I’m trying to drop a few pounds for a wedding (I’m the maid of honor), and I’m having a terrible time with hunger. My stomach growls constantly, it even wakes me up at night. I know I’m eating enough food that it shouldn’t, I’m just eating a little less than I normally do and I’m exercising more. I won’t take any diet pills, and I can’t afford to buy expensive foods. I’ve tried drinking water, lots of it, but my stomach still growls (well, it gurgles). It’s driving me insane!!! Does anyone have any suggestions to control hunger? Any herbs, foods, drinks, etc. that has worked for them?
When my stomach growls, usually a piece of bread shuts it up.
Water! Drink water. Drink as much as you can, then drink more. Water fills your belly and turn off the ‘hungry’ alarm.
I had so many times the problem of leatherheather, water won’t do, really. If you drink a lot of water, you will spend the day pissing.
Isn’t there any other solution else than flooding your stomach?
Are you eating anything that is “sugar free”? Many of those products contain glucose and other sweeteners that can cause gastric distress up to and including diarrhea.
Yes I do eat and drink some things that are sugar free, like Diet Cokes and sugar free Jello… but they don’t seem to affect me negatively. My only complaint is my constant hunger.
I have a similar problem but it’s not due to dieting. I eat regularly, and exercise every day, but I’ll often wake up because my stomach is growling too intensely for me to sleep.
I used to be able to calm it by chewing up and swallowing a couple of Altoids, the peppermint seemed to neutralize the stomach gases.
Another trick I’ve learned is that a glass of orange juice, real juice, not the fake sugar drinks, can be a short term substitute for a meal. Not only will in calm the hunger pains, it provides the same mental clarity as a meal. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. Instant breakfast also works.
Those things worked for me for a while, but they haven’t been so effective lately. OJ still is, but when the goal is to sleep through the night, adding more water to my system is counter productive.
I know people say drink lots of water to trick yourself into being full, but I agree with the other response, all that will do is make you have to spend more time in the restroom. Besides, for me, a stomach full of water isn’t much more comfortable than constantly growling one.
If anyone has other suggestions I’d also benefit from them. Thanks.
You could always try keeping some fresh fruit around. Get the growlies, eat an apple to get it to calm down.
Alternately, if your stomach won’t stop growling, just give it a swat with a rolled up magazine and lock it in the bedroom until your guests leave.
This is what I encountered. Sorbitol in particular causes me to suffer from severe borborygmos as described by the OP.
I often wake up early in the morning, too hungry to fall back asleep but not having slept enough to get up, start my day, fix breakfast, etc.
So I keep a zip baggie with plain Cheerios next to my bedside water. It seems like the fiber content of the cereal helps keep my stomach a little full for a while, plus it absorbs any early-morning acid/bile/etc. I swear that if I swallow some of the Cheerios whole, it works even better - gives my stomach something to work on for a while, I guess.
The only downside is that Mr. Horseshoe is not a fan of Cheerio breath.
I find that, while water doesn’t work, foods with high water and fiber content do, so I second the fruit suggestion.
That’s your problem.
You should be eating more food, just lower quality (more fiber, less protein) like bread & fruit. Doing that will keep your stomach more full (thus decreasing the “I’m hungry” signals) and keep it busy digesting.