My current problem is not what I eat (as I’m eating healthily) but that I’m always chasing the feeling of being full like when you eat an XL pizza to yourself. If I eat salad until I feel full do I still stand a chance of losing weight or is that bad? Any advice would be appreciated! Hope you’re all in good health
Hi!
I have been overweight most of my life (brought up in a household where you had to finish everything on your plate in order to qualify for dessert).
My advice would be to slow down, and eat until you’re no longer hungry.
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Welcome to the forum.
Where I am in the world, I think the advice is to stop eating before you feel full or stop feeling hungry. My recollection is that this is because there is a time lag between the feeling and the actuality.
I do not take that advice which is why I’m a greedy fat old man.
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Hello Natalia,
I want to start off this reply by saying that it sounds like you may have a larger underlying issue than just whether eating X will make you full or whether eating X can help you lose weight.
Please do not take this the wrong way, but it sounds like you may have an eating disorder, or symptoms of disordered eating, both of which require serious medical attention, and not advice from the peanut gallery on an anonymous food board. So may I respectfully suggest you consider seeking counseling on this issue, if you have not already.
That said, if you are confident that you do not have an underlying condition related to eating disorder (or disordered eating), and your goal is simply weight loss, you need to keep one simple rule in mind: calories in, calories out.
Ceteris paribus, if you expend more energy than you consume, you will lose weight. A calorie is a calorie, no matter the source. The source of the calories matter to your overall metabolic health markers (e.g., lipids, inflammation, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.), but no matter where you get your calories, if you burn more than you consume, you will lose weight.
That said, if your goal is healthy weight loss, you do need to consider the source of your calories because, as mentioned above, where your calories come from will be determinative of your overall metabolic health. So even if you ate nothing but 2000 calories worth of Twinkies all day, and burn 2500 calories daily, you will eventually lose weight, but your overall health will be shit. Conversely, if you eat 2000 calories from whole foods (like vegetables, lean meats, eggs, fruits, etc.) and still burn those same 2500 calories, you will not only lose weight but feel like you can conquer the world.
TL:DR eat too much, and you will gain weight, eat too much shitty food, you will gain weight and feel like shit.
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I will directly answer your questions. On a high level, I do not believe you can eat too much vegetables to be harmful. Of course, we can split hair about “What if you eat until your stomach explode?” or “What if you eat toxic vegetables” I am addressing the general notion of eating vegetables. Of course, a balance diet is important but for vast majority of people, shifting to more vegetables is not a bad thing.
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Great answer and good idea to stay on topic. I originally clicked on this to say you can eat too many carrots, but I got distracted.
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Extremely good advise.
@nataliadonnelly You know how people can overdrink alcohol before they realize because there is a “lag” time between consuming alcohol and alcohol getting absorbed into our bloodstream? Same. There is a significant lag time between consume food before the sensation of feeling full. If you eat slower, then you give your body more time to respond.
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So true. There are many vegetables one can eat too much. I guess I am just saying that for most people shifting less starch and meat and shifting to more vegetables…should not be a concern.
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Are you Santa Claus?
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Certainly possible to give yourself indigestion, the runs or gas if you overdo the vegetables.
Some vegetables, such as corn, peas and sweet potatoes’ portions should be counted as complex carbs, if one is trying to lose weight.
Also have to watch the vitamin K and limit crucifers if one’s taking blood thinners.
Too much of anything is a bad idea.
Santa is a generous fat man.
Echoing others that you should seek professional advice (medical or nutritionist or both) rather than asking on a random internet board.
However I’ll ask what is in and on your salad. Satiety comes from many things, including protein and fat. So while you can eat a lettuce salad until the volume fills you up at that moment, it does not equate to satiety — or healthfulness.
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i think one can overeat anything, but overeating veggies are the least likely to prevent weight loss.
I’ve been struggling to drop the Covid-16, having done calorie restriction (1,200/day) and/or lowish carb to no effect.
And so I’ve been trying to slow down more, as I’m usually a fast eater, especially when the food is good. I also prefer my food to be hot (if it’s meant to be eaten hot) over room temp food.
But what others have said is true: you will eat beyond being sated and feel full or stuffed (often uncomfortably so) if you don’t slow down and pay more attention to your satiety level.
Put the fork down in between bites. Fully chew and swallow your food before you put the next fork or spoon to your mouth. Pay attention to the texture, aroma, flavor of the food. Really focus on your meal, and enjoy it.
Also, if you’re younger than 50, keep at it. It does not get any easier, trust!
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No. But I may be Father Christmas. Ho, ho, ho.
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I found you Father Christmas! Why did you never get me the space ship I asked for?
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Have you wondered why you feel you need to feel stuffed? I assume that is what you mean, because you mentioned eating an XL serving of pizza. I think we (collective) “fat Americans” overeat, because we often eat until we can’t eat anymore. We pick at things because the food is there. It’s really mindless eating or driven by some other reason.
We should eat so that we are no longer hungry. If you do get hungry because your meal was too light, it’s ok to eat again as long as you go for healthy options and cookies or chips for those hunger pangs. Many doctors and nutritionists suggest eating several smaller meals throughout the day if that better controls unhealthy snacking or overeating at meal time.
Back to to your question - too much of anything can be bad, but that’s a relative term. It probably takes a lot to overload on veggies, but they are still calories. If you’re eating veggies with a lot of dip, salad dressing, etc I’m sure it can do harm and affect weight too. I’ll echo that you need to consult a doctor or dietician to assess how it might affect your health, and I’m neither.
As a weird aside (and TMI), I was once on a road trip where I was stuck with dining at a terrible Chinese buffet for dinner every night for 8 or 9 days. I hated most of the food, and would only eat the Chinese greens at the buffet and maybe a handful of other things that didn’t gross me out. My dinner was 90% the Chinese greens each night. I did not lose weight, but that was a weird week of bathroom habits. 
So yeah, maybe not immediately bad for your health, but you could see some unanticipated “side effects”, if you get my drift.
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I have overeaten roasted cauliflower, and there are after effects.
The feeling of satiety is very personal. One way to reduce your food intake is to increase you water intake. Both before and during meals. And as suggested upthread, it takes your brain to take roughly 20 minutes to register that you’ve been fed. So, perhaps stay hydrated and eat slowly.
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