Should I feed her?!

JMM-uc

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 1:12 pm

She wants to eat every hour! If I don't feed her she gets cranky.

I don't think she should be eating this often! Should I do the tough love act and make her wait between meals?

TIA

yOungM0mmy

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 1:14 pm

Who is her? Animal? Child? How old? And is she eating the right things, if you feed more nutritionally, it lasts longer... And lastly, do you want to be dealing with crankiness? If it's a physical need, give in and save both of you the misery

JMM-uc

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 1:30 pm

It's ds, she's 26.

I'd feed her but she's already overweight. Not sure this is healthy

youngishbear

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 1:51 pm

A 26 year old can make her own decisions... Wink

workaholicmama

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 2:05 pm

I'm a little confused here.... care to enlighten me, jmm? I suspect ds might mean dear self??

JMM-uc

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 3:07 pm

workaholicmama wrote:

I'm a little confused here.... care to enlighten me, jmm? I suspect ds might mean dear self??

Yup!

yb, she clearly cannot!

youngishbear

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 3:09 pm

JMM-uc wrote:

Yup!

yb, she clearly cannot!

Of course she can. She needs to believe it first, though.

How about dividing meals into smaller parts so she can eat less in total but get her energy replenished when needed?

Or try popcorn. Satisfying to chew, high fiber, and less calories than most.

workaholicmama

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 3:24 pm

I have the same problem... only my ds should really know better as a 32 yr old... Very Happy

penguin

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 3:57 pm

I recently discovered Zevia calorie free soda, sweetened with stevia. You can get it at your local health food store or vitacost.com.

I find it satisfies that urge for a little something sweet. I put it in a tall glass with a few ice cubes.

Miri7

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 4:07 pm

Maybe do the thing where you have 6 small meals a day. It really worked for my friends. The first few days you've got to really stick to it. If you must eat between meals, eat celery. Filling but low calorie.

Amarante

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 7:37 pm

OK - so you were being funny and DS is yourself. As someone who struggles with weight and satiation (I can ALWAYS eat), the most important thing is to PLAN AHEAD.

As Miri7 said, you should plan to eat six times a day as most people's hunger levels naturally occur. So it works out to breakfast - a snack midmorning - lunch - snack mid afternoon - dinner and a snack after dinner.

The nutritionist I worked with said it was critical that every meal contain some protein, a bit of fat and some carbs - preferably what are called complex carbohydrates to maximize satiation. That is because they take different times to digest - carbs hit your bloodstream first and then the protein/fat keep you satiated longer. It doesn't take many calories to create a satisfying snack if you plan ahead.

I had most success by eating what I called clean - a large portion of white meat chicken or fish prepared in a tasty but lowish calorie manner - lots of veggies and then a smallish portion of complex carbs - sweet potato; brown rice; whole wheat quinoa. I did not do well with small calorically dense meals although some people are successful eating small portions of high calorie foods.

Remember, that from the time you put that first bite in your mouth, it takes about 20 MINUTES for your brain to register that it is being fed and you can fress a LOT in 20 minutes. That's why it's good to have your snack planned and to do everything possible to maximize the eating experience.

Also, it's great to have hot soup (broth based) to start because it takes a long time to eat and also is very filling in terms of it being a satisfying hot liquid.

Also DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES. Your brain registers chewing as enjoyable and it takes much longer to chew calories versus drink them. An orange is much more satiating than the equivalent drunk as juice.

There are also good noshes to keep in the fridge which minimize calories for emergencies - I keep gazpacho, grilled vegetables. WW has a recipe for what it used to call 0 Point Veggie Soup.

Also, it's good to keep your trigger foods out of the house. If you can keep them in the house, portion control them BEFORE you eat them. I used to do well by making a single portion of No Pudge Brownies which are nuked in the microwave. For some reason, it signaled my brain that eating was done for the day. Very Happy

Microwave popcorn also worked well.

