eat until you're full

[KittyKatt]

Research has shown that if you eat healthy foods and eat until you’re full, you have a FAR better shot at losing weight and keeping it off than if you count calories and still feel hungry.

[JennyR]

That makes a lot of sense. I think all of us who are trying to lose weight are a little too obsessed with calories and we think that we eat only a certain amount and still feel hungry that this is a good thing and we'll lose weight. But when we're hungry we're miserable and eventually we'll only give into our cravings and choose to eat the stuff we should be avoiding!

[BabyButtons]

I agree! If you're still hungry after you've eaten and you're low on calories you should definitely have more! Fill up on lower calorie foods but satisfy your hunger. Going hungry is the fastest way to destroy any weight loss progress because eventually you will cave and eat the wrong foods that you're craving - foods high in fats and sugar. The worst thing you can do is not get enough calories! Plus, make sure you eat slowly. This will help you know when you feel full because it's also never good to eat until you feel stuffed!

[enviroTodd]

I agree! If you're still hungry after you've eaten and you're low on calories you should definitely have more! Fill up on lower calorie foods but satisfy your hunger. Going hungry is the fastest way to destroy any weight loss progress because eventually you will cave and eat the wrong foods that you're craving - foods high in fats and sugar. The worst thing you can do is not get enough calories! Plus, make sure you eat slowly. This will help you know when you feel full because it's also never good to eat until you feel stuffed!

Very good advice. Recent research is showing that hunger based diets simply don't lead to success. In fact, it has been showing that people who eat nutritious diets that allow them to get a great nutrient balance and who don't count calories at all are far more successful at weight loss than calorie counters who focus on measuring calories and not on nutrition or doing what they can to feel full within that calorie limit.

[Janet]

This research does make sense, the only problem I have with this is that I never know when I'm full, so I feel that I have to count calories to make sure I don't overdo it. I always end up overeating until I feel stuffed. I eat way too fast and I don't know how to slow down to even recognize the signals that I am getting full. Do you have any suggestions on how I could eat slower?

[brightstar]

This research does make sense, the only problem I have with this is that I never know when I'm full, so I feel that I have to count calories to make sure I don't overdo it. I always end up overeating until I feel stuffed. I eat way too fast and I don't know how to slow down to even recognize the signals that I am getting full. Do you have any suggestions on how I could eat slower?

I'm a fast eater too and there's nothing I can do about it. The only two thigns I do to try to overcome that is:
1- eat with chopsticks. I can't eat fast with them haha
2- I eat the most filling foods on my plate first so that they will have the impact on my hunger first.That way the most filling foods are the ones that register the earliest.

[1000kilowatts]

I get that we need to eat until we're full if we want to lose weight and that does make sense, but it's not always easy to keep calories even within reason - not just within a range - if you eat until you're full. I have a massive appetite.Eating until I get full is how I gained the weight in the first place. Plus, veggies just don't fill me up.

[JokerzWild]

I get that we need to eat until we're full if we want to lose weight and that does make sense, but it's not always easy to keep calories even within reason - not just within a range - if you eat until you're full. I have a massive appetite.Eating until I get full is how I gained the weight in the first place. Plus, veggies just don't fill me up.

You nailed it 1000kilowatts! That's exactly what I think and how I feel. I'm also someone who has a massive appetite and eating until I satisfy my hunger is what got me in the mess I am in now with my weight. I also agree that vegetables don't fill me up. They do for the short term, but an hour later I'm hungry again and I can't say I'm craving more veggies...even if I were that's the fastest way to end up on the toilet! I can only eat so much fiber. I think for some people eating until their full makes sense. But for me that would just be counterproductive and lead to more weight than not.

[Bean]

Is it true that if you chug a ton of water before and during dinner you'll be able to eat less or is that just an old wives tail?

[BabyButtons]

Is it true that if you chug a ton of water before and during dinner you'll be able to eat less or is that just an old wives tail?

It's one of those tips that works for some people and doesn't work for others. You also might find that while it may work for you once in a while, it won't all the time. In my personal experience, I find that drinking a large glass of water before I eat does make me feel fuller faster, but I do get hungry again about an hour after I've eaten, which can be a real problem, especially for me because it's usually after I eat and I get hungry again that I want to munch on bad stuff that's higher in sugar, fat and calories.

That being said, there's no harm in trying it and seeing what happens for yourself

[Bonnie]

It's one of those tips that works for some people and doesn't work for others. You also might find that while it may work for you once in a while, it won't all the time. In my personal experience, I find that drinking a large glass of water before I eat does make me feel fuller faster, but I do get hungry again about an hour after I've eaten, which can be a real problem, especially for me because it's usually after I eat and I get hungry again that I want to munch on bad stuff that's higher in sugar, fat and calories.

That being said, there's no harm in trying it and seeing what happens for yourself

I agree, it probably depends on how hungry you really are, too. Because if I'm really starving, I could drink a whole lake and would still want a pizza after haha. Plus, after a while the water will go through you and you'll just want food again.