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Huge appetite...need suppressant?


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Help! I have a huge appetite and while exericsing decreases it somewhat, I'm still noticing that my desire to eat is huge. I feel like it's more of a chemical issue in my brain vs. willpower or eating for other reasons. I took meridia for several years and it was wonderful in terms of focusing me and taking my mind off food... but i'm scared to go back on it because of how it affected me mentally in the end. Any suggestions??

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Whenever you get the hunger pangs, drink a hot beverage. Green tea or chicken broth, something simple. Avoid caffeine, as it is a stimulant and can make you jittery on an empty stomach.

 

Hot liquids curb the appetite. I've heard that green tea actually makes you lose weight, although I'm not sure if there is any evidence to back this statement. Maybe they're basing it on what I've just explained, same theory. All I know is it works for me, and it promotes a feeling of well-being at the same time.

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I feel like it's more of a chemical issue in my brain vs. willpower or eating for other reasons.

 

The chemical that's responsible is leptin. It's the hormone that shuts off the appetite. Unfortunately, it's the leptin receptors in the brain that don't work. You can try eating food that has leptin - nuts do so you could try having 1/4 cup of nuts a half-hour before you eat. Fish also supposedly help - here's a couple suggestions from a site for ways to combine fish with other healthy foods

 

# Combine cod, broth, healthy sautéed onions and garlic, and your favorite vegetables and seasonings in a stock pot to make a delicious fish soup.

# Make fish tacos by wrapping halibut, salsa and guacamole in a corn tortilla.

# Marinate snapper in citrus juice and honey, then bake.

 

You can also do a search on 'satiety index' and eat the foods that are most filling, many of which are healthy (like whole grains).

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Whenever you get the hunger pangs, drink a hot beverage. Green tea or chicken broth, something simple. Avoid caffeine, as it is a stimulant and can make you jittery on an empty stomach.

 

Hot liquids curb the appetite. I've heard that green tea actually makes you lose weight, although I'm not sure if there is any evidence to back this statement. Maybe they're basing it on what I've just explained, same theory. All I know is it works for me, and it promotes a feeling of well-being at the same time.

 

I agree. I've tried this, and it worked for me, too.

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I have exactly the same problem. This is what has worked wonderfully for me. I know it works because when I stop doing it, my appetite (especially my craving for sweets) returns to being insatiable:

 

--When you wake up in the morning, BEFORE you eat breakfast, drink a big glass of ICED green tea. It immediately fills you up and cuts your appetite so you won't want as much for breakfast. I drink it iced because of the suggestion in the "Body for Life" plan that drinking a cold drink in the morning causes your body to do more work to heat you up, giving you a slight energy and metabolism boost. Don't know if it's true, but I go for it anyway!

--Engage in VIGOROUS exercise after drinking the tea...I usually do 45 minutes of heavy cardio or strength training right after the tea. A "brisk" walk has never done it for me. It has to be something that really gets my heart pumping. If you must eat before exercise, eat only a slight amount (half a banana or a handful of almonds)

--Return to eat a modest breakfast (egg on toast and OJ or oatmeal with skim milk or yogurt with almonds and fruit). The tea in combo with the exercise makes you hardly hungry at all.

--Take a multivitamin with extra B vitamins in it. I also have found that Chinese ginseng and ginkgo biloba have an appetite-suppressing, mood-raising effect for me. I used to take all these supplements separately, but then found that Centrum makes a "Performance" multivitamin with all these ingredients, which makes things much easier. This combo might not work for you, though, but it could be worth a try.

--Drink two or three more glasses of green tea throughout the day (some will say water will work, but it doesn't for me. It has to be the green tea to get the appetite-suppressing effect. I think the slight amount of caffeine and the other elements in it must be the trick).

--45 minutes of strength training 3x a week. Building muscle mass also reduces my appetite and increases my metabolism

--Cut back on sugar. If you are a sugar-a-holic, the more you eat, the more you want.

--Eat a protein with every meal (an egg or yogurt, nuts or peanut butter, fish, chicken, etc.) It will keep your appetite regulated.

--Eat smaller meals, five or six times a day, about two to three hours apart. This one's harder to do, and I have to admit I don't stick to it religiously. But it helps if you can schedule your meal times that routinely.

 

I have found that this formula really suppresses my appetite--part of it I came up with on my own, and the other comes from variations on the "Body for Life" plan, which I highly recommend (check the book out from the library, but ignore all the supplement recommendations. The plan itself is sound, especially for people who need to boost their metabolisms and decrease their appetites.) When I'm on this plan, or variations of it, I am honestly not hungry. I eat only 2/3 of my normal diet and lose weight easily. I lost 30 pounds, without feeling deprived. To me, it felt like magic.

 

I moved twice this year, had a bout with depression, and fell off the plan. My schedule was all turned around and I just didn't have time to even make the green tea in the morning or keep a pitcher on hand to drink throughout the day. I only had time to exercise two or three times a week. I barely got to my strength training at all. So, what happened? My appetite came back, and so did my unstoppable craving for cookies, ice cream and other sweets. I gained back 15 pounds of the 30 I'd lost.

