What's happening to my appetite?

[Rhythm]

In the past couple of weeks, I seem to have really hit a stride with my food. I eat similar portions (calorie wise) for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a smaller snack in the afternoon. It's working because I no longer have odd cravings and can actually stop eating when I am full (I used to have trouble stopping myself after dinner - just kept finding things to snack on).
But today I swapped my lunch and snack (ie I ate my smaller snack when I normally eat lunch and then ate lunch when I normally have a snack ) and... I could barely finish it. . The last few bites made me want to throw up.
Is it just that I ate my lunch at a different time? Or because it was fairly fatty (salmon)? Or have I successfully decreased the size of my stomach to the point that I can't eat that much, like the bypass patients? I drink a ton of water, so I don't expect my stomach to be that small. ...

So many questions. .

[iMike]

Even without bypass surgery your stomach is going to shrink as you lose weight.  It could be that your stomach is now smaller than you think it is.  As an experiment, what if you tried decreasing the size of your actual meals a little (not by a lot, just a little) and see how you do?

[Trooper]

Dr. Now from my 600 lb life said that some of his patients have stomachs that are the size of a football or a watermelon. I used to eat a lot of food, serving myself not one or two but up to 3 times at a sitting. But now, I can't eat very much. I have been eating less and less for several months. So it is true,if you eat less, your stomach will shrink.Also, if you don't eat greasy foods or sugary foods or foods with  high starch for a long time, and you try to eat them again, you might feel sick. Been there and done that too!!

[MRose]

It's not even necessarily the size of your stomach (about which there is some debate), but satiety. If it were something like salmon, then it would be much more satisfying than 15 Oreos and a Coke. Our bodies are programmed to tell us "enough is enough!" before we reach the point of being "full." Once we feel full, we've almost always over-eaten, because it takes roughly 30 minutes for the body to process and relay that information in that way.

However, I wouldn't be concerned if it was just this one time. If you have decreased your appetite that much, kudos! But having an appetite is not a bad thing. Frequent workouts often make your appetite much larger, and your body burns clean foods faster than a McPancakewich (which it should), but they also give a much stronger sense of satiety.

Side note: We should be hungry at breakfast time, at lunch time, etc... If we are not hungry, we are likely eating the wrong foods.

[awood08]

I think it's more training your body & stomach. Before starting my diet I was eating anywhere from 3000 to 4000 calories a day. I'd have 2 or 3 helpings at dinner, chips & dip after, sodas GALORE....once I starting eating healthy & using my 3 meals and 2 small meal/snacks a day method I noticed even at my lunch or dinner meals I was full within a few minutes of eating. I drink anywhere from 80-100 ounces of water a day so I think that has alot to do with my appetite being smaller.

I'm not sure if my stomach is smaller but my body just seems to know that i'm full and satisfied alot sooner than it was before!

[pcobb8]

I am in the same boat as you.  I drink a ton of water.  I eat small and often.  usually 200 calories every two hours with a slightly bigger breakfast and post workout snacks.  I had a cheat day last sunday and went out for dinner.  After the appitizer I was already full.  

[Rhythm]

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

[Paradise555]

I honestly think your body is adjusting to the smaller calorie foods which in my opinion is good. I have seen the same thing with myself. I noticed a change since starting to become more healthy. But have you lost wieght? That is what I notice also is when I eat less in calorie rise and portion size it that I have lost wieght. 

---

@Rhythm wrote:
In the past couple of weeks, I seem to have really hit a stride with my food. I eat similar portions (calorie wise) for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a smaller snack in the afternoon. It's working because I no longer have odd cravings and can actually stop eating when I am full (I used to have trouble stopping myself after dinner - just kept finding things to snack on).
But today I swapped my lunch and snack (ie I ate my smaller snack when I normally eat lunch and then ate lunch when I normally have a snack ) and... I could barely finish it. . The last few bites made me want to throw up.
Is it just that I ate my lunch at a different time? Or because it was fairly fatty (salmon)? Or have I successfully decreased the size of my stomach to the point that I can't eat that much, like the bypass patients? I drink a ton of water, so I don't expect my stomach to be that small. ...

So many questions. .

---