as sugar.

[Joules]

In the same vein, how do you all deal with the acid stomach?  Are meds the answer?  If I am hungry, my stomach creates lots of acid and it gets pretty painful.  If I don't eat at night that acid bubbles up into some nasty acid reflux and a chronic sore throat and cough.  So the pain isn't exactly "hunger pains," but pain as a result of hunger.  

 

So I could lose some weight if I went on meds, but I have been looking for other possibilities.

 

 

 

 

[MEmama]

In the same vein, how do you all deal with the acid stomach? Are meds the answer? If I am hungry, my stomach creates lots of acid and it gets pretty painful. If I don't eat at night that acid bubbles up into some nasty acid reflux and a chronic sore throat and cough. So the pain isn't exactly "hunger pains," but pain as a result of hunger.

 

So I could lose some weight if I went on meds, but I have been looking for other possibilities.

Are you sure your symptoms are related to food? I ask because my DH thought he was having acid reflux and it turned out to be high blood pressure. Not to scare you, of course, but it might be something you mention to your doctor next time you are there. I've never heard of those symptoms in relation to hunger.

[Miss Mousie]

I will say that I eat too quickly. Is there an easy way to slow down my natural chewing speed? Or do I just have to "manually" do it until someday chewing slowly begins to feel more natural?

 

I haven't gotten any farther through the thread than this post, so it may have been addressed already, but:  What do your mealtimes look like?  The whole family gathered around the table for conversation, everyone feeds themselves when they can grab a few minutes to do so, some of this and some of that?

 

I ask because my first thought was to suggest that you read while eating, even just browsing a magazine or the sale flyers.  I usually get caught up in something so my total eating time takes much longer than if I just sat in front of the plate and focused on accomplishing only the task of emptying it, but I don't eat any more than usual (especially once it goes cold!).  It also gives my hands something to do besides move the fork and raise the glass.