appetite suppressant question...

[kellibelli]

Okay, I think I have come to the point where I need some intervention with my eating habits. I have some emotional eating problems (which I think must be pretty common among women - I hope I am not the only one who goes through this!) and I NEED HELP ignoring cravings. IS THERE ANY TYPE OF NATURAL APPETITE SUPPRESSANT OUT THERE THAT REALLY WORKS??? Thanks for your help.

[my_sunshine]

Not sure, but I've heard grapefruit is suppossed to help. I do hear you on the emotional eating though, it's a big downfall. So sudden too!

[michigan roman]

green tea . its in many diet formulas besides being touted on its own .
and from my own experience i found it to help .

[dreamrawalwz]

Try looking for Hoodia. It's a cactus i think and it's in Africa.

[sungoddess]

If you are talking about always being hungry... then an appetite suppressant may help. BUT emotional eating is not going to be stopped just because you aren't hungry... so don't waste the money if emotion are what are driving you to eat. That needs to be dealt with in other ways... and If I knew how.... Then a lot of my problems would be solved too ;)

[kellibelli]

darn...I have put so much weight on since my mom and I started having arguments earlier on this year and I just stopped caring about my weight. Now that I have cut off my relationship with her I have found peace and a desire to get back on track and begin loving myself again and caring about my body and what I put in it. I have, however, created a monster with my fast food eating over the past several months and now it is just so stinking hard to break. I guess I just want an "easy" way out, you know?

[sungoddess]

I know SO well. I am here for you, struggling to do the same thing you are!!!! Best of Luck! May tomorrow be a good day, where we respect our bodies!

[kellibelli]

It sounds like you have had some similar experiences to mine. I am sorry about your struggles, but it is nice to know that there are people who are able to empathize with my situation and knowing that I am not alone in my struggle is a comfort to me. :)

[MagicalDaze]

Not sure whether this will be helpful - it's not the sort of thing U are hoping for...but for me, the easiest way to avoid cravings is to stay 100% raw, & the "stricter" the better - meaning easy on the fats, dehydrated & complicated recipes. Generally, the closer to cooked it tastes, the more likely it is to cause cravings (in my experience). As long as I was "high raw", I found cravings to be a huge issue, but now it's a non-issue. Raw went from being a struggle to being a breeze!

Have U done any fasting? I found juice fasting to be craving free, followed by mostly fruits, smoothies & salads. Doing that I was completely craving free for months. (Of course, I also have not been to any restaurants, or been around any of my fave cooked items - it would be a lot harder if I was in the presence of pizza or Mexican foods!)

Another trick I use is to mentally define my limits - for instance not considering anything that's not 100% raw as "food." Then I just don't let my mind take me to "cooked" places - when I see a pizza on tv, instead of remembering how yummy it used to taste, I just mentally label it "cardboard - not fit for human consumption" etc......

I wish U luck in finding what works for U! U definitely shouldn't feel alone, as I think cravings are a pretty universal experience!

[kellibelli]

Thank you for your help! I need to keep your advice in mind because I think it will help a lot. :)

[DavidZaneMason]

Opinion:

On the eating level: the first step is to make sure you are eating a HUGE amount of the better fresh, raw plant foods.....and eating often.....especially vegetables (in the beginning). This will assure you (at least intellectually) that you are full....and getting enough nutrients. If you are still 'unsatisfied' or feeling hungry....then you are dealing with more emotional issues. These can be faced by bringing presence and attention to them.....through support groups...and by ALLOWING your problems....so that they can come to the surface. Bring love and support to your problems (without necessarily agreeing with them).

-Also: GIVE in service to others the qualities that you most want to have in yourself. This will take you out of yourself...and give you access to qualities that you never knew you had....or could develop on your own.

-Just my opinions.

-David Mason

[rawfigure]

I find (for myself) that I have to write/log/journal....and be strict in my eating habits to be successful and happy with myself. Have you tried journalling ?

[goodbeets]

Dear KelliBelli,
I can't say appetite suppressants are the best way to go, the best thing that has worked for me is incorporating as many dark leafy greens as possible. That has done more to balance my emotions and cravings than anything else!! but if you really want an extra boost, I found Hoodia really helped, no side effects and I wasn't hungry. It was subtle but effective. Do your research for good brands, though. I used it to reset my mind/mouth/belly desires.

