[kaytlin90]

I was just wondering if i should listen to my hungry signals and eat every time i do feel hungry...sometimes im like obsessed, i really got to eat, all i can think of is that im hungry...should i eat during those times ?

[traveling michele]

You should never let yourself get to the point of starving......you are much more likely to overeat then!

When I am hungry and it doesn't fit into my plan calorie wise, I try drinking water or tea. Usually that helps. If I'm still hungry, I eat something very low calorie like a handful of cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, or berries. That usually staves off the hunger.

Good luck!

[kaytlin90]

ok but well sometimes drinking water or exercising doesnt help erase my hunger so i'll eat lot of fruits sometimes and i'll still feel hungry and not full.

like tonight i ate a banana, a bowl of strawberry and grapes and was still not feeling full after some minutes

[meowee]

Try a big bowl of salad with a light dressing instead . . . lots more chewing for fewer calories.

[kaytlin90]

well in what i ate..did it have lots of calories ? how much approx.

[PhotoChick]

Hi Kaytlin.

There are plenty of online calorie counters - I'd suggest that you register with one and start entering the foods you're eating. You'll get a much better feel for how many calories you're consuming and what various foods contain when you look them up and start tracking them.

The problem that many of us have with eating when we're "hungry" is that we have overeaten and eat because of emotion for so many years that we don't have a good realization of what *real* hunger is. Many of us eat when we're stressed or upset or happy or sad or lonely or bored ... and none of that is real hunger, but we think it is.

One thing that I'd suggest you do starting out is keep a food journal. Write down what you eat, how much you ate, when you eat it, and how you feel when you eat.

The other thing to keep in mind is that it takes your body about 20 minutes to register that you're full ... that communication between stomach and brain doesn't happen instantly. So if you eat bowls of fruit, but still don't feel full after a few minutes, it doesn't mean you're NOT full. It just means that your stomach hasn't had time to tell your brain "enough".

Hope that helps you some.

.

[ddc]

Fruit never makes me feel full
I know there's food in my stomach cause the bowl is empty. It's just not mentally satisfying I guess.

You have to make the distinction between actual physical hunger (stomach growling and it's been 3 hours or more since you ate) and a craving (oh, I just remebered there's a bag of chips in the cabinet--I must go eat them).

If you're not eating enough at one time, then you may get hungry sooner than you should. Figure out how many calories you should eat per day and divide that up between 3 meals per day and some snacks. Like photochick said, you need to journal and figure out what you're eating, when and why. Then you can go from there. I personally do not like tracking online. I prefer a small notebook and a book of calorie counts.

If you're constantly obsessing about food, you're probably not eating enough.

Good luck