appetite control

[Wild Bill]

It is time for me to lose some weight. I have tons of information on proper diet and exercise but what I really need is help controling my hunger. The only may I can lose weight is if I burn more calories than I take in. I was wondering if anyone had personal experiance taking hoodia or other supplements that might help. I will try almost anything. I just love food to much.

 

[Carol]

The only may I can lose weight is if I burn more calories than I take in.

That is the way everyone loses weight.

Diet pills aren't one size fits all, there are some that work for some folks.

A few things to watch out for:

Many over-the-counter diet med or supplement has been eventually been removed or restricted by the FDA for health complications.

None keep weight off. Some people put weight back on when they stop taking the med, other people put weight back on as they build up tolerance to the med or supplement.

Weight loss meds/supplements are an individual thing. Some tolerate some better than others. Some respond to certain ones better than others.

Weight loss supplements can be expensive...prices for some run as high as $150/month.

However, regular excercize can do a lot to control one's appetitie.

Bill...it may help to talk to a naturopath about food allergies or sensitivities. If you are sensitive to a certain type of food (such as wheat), your body may respond by craving more of it. Eliminating the trigger foods (once you identify what they are) can bring your appetite back under control.

Just some thoughts. Good luck and hang in there.

 

[CHA3Kenpo]

Forget the supplements until your diet is on point. Without a set diet no supplement in the world will work or is even necessary. Google the harris benedict formula to calculate your daily maintenace caloric intake. Drop the cals slowly. Remember you need to eat 5-8 meals a day depending on your goals, weight, excersise etc.... Doing cardio first thing when you get up on an empty stomach is the best way to maximize the effects, and find 65-70% of your max heart rate and stay in that range for maximum fat burning. Don't mix your carbs and fats in the same meal. Depending on your weight/goals a good meal might consist of 30grams of protein and 40grams of carbs or 30grams of protein and 15 grams of healthy fats (EFA's). EX of EFA's, NATURAL Peanut Butter, Flax oil, almonds.

 

[morph4me]

I found a couple of things that helped me. First I cut down considerably on bread. Drank a couple of glasses of water before I sat down to eat. I started using smaller plates, so when I filled them I still didn't take as much as I used to. The thing that helped the most was that I started slowing down, chewing longer, and waiting longer before I took the next bite, I seemed to get fuller, sooner. Last, but not least, I joined a gym and increased my activity level.

 

[Jade Tigress]

It is time for me to lose some weight. I have tons of information on proper diet and exercise but what I really need is help controling my hunger. The only may I can lose weight is if I burn more calories than I take in. I was wondering if anyone had personal experiance taking hoodia or other supplements that might help. I will try almost anything. I just love food to much.

Hoodia is a group of tough plants that mostly live in hot country. One of them, Hoodia gordonii, is a plant used by the Kalahari Bushmen to, among other things, quell hunger and keep them going between meals (most non-industrialized people, who live their whole lives hungry, have a plant, often slightly narcotic, that serves a similar function: betel nut, coca leaves, qat, and so on). Anyway, Hoodia made the news a couple of years ago in a piece by Leslie Stahl of 20/20, who reported that when she chewed the leaves of this plant, she wasn't hungry all day. That caused a kind of mini-stampede to get the stuff to market, but there are many problems with using the plant as an appetite suppressant. For one thing, there are a LOT of different species of Hoodia, and not all of them seem to have the hunger-reducing power. The plant the Kalahari people use is very picky about where and how it grows, so you can't just plant it anywhere, and getting it out of troubled Africa has proven difficult.

Other species are more available, and it's quite possible that some manufacturers are using an ineffective plant, or a concentration that's ineffective.

That's assuming, of course, that the plant actually has an active ingredient--because there have been very few studies.

Here's the Stahl article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/18/60minutes/main656458.shtml

and here's more recent info courtesy of wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodia

That being said, if you're going to try Hoodia, the brand you use is important. I recently started taking Hoodia because I felt unable to control my appetite. I take this. I started taking 2 tabs before each meal. I have noticed now, 2 weeks later, that my appetite has greatly decreased and I feel fuller quicker at meal times. I know other people who have tried other brands of Hoodia without success. Also, drink more water!

 

[Infinite]

So I point out that I have been thin all my life. However a good friend of mine was 350+ for most of his life he is down to 185 an amazing man.

Anyway here is what he learned I asked for you,

1) As somone else pointed out drink a lot of water before eating. It has no calories and it fills up the stomach making you feel fuller. He drank 3 full glasses.

2) As someone also mentioned slow down. It takes 20 minutes from the time your stomach is full to tell your brian. At least that is what his doctor told him. So he learned to take 3 bites stop take a deep breath and then take 3 more bites. Apparently he started only finishing half a plate.

3) Many small meals few large ones. Snack all day is better than eating 3 times a day. His doctor recommended 5 meals a day total.

4) Eat differently at different times based on your activity level. If you are going to the gym eat fruit. If you aren't going to work out for two days then try to stay away from the sugars and heavy carbs.

So as I said I myself can not speak authoritativly on the subject. How ever this mans accomplishments were so inspiring to me I thought I would share them.

If you want I can ask him specific questions,

--Will

 

[RED]

The wife has lost 80 pounds since April '06 doing Slim Fast. It was difficult to be disciplined for the first few weeks, but once we changed our thoughts on the food it became easier. I just wish I was as disciplined as the wife. I'm a fast food junkie. I'm kind of proud of her. She has a cheat day. She is religious about it. The meals are really good too! She walks or does arobics every day for atleast a half hour. Go to the web site and take a look. Good luck.

My 2 ¥

 

[KempoGuy06]

As you know nothing by itself will help that much it is a combination of everything. Supplements, dieting and physical activity (mainly weight training, you will burn more fat by lighting weights alone than by only doing activites such as running but it is best to have a combination of both) will help you lose weight.