[jennifuh]

I struggle with it too. You are not alone. What I found that helps is....

green smoothies (who knew? =0)

wheatgrass

eating often like so many others have said

I second the grapefruit!!

good luck. Exercise seems to help as well...even a short walk outside in the fresh cooler air, ya know?

Don't feel alone or ashamed. I think all of America does this!! Your first step is recognizing it, so congratualtions. Try to remember to be kind to yourself and your body. That helps me when I am feeling like saying screw it, hand over the fries and pizza! Good luck to you!

[herb_gardner]

1. eat highly mineralized foods like sea veggies, superfoods, and greens

2. drink more water

3. drink more vegetable juice

the more mineral dense foods you eat, the faster your appetite will slow down and shut off. its a natural way to eat less, things like cacao, gojis, and algaes are so mineral dense that they quickly diminish appettite allowing one to eat less, yet feel more nourished. this has been my experiance anyways, give it a try...

[Missrawdiva]

Raw Cocoa nibs is an EXCELLENT choice for an appetite supresent! Just google raw cocoa nibs and you will read that it is not only an appetite supresent but alot high in alot of nutrients also. I ground up cocoa nibs in my coffee grinder every morning, and then put it in my banana and strawberry smoothie. It will give you a boost and suppress your appetite! I know people on here have mixed feelings about raw cocoa, but before you make judgements, do the research yourself online to find out about the benefits of it. I love it, it works great for me!

[ShelShel]

There is no reason to suppress your appetite with raw, you may eat all you like and be fit and healthy! So, what you are really asking is how do I stop wanting cooked food to soothe these hurt feelings I feel???? This is such a hard topic. All of us do it...soothe ourselves with food. Unfortunately...it's because of a habit we formed years ago.
First, cut yourself some slack if you've just gone through a rough time. Feel sad, angry, hurt...whatever emotions you might be feeling...really feel them. Journal them...talk out the situation with yourself by writing things down. Figure out a game plan for overcoming them so you can move on past them to be whole and happy.
Also, you are going to have cravings...for a while. You just don't stop having those cold turkey. We have all eaten cooked foods most of our lives...so they are a comfort. But what you can do is chose! We all have a free will...to do the right thing. In life and for ourselves. So, you have to chose to free yourself...heal yourself and live! Chose raw instead of cooked....each time you feel yourself weakening...eat something. Just make it a healthy raw choice.
Take one day...a meal at a time. Don't look to the future. Just stay in that moment. Move through it and succeed in it! You can do this...it's in all of us...we just have to take baby steps to make it happen.
God Bless you...stay strong! Raw (((HUGS)))

[Shmoopie]

I just wanted to say that all the women on here are SO beautiful. Some of you are talking about needing to eat less and I see your pictures and you look the way that many women only wish they looked. And those of you who aren't quite where you might need to be for optimum health...you will be while eating raw. Just give it time.

Meanwhile, like I said, this is a forum FULL of beautiful women! I hope you try harder to see it because it's true, and it's necessary for you all to know that.

Love to ya!

On fast food addiction, I've been there! It truly is just addiction. Fortunately, it seems like it's not too hard to move past. Just buy food so that you always have something to eat at home for a week or so, and hang in there. After that, it gets easier and easier to ignore the fast food.

Also, dehydration is often confused for hunger (it seems like we just talked about this recently? Or no?). Thirst is the last thing you feel when you're dehydrated, and often you feel hungry when you really just need fluids. So...not as an appetite supressant, but as a way to stay hydrated (which helps us emotionally), when you feel hungry, drink a big glass of water or homemade juice first and see how you feel.

[eatyourbroccoli]

Try looking for Hoodia. It's a cactus i think and it's in Africa.yep..i hear this stuff works crazy well. was used by african hunters initially who would go out for days on long hunting trips and wouldnt always be able to find food to eat, so theyd bring this to help stave off their hunger so they could hunt successfully.

[kellibelli]

Does anyone know how we get the real hoodia, though???

[spicyfull]

WATER and FIBER.............

[kellibelli]

I didnt notice all of the wonderful posts earlier when I simply addressed the hoodia aspect of appetite supression. I want to thank all of you for your wonderful opinions and really helpful input.

