I think my biggest challenges in terms of weight are overeating and self-control in terms of portion control.
I've been yoyo-ing with eating breakfast ever since I had to stop my rigid calorie counting regimen last year. I eat breakfast because all the studies say it's good for you and your metabolism etc even though I'm never hungry in the morning nor do I ever particularly feel like eating ( I try not to eat after 9.30pm and NEVER eat after midnight). But something about breakfast seems to trigger like an insatiable hunger, like I feel full for 30 minutes after breakfast but afterwards feel like I'm starving and nothing that day is going to fill the hunger so I'm snacking all that day (facilitated by the fact that I'm not in chargebof my own food prep and yummy food is available all the time) and still eating loading up on vegetables during the main meals to try to fill that hunger. To stave the snacking, I drink water or diet coke till I feel a little sick and wobbly with liquid but yet I'm still craving food. The things I crave are usually salty (real/hot) food or bread as opposed to sweets or snack food (i.e soy joy, nuts, raisins, granola bars don't help). It's like breakfast whets my appetite for something more?
Conversely, when I skip breakfast, I don't get the same ravenous feeling and actually don't really think about food till maybe lunch time and even though I'm hungry by that point, somehow I don't feel able to eat as much (probably my metabolism has gone on vacation by that point and my stomach has shrunk? Idunno) and the rest of the day I eat and watch my portions and meals as usual, but I don't feel that hunger like in craving food or something.
I don't know if anyone else is facing or has faced this challenge with breakfast where it makes them wayyyyyy hungrier throughout the day. I guess I'm wodering if you have faced this or are facing it or have any ideas or suggestions for dealing, it would be awesome if youcould share. Because I've been on this cycle where I eat breakfast then gain weight from binging and then freak out and stop eating breakfast to get a handle on my appetite and overeating to get back to where I was before, then start off again on breakfast because it's a healthier lifestyle choice.
Also to note, first thing in the morning b4 showering even, I do 30mins if aerobic yoga and 600 steps on the step machine to wake myself up and because a colleague said exercising made it easier toface food first thing in the morning. I've tried various combinations of carbs/fibre, protein and fat with the same hunger-inducing effects:
Carb only- Fibre cereal (like weetabix or shredded wheat) with fruit
Protein only- Bacon and eggs or steamed spicy bean cakes
Carb+Protein- fibre cereal and eggs OR whole grain toast+ homemade lean beef sausage OR Homemade unsweetened yoghurt with splenda and fruit.
I don't notice feeling fuller for longer with fibre or just protein. Has anyone experienced this or know what's up with my system? Do I just rely on willpower?
Look further back. What/when is your dinner? And what is your sleep like?
I'd go crazy with my blood sugar if I was eating dinner around 6 PM, then fasting while sleeping, then exercise first thing, then maybe (?) breakfast and holding out til lunch.
Are you getting regular meals every 4 hours or so?
I don't eat breakfast right away because I have to deal with the fam and get kid to school. So I have a snack before bed around midnight , and then eat when I get back from school around 9 AM. Lunch is about Noon, snack after school around 3:30 PM and dinner around 6:30 or 7 PM.
For the most part, I don't eat if I am not hungry anymore.period. Just because it is breakfast time doesn't mean I need to eat. This goes for all "regular" meal times. I usually eat about 2-3 hours after I wake up. I pack my breakfast and lunch (plus snacks) to eat at work.
I have found through trial and error, if I eat a typical 300-500 calorie breakfast that is heavy on simple carbs (white bread toast with peanut butter or breakfast sandwich or cereal/milk) I will be VERRRRY hungry within an hour or two. It also contributes to the feeling of being verrry hungry or cravings for the rest of the day.
If I eat a breakfast that is similar calories but heavy in protein and more complex carbs such as an omelet made with 1 egg+1 egg white, sauteed veggies and a quality whole wheat with lots of fiber bread, I feel satisfied much longer.
And finally, if I stick to only protein for breakfast (2 eggs and a string cheese or a few slices of salami) I am perfectly satisfied and not hungry at all until lunch.
I don't watch carbs per se but know if I eat high glycemic carbs early in the day, I am ravenous for the rest of the day. You might want to experiment a bit to see what works best for you.
