I don't know why this is an issue for me know after all this time...but I've been having a really hard time dealing with not feeling "full" after I'm done eating. I think what's is going on is that it almost TOM so I'm PMSing and I always get really bad munchies during this time of the month. So that makes it more noticiable when I'm not "full" after meals. I think durning the rest of the month I just focus on...OK...I ate and now I'm not hungry anymore onto the next task...but during PMS week I'm like...OK...I ate I'm not hungry, but I'm not full and my stomach feels empty...I NEED MORE FOOD...can't focus...NEED FOOD! Usually I just ignore it and move on, but because of the stress of life lately I've been "cheating" a smidge (a handful of crackers here a bite of whatever there) and am worried it could be turning into a full fledge relaspe. So anyway just curious how you all handle that. It is something that I need to get control over quick because I know that this is going to be a life long issue and that if I plan to maintain I certainly can be listening to the PMS voices! It's only been an issue for the last 3 days and today I've recognized and recommitted, but TOM isn't coming til Monday so there is a full week of PMS battling to be done.

I hope we find answers, because it is a hard (and current) one for me also. I get PMS munchies and crave red meat. I do eat the red meat during those times, just have to watch portions.

But last week for the first time in months I almost didn't care, and pulled out an oreo mini pack that the kids take in their school lunches...ate one. Was horrified, threw the pack away, but still. It happened.

I don't know and I'm still fighting with it.

I too have similar feeling at times, and I end up binging if I don't take control of it.

I had same feeling yesterday, and I was about to binge on junk food in evening. I resisted all the bad food in office and thought that this feeling would be gone after I have my dinner. Sadly, it was still there after dinner and I can foresee a binge episode next day. So to avoid that I made a huge salad with lots of greens and vegetable and my favorite low calorie dressing and ate it till I was satisfied.

I feel full and satisfied today and have no urge to binge. I would advice you to try eating lot of low calorie food to fill you up.

If you don't like veggies, then may be lots of berries. You can have around 300 grams of strawberry for only 100 calories. It sure will fill you up, or how about some watermelon or other low calorie fruit.

I can tell you what I did--but its not 'on plan'. I get 'empty' during TOM. I could probably eat all day and STILL want more. And junk. I wanted pizza, cheeseburgers--and FRIES-- and full sugar soft drinks. Cakes, cookies, I wanted it all! (Odd, I never crave carrots on TOM...)

Anywho, I made a scheduled stop OFF PLAN everyday. Typically I eat 1300 ish calories a day. The first three days of TOM I was at 1800/1900. Because once a day I allowed myself a bad piece of a meal. Not a WHOLE meal, just a portion.

Fri: I had two slices of pizza with my Dad.

Sat: I had an arby's roast beef(small, no cheese) no fries and diet drink.

Sun: I had a BK chicken sandwich, plain no mayo, and a diet drink.

And was on plan every other bite. Yes, I gained a pound from there to here. But I feel like I had some control, otherwise I might have binged.

eat more food - look for high volume, high fiber foods that will fill you up more. Personally, I need to include grains or starches to feel really full - just a small portion, 100-150 calories strictly weighed and measured, but for me, it makes a huge difference in how full I feel vs. the same veggies and protein without any grains or starches.

But PLAN for it - don't get into the cycle of mindless munching and a bite here and there, chances are that whatever you munch on won't really satisfy anyway.

And don't forget the old tricks like chewing gum - a really strong mint flavor may mask a desire to be eating. (One of my personal tricks is using teeth whitening strips - no food in the world tastes good after those! lol!)

I try to drink a glass of water every time that hunger shows its' ugly head. And if I'm still full after that, I eat a piece of fruit, or have a serving of veggies.

Ugh- I have that same problem all the time. I love the full feeling and it's been really hard. I was thinking appitite suppressants but got completely shot down at that idea. I'm just dealing with the pain.

MikoMarcia, I use an appetite suppressant called 'Lipo6X'. It's an extended release capsule. It doesn't make me jittery, but I don't know how sensitive you are to stimulants. I'm fairly impressed with it.

Just an idea. How about a spicy herbal tea, sugar free. For some reason, if I make a batch of really strong Good Earth tea, it seems to help me feel satisfied. I use 8 tea bags in 1/2 gallon of hot water and just let 'em sit in the container. Then I pour over ice and drink as much as I need. The flavor is awesome and spicy, and for some reason it tastes sweet even though there is no sugar in it. I don't even use splenda or nuthin'. Something about the spiciness seems to help me with not feeling full enough.

