Is it possible my stomach is shrinking in there somewhere!!
Actually, YES! Your stomach is basically a muscle and expands and contracts based on your body's needs. If you eat less (smaller portions and such), then your stomach will actually begin to shrink over a period of time, making you feel full faster (since there's less room to fill). Likewise, if you eat a large quantity of food multiple times, your stomach can stretch, and it will take more for you to feel full. This is part of why some people who have stomach-reduction surgeries can still gain the weight back--even though their stomach only holds a small amount right after surgery (typically about 1/2 cup), the stomach can still stretch and expand as time goes on, allowing them to eat larger quantities of food.
So, to make a long story longer, the more you eat smaller meals, the more your stomach will shrink as it gets used to the smaller amounts, making it easier for you to feel full
I know the feeling and remember how awesome it was the first time I felt it. For so long I considered myself hungry if I wasn't completely full. I didn't consider myself full unless I was stuffed. A month or so after I began losing weight I was between meals and noticed that I wasn't hungry or full and I was very satisfied and physically comfortable. I remember the exact thought that crossed my mind was, " So THIS is what NORMAL feels like!" Since that revelation I've had a much easier time listening to my body's ques and understand the difference between real hunger and "head" hunger.
I've recently read that our stomachs do not actually shrink when we eat less but rather have a definate minimum size even though they can stretch to accomodate extra food. As we eat less, our stomachs never actually get any smaller than they were at there minimum. It isn't quite understood yet why we feel fuller faster after a period of eating less but one theory is that after a while our stomachs become used to not being distended and begin sending the "full" signals sooner. Of course, I don't really care one way or the other about the science behind it all - I'm just glad that I feel satisfied with a lot less food than I used to!
My theory behind the stomach shrinking/expanding is that our stomachs have been expanded for so long from overeating that when they shrink, they're not shrinking abnormally small or anything--just that they are shrinking back to a more normal (or as jawsmom said, "minimum") size, which we haven't been used to in a long time!
Gosh, if our stomachs just kept shrinking, then eventually, we wouldn't have to eat anything at all--which could be both good and bad
Absolutely! Jillybean and Jawsmom gave excellent explanations and I can only agree. There is no way I could eat the amount of food I used to now, it just wouldn't fit, thank goodness!! It's a wonderful feeling isn't it? Just being satisfied rather than stuffed to the max. Way to go, that's an excellent NSV!
I don't think it sounds silly, and, if anything, I think it's amazing to find ways that our diets are affecting us on the inside instead of just on the scale!
that is a great feeling. I know I had my hunger/nonhunger cues thrown so out of whack that I'm just now starting to feel that fullness without being filled to the gills anymore. I am still struggling with the "happy" plate and find myself still eating even though I have that full feeling, especially if it is healthy foods.
I, too, have become aware of what full compared to stuffed feels like. I am still having some trouble identifying hungry. Unless my stomach is growling and I feel faintly nauseous, I'm not sure that it is real hunger. I went for years and years never being hungry, becuase I ate all the time. On work days I have to eat on a schedule, but on the weekends it all goes to h*** in a handbasket. I skip meals, then eat too much or make bad choices when I get really hungry. I've got some work to do in that area.
I am also having trouble with overeating healthy food. I'm not going over my calorie limit, but I still sometimes eat to the point of feeling stuffed. I don't like this feeling at all. It isn't normal anymore, and I want to stop it all together.
First of all let me just say that all of your trackers are very inspiring...way to go to all of you! And Beverly, 190# loss, WOW...I bet you feel like a new person. That is soooo impressive.
On the topic of shrinking stomachs, since I am not a doctor I wont even try to guess why someone gets that feeling but I know that in the month since I have started my new lifestyle I can tell that my appetite is shrinking. I have a hard time remembering to eat my mid-meal snacks because I don't feel hungry after the main meals sometimes. I was never a huge overeater but rather WHAT I chose to eat. Since changing that and watching my portions, it's a whole new ballgame.
Everyone keep strong and continue on the path to a healthier you!
Yes! I do believe I am full?
