Appetite Suppressants

[Longhorn]

I can't seem to get any sort of eating plan under control. I'm exercising four or five times a week so that's the bright spot. But I'm still of the mindset that I REFUSE to actually diet.

However, I've been making some changes one at a time. For example, I no longer drink diet soda -- I used to drink four or five a day! I drink water or Propel instead.

The next change I'm thinking of making is a new rule -- that I will only eat if I am truly hungry and when I do eat, I will slow down. When I finish, if I think I'm still hungry, I'll wait at least 20 minutes before I have anything else. And I'll drink water to help me slow down the process.

I was thinking that an appetite suppressant might help me break the snacking habit. Are there any good OTC suppressants out there?

By the way, I'm going to try my new approach on our cruise next week! :crazy:

[Systematic Chaos]

1. I don't know of any otc appetite suppressants that aren't dangerous.

Maybe things have changed since people started having strokes because of Dexatrim, but I don't think so.

What you say you're going to be doing really is the best way! Get comfortable with it and believe in yourself. :)

Keep BUSY during your cruise. Most of those ships have fully equipped gyms, pools and other exercise areas. It sounds to me like no matter what, you will have a great time.

[Longhorn]

6. I'm hoping to both walk and work out on the cruise.

I think I can follow my eating plan and still enjoy the food. Slowing down will especially help. Thanks! :hi:

[auntAgonist]

2. I don't think that appetite suppressants are good for anything at all..

It sure sounds like you're on the right track to healthy living though! For me snacking is always an issue. I've always had a bad habit of wanting food when I'm bored or 'just because'. It used to be the chips and snack crackers, cookies at times and never anything healthy. IF you can turn your snacking into healthy choices I don't see anything wrong with it. Sometimes I need a snack to bolster my energy and to increase my protein intake. I realize my situation is different but, I keep a lot of protein bars on hand. The South Beach Diet high protein cereal bars have 10g of protein and 140 calories each which isn't too bad really. AND they taste great!
I often crave crunchy snacks so I keep a lot of 'mini' carrots around as well as celery. I no longer look at them as rabbit food hehe, but a way to just munch on something and that seems to satisfy that need I have.
I am not sure that snacking has anything to do with hunger and so I don't think that an appetite suppressant would do the trick. Aside from any negative effects they might have I really don't think they'd stop someone from snacking or take away that desire to munch.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough!

Enjoy your cruise, where are you going? Take photos!!!


:hug:
aA

[Longhorn]

4. Our cruise.

We fly to Seattle Friday, then our cruise on the Dawn Princess leaves Saturday for Juneau (whale-watching), Skagway (renting a car and driving to Emerald Lake), Ketchikan (floatplane sightseeing), and Victoria, BC (evening trip into town.) We get back to Seattle and then Austin on the 26th. The fall semester begins the 28th so I've got to get my syllabi copied today!

This will be our second cruise -- the first was last November to the Western Caribbean with my mother and siblings and their spouses. I've been told I need to pack for cold and rain but that we won't care. Since it has been in the upper 90s, low 100s the last couple of weeks, I'm looking forward to cold and rain! :)

I have never been able to successfully snack on carrots and celery. It's not at all what I crave when I'm craving something. I don't dislike fruit and some veggies but if I was craving something and I had nothing else in the house, I'd eat nothing! I do like Luna Bars, fat-free pudding, and low-fat, no-sugar-added ice cream bars, as well as low-fat popcorn and reduced-fat Wheat Thins. I try to limit the quantity of what I eat because I can eat half a box of Wheat Thins without even realizing it!

I don't think what I eat is unhealthy but I don't eat enough healthy foods. I should have more fruits and vegetables and even protein in my diet but neither my husband and I enjoy cooking and we often both work in the evenings. I've stocked up on fresh produce only to throw it all out when it rotted in the fridge.

I intend to change my diet but I'm just trying to make one change at a time. I am exercising four or five times a week; I'm drinking more water and no soda, diet or otherwise. And now I'm trying to control when and how I eat. Next I'll try to tackle WHAT I eat, one food at a time. :)

Thanks for your interest and good wishes! :hi:

[borlis]

10. Try sugar free Jello cups if you are craving sweets.

I think they are only 15 calories. Have a great trip.