Also, in my case, I am hoping I adjust eventually. I've spent the ast year and 1/2 eating until I was overfull, so I have to really think about whether or not I am actually hungry, or if I just havne't stuffed myself the way I used to. I am pretty sure I am not now (if I ever was) a person who could tell if I was just right full.

Hope you find a solution that works for you!

Barb

YES! This.

This is what I've done every PMS cycle for the last 7/13 months I've been losing weight. At first I went crazy and was overcome by anxiety for not being able to eat cravey foods during TOM, then I discovered that if I up my calories for the week I have PMS and maybe eat one or two not so good for me things, I feel better, more sane and I have never gained a single pound doing so.

I started the slimfast plan yesterday. My husband just laughed (because he knows how much I love to eat). I am finding it easy to not snack if I just keep thinking of what I will look like when I hit my goal weight. I only plan on doing slimfast till I lose 15-20 lbs. Then it's strictly going to be portion control and exercise.

TOM is pretty miserable for me, too. I crave Dr Pepper all the time! So I drink lots and lots of water. Tea helps too. Love sweet tea, but settle for regular with splenda. Then, fruit, fruit, fruit. It's been tough, but I'm already seeing the payoff... Good luck everyone!

Wow, I thought there was something wrong with me LOL. It's reassuring, but unfortunate that other women want to blow their diet and run for the nearest fast food restaurant during PMS too. I honestly never realized there was a connection until the last couple months when I have started listening to my body more.
The last cycle, I did eat a little more and craved greasy food. I have worked hard to adjust my mind and body not to crave the grease so these feelings were kind of overwhelming. I got through it by eating sugar free hard candies, low calorie beef jerky and homemade popsicles made with crystal light. For me, having a mini binge on low calorie foods helped but it was still really hard when a greasy burger or pizza commercial came on the TV every 10 minutes

I definitely get hungrier during my period too. I remind myself, that I am less hungry during other parts of my cycle and if I am mindful, they will balance out (ie, I eat less when I'm less hungry and more when I am hungry).

I also try to fill up on large quantities of low cal food. One of my favorites is a huge pile of roasted brussel sprouts. They are super filling, super good for me and low cal. Curry roasted cauliflower is another fav.

My key is water and fiber!!!

I eat loads of green and low starch vegetables to feel more satisfied.

I was just talking to hubby about this today. About six months or so ago, I had to change birth control (because Medicare wouldn't pay for the pill combo that I've been on). I had found a birth control that controlled the crazy hunger I get during TOM. I have severe PMDD (so bad that shortly after we started dating, hubby began calling me werewolf because of the angry, *****y attitude and severe cravings for chocolate and large amounts of red meat during PMS/TOM). The nickname disappeared when I was prescribed the birth control I had been on, and now on the new pill, he says the werewolf has returned (though it's a smaller, less crazy werewolf than when I was on no birth control at all).

Except during PMS/TOM, I actually enjoy not feeling full. I decided to shrink my stomach by essentiallly eating 6 or more snacks and no "real" meals. I made sure that I never ate more than 1 cup of food at a time (I read the suggestion in a Prevention magazine article). It was really hard at first, but now I like that I have a lot of energy after I eat (rather than the usual "food coma" that accompanied eating to the point of feeling full). I expected to return to 3 smaller meals a day and maybe a small snack, but I mostly stick with the 6 small snack-meals.

Except when I'm a werewolf, when there's no way for me to feel full enough. I could eat until bursting and the werwolf would still be looking for more.

I do often pacify the wolf, by eating a lot of extra bulk. Drinking a lot of fluids, eating a lot of sugar free jello, and making huge salads. Even drinking a psyllium fiber supplement in the morning (such as orange-flavored metamucil) to help quite the growling stomach. Eating very low carb is extremely helpful, but also extremely difficult (because the carb cravings are very strong and persistant. Although the beef craving is easy enough to indulge, especially since I don't eat much red meat the rest of the month).

I also do large pans of roasted vegetables like brussel sprouts, eggplant, green beans or other low-cal vegetables. It usually results in some IBS flare issues because of all the extra fiber (I have to stay very close to a bathroom - but that's true during TOM, anyway).

I've found no effective solution, just a lot of small strategies to cope. Nothing works well enough on it's own, but using all the strategies I can, every bit helps. I don't know that I'll ever feel "normal" during that week, and definitely doubt that I'll ever be able to eat without extreme vigilance during TOM.