How do you eat such small portions?

AJD4 · 11-Mar-05, 02:49 AM

Question: How do you all eat such small amounts of food?

Personally, it appears that I require at least 8 cups of some dense matter before I start to get filled. I've changed my diet so that I'm ingesting more healthy foods to try to use as filler (ie - green stuff) and also been exercising more. And because of these two changes, I've gone from 315lbs to 250lbs. But now it's not working anymore. For the past 2 months, I've not been losing any additional weight. Thus I figured I'd have to try to decrease the sheer quantity of food I eat. I've been trying to eat "normal" portions of food, but can't keep it up for long. For the love of God, how do you people do it?!?!

Cort · 11-Mar-05, 03:05 AM

Eat slower, I can take in 8 cups of food too if I do it all at once. It takes over 10 minutes for your body to let you know you are satiated/full.

The volume of what you eat also isn't so important. You want to pay attention to the amount of calories in what you are eating, and at least the general breakdown of the macronutrients (fat, protein, carbs.) If you provide yourself with enough fuel (calories,) you shouldn't be feeling too hungry.

ShawnNWF · 11-Mar-05, 10:02 AM

Cort is right, eat alot slower. And in between every bite or two, take a sip of water. You will be suprised how fast you fill up.

Most people just eat until they feel full, then 10-15 minutes later get that "Oh, I feel terrible, I ate way too much" feeling. This is beacuse of the lag between brain and stomach saying, hey stop eating, we are all full down here.

I only eat between 1700-2000 calories per day and I have a hard time getting that much food in me sometimes (and I am a big guy...note the sig).

**cursor** · 11-Mar-05, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cort

Eat slower

This may not be your problem, but I'll voice an observation about eating habits/methods.

I invariably have to shake my head in disbelief at watching people eat in public (I'm sure they do the same in their homes). A mouthful of food (regardles of type) only gets 2-4 chews before it's swallowed and is replaced by the next mouthful. When food is not properly PREpared for further breakdown by gastric juices, the digestive system does a less effective job of extracting nutrients from the unprocessed bulk that is being pushed through by subsequent bites.

A snake doesn't chew it's food, but it doesn't eat 3-meals-a-day.

A bird can't chew because it has no teeth, but it swallows stones/rocks that aid in the grinding of food in its gizzard. (reference)

We have teeth. Let's use 'em.

Properly chewing food will ensure that you (your body) get the most from what you eat. In fact, you will be able to eat LESS volume.

**AMcNeice** · 11-Mar-05, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cort

You want to pay attention to the amount of calories in what you are eating, and at least the general breakdown of the macronutrients (fat, protein, carbs.) If you provide yourself with enough fuel (calories,) you shouldn't be feeling too hungry.

This alone has made me eat less, once I started looking at what was in my food and how much I was taking a began to get disgusted.

One thing that's worked for me is to make sure I have a solid protien source in each meal as well as some veggies. These seem to really fill me up for some reason.

Have you tried drinking a glass or two of water before each meal? You could be confusing hunger with thirst.

AJD4 · 11-Mar-05, 01:45 PM

I think it's the chewing thing that's doing it to me. I decided to pay attention to how many times I chew my food this morning and I never go past chew #4 before swallowing. I never realized how much focus it takes to chew your food. Any quick tips?

And taking in water in between bites...that seems to help too.

Thanks guys/girls ...I think I love you. :-)

**cursor** · 11-Mar-05, 02:26 PM

For me, tasting the food that I eat is as big a part of eating as is nutritionally feeding my body. Simply slamming it down doesn't make sense. Give your tongue a chance to savor the food (once you swallow, the opportunity to taste is gone).

This last weekend, my wife and I hit the local brewery. The couple next to us at the bar got a couple 'samplers' (a tray with about 10 smaller glasses, each with a unique beer). These idiots were simply sluggin' 'em down -- apparently only interested in the resultant buzz, not the comparative flavors.

NOT tasting your food is missing out on a key pleasure in life. Give your saliva time to do its job.

Cort · 11-Mar-05, 03:29 PM

Sometimes I really don't want to taste the food I'm eating (the steamed/boiled broccli for instance

)

thecorple · 11-Mar-05, 04:09 PM

lol, i simply eat fast, and cant help it. i could eat alot, but i still eat small portions. but after one of my small meals, i simply chug 1 litre+ of water. that does the trick, then a toss a peice of gum in my mouth, and get on the forums to take my mind off things. always does the trick.

Octagon · 11-Mar-05, 05:49 PM

Snobs: They're not just for wine anymore

**.V.** · 12-Mar-05, 09:18 PM

Good information from everyone - and I may have missed it - but I don't think anyone mentioned EAT MORE OFTEN TO EAT LESS. Another trick that I used during my weight loss was to eat more fat - this left me feeling full longer. It slows gastric emptying so you don't get hungry as soon. Oh, and after a little while of eating smaller meals more often, your stomach will actually shrink some and it won't take as much to fill it up.

SNPiccolo5 · 13-Mar-05, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Oh, and after a little while of eating smaller meals more often, your stomach will actually shrink some and it won't take as much to fill it up.

Not for me- I can actually eat MORE in one sitting, which either makes sense or doesn't make sense depending on how you think about it. It's wierd, I know...

-Tim

**.V.** · 13-Mar-05, 12:05 PM

Makes sense - all of our bodies are different. I've been working with my partner at work to help him get into shape - and the more frequent smaller feedings are a bit difficult for him to adapt to also. He was used to eating two huge meals twice a day. Problem with that, he was 285 lb at 5'10". I started him slowly by teaching him to control, not eliminate his carbohydrates - to choose higher fiber choices. Then we had to learn that bread is NOT a vegetable, and fried potatoes are not the ONLY vegetable. I also got him to start eating a little "fatty" meat - some steaks, lean ground beef, even pork. Once we got that down - and he lost 25 pounds in the first 3 weeks we started working on volume of food. Eating three times a day - then four. This led to smaller meals - because he was not hungry when we would go to eat. It seems to be working for him, and I know that it worked for me. Some people, it may not work for, but if it helps - give it a try. If it doesn't, then try something else. If you can be healthy and fit with big meals - then by all means - go for it. There is no law that says you have to eat the way everyone else does. Or at least I hope not - that would suck.

sooner_ed · 14-Mar-05, 07:10 AM

How about eat an apple and drink between 1/2 and one liter of water 30 minutes before meal time. That always works for me.
Also, no one said we have to be full before we quit eating. Since it does take 20 minutes for our brain to get the message that we're full, perhaps it's ok to stop eating while we're still hungry. When I was in the Army, I had a friend explain it this way. If you're tank is empty, you're not going anywhere. When we eat (fill up the tank), no one says you have to have a full tank to get where you want to go.