 

I've worked out this plan over time, and I'm getting back on it now.

 

I'm convinced that, for me, weight loss is more than "calories in, calories out," as so many people like to say (heck, I've said it myself). I now realize it can be much more complex for many people and can be caused by some kind of chemical imbalance that can be fixed with the right approach, that gets your appetite back where it should be. And, of course, it's easy to lose weight when you're not fighting hunger and unrelenting cravings all the time!

 

This plan really works for me. I'd suggest experimenting to see what your body's needs. I'd bet something like this will work for you.

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Help! I have a huge appetite and while exericsing decreases it somewhat, I'm still noticing that my desire to eat is huge. I feel like it's more of a chemical issue in my brain vs. willpower or eating for other reasons. I took meridia for several years and it was wonderful in terms of focusing me and taking my mind off food... but i'm scared to go back on it because of how it affected me mentally in the end. Any suggestions??

 

Many times we misinterpret thirst as hunger, so people tend to eat when they are actually thirsty.

 

When you are hungry, trying drinking a big glass of water or something.

 

Personally I have no appetite, so this is my only advice.

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I have exactly the same problem. This is what has worked wonderfully for me. I know it works because when I stop doing it, my appetite (especially my craving for sweets) returns to being insatiable:

 

--When you wake up in the morning, BEFORE you eat breakfast, drink a big glass of ICED green tea. It immediately fills you up and cuts your appetite so you won't want as much for breakfast. I drink it iced because of the suggestion in the "Body for Life" plan that drinking a cold drink in the morning causes your body to do more work to heat you up, giving you a slight energy and metabolism boost. Don't know if it's true, but I go for it anyway!

--Engage in VIGOROUS exercise after drinking the tea...I usually do 45 minutes of heavy cardio or strength training right after the tea. A "brisk" walk has never done it for me. It has to be something that really gets my heart pumping. If you must eat before exercise, eat only a slight amount (half a banana or a handful of almonds)

--Return to eat a modest breakfast (egg on toast and OJ or oatmeal with skim milk or yogurt with almonds and fruit). The tea in combo with the exercise makes you hardly hungry at all.

--Take a multivitamin with extra B vitamins in it. I also have found that Chinese ginseng and ginkgo biloba have an appetite-suppressing, mood-raising effect for me. I used to take all these supplements separately, but then found that Centrum makes a "Performance" multivitamin with all these ingredients, which makes things much easier. This combo might not work for you, though, but it could be worth a try.

--Drink two or three more glasses of green tea throughout the day (some will say water will work, but it doesn't for me. It has to be the green tea to get the appetite-suppressing effect. I think the slight amount of caffeine and the other elements in it must be the trick).

--45 minutes of strength training 3x a week. Building muscle mass also reduces my appetite and increases my metabolism

--Cut back on sugar. If you are a sugar-a-holic, the more you eat, the more you want.

--Eat a protein with every meal (an egg or yogurt, nuts or peanut butter, fish, chicken, etc.) It will keep your appetite regulated.

--Eat smaller meals, five or six times a day, about two to three hours apart. This one's harder to do, and I have to admit I don't stick to it religiously. But it helps if you can schedule your meal times that routinely.

 

I have found that this formula really suppresses my appetite--part of it I came up with on my own, and the other comes from variations on the "Body for Life" plan, which I highly recommend (check the book out from the library, but ignore all the supplement recommendations. The plan itself is sound, especially for people who need to boost their metabolisms and decrease their appetites.) When I'm on this plan, or variations of it, I am honestly not hungry. I eat only 2/3 of my normal diet and lose weight easily. I lost 30 pounds, without feeling deprived. To me, it felt like magic.

 

I moved twice this year, had a bout with depression, and fell off the plan. My schedule was all turned around and I just didn't have time to even make the green tea in the morning or keep a pitcher on hand to drink throughout the day. I only had time to exercise two or three times a week. I barely got to my strength training at all. So, what happened? My appetite came back, and so did my unstoppable craving for cookies, ice cream and other sweets. I gained back 15 pounds of the 30 I'd lost.

 

I've worked out this plan over time, and I'm getting back on it now.

 

I'm convinced that, for me, weight loss is more than "calories in, calories out," as so many people like to say (heck, I've said it myself). I now realize it can be much more complex for many people and can be caused by some kind of chemical imbalance that can be fixed with the right approach, that gets your appetite back where it should be. And, of course, it's easy to lose weight when you're not fighting hunger and unrelenting cravings all the time!

 

This plan really works for me. I'd suggest experimenting to see what your body's needs. I'd bet something like this will work for you.

Wow! You really put alot of thought into your response, josie. I am printing this off.

 

I have a huge appetite, also. The older I get, the less my body burns the fat. I used to be able to eat anything in any amount, but just the last few years, I have been trying to control my hunger and cutting back.

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