Tips on improving your consumption volumes

Hey everyone,

There's a lot of great help on diets here, but something i wasn't able to find was how to eat more. Seems a bit of a rhetorical question, cause the simple answer is "Eat more". But if you aren't a person who loves to eat, what did you do to increase your food intake? I'm the sort of eater that can leave three fries in the plate cause i'm full, and find it extremely hard to have to eat those three fries. It's not so much getting it into my mouth; my body makes it hard for me to swallow the food.

I started training at the beginning of last week again after 2-3 weeks off due to flu, then Christmas/New Year. Weighing myself tonight I've found that i have already lost a kilogram. I am battling to eat to. Not hungry at lunch/dinner time, and it is now stopping me from gaining. I know what sorts of foods to eat, so i'm not eating junk.

Does anyone have some tips/tricks on how i can improve this?

Thanks and cheers.

I'm glad I don't have that problem, I can always eat.

sad reality the proof is in the pudding, eat those 3 chips?

but listen, its not uncommon, sometimes after taking time off I battle to eat my days food.

but unfortunately you just have to force yourself, for 2 reasons I believe. to stretch your stomach, and to start firing up your metabolism.

within 2-3 days... I honestly get so hungry that I eat before my 2.5 hour intervals.

I also find eating a big meal before bed helps, wake up mega hungry.

also try increase your daily activity? your body will then crave the food it needs..

ooorrr plan b. manipulate your daily macros to include more fats, they loaded with huge calories.

Personal opinion, lower protein a bit and fats increase carbs. Remember protein and fats slow down digestion making you feel fuller for longer. Higher carb diets actually speed up metabolic rate a bit and u will feel hungry quicker with carbs in your diet. I found that doing 50% of my calories from carbs gets my metabolic rate through the roof and I start sweating at each meal, that with lower protein means I get more food in. Also start doing more intense work outs and add in some cardio to help u get your metabolism going.

I too struggle with eating the quantities required. What works for me is to eat "shovel food". Stuff like mince and rice, where you weigh it out before hand and then when it comes to eating you just have to shovel it down. No cutting stuff up, minimal chewing, just keep shoveling until it is finished. Almost becomes a subconscious exercise, no concentration is required and before you know it you are done

I use to have the same problem esp. With my post-workout meal.. I found that 15-20min cardio made me very hungry and then I could eat again..

Ive had the same problem for years and i found that supplementing with digestive enzymes really helps a lot and with big protein meals i add pineapple to my meal because it contains an enzyme called Bromelain that helps break down the amino acid bonds in proteins .

Hey all,

Just an update.

I tried a few tips you guys gave me above, only to discover after swallowing the Dr's camera that I have a hiatus hernia. I went on a bit of a spicy food bender a few weeks back that really messed my stomach up. Over an above the hernia, i also learned I had a part of my esophagus that was inflamed. Probably why i was battling to swallow.

The hernia is being treated with meds, but i'm still not really able to eat much. I can only manage like half a wrap from Kauai. I've also had to stop taking pre-workouts for the time being. Guess its just gonna have to be baby steps, or some extreme diet changes.

That sucks man.
Take care and heal well!

Drink a few protein shakes throughout the day if the doctor permits

Sorry to hear that man. Not cool. As lxix said try get down some shakes if the doctor allows, but becareful of using a whey concentrate as the lactose can cause bloating. If u can have shakes stick to only isolate, more costly, but may not cause upsetting of the gut.u may only be able to use something like large amounts of bcaa's if its really bad. I have a friend who has the same thing. Had it opperated on and still not great but alot better. Only thing he could get down was liquid aminos as he suffered heavily from nausia from his hernia. So just be careful and hope it comes right without having to go for surgery.

All the best bud.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words.

I am kind of in a test phase. Dr. said I should consume stuff, and see what irritates it, and make a mental list. I've got the meds, and if i need to take two a day, so be it. I just must not get reliant on them.

I have found a 100% Egg whey does not irritate my stomach, but mass gainers are a curse and i battle to finish a serving. I've got Synergy Whey, so i'll use that an see how it goes. To get some carbs again, I've started taking Endurocarbs again. Pre-work is out of the question due to the high caffeine, so I mixed some creatine into the Endurocarbs.

Otherwise, i'm consider the Paleo diet. They do say it helps control the acid in your stomach and reduce bloating. I haven't come to definite decision yet, as i'm worried about where i'm going to get all the carbs i would need in a bulk cycle (no added sugar in the diet...). Need's a bit more study from my side.

Long story short:
short term goal - get back to finishing a normal meal
med term goal - eat the right foods to keep acid down
long term goal - gain some lean mass again

NightFang wrote: Hey all,

Just an update.

I tried a few tips you guys gave me above, only to discover after swallowing the Dr's camera that I have a hiatus hernia. I went on a bit of a spicy food bender a few weeks back that really messed my stomach up. Over an above the hernia, i also learned I had a part of my esophagus that was inflamed. Probably why i was battling to swallow.

The hernia is being treated with meds, but i'm still not really able to eat much. I can only manage like half a wrap from Kauai. I've also had to stop taking pre-workouts for the time being. Guess its just gonna have to be baby steps, or some extreme diet changes.

Sorry to hear that bud. I've done 3 gastronomies so far and suffer from gastritis and IBS. So I can kind of relate. I bloat exceptionally easy, and still narrowing down causation, but I don't know if Paleo is the answer for you. Paleo involves tons of exposure to fibre and raw foods that the body breaks down a lot slower.

Also, don't make that mental list, keep a journal of daily food by meal (almost like a lift log) and note after what meals you feel especially bad/ affected.

I've never had issues with different variations of protein powder, but I avoid them if I can meet my needs with whole foods for nutrients sake. But gastro problems vary VERY muh person to person, most advice I've received didn't help me at all.

You mentioned that you're on meds, Proton Pump Inhibitors and H2 blockers by any chance?

Thanks Furk.

I'll do that log and keep a better record of it. Did/Do you eating habits also suffer?

The Dr. gave me 6 months of Nexium 20mg. Its a Proton pump inhibitor.

I supplement my regular eating with protein shakes cause i swallow liquid easier that food. It's hard to explain to people that you only eat half a wrap cause you can't swallow the food at a certain point during the meal, and I've just found that i have no problems drink fluids.But I don't rely on shakes to meet my caloric needs.

I have a long history with Nexium, been on a 3 week course of it in the past and still use it on acute incidences. Expensive stuff as well

Regarding diet, yeah I'm very much restricted and 6 years later I'm still filtering out foods that screw me over. So yeah, eating habits suffer. Social events and work place dining is always awkward. Perhaps I should give the MRP shakes thing a go though, I've gone the route of soups and blended food but that didn't really make a difference.