Yes, my problem is with the cooked food cravings and the emotional eating. Like I have said before in other posts, I am dealing with some losses and other poopy stuff going on right now and I get the crummy attitude going that goes something like this "Well, you only live once. Lets get two orders of french toast sticks with extra powdered sugar please" or something like that. Ultimately I am the one who chooses what I put in my mouth so I am not trying to sound like I am making excuses, though I guess that is exactly what I am doing..and those stupid cravings dont help, darn it.

I will work on all of the suggestions given to me in this thread and I am open to any and all new ones, too. I will never give up my quest for 100% raw, but I think I may always be precariously perched on the block wall between Sprouts (my favorite new farmer's market) and Jack in the Box. I want a magic bullet to stave off those insane cravings that come at the most inopportune times...probably a fantasy. Its all just hard work and the reward for hard work is higher self esteem and a really good sense of accomplishment. I want that, desperately.

[lily]

This is an interesting and helpful thread. ShelShel, you really hit the spot for me when you said:

'you have to chose to free yourself...heal yourself and live! Chose raw instead of cooked....each time you feel yourself weakening...eat something. Just make it a healthy raw choice. Take one day...a meal at a time. Don't look to the future. Just stay in that moment. Move through it and succeed in it! You can do this...it's in all of us...we just have to take baby steps to make it happen.'

My new motto from this is

REACH FOR RAW

Hugs to you all,

lily

[rawpriestess]

I find almond milk to suppress my appetite for hours, I either make a creamy chowder out of it, or I make an almond milkshake, I use 1 cup of almond milk, and whatever else I want to add, and this fills me up to the brim for may hours.


In fact, If I have one for lunch, I probably won't eat any dinner, sometimes, I won't even eat breakfast the next day.

[Neverknow]

On the emotional eating part...

I was only able to overcome the emotional eating aspect of cravings by

1) Making sure I have tons of raw stuff available.
2) Journaling about my thoughts/problems/solutions.
3) I got hypnotized to have better control of my eating and I listen to the tape at least 5 times a week before bed.
4) Exercise to relieve tension with the stressful issues.

Hope this helps!

[Shmoopie]

Reading the last response made me think of another thing. It might sound really silly, but you could get a subliminal cd to help you, and all you'd have to do is let it play while you sleep.

I used a subliminal cd to help me with panic disorder a couple years ago. I was agoraphobic, and had a trip planned to Toronto (from Michigan) and I was going by myself to see a friend. Traveling was hard enough, but traveling by myself was impossible to even think about. I bought a subliminal cd and listened to it during the day as well as during sleep and within two weeks, I was fine. I went on the trip, by myself, without any anxiety at all. Maybe it's our belief in things working, maybe it really worked, or maybe it's a combination of the two. Either way...it helped, and I still use it. Just recently, I started having panic attacks again, which happens about once a year. I had such a bad one last week that I wound up calling an ambulance. I've been listening to my cd though, and I'm doing a lot better now.

They have lots of those kinds of cds for eating, obesity, being healthy, controlling emotions, etc. And while you can't hear the words being spoken, they do include with the cd a list of what's being said. You can get the cd in nature sounds or sounds of the ocean. It's really relaxing.

If you're interested, the website is innertalk.com
They have tons of cds for just about anything you can think of that might require a change in the way we think.

Take care and good luck.

[paradise]

I've struggled with emotional overeating - even overeating raw. I fasted for a day earlier this week and I don't think I'm overeating anymore.

[luckitri]

I cooked SAD for family last night. 'Course I ate some. Started getting really nasty and irritable - realized I didn't feel good - it was the FOOD!

[Forever Young]

The question is why do you want to suppress your appetite, that only causes you to over eat later, eat raw and all you want of it. Forever Young :cool:

[my_sunshine]

You mentioned that you only live once- I too use this as a cop-out when I want to give in to cravings, and I almost always give in. But, instead, think 'you only live once- don't you deserve to feel the best you possibly can'. For me, I feel better when eating raw. I feel so sluggish on SAD. So, taking it one day at a time is helpful, and I like how I feel eating raw, even if I don't like the fact that I feel limited in my foods (I know many don't feel this way, but I am an insanely picky eater!)