How long do you feel full for?

How long do you feel full/satisfied for? Is there a difference? Do you have tricks for feeling full longer? I love it here. Michelle 294/149

I plan most of my meals and strive for good nutritional balance, eat what's there and tell myself I'm satisfied--and I think I usually am. I don't worry about being "full" for any specific period of time; for myself, I've found there no point to it since eating more cannot be an option I choose. I've talked to lots of people who seem "naturally thin" and they usually say that they are really hungry/starving by or before a meal time but it usually doesn't occur to them or at least not bother them to wait to eat until a typical meal time. (My interpretation: they aren't obsessed with fullness like we formerly MO people tend to be.) Just my thoughts on the topic. Ann

That's a good point Ann. I never keep the "full" feeling for long but I do find that when I stay busy and away from food, I don't care if Im full or not. Michelle 294/149

it depends what i eat..if i eat meat ..im full it sits inme..thats why i try to eat my protien forst then the veggys and a taste of carbs some days i am not hungry and then thiers days i can eat all day..maybe it balnces it out who knows

I eat 6 times a day, so I don't let myself get ravenously hungry, because if I do I will at anything I can get my hands on. I get the shakes & cold sweats if I go too long (low blood sugar I am sure) as someone else said, high protein dense items keep me full longer. I have found tricks to make some softer foods stick with me IE when I have my lite & fit yogurt I add about 1/4 cup Kashi crunch high protein high fiber cereal to it. I won't get hungry for several hours on that. Chicken, steak, pork chops also keep me satisfied for a long time. I use regular salad dressings with fat because I feel it helps me feel satisfied and less likely to over indulge. If I am in the need to graze (PMS) I TRY really hard to stick to stuff like celery w/ a dab of peanut butter, snap peas, carrots all raw of course. they are high fiber and low cal.

Physically I feel full for many hours - especially depending upon what I eat. If it is good solid protien, I can go 4-5 (sometimes more) hours feeling full. Mentally I feel full for about 5 minutes after I stop eating. The food demons NEVER seem to leave me. Oh, to be able to graze. sniff, sniff. I think there is a difference. When I have something I am craving, the demons tend to go away for a while. And by craving I am talking about the good stuff we should be eating (shrimp, lobster, a good steak), not the bad stuff we shouldn't be eating (I could start listing, but the list would be WAY too long). I try to drink alot of water in between meals, and I have started using the "on the go" flavors again so when I need a little sweet, I can have it in my water. Anyway that is what I keep telling my brain (she just ain't listening). Hugs Susan -170

It definitely depends on what I eat. My stoma is a bit large so the dense protein stays the longest. For example, I had shrimp yesterday for breakfast, and that stayed w/ me a good long time. Hard boiled or scrambled eggs hang around, and so does chicken, steak, etc. Things like yoghurt don't stay with me at all. I had cottage cheese and raspberries for breakfast today and I'll probably be hungry earlier, but I brought along some nuts just in case The biggest trick of course, is to avoid drinking w/ my meal and for awhile afterwards. I try and get lots of fluids in first thing in the morning before breakfas****er loading works too (the method described in the "pouch rules"). The second component of this is protein vs carbs combination. This is different for everyone I guess, but if I eat oatmeal for breakfast, I'm starving all day even though this would be a healthy whole grain carb. I do best if I eat mostly protein, especially early in the day, then add veggies, whole grain carbs, etc for a meal. Linda

Michelle. I notice, if I eat yogurt or cottage cheese, for breakfast, I am hungry within two hrs. If I eat meat, ie, beef jerky or another type of protein this stays with me longer. I tend to get hungy, (belly growls) within two to three hours. Therefore, I drink a lot of water, this has helped me. Otherwise, if I snak it's on something like peanuts or veggies.

Michelle , Have found that no matter what I eat , if I wait a minimum of 30 minutes before I drink anything I stay full alot longer. After that I drink constantly on sugar free things and lots of water until the next meal . For snacks I eat deli meat, cheese, yogart (fat free sugar free Winn Dixie brand ) , etc . I make sure I eat 2% or skim cheeses as well . Before I started the no drink ritual I was hungry in a short time after eating . Love it here as well although I mainly read and seldom post . Shirl