Hunger and fullness help

[missmarla]

hi everyone,

though i am really enjoying this woe (the food choices, the energy, the clear skin), i'm losing very little weight. i have been sticking to the induction foods list, but i think a huge part of the problem is that i've just been eating too much... i know atkins says we don't need to count calories, however, i know i've been overdoing it bigtime with things like pepperoni and pork rinds.

in dandr i noticed he talks about eating all you want vs. eating all you need. i know i have also read about many people experiencing the decreased appetite that comes with ketosis. the problem is, i think after years and years of abusing myself with food, i don't have a clue as to what hunger and fullness even feels like!

the start i've been making is for the last few days, i've been waiting until i feel actual physical hunger (which i equate with a growling tummy) to eat my meals/snacks, rather than going by the clock. if i eat a decent amount, it usually winds up being 4-5 hours.

however, once i start, i have a very hard time stopping... after a few bites, the stomache growling has gone away, but i honestly can't tell when my body has had enough. i don't usually eat until i'm stuffed but i do usually finish whatever i've put on my plate. i tried to combat this by simply preparing myself much smaller portions, but i just wound up being hungry much sooner.

so i guess my question is, for you experienced LCers.. if you're counting just carbs and not calories, how do you know when to eat and how much??

[taming]

I didn't know what a normal portion of anything was when I first started. My initial decision was to weigh my food and at least notice the calories while really counting the carbs using fitday. I also paid attention to what the labels said 1 portion was on canned, packaged, and frozen food.

Protein was where I went way over if I didn't weigh foods--that and things like salad dressing. I now seldom go over two eggs and usually limit meat to 2-3 ounces at noon and 4-5 at dinner. I will go over that if I am eating fish, and to some extent, skinless chicken. Salad dressing is 2 Tbsp a serving these days.

Now I pay attention to calories--aiming for a range, and an average over the week in terms of carbs and calories. So far, it's working for me.
Moving to a smaller dinner plate might help.

[kiwigal]

You may also find that the pork rinds and pepperoni make you retain water.
Have you been measuring? You might be shrinking..even if the scale is not moving!
The other thought is..It may be a good idea to post a couple of days normal food eating, so we can have a peek and perhaps help to tweak things for you.
Good Luck!

[PilotGal]

Yes, true Atkins has said from the beginning, in 1972 that you can eat all you want. But if you read the journals, you'll read where members are curbing their calories.

And the majority of us have an issue about portion control. That's why we're here. In 1972, it was nothing for any of us to consume a 20 oz porterhouse, with a huge salad of lettuce and cukes with a huge portion of blue cheese dressing on top, and then SF jello for dessert.. It was easy to consume over 2,000 calories with this way of eating.

Another portion of us on this forum have no dicipline, and therefore cheating is a way of life. Cheating= foods not on induction.

So.... it's really up to you. You can either watch your calories and lower your portion sizes, ALONG with carb watching, or you can continue to cheat on a daily basis.. and you will continue to wonder why your not losing. Or you can stick faithfully to induction, eat only what you're supposed to eat, and consume at least 64 oz of water, daily.

and like kiwi said, salty foods will retain water.

[PilotGal]

Moving to a smaller dinner plate might help.

LOL! I found 3 smaller plates at the thrift store that work perfectly. I eat off the smaller plates, and the kids still eat off the larger plates!

[jadefox26]

Hiya, another thing to think about is upping your fats slightly. Fats like cream and cheese, and oils such as olive and coconut/groundnut are all good at keeping you fuller for longer. Also, eat meat like lamb with the fat on it, or beef with fat....it's difficult to get into fat eating mode with meat especially as we haven't been told we can do that for so many years....it's almost not natural, but the more you eat of it the more use to it you'll be come. I eat duck breast with the skin, lamb ribs with their fat and beef ribs - all with lots of fat and I love it now.
I would be careful with the cream, and moderate on the cheese but the oils are great for making a good dressing for salads. Just remember, if you're hungry then eat...but make sure your fats are sufficient to fill you up.