Try to figure out when you are getting hungry and want to overeat. If eating at night is a problem, substitute something that makes it difficult to eat like needlework or reading a book.

Fave

Sun, Aug 09 2015, 8:39 pm

Great advise Amarante, thanks.

JMM-uc

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 2:31 am

Amarante wrote:

Thank you! This was very helpful.

I recently discovered that I'm gluten intolerant and sensitive to dairy too.
I have a difficult time eating fleshig (I know this sounds childish) but it grosses me out.

Now that my favorite ingredients are out (bread and cheeses) I'm feeling deprived and although there are many other things I can eat, I struggle with feeling full. I'm always hungry.

I need things that are easy and quick to make and aren't empty calories.
I gained a ridiculous amount of weight and I really need to eat healthier

etky

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 2:51 am

How about a nice bowl of oatmeal, with some raisins and nuts (moderate amounts of course), enriched with a splash of non-dairy milk and seasoned with cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Soothing, nourishing, filling, easy and quick to prepare and yummy!

JMM-uc

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 2:57 am

That sounds yummy!

Where can I get oatmeal that doesn't contain gluten? The quick oats I normally buy are gluten full.

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 3:26 am

The steel cut oats aren't "instant" but cook nicely in a minute and a half in the microwave, with an equal amount of water. You can put agave syrup on; it has calories but it does not cause an insulin spike. That spike can be addictive.

Eat a salad with plenty of olive oil on it (and lemon juice or vinegar) because you need the good fat of the oil, now that you are not eating dairy butter fat.

See if you like fish. Or eggs. You need protein.

etky

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 4:10 am

JMM-uc wrote:

That sounds yummy!

Where can I get oatmeal that doesn't contain gluten? The quick oats I normally buy are gluten full.

Hmmm...
The packaged rolled oats and the quick cooking oats and of course the instant oatmeal, do indeed say that they contain gluten. I would venture that the health food stores might sell oats from growers who can commit to their product being gluten free.
You can also find whole oat groats גריסי שיבולת שועל in places like Nitzat Haduvdevan which might also be gluten free because they are not processed, though I have no idea how to cook them.
Steel cut oats גריסי שיבולת שועל חתוכים are not available in Israel to the best of my knowledge. However, if you cut up the whole groats you might get something similar to the steel cut oats which, as posters said on other threads about steel cut oats, you can also cook as a grain.
Also, consider eating a variety of lentils (again, you'll have to find a gluten free source). They are incredibly nutritious, cheap, low calorie and filling. in combination with a starch like rice they form a protein. I make lentil soup with the red lentils, an Indian style lentil-potato dish and majadara with the green ones which I also throw into other vegetable soups. I've also eaten quinoa/black lentil combinations which have been yummy.
Beans and pulses like chickpeas are really good too if you don't have a problem digesting them.
Also buckwheat/kasha if you like the taste.

JMM-uc

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 6:31 am

Thanks so much! Very informative and helpful!

ora_43

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 6:41 am

Tiredness and thirst can both make you feel constant cravings for food, even if you don't actually need more food.

So can blood sugar swings, which can happen if you go a few hours without eating (even if you're not hungry).

My suggestion is to be sure to eat breakfast, drink lots of water, get good sleep at night, and try to get in a few minutes of physical activity every day. All easier said than done, I know.

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Aug 10 2015, 10:51 am

Right. Oh yes.

Oatmeal IS a grain. You can use it anywhere you would use, say, matzah meal, to bind something. It will bind a tuna or salmon patty, with a beaten egg or two. That you fry in oil on top of the stove, un-turned.

Pulses are wonderful, including barley.

There, maybe the overnight slow-cooker is your friend.

It also does not heat up the house.

You would load the slow-cooker with rinsed dried beans, or anything really, with water, before going to bed, and get up the next morning to lots of cooked food, enough for days.

If you felt like making hummus from chickpeas made that way, by grinding them up with olive oil, lemon and garlic, that's another idea too.