I enjoy food. I enjoy eating. That is one reason that I gained as much weight as I have in my lifetime.

I made myself a sandwich. It was on whole grain bread with home made hummus, cucumbers and avocado. Estimated calories: 250. It was really good. A couple hours later, I was thinking how good my sandwich was and I wanted to make another. I contemplated for a little while. I wasn't hungry. In reality, there was no real reason to eat another other than I enjoyed the first one so much I'd enjoy another one. I decided that I could afford the calories and it wasn't going to kill me if I ate another one. So I made another one and ate it. I trimmed down the amount of hummus and avocado I used a little bit though so it was a little less calories. It was as good as the first one.

I wonder though if it wasn't a fairly healthy sandwich, how would I handle it? How can I learn to combat such urges? Is it normal for someone to eat something and just want more of it because it tastes so good?

I think this will be just one of the many struggles I encounter in my weight loss and maintenance efforts.

I can't answer your question, but if you figure it out, I suggest you patent the answer and write a book or something! I know exactly how you feel, but it's usually sweet things that make me think that way. With regular healthy foods, I'm usually able to stick with a reasonable portion.

Funnily enough... I just read about this in "If not dieting... then what?" Basically the author says to be more concious about what you are doing in this case, and that's exactly what you did nelie! You thought about it and decided that you could go ahead and do it and so you made a very honest, concious choice to do so!

Another thing the author mentioned was, you can ALWAYS have more at some other point during the day/week/month/year/lifetime. It's not like you can never ever taste that lovely sandwich again. Same goes for sweets, pastries, etc. Enjoy what you eat, conciously. Take the time to savour it. Remember that you can always have it again, it doesn't have to be RIGHT NOW.

I've found that in thinking this way, I'm able to 1) not eat things at all, things that are in front of me (easter choccies), when I'm not hungry and 2) choose to eat one or two bites and then stop because I can have it again when I REALLY want it

This is something I struggle with all the time. I know other people finish their food and feel like they are done eating, but this is rarely the case for me. Even if I feel like I'm full when I finish my food, I still almost always want to eat more. Food just tastes good and eating it is very pleasurable to me. And because there is that delay from when you are full to when your brain registers that you are full, there are lots of times that I finish eating and I still feel a little hungry.

Sometimes I have special foods that I eat at the end of a meal to signal to myself that I'm done. For example, I'm allowed to eat one potato chip per day and I always eat it at the end of my lunch. It is a signal to me that lunch is done. I also usually have two sugar-free vitamin C lozenges after lunch, another signal that I'm done eating. After dinner, I will have a couple of sugar-free hard candies.

Portioning out my food and not allowing seconds is also critical. I portion out all my meals and the logical side of my brain knows that each portion is plenty of food, even if I still want to eat when I finish it. I just have to pay attention to that voice in my head and not the voice that says "yum, that was good, let's have some more" (sometimes easier said than done ).

If I'm truly hungry and I have the calories available, I'll eat something else. Some days I lose the fight and end up over my calories , so I definitely agree with Janie, if you figure out the answer, be sure to clue the rest of us in!

That sandwich does sound really yummy! I'm definitely adding it to my lunch possibilities, maybe with some low fat turkey breast.

Well I could see where you would want another sandwich, it most certainly does sound delicious.

As for not going back for seconds, it's tough, real tough in fact. I plan my day out in advance and therefore I know there is no going back for seconds. I am terrible beyond belief with leftovers. I had to eliminate that problem, so I now just make enough for one meal at a time. Yes, it's more time consuming, but it's better then overeating. I love food too and there are times where I am actually sad, I'm serious, I am literally sad that there is no more food left on my plate. But I get over it. I tell myself I'm not hungry anymore (because I'm NOT) and that in just 2 more hours, maybe 2 1/2 I will get to eat something yummy again. I also allot myself a couple of hundred extra calories each and every day to play around with, so that if I am having a tough day I have some nibble room. Whether it be a few extra pistachio nuts, an extra few grapes, a cucumber dipped into hummus or whatever strikes me. This is a big help to me. I couldn't imagine my meals being exactly mapped out with no room leftover for an extra nibble or so. It has really, really worked for me. I like what you did with modifying your sandwich.

I LOVE hummus! I haven't thought to include it in my diet. That sandwich sounds heavenly! I'm getting some hummus this week! Wow!

Having said that, uh-huh to the having more part. You have no IDEA how much this little thread has encouraged me, Nelie (a HUGE thank-you for identifying my biggest problem and talking about it here!) I forget who it was who mentioned having something at the end of a meal to tell yourself you're finished - and I haven't yet learned how to include quotes because of my computer illiteracy - but that sounds like a really good idea, so thank you to you, too (and everybody who responded).

