Hi,
I've been away from the forums for awhile. Had a lot going on in life and still do...and as usual food has been my seemingly only friend. Due do an injury my normal methods of exercise are out. Now I have a temp fix so I could try walking again.... Anyway, my job is really boring I sit at my desk all day. So probably not surprising it is extremely easy to eat all day long! I haven't been making totally horrible choices I do include fruit, veggies and greek yogurt but I constantly feel like I'm hungry. My stomach even growls a good part of the day especially if I just ate something healthy! After work I want to try to get in my exercise before dinner but that never happens. I get home and feel like its been weeks since I ate and immediately make a quick dinner and eat way too much of it...I've been eating every 2-3 hours like so many websites say, small and healthy choices. I really feel I have no control because I can't seem to stop myself. Anyone else feel like this? I can't be the only one...

First, how many calories are you eating? Could the amount be too low for you? If I drop below 1500-1600, I am too hungry.

Second, try drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry. I can't eat or drink at work (I work in a lab), so I step outside for a water break once an hour and then I have a lifesaver or jolly rancher 30 mins later. The hard candy helps me a lot because it keeps my mouth busy for longer. I guess it tricks me into feeling like I'm eating.

Hello. I used to have the same problem -- until I did two main things which I think helped more than anything.

One, I started eating mostly fruits and veggies, with other things added, but organic and almost NO highly processed foods. Those things are loaded with added sugar, fake sugar salt and chemicals, many of which are addictive. I have found that eating "real" food is providing me with the nutrients I need and my body was not getting before because most of the processed foods have had the nutrients pretty much stripped out and replaced with "junk" that makes it taste good. I have studied a lot of Michael Pollan's work (free videos are on YouTube) and found that he is right when he says that approx. 80% of the food products in the stores are made from corn. There was even CORN in the cottage cheese I was eating (and it was a well known, popular brand). I have switched to an organic brand which, yes, costs a bit more, but is actually cottage cheese!

Secondly... I just made the decision to STOP eating. It is OUR choice and direct action whether we put food into our mouths. Our culture is so attuned to instant gratification... if I want it now I get it now... but the habit can be broken.

I completely disagee with the sites that say to eat every 2 or 3 hours!!! We do NOT need food that often; this is just feeding our constant eating habit. I eat my meals. And I will sometimes have a snack of a piece of fresh fruit, a small individual applesauce, red bell pepper strips or baby carrots or tomatoes, etc. But I have actually come to the place now where sometimes I forget or don't bother to eat them. (And I too work at a desk job.)

AND I STOPPED night eating. That was a hard one for me but I broke the habit.

Oh and I do agree that drinking water... especially warm water with lemon or lime... helps. AND as has been suggested, make sure you are getting enough calories!! Too few is not healthful and will keep you hungry.

There is really nothing anyone can do that will make you stop eating when you don't need it. You just have to make a decision and not do it. When you want something badly enough you find a way to do it. For me I wanted this weight off and to be able to live a normal life again.

You CAN do it!!! I am proof that it can be done.

Gum and hot tea (and water) helped me a lot. Gum if I wanted to just chew - tea if my tummy was feeling empty.

I used to do the "6 small meals" thing - and I found that I was thinking about food All. The. Time. Like counting down the minutes until I would let myself have my next snack or meal. When I switched to 3 larger meals (plus an evening snack) I was much more sane. It truly is sheer willpower at first, and still some days. Hang in there!

Haley It does take time for our bodies to adjust to eating fewer calories. And in one way or another it does add up to a difference in calories. And Nikel gave you some good advice about you may be eating too little.

I find I do best eating 5 - 6 times a day with snacks.

While adjusting try to have things like homemade soup or chili with low calories that you can eat big bowls full of. You can have soup before your dinner etc. Just use stock and tons of veg. Or make a chili with some beans but make it more soup like. This has helped me.
Also be sure you are getting enough high quality protein. I find protein from eggs, beans, tofu and meat fills me up so much more then carbs. Keep experimenting and keep at it.

And personally I found this site helpful and I go to a therapy group for support. Most of us are not overweight just because we love chocolate too much. I think it runs much deeper then that.

