[Fluffypuppy]

Oh oh. Multiple trips to the fridge. So far I have chosen pickles but I'm out. So hungry today and yesterday. I was planning on going to Swiss Chalet tomorrow but maybe it is too much temptation.

[Mrs Snark]

If you are truly hungry, my answer for this -- as a binger, myself -- is always to eat something -- generally something satisfying and filling with a good amount of protein and a nice dollop of fat. Not something TEENY TINY. An actual meal.

I may be saying this too late, as I see you posted last night. But pickles wouldn't do it for me, personally.

Sometimes, it is better to have a healthy food higher calorie day and avoid the binge pattern (and all the emotional baggage that comes with it) than it is to try and stick to some calorie plan that says, "today I am only allowed to have 1400 calories."

Some days I'm just hungrier than others. This seems to be a natural body rhythm and nothing good ever comes from ignoring true hunger and trying to make your body pretend it isn't truly hungry. This is hard, I know, because inside we tend to be perfectionists right up until the moment we BLOW IT big time and everything falls apart in a massive binge.

Finding that healthy middle ground, and understanding that eating ISN'T a failure, is key.

Sending you lots of <<<HUGS>>>.

[Fluffypuppy]

Thanks Mrs Snark! Really good advice! I ended up feeling ok for a bit after the pickles...I think vinegar is an appetite suppressant...but then when I got hungry again and was no longer feeling bingey, I ate some meatballs and still stayed on plan! Today I am not as hungry for whatever reason so I think you're right about rhythms. Thanks!

[Palestrina]

Awesome advice Mrs Snark! If you're hungry you have to eat.

Learning to tell the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger is time well spent in my opinion and has helped me a lot. The more I practice huger directed eating the easier it becomes to recognize it.

Some thing I don't like about diets and plans is that they encourage you to stop listening to your hunger signals, assuming that all hunger is unecessary. Just leave it to the diet or plan to dictate when to eat and how much to eat. That's a mold that doesn't fit every day since out physical needs different from day to day. Calorie counting especially can set you up for big binges because many try to conserve their calories in the earlier part of the day which can make your hunger spike at night.

Eat when you're hungry and eat until your satisfied or full. Eat breakfast. If you finish your meals and your still hungry that's not good, it will come back to bite you later when the hunger grows.

[Needtolose2]

There also might be another reason for your hunger. I have read that vitamins and some medications might cause increased appetite. I know this seems to affect me sometimes.

However, I would not recommend stopping any medication or even vitamins. We should just keep in mind that there are many reasons for being hungry. Don't get discouraged.

[Fluffypuppy]

Thanks WannaBeSkinny and NeedToLose!

[dalecram]

As needtolose2 rightly said, there might be other reasons for your hunger so be cautious with that extra trip to the fridge. With me, the dial on my bathroom scale, my chronoligical clock and hunger all seem to go hand in hand. Being a vegetarian, I'm always careful about what I eat to the point where my doctor gets upset with me about my refusal to take medication.

I know I had to do something about my situation so I did some research and found some really valuable bits of information. I found that when the serotonin level in the brain is low or diminished, one tends to eat more. External factors that lead to mild discomfort, major stress or even illness tend to drive serotonin levels down. I trusted the information I found at topsfile dott kom because, like I said before, I'm a vegetarian and I like to keep things natural, and every panel member was a certified medical doctor.

[Munchy]

Sometimes if I'm feeling hungrier than normal for no reason and I don't want to deviate from my plan, I'll go to a store and "window" shop by trying clothes on. I don't need to buy anything, but it helps to just see your progress in new clothes.

[Needtolose2]

For me, when I want to snack, sometimes just a single swig of V8 juice or one pickle wedge or a small apple will do the trick.

[Fluffypuppy]

Well I'm feeling bingey again but I'm not hungry. I think it's emotional. I have been inside all day doing very little and I think I'm just bored! I'm at 850 cals at 7pm and I try to eat under 900. This is gonna be hard.