Appetite Suppressants

[hi_desert_brat]

I am trying to lose some weight and a big part of my battle in eating right is  that I often tend to feel very hungry still, even after eating a decent sized meal.  Are there certain vitamins or supplements that will make one feel more full or satisfied.  What about the OTC drugs like Dexatrim?  Do they work well?  Any advice would be appreciated.  

[phantom]

As thejuice states, eating smaller meals more often is the way to go.  Six meals per day seems to be the most often quoted number I read.

Sorry to sound like your mum, but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.  If you have to miss out one meal each day, make absolutely sure it is never, EVER breakfast.

When you wake up, your stomach is empty and your sugar level in your blood is at its lowest.  Your brain recognises this and places the body in 'famine' mode.  Because your body now believes it is in a state of famine, your metabolism is virtually halted, ie. the body resists using fat as an energy source in order to conserve it for when the body is really desperate.  Instead, the body will opt to use muscle tissue which is easier for the body to burn.

Your muscles burn calories, even when they are not in use because it takes energy just to maintain their existence.  Fat does not burn calories to exists - it just sits there.  So if your body would rather burn muscle than fat (in a famine), the level of stationary calorie burn falls.  Which also means with less muscle tissue, you have less ability to move around as effectively thus causing a vicious circle.  THIS IS WHY STARVATION DIETS MAKE THE INDIVIDUAL PILE THE WEIGHT BACK ON AFTER THE FAMINE! Because once this person goes back to a 'normal' diet, they have less muscle tissue than when they started out and have less means to burn off the calories.

So, it is vital to kick-start the metabolism with SLOW RELEASE energy.  Primarily half a cup of porridge with a cup of skimmed milk in the microwave for 90 seconds.  Add to this a chopped banana and a tablespoon of honey for the instant energy!

Then have similar sized meals throughout the day.  And no, that does not include a MacDonald's (though up to once a week is fine).

The thing with appetite suppressants (prescription or otherwise) is that they can work in the short term.  The problem is, you are not setting yourself up for the long-term.  Your body would become dependant on their action in order to make you eat less.  Once you stop using a suppressant, mentally you will not have adapted to get by without them, so once again you will eventually find yourself back to square one.

I found all this out by using a really good personal trainer.  I have to write to him by email at least once a week letting him know how I am doing, what has worked, what has not, where I have gone wrong and why and what I can do about it the next time.  I have been doing this for 18 months and my body fat is about 15% less than it was back then.

The point here is, I am being constantly monitored.  So every time I make mistakes, they don't go unnoticed and we talk about it - rather than pretend it never happened which is when we deviate from our objectives.

A personal trainer might sound expensive, but it costs no more than a good night out once a week.  And like finding a surgeon for gynaecomastia, if you find the right trainer, it's difficult to go wrong!

Hope that helps.