Thanks for your responses gals! I am def not eating too little. I've been trying to stick with my fitness pal and the 1 day i was remotely on plan i went over my calories by 90 and they "allow" me 2130 calories. i used to love gum but for the last few months it makes me nauseous after a few minutes. I am going to try the tea thing. I thought about keeping a little notebook next to my computer at work to try to talk myself out of eating when i know i shouldn't. I'll try the 3 bigger meals too instead of little bit here, little bit there, because yes it makes me constantly think about food! now that my school term is over i'm going to try to come up with some easy recipes. i really hate cooking, i hate experimenting with recipes so this won't be easy. i'm thinking crock pot recipes would be good so i can just throw things together and leave it to do it's thing.

I probably need to realize...at least in the first couple or more weeks...nothing i eat will make me feel full and i have to deal with it...I think I can start doing a couple miles of walking at home (1 in the morning and 1 at night) without too much pain and that will probably help me out of my feeling like crap...

I hope you don't mind me posting here... But I clicked on this thread when I saw the title because it is something that I struggle with... And actually now that I've lost weight it can still be and ongoing battle...

I used to buy into the whole I've got to "eat 5 or six times a day" or "eat every 2-3 hours" thing... And besides it being completely impractical for me... It left me really unsatisfied... I find by eating 2 larger meals a day with maybe a small snack or perhaps a small "treat" my meals are much more enjoyable and fit in with my life much better, allowing me to eat at restaurants that I enjoy and still have dinner parties with friends and family as well... it took some time to adjust to, having the longer periods of time between eating, but I really started to feel better when I gave my body a chance to rest and not be constantly digesting food...

And while I completely realize that there is a physiological component to hunger, it's really the psychological aspects that I concern myself with, because I know that I'm not going to starve if I go several hours without food... So I try to look at my body not as some sort of furnace that constantly needs to be stoked with fuel, but instead to realize that when I'm hungry between meals my body is accessing all of that vast amount of energy that has just been lying around, dormant for far too long...

Thanks Tripswitch that makes sense about the longer periods of not eating. a lot of people refer to food as fuel like in a car well we don't put gas in our car every 2 miles so i guess i don't need to eat every 2 hours lol

I struggled with this when I first started losing weight. But, I soon realized that my lunch and snacks tended to be fairly high in carbohydrates. In essence, I was spiking my blood sugar and would want a snack when my blood sugar inevitably crashed. I'm not insulin resistant or pre-diabetic, but have found that cutting back on carbohydrates at my primary meals has helped my feelings of hunger immensely. Nowadays, I only have an afternoon snack if I've had a light lunch and plan to workout before dinner. I drink herbal tea or warm water instead of snacking.

I have a boring job like that too... I'm just starting out again, but I eat almonds every single day at work between breakfast and lunch... they actually make me feel full until lunch... Protein bars are also helping me... I drink a TON... I love diet green tea (sorry, I can't do no sweetener, LOL).
Good luck

The only thing that keeps hunger at bay for me is by lowering my carbs. I eat about 1/2 fat, 1/4 carbs, 1/4 protein. I drink warm tea or chicken broth when I'm hungry. I make my own broth by cooking chicken wings with a splash of vinegar in my slow cooker for 12 - 18 hours. Add seasoning & kale and it tastes great and is warm and filling. (for a little while at least)

I also eat a lot of vegetables with my meat at meals. As much as I want.

I'm always hungry it seems and all I do is drink water so idk why

I just saw something the other day that said that water doesn't really make people feel full- even though a lot of people recommend using that trick. They recommended clear broth instead. I actually want to try making broth next time I cook chicken in the crock pot (I usually do so every weekend, but I never do anything with the liquid).

When I'm at work and starving, I try to drink something warm - coffee, tea or if truly desperate (bc I don't like the high sodium) then chicken broth.

Is there some other "treat" you can give yourself during the weekday? Do others at your job take smoke breaks? When I used to work 8-5, I made it a point to take a walk break whenever my office mate took a smoke break. In nice weather, I'd walk around the building to get fresh air and on not so nice days, I'd just walk out to the lobby and say hello to the receptionist, maybe talk to a visitor in the waiting area--just something for a change of pace and surroundings. If walking's a problem, I can see you might not want to do this, but in general I find having something to look forward to other than eating helps me not feel hungry as often.