I feel a lot less like a strange and unique hungry-all-the-time person.

Happy Easter, all!!!

Ella

Sure, if you wanted another sandwich, and a couple of hours have passed, and it fit with your calories, why not? Go ahead on! No reason not to!

One of the amazing revelations I have had is that just because I like something, I want something, and it is sitting right in front of me, doesn't mean I have to eat it. Sure, I can--but I don't have to. Or I can eat some of it and save the rest.

I rarely have room for seconds anymore. That does get easier.

I have even learned to enjoy the smell of good food without feeling bad that I can't eat it. Food does smell so good, and the smell is calorie free.

Jay

The only thing that even remotely works is when I consider the fact that money doesn't grow on trees and the more I eat of something, the faster I run out... and it sucks being out of groceries on Thursday. It doesn't always work, but it's at least something that gives me pause. That is my number one problem as well. I will be the first to admit that I just enjoy food- the preparation, cooking, smelling, chopping and eating. I have been known to be completely satisfied after just cooking a complex meal... But yeah, I enjoy food and it's quite the balancing act.

I've been telling myself two things that help me. First, I can have more later, just not right now. And, that I already got to have my treats (and that's why I'm in this mess) and I will be able to have more some day.
But honestly, if that sandwich fit in your calorie range and it was nutritious, why not have it? Maybe giving in this time to something you really want could prevent those awful feelings of deprivation we have to contend with on occasion. And could even prevent a real lapse. I think you did what was right for you .
Today was a real challenge as I fixed all our family Easter faves like potato salad and macaroni with cheese (both homemade ). So I had a half cup of each and savored every bite! I also had a huge pile of raw veggies and green beans and grilled chicken. But even with all that, I stayed under 1400 calories today. WE CAN ALL DO THIS weight loss thing and not have to feel starved.
Now if I could just get those leftovers in the fridge to stop calling my name.....

I would definitely eat the sandwich if it was really good and I wanted to munch on more, even if I had just ate. I just have little self control in that way..when I'm feeling like eating something I WILL eat it. Little I say to myself will talk me out of it. I just try to make it up on days when my appetite has decreased, usually on work days or sometimes if I'm out running around, and I try to burn around 2000 calories per week with exercise to allow me to eat lots more.

You've just reached into my mouth & yanked the words RIGHT OUTTA THERE!

That's been a great deal of my weight woes, as well. If something REALLY tastes good, I'll just keep on it until it's gone. That's why I don't like to buy big bags of chips & things such as that... I prefer going the little "one serving" way. It's the ONLY way I can combat that problem.

But, like you, if it's something like a sandwich that I can make simply by walking back into the kitchen, I have to divert my attention completely. My favorite way of doing that is to do a manicure. After all, I can't make a sandwich when my nails are wet, eh?

Day by day, girl.... meal by meal...

Im not hungry all the time, I just eat because its good So I know where you are coming from.. nice to know when your not alone.. I swear

Nelie, I also know exactly what you mean.

And you know what bothers me about those situations? It's not eating the other sandwich when I have the calories for it. It's the feeling of the food CALLING to me which I do not like. I hear it's siren call and work to fit that food -- that particular food -- into my day. Once, twice or three times!

I feel less in control at those times and that's what I don't like.

And if you DO solve this problem, patent it and make a fortune. You'll deserve it!

Hi Nelie and Everyone!

I, too, love food, and I love to eat and to cook and bake. I actually STOPPED WATCHING the Food Channel because I would get so many great ideas that I would want to go out to the kitchen and MAKE THEM!!!

I recently bought Dr. Ian Smith's FatSmash Extreme book, and one of his comments that really stuck with me was that every day we make hundreds of decisions about food. Some of them will help us GAIN WEIGHT, and others will help us TO LOSE WEIGHT. I am trying as best as I can this week to try to stop before I eat something or even before I THINK of eating something whether the decision is one that will HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT or whether it will be a decision that will make me GAIN WEIGHT. I'll let you know how it works for me!!

I'm not a big planner. I would rather just keep lots of suitable low-cal stuff handy so I always have good choices of what to eat. Of course there are always the food landmines EVERYWHERE in the kitchen which are the foods my husband and sons and the skinny girlfriends of my sons eat! I have to ignore them and move toward the "good-for-me" stuff. A lot of the time I feel like a member of the losing tribe on Survivor who watches the OTHER TRIBE eat the big slice of blueberry pie with full-fat ice cream or the third or fourth cheeseburger and fries and goes back to my salad or my piece of grilled chicken with veggies. It's tough!

Sure do wish that food didn't taste SO GOOD!!

Cheryl