My advice is to join a gym (or if you have equipment to talk to a trainer to get an idea of what you want to do.) Next establish a good diet, like CHA3Kenpo said it is a balance of protein, fat and carbs. Supplments are always good and im not talking about diet pills (though if you want to use these i recommend Methyl RIPPED, i have used this with great success) i mainly talking about vitamins, protien anything along those lines.

Personally i recommend a good protein powder (GNC brand, muscle milk), some multi-vitamins, a good pre-workout supplement mainly something with creatin (NO-explode) and then something like GNC's Triflex for your joints. This sounds like a lot but the trade off is well worth it.

As for the appitite, when ever you fill hungry drink some water and eat some fruit, a protien bar, some whole grain toast this is all stuff that taste good and is good for you.

Always remember to take it slow and the results will come. Best of luck to you, Ive been down that same road.

B

 

[Kwiter]

Drink PLENTY of Water to keep your body hydrated. Plenty of Water with dinner, remember yer brain don't tell you yer stomach full right away.

Try not to get bored during the evening, that tends to lead to eating just for something to do.

I find if my mind is occupied I'm not hungry but if just sitting around in front of the idiot box I want to eat!

 

[fJCtheone]

Drinking a ton of water and cut back on carbs at night has helped me. Also limiting my soda consumption was a big benefit as well. Good luck!

 

[Cryozombie]

I'm on day 6 of a 7 day fast/detoxification program.

I find that by day 5 you just dont want food anymore... so thats an Idea for you...

 

[King]

Cool a lot of great advice in here. I lost a decent amount of weight (50lbs in 6 months) doing what Infinite mentioned. Just to be on the safe side consulting a doctor would be a good idea so they can also watch your medical condition. Everybody's body is different and what works well for others may not work for you. My advice would be to plan for a long term life-style change to get rid of unwanted weight and to keep it off.

 

[KempoGuy06]

Cool a lot of great advice in here. I lost a decent amount of weight (50lbs in 6 months) doing what Infinite mentioned. Just to be on the safe side consulting a doctor would be a good idea so they can also watch your medical condition. Everybody's body is different and what works well for others may not work for you. My advice would be to plan for a long term life-style change to get rid of unwanted weight and to keep it off.

That is a very good idea King. Always consult a doctor before making a change to your diet.

Another good piece of advise that i received was to do research. Figure out what you want to accomplish as you MAIN goal (whether you want to build lots of muscle, tone you body or loose weight). While these are all connected the path you take to each is a little different. Also ask your doctor or some one at a local nutrition store about what vitamins are the most essintial to the body (all vitamins are important but there are some that lead the list and usually supplement focusing on these at the top of the list will also include the ones at the bottom of the list) because your body wants/needs these vitamins to stay healthy. SO if you give your body what it wants/needs it will inturn give you what you want/need, whether its weight loss, muscle mass or whatever you are working for.

B

 

[Phoenix44]

Giant salads. Increase your fiber--whole grain bread, cereals, beans. Drink enough water. Have a piece of fruit between meals--do not let yourself become ravenously hungry.

I lost 25 lbs on Weight Watchers. In my opinion, it's one of the very few sensible weight loss programs around.

 

[Touch Of Death]

It is time for me to lose some weight. I have tons of information on proper diet and exercise but what I really need is help controling my hunger. The only may I can lose weight is if I burn more calories than I take in. I was wondering if anyone had personal experiance taking hoodia or other supplements that might help. I will try almost anything. I just love food to much.

I can see taking a diet pill before an event that promises a lot of food, but you really need to discipline yourself over all.
Sean

 

[Lynne]

I can only tell you what has worked for me. Strict diets, per se, do not work for me because of the following: real physical hunger, cravings (appetite), and not enough energy to work out.

If you are doing martial arts, you need energy to work out; you need macronutrients to rebuild your muscles and replace lost glycogen (sugar stores in the liver).

I eat a moderate to large breakfast and lunch. I make sure I have protein with every snack or meal, no exceptions. Protein and some good fat will keep your blood sugar stable much longer than carbs alone. If I eat oatmeal for breakfast, I will crash in two hours and eat more the rest of the day. I am better off not eating breakfast than eating carbs for breakfast.

I now divide my dinner calories between a preworkout meal for my evening class and a snack afterward. I find that I can eat less in evening if I am well fueled by breakfast and lunch.

Consider that if you are eating enough calories to fuel your body, you will build more muscle which will burn more fat. Muscle is more metabolically active so you are burning more calories at rest.

Some days I eat more. MA increases my appetite the day after a workout.

I write down everything I eat. That's been very helpful. I don't get crazy about the calories but I approximate them. If I've had chocolate at lunch, I don't have it again that day. If I eat 800 calories for lunch, I really watch it at dinner and my evening snack.

Some good books: The Abs Diet by David Zinczenko, Body for Life by Bill Phillips, Eating for Life by Bill Phillips.

If you want to make it very simple:

For three meals, have a palm-sized portion of lean protein, a fistful size of carbs, and some nonstarcy veggies two meals a day. Have two to three carb-protein snacks such as non- or low-fat cottage cheese, 1/2 a turkey sandwich, 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich, a whey shake with 3/4 cup berries, a Zone bar. Add some essential fats to your meals such as two tsps. of flax oil, or olive oil, a T of walnuts/almonds/pistachios, or get two tablespoons of peanut butter a day. You can add fish oil supplements to your diet in addition to the other fats.

Think about health first. Think about energy to fuel your workouts.

I am losing bodyfat and have stopped using the scale as it sits on the same number. But I am shrinking.

Hope this helps.