Getting Full Too Quickly: Good or Bad?
Getting full too quickly should not simply be taken as a weight loss strategy, as it can be a sign that something inside is not right.
Do you find yourself unable to finish your meal due to feelings of fullness in your abdomen? You may be wondering why after helping yourself to a few servings, your stomach feels full or bloated already. And maybe you find this beneficial especially if you are on a diet or trying to shed a few pounds.
But while it is true that getting full quickly can lead to lower food intake and therefore weight control, you need to look into the underlying cause or causes of your quick satiety as it can be a sign that something inside is not right.
If you get full just after a few bites, you should not simply take it as a convenient and effective way of losing weight. The U.S. National Library of Medicine advises against disregarding this problem or brushing it off as a great weight loss strategy as it can be a sign of a more serious medical issue. According to the NLM, “early satiety,” or feeling full too quickly, could be due to several causes, such as:
- Too sluggish emptying of your stomach
- Irritable bowel syndrome, a condition
- Presence of a tumor in your stomach or abdomen
- Heartburn
- An obstruction in the area where the stomach opens into the small intestines
Image via Wikipedia
To avoid getting full too quickly, you may try to do the following:
- Eat slowly. Take small portions at a time and chew your food properly before swallowing.
- Avoid drinking lots of water or any beverage while eating.
- Talk less to help prevent gas build-up.
- Sit properly during a meal. Do not slouch.
- Avoid gas-forming foods as these can cause bloating and discomfort.
If the cause of your too early fullness is sluggish gastric emptying or slow emptying of stomach contents into the small intestine, the following may be helpful to alleviate this problem:
· Do not starve yourself, but eat small frequent meals throughout the day to keep up your metabolic rate. If you have not eaten for several hours, do not eat fast or consume a large meal to allow your stomach to recover. Although you may be tempted to do so to counteract your great hunger, it can surely bung up your stomach, slowing its grinding movement even further.
· Eat small portions and chew food properly. Stop eating just before you feel full to avoid congesting your stomach. You can have another small meal after a few hours.
· Do not sit or lie down after eating. Better still; try to walk around to facilitate the passage of food from your stomach into the small intestine.
· Exercise regularly to help improve your metabolism.
If you often experience heartburn, you need to follow some changes in your lifestyle and eating practices too to avoid this problem. To know what these lifestyle modifications are, click here.
On the surface, getting full too quickly can look good especially if you are on a strict weight loss diet. Eating small frequent meals, which is beneficial, can then be followed more easily. However, you should also consider the main reason or reasons why you get full too quickly in order to properly address the problem.
These are just a few practices to help prevent getting full too quickly. If the problem persists, you should see your doctor for a thorough evaluation.
Other health articles of mine:
First Aid Treatment of Anaphylaxis
Good Sleep Hygiene to Prevent Insomnia
Liked it
C LEBLANC | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Great Article. Very interesting.
raman13 | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Good Work
Informative
Best Regards
ken bultman | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Excellent. Stomach problems of any kind should not be ignored. Might want to check for hiatial hernia.
CHAN LEE PENG | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Eating too full and too quickly, is certainly not good for health. Great piece again, have my liked it.
Debra. | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Great article Mel! Getting full to quickly can also be a symptom of gallstones.
Jenny Heart | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Well written and interesting!
Darla Cooke | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Very informative article.
Christine Ramsay | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
I am so glad I read this. I didn’t realise there could be something wrong if you feel full quickly. Thank you for the information.
Christine
Lee Altman | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
good read
OhSugar | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Great presentation and very interesting to reading. Thanks for sharing. I like it.
xoxo | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Good post Mel. A job well done
Lady Sunshine | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Great article, Melody. Very important info here.
cutedrishti8 | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Nice one to share…great work…
Goodselfme | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
WEll shared info.TX
Moses Ingram | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Great tips, Thank you and I’ll check out your other heath related articles.
ginahinderliter | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
great job! I just filled up on chinese….lol
Tanya Wallace | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Some wonderful advice for anyone suffering stomache problems! Great work!
Guy Hogan | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Fortunately, I have no eating problems but for anyone that does this is good to know information.
gianne | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
This is loaded with information! I don’t have digestive problems, but I think I’m the minority.
CA Johnson | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Very informative article! I didn’t realize that there could be something wrong with you if you are full too fast. Thank you so much for sharing this information with us.
Joe Dorish | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Great info, I prefer to eat many small meals during the day rather than 3 big ones and I think it helps keep my digestive system in good shape.
Judy Sheldon | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for the well researched article about stomach problems.
Ruby Hawk | Sep 10, 2009 | Reply
A good share, if anyone has this problem they should see their doctor.
monica55 | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Excellent pointers here, many of which i didn’t know existed.
Beth Suess | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
I know the problem!!!!! I often eat very fast…thanks for your tips!
Penggaroo | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Thanks, I get full too quickly too!
It was a very long time since your article that i have thought…
Melody SJAL | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Thank you very much, guys, for all your comments. I highly appreciate them. God bless.
kate smedley | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Well written article with some good advice, thanks for sharing.
Lucky120 | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Great article
valli | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Very useful info for stomach problems.
hypnoticweener | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
i like food
Poetic Enigma | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Sometimes this happens too me, and I always wondered if it was normal, or if there was something wrong. Definiately interesting to know and keep in mind. Great write, thank you for sharing!
Poetic Angel | Sep 11, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing
Eunice Tan | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
Excellent useful information. Thanks for sharing
papaleng | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
another fine write that is very informative.
sammysam2k | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
very interesting article keep it up
wonder | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
Very informative.
PR Mace | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
Good and helpful information.
jennifer eiffel01 | Sep 16, 2009 | Reply
Great article!!!!! My daughter feels like this and as she has been dieting, thought she shrunk her stomach…….. good thing for your article! She’ll try your tips!
By the way, the wording and way you wrote this article is excellent! Keep giving us great articles!
SharifaMcFarlane | Sep 11, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for the warning. I also see why slouching around the dinnner table is a bad thing.