Hungry All the Time? (Part Two)

If you are always hungry it may be that you are not eating enough - simple as that.

This often happens when you try and lose weight by calorie counting or by reducing portions of the foods you normally eat. The bulk of food you are used to is just not there after you do this and your stomach will protest!

On top of that, if you are calorie counting, it is quite a shock to see how many calories there are in a measly piece of cheese that you wouldn't even notice eating or in a slice of cake that is "just a snack".

If you want to lose weight, you have to eat more volume to avoid being hungry without eating too many calories

You can do this by

• filling up on salads, vegetables and fruit as part of your meals rather than higher calorie items. Make these lower calorie foods at least 50% of your plate.
• using vegetables and fruits as snacks
• limiting high calorie oils and sauces which add flavor but no bulk (think a spoonful of dressing or mayonnaise rather than a big dollop)
• eating soups and stews packed with filling veggies
• avoiding drinking your calories - drink plain water or herbal tea rather than calorie-laden milky drinks, smoothies, juices and soda. Go especially easy on alcoholic drinks which are full of calories but only increase your appetite (and lower your inhibitions about eating too much) rather than filling you up

If you want to know more there is a whole diet book I rate very highly based on avoiding hunger by increasing the volume of food. It's called The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories and you can get it from Amazon.com. (Click Here instead if you are in the UK) . One doctor says of it...

This diet, which focuses on "caloric density" allows me to eat a lot by making better food choices. I have lost about 10 pounds in a month with no real effort. I am recommending this to my overweight patients. Lots of vegetables and fruit and not much junk in this diet, but I feel FULL. F. Klein Physician

If you just want to eat your normal foods and reduce portions to lose weight then you will need to gradually reduce portions if you don't want to be hungry all the time. A smaller volume of food IS something that your stomach can get used to and so you CAN get used to smaller portions without feeling hungry in the long run but you can't halve your volume overnight and expect to feel comfortable.

Reduce portions by no more than 10% a week and you'll gradually be able to shrink the amount that your stomach demands (and shrink yourself too).

Comments

[Alix]

What do you do if eating veggies only makes you more hungry? High fiber foods, even with protein, do not fill me up for very long. I really hate eating but I'm 50 lbs over weight and I always feel like I'm starving. I try all the suggestions of more fiber but it only makes me hungrier. I don't know why.

[Janice]

Well I find that too - I have to include some slow release carbohydrate with every meal to feel satisfied.

I think that's why it's difficult to stay on a low carb diet for long without getting a craving for carbohydrate. Try including a couple of spoonfuls of brown rice, a small baked potato, some rye crackers or a small wholemeal roll with your meal.

Janice
editor Think Slim