[supernova]

3. Fat. Seriously.

If you are feeling hungry and it's no where near a mealtime, then have a snack of fats and proteins... such as cheese and/or nuts. It's much more satisfying and will tide you over to the meal.

[Longhorn]

5. Great idea!

I've gone overboard with cheese and nuts before but if I snack on them in the context of my new eating habits (that is, give them time to satisfy) it should work! Thanks! :hi:

[Lost-in-FL]

25. A medium banana with 1 tbl Natural Peanut butter

will satisfy you until the next meal. If you don't like banana, try an apple.

Usually anything with Splenda or any artificial sugars will make the craving worse. Fats (in moderation) are better at controlling hunger.

[DemExpat]

7. I agree with this.

Cheese, nuts, a little meat, chicken or fish, a hard-boiled egg - these alone are satisfying and healthy snacks for me.


DemEx

[Longhorn]

8. I'll bet I would end up consuming fewer calories if I also slowed down

while I ate and let the message get to my brain that my hunger is being taken care of! :) Thanks!

[DemExpat]

9. These food do this trick the best IMO....

so not much is needed to tie one over for the next real meal.

Yes, relaxing, chewing our food and paying attention to what we eat (enjoying it) is also a very good appetite satisfier.

:hi:

DemEx

[lakemonster11]

11. One of my favorite snacks is apple slices and cheese

I cut the apple into slices and use pre-sliced cheddar cheese so that I'm sure about the portion size. The combination between the fiber in the apple and the protein and fat in the cheese makes it very satisfying. Plus, they taste great together.

[Longhorn]

12. That sounds yummy!

And a great way to get more fruit in my diet! Thanks!

[Longhorn]

13. I followed your suggestion today and it worked!

I had an appointment run long so I had to go to my 3:15 hair appointment without eating since breakfast. So while my hairdresser was mixing up my hair color, I ran to the convenience store next day and got a 2 oz. package of roasted almonds and a bottle of Propel. I would be starving by now if I hadn't done that!

Thanks! :hi:

[dorktv]

14. *gets a giant bag of mixed veggies* Eat some with every meal...at least

one bowl of them. This gives you the nutrients that your body is begging for so you are not hungry in between meals...or at least that is what I have been told.

[DemExpat]

15. Saw this in the Health forum.....

High protein helps satisfy appetite.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x10873

DemEx

[Longhorn]

16. Very interesting!

Thanks for the link! I'm starting a new diet next week that is high in protein so it's good to know that I may also have less hunger. :yourock:

[DemExpat]

17. One more, for the record!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x10936

[w8liftinglady]

18. do NOT let yourself get on the phentermine cycle

phentermine is very physically addictive.keep your furnace stoked with protein and good fats.

[Dogmudgeon]

19. Fiber and/or fish oil before meals. And some other stuff.

A radical diet of any kind will change your mindset very effectively. I periodically follow a strict low-carb diet; at other times, I fast during the day, even for full days occasionally. Making major changes in your dietary behavior is good for your sense of control AND it mimics the catch-as-catch-can nature of how early humans actually ate.

I take a spoonful of psyllium and two fish oil gels before a meal. It knocks appetite way down, and it's also great for cholesterol/lipid control. You could also eat some vegetables first, but psyllium is both soluble and insoluble, and slows down fat absorption, which makes fish oil release more slowly and also traps some of the saturated fats.

If you're eating a starchy meal, a starch blocker may reduce your starch cravings. They don't make starch indigestible -- they just slow it down, which may be helpful; and they also reduce indigestion for many people. Yes, you DO have to count all the starch calories, but if you're monitoring your glucose, you may well notice less of a spike. For me, it's quite pronounced.

Appetite suppressants CAN be quite helpful -- BUT you can't just pop some Anna Nicole pills and hope to lose weight. They don't cause nearly as many strokes as they're accused of, but you MUST get a physician to check you out first! Even OTCs like ephedrine-based stuff can be effective when properly used, ideally in a medically supervised program. There is a lot of well-conducted research on using ephedrine, prescription amphetamine analogues, and alpha agonists. But you have to do it correctly! Popping pills when you "feel a little fat", whether over-the-counter or prescribed, is not an effective strategy for weight loss.

