I can't stop eating- please help me

[AintOverUntilTheCatLadySings]

I'm 12+2 and I'm STARVING all the time. I could eat all day and still be hungry. I even sometimes wake in the night and have to have cereal or oatcakes because I'm so hungry I feel sick.

Which brings me to another point: if I try to ignore the hunger, I feel extremely nauseous, dizzy and faint.

I don't really have 'bad' or unhealthy foods in the house, but having fruit or a bag of popcorn doesn't seem to fill me up. So I'll eat that, then have to have a sandwich after anyway. So might as well have just had the sandwich in the first place.

It doesn't help that up until now all I could really eat was pizza, sausages, cheese and sandwiches (food that normally leaves me cold) and I couldn't stand anything tomato based (I usually eat a mainly vegan/veggie diet based around slowcooker chillis, bolognese with no pasta, curries etc).

I've put on about 8lbs already and feel like one of those queen ants that just gestates and feeds.

And if I'm not eating, I'm sleeping. Or vegetating on the sofa because I feel tired and sick.

What can I eat that will fill me up?!

[poppetpenguin]

First of all - give yourself a break, you are at what I found to be the peak of the weird crazy appetite (although mine did come back for last 3-4 weeks before due date)
I found protein filled me up best but depends what you can tolerate - eggs/skyr yoghurt/cottage cheese with chives on ryvita or rice cakes were some of my staple snacks!

[Mams8989]

Try to be physically active it helps distract the mind.

Also , please drink more water and eat more protein. Protein is more satiating than carbohydrate or fat.

[lockdownpregnancy]

I agree with pp's. Drink more water and eat more protein. I know you said you're mostly vegan but if you do decide to eat meat or fish, chicken is probably the best one to fill you up, or the Quorn range if you don't want to.
Potatoes too and lots of veggies, but try not to eat pasta as I found it gave me serious bloat!
Up until last week (currently 29 weeks) I was hungry ALL THE TIME!!! I just didn't stop eating so I know exactly how you feel.
The fact I've put on 33lb reflects this! 😫
Don't worry too much about your weight gain. 8lb in 12 weeks is perfectly normal.

[Scotinportugal]

Hey OP
I could have written this myself at 12 weeks! I was horrendously sick and when it started easing I ate everything in sight, DH would wake up at 3am and ask wtf I was doing sat in bed munching biscuits
8lbs is perfectly ok in 12 weeks I'd reckon, eat when you're hungry there's no point denying yourself and feeling sick as a result, but as other posters have said try protein, it should fill you up better than empty carbs (I say whilst eating a huge pepperoni pizza 😆) don't worry too much just listen to your body and what it's telling you it needs x

[lc86]

SAME!! I'm 19 weeks and have put on 2 stone!! Just can't stop snacking! xx

[peachypetite]

Boiled egg, houmous and carrots. Cheese and crackers will fill you up for longer

[kim160790]

I was like this up until a week ago (now 13weeks) and it made me feel really low. But now I can't eat too much and feel full after the tiniest bit of food. Just happened overnight maybe it will for you fingers crossed 🤞 xx

[Gerdticker]

Yep, drink more water - like, seriously loads of water! It’s crazy how much you need. As a guide, your pee should be nice and pale every time!

And I second the protein too - eggs for breakfast, steak for dinner

Lastly, I also agree not to stress about it too much. As long as you’re eating good stuff, and drinking plenty of water, then just eat to your appetite :)

[AintOverUntilTheCatLadySings]

Thank you! Should add, when I said cheese that includes cottage cheese, low fat feta, quark and stuff like that. Have also been eating a bowl of full fat Greek yoghurt a day too.

Oh, and I'm not an ethical vegan or anything- I'm a cheap and lazy one 😂. I really like cooking with lentils, beans and pulses so that's why we tend to be meat-free a lot. I get a bit weird about batch cooking meat in case I accidentally poison everyone by not eating it fast enough so sub lentils for everything (apart from steak).

Weirdly, I didn't feel so hungry today - so maybe I just needed to get this off my chest!

It's so weird how your tastes change with pregnancy- sweet things leave me cold at the moment. But I never even liked sweet things until I was pregnant with dd (my last pregnancy). Then, all I wanted to eat was white fish, beige food and Haribo Tangfastics mixed with cottage cheese.

I feel like I've just invented sausages- prior to this, I'd only really buy chicken, turkey or veggies ones. And pizza - never liked it before, but have been buying the plain or hummus topped ones and loading them up with egg, veg, anchovies, olives etc.

Found out earlier today that it's a boy (we paid for the Harmony test). Which 'explains' the protein cravings according to the old wives tales.