[dolphin9006]

My first day went well and didn't feel hungry. The past 2 days however have been difficult. I know the hunger will subside in a few days, but meanwhile, do you have tips or tricks you used that helped curb the hunger?

I try to keep myself busy during the day, which is easy these days with midterms and papers due. I do a lot of my work outside of the house, so I don't have access to food. I keep a lot of my calories for dinner and a snack since that's when I'm most at home. I still struggle.

Hope to hear some good suggestions

[Vex]

Fizzy stuff. If you drink soda/pop, colas work really well to make you feel full. Lots of people say water does too, but it never has for me. Carbonation does the trick.

Of course, make sure they're DIET drinks.

[GirlyGirlSebas]

Protein helps me. I usually try to include something with beans in my daily menu. Chili is a great stand-by. I also enjoy 1tbs of natural no-sugar added peanut butter on a celery stick. Laughing cow cheese also works well. Are you well hydrated? Sometimes our body tells us it's hungry when it's really only thirsty. One other thing to consider...are you starting off too low on your calories?

[time2lose]

You are already doing something that helps me, staying busy! Several other things already posted helps me too but they are worth repeating. Here is what helps me.

* Water
* Lean protein
* Reducing the amount of carbs I eat.
* Lots of veggies

Hang in there, you can do this!

[Lily Wu]

eat a lot of veggies, some veggie only contains 15-40 calories per gram (and for veggies it's a bunch)

[Lily Wu]

Originally Posted by Vex

Fizzy stuff. If you drink soda/pop, colas work really well to make you feel full. Lots of people say water does too, but it never has for me. Carbonation does the trick.

Of course, make sure they're DIET drinks.

Very good idea, diet soda taste really good, it will be pleasing for mind

[dolphin9006]

Those are some good suggestions. I'm going to the store and on my list I have diet soda, laughing cow, celery, more veggies, beans.

Thank you all for your input!

[Mozzy]

I try to keep busy, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Lol

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!

[toastedsmoke]

Staying busy and out of the house are always good options. I tend to be extra munchy when I'm home during the day.

Diet soda or seltzer water are good options because the gas makes you feel full. Tea (sweetened with sweetener if you want it sweetened) is also a good option if you're not much of a water-drinker.

Chewing gum also helps me because I have a minty taste in my mouth and something to chew on so I'm less inclined to reach for random snacks or sweets that I would be if my mouth was empty.

Huge salads at meals are also a lifesaver. I like the American blend type or the Mediterranean or Italian blends. They're about 10 calories a cup and with light dressing or the spray kind, you can have a large, yet low-cal, filling meal/snack.

None of these are fool-proof, but stick with it, it does get easier.

[dolphin9006]

toastedsmoke-I got some gum, I think it will help a lot. Thank you for all the great advice.

3 days of dieting and 2.8 pounds lost. That's a pretty nice incentive not to cheat too!

[reallytrying]

Gum and diet cola. It works for me when I feel hungry, as aforementioned. Also, sometimes I eat one small spoonful of peanut butter with celery. That helps too. Good luck! You can do this!

[HelloNurse]

Stay hydrated; much of what we think of as hunger symptoms are actually signs of dehydration. Feeling thirsty is a late sign of dehydration; by the time you feel thirsty, you're dry as a bone. I strive to never really feel thirsty.

Vex is right about carbonation. It seems to expand in my tummy and fill me more. I don't like to drink a ton of soda as the artificial sweeteners trigger migraines for me, so I drink sparkling mineral water like Perrier and Gerolsteiner.

Warm drinks. Plain water never has helped me, but I have found that warm beverages fill and satisfy me. I drink gallons of herbal tea. Celestial Seasonings makes it in every imaginable fruit, flower and spice flavor. I also brew spearmint tea by throwing spearmint leaves into my tea ball and steeping. Old wives' tales also say that mint helps your stomach to contract so that you feel full on less. I have also been known to drink bullion; technically each bullion cube has 15 calories, but unless you're drinking several cups a day I don't think that's enough to worry about.

Fillers in your meals. I don't know what specific plan you're on, but I am a calorie counter and I don't actually count most salad veggies. So a lot of my meals are salads. I can take my 3 oz of meat and chop it up into 2 cups of lettuce, tomatoes and onions and suddenly it's gone from sad and paltry to a filling and tasty meal. Even when I'm feeling ambitious and I count the veggie calories, it never adds more than 30 calories. That's well worth it to make the meal 3 times more filling.

"Free" snacks. Like I said, I don't count the calories in certain salad veggies. So I can snack on celery, radishes, broccoli, and most leafy greens and not worry about it. The way I figure it, nobody ever got fat by eating a head of cauliflower. Watch out on this one though; there is such a thing as too much roughage. Trust me on this one.

Timing your meals. Ignore all that crap about eating early in the day so you have more time to burn it. Time your meals so that your largest meal comes when you tend to be hungriest. For me it's the middle of the day, so lunch is my big meal and dinner is usually just a boiled egg and a piece of fruit or something like that. My fiance is hungriest in the evening so he eats small snacks for breakfast and lunch and saves his calories for a large dinner so he doesn't go to bed hungry.

Exercise helps, oddly enough. I don't know if you've ever heard of leptin and grehlin. Basically, leptin is the "I'm full" hormone and grehlin is the "I'm hungry" hormone. Overweight people have the wrong levels of these hormones, and the receptors don't work right. Exercise helps reset the levels and the receptors. This is a gross oversimplification, but you get the idea. Exercise also burns calories and lets you eat a little more while maintaining a caloric deficit.



These are my biggest tricks for getting through the day without being hungry. Some are more scientific than others. Hope something there helps. It does get better. Your appetite and your tastes will adjust to your new lifestyle soon enough.

[Angihas2]

Warm tea and the right balance between protein, healthy fats and carbs. It's the only way I can eat this way for life. Most of m meals and snacks are 70/15/15. A lot of legumes with sour cream and chopped raw veggies is an excellent lunch for me.

[dolphin9006]

I must admit, I haven't been very good at taking in all the fluids I should. I've been using "Mynetdiary" to track my progress and it's the most amazing tool i've ever used! It helps me stay motivated. 4 pounds gone in 5 days. yay!