One "pill" you can pop that is very healthy is green tea. You can pop about fifty a day before the caffeine in them starts to be a problem. Green tea contains a number of extremely beneficial phytochemicals that help with weight loss, have anti-cancer properties, and quench free radical reactions; and theanine, an amino acid in tea, reduces blood pressure. If you like to drink the stuff, so much the better, but I don't like it, myself, so I take the pill form. The Japanese, as you may know, have an entire ceremony around the preparation and consumption of tea.

My own main strategy is to pay attention to the way my body feels. It's kind of like meditation, except being mindful of eating, exercising, etc. Learning to tune into your physical world will probably help greatly in weight loss. If you tend to overeat, becoming more sensitive to your feelings and reactions will discourage the practice -- it just doesn't feel good to overeat. And if you like what you're eating, you can always stop when you're full and come back and eat some more later.

And, of course, the foundation is still the same: Better diet. More exercise. Patience.

Good luck!

--p!

[Longhorn]

20. Thanks for all of the information!

I've noticed that my appetite has decreased quite a bit since I started a low-calorie, low-carb diet last week. So your observations are right on!

I'll check into some of your other suggestions, too. Thanks again! :hi:

[Trailrider1951]

21. I second the vote for psyllium fiber

It keeps me feeling full all day so I don't overeat. Each teaspoon of the powder contains 20 calories. I drink 2 heaping teaspoons mixed into about 6 oz. of water at midmorning, about 10 am. I drink another dose at 4 pm. That way I am full for both lunch and dinner, and can be satisfied with a bowl of cucumber salad with low fat dressing, and a Boca burger (I'm a vegetarian). Just be sure you drink PLENTY of water after the fiber doses, as it absorbs water and will plug you up if you don't, LOL. I've devised my own low fat, low carb, high fiber diet based on the South Beach diet, substituting Boca products for the meat allowed on the diet. And it is working! I've lost 4 lbs. since I began the diet a week ago! You might try adding the fiber and see if it works for you. Good Luck!!!! :pals:

[lavenderdiva]

22. this sounds interesting...

where do you get the psyllium fiber? Is this something the grocery store would have, or is it something like a GNC would have? Also, does it have a taste? You mention that you mix it with water- can you taste it at all?

[Trailrider1951]

23. Psyllium fiber is the main ingredient in Metamucil

But I buy the generic equivalent at the big box store. It costs a lot less than the name brand, about $5 for a big container that lasts forever. Be sure to read the label, as there are sugar sweetened and sugar free types. I use the sugar free stuff. It tastes like weak orange juice with a lot of pulp in it. You can also get the unflavored, but I haven't tried that type. And, get this: I weighed myself this morning and I'm now 7 lbs. lighter!!!! 8 days ago I weighed 200 lbs. and today the scale read 193!!!!! Hooray!!! :bounce:

[Lost-in-FL]

24. Insuline levels are playing tricks on you

Low carb diets are the best appetite suppressant.

Cut your carbs (carbs from processed foods and starches like bread, pasta, potatoes) and your cravings will stop. You should only get your carbs from fruits and vegetables (do not eat starchy vegetables like potatoe) For snacks, use low calorie nutrition bars with low sugars and high protein if you run out of time to prepare your meals or are in a hurry. There's very good ones out there. As someone mentioned here eat cheese and nuts. The fats on those products fills you up and will cut cravings (watch the calories of course!).

Also, increase your fiber intake and distribute your daily rations during the day so you are eating 6 meals. Breakfast should be the biggest meal and dinner your smallest. Al least that is what works for me. I have lost so far 20 pounds in 8 weeks. I started my exercise regime with WEIGHTS FIRST for the first 2 weeks to help develop the muscles that will then increase my metabolism. After the 2 weeks, I then started cardio workout at my optimum heart rate for my age (I am 36 so that is between 130 to 150 beats per minute) only twice a weeks and continue doing weight training 3 days a week (I exercise 5 times a week).

I am currently in a low carb diet and exercise program, and my cravings are gone even when my intake is around the 1450-1550 calories a day and 5 workouts per week. I can hardly finish my dinner and eat over 1500 calories because of how full I feel when I do not eat carbs and increase protein. One last think, eggs and peanut butter are your friends and drink lotsa water also.

My 2cents since diets work differently on people. This is what works for me.

[Name removed]

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