Toasted Smoke, love the name, by the way.
Last edited by Michelle98272; 05-13-2010 at 10:25 AM.
Reason: forgot to compliment her on her name
I hear ya - eating breakfast makes me super hungry for the rest of the day! If I just eat for the first time when I get hungry I seem to do much better. I think we have to remember that statistics are just that - statistics. They don't hold true for everyone.
Have you had a fasting glucose and fasting insulin lately? You may be developing hyperinsulinemia or prediabetes. Not being hungry in the morning is a symptom of that.
When I first started this journey, I was rarely hungry for breakfast. I had not been tested (didn't want to know...) but I suspect that I was probably getting insulin resistant/prediabetic at my high weight.
I know I had to lose about forty pounds, and start exercising a lot before I started to feel hungry in the morning.
I don't know if this is true for everyone, but I did often skip breakfast in the beginning-- I didn't find that it made me consume more calories overall, in fact, just the opposite, if I cut breakfast my overall calories for the day were lower overall. When I started getting hungry for breakfast every day, I started eating it every day. I have never been a night eater, though. We eat dinner kind of late, and I don't have an after dinner snacking habit...because the only concern is that you would replace those good breakfast calories with bad after dinner munchies...
So, experiment with skipping breakfast for a while, but track the rest of your calories to make sure you are not using no breakfast as an excuse to add calories later.
I say do what works for you. I usually eat breakfast around 10am. Mostly because food disgusts me in the morning. Sometimes I'll have a quick shake in the morning if I'm hungry because it is the only thing I can stomach but otherwise I don't eat in the morning.
Yeah, I am not much of a breakfast eater, myself. I just, ugh, don't really want to eat at all, until mid- to late-morning. I like yogurt and fruit at that time, so if I KNOW I need to eat something, because I'm headed out to work hard in the garden or something like that, I usually make a smoothie out of a serving of fruit, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, a bit of Splenda and some ice. I can drink just fine first thing in the morning, it's just the idea of chewing that kind of nauseates me.
I love my breakfast! And usually it's huge can put away 2 bowls of cereal a pint of juice a coffee 4 slices of toast with honey. Maybe even some bacon and sausage too.
If u can forget what u believe and eat bacon and eggs it will fill you up. Also the majority if hunger feelings can be the start of thirst do have a large glass of water if it's still there then have a snack of flapjack or something similar till last u till lunch.
eating breakfast ( time being the major constraint) or i just grab a fruit on my way out.
i skip breakfast about four to five times a week..... but i just think it works for me and my hunger!
I skip breakfast entirely. I am never hungry in the morning and forcing myself to eat something early in the morning triggers my binging - the need to eat something despite not being hungry. I wait until lunch-time to eat my first meal of the day... when I'm actually hungry. Never before. Some people believe skipping breakfast entirely and waiting for lunch makes you binge more... but honestly, it works for me.
@ astrophe,
I've usually eaten dinner by 8.30 at the latest. I might have some fruit sometimes an hour later, but I VERY rarely eat after 10. Dinner is actually my biggest meal (mainly because its the meal I have the most time to sit and savour and enjoy). I don't have a specific interval between meals.
@Michelle98272,
Thanks! Maybe I'll give the protein thing a longer term try.
@ubergirl,
I haven't done my fasting glucose in a while- since early-ish last year when I was in about the 260s, and at that point my glucose and insulin levels were fine then (which was surprising to the doc because she'd lectured me about weight and diabetes). I really hope that hasn't changed, that would SUCK! I guess the fear of that really is a trigger to work harder. I generally don't snack after dinner except on rare occasions some fruit or roast meat on a stick. (I don't have the world's biggest sweet tooth, I'd pick savoury over sweet any day).
@ everyone,
Thanks so much for the support and the suggestions. I guess I need to figure out what works for me without jacking up my metabolism or something. I too, usually enthusiastic about food at all other times, in the mornings, am kind of blegh about it for at least 3hrs after waking up.
I go both ways on the breakfast thing. I will say that the days that I do the best with calories and healthy eating begin with my "signature" breakfast (2 egg whites, 1/4c. shredded cheese and 1 slice Arnold's Double Fiber toast). When I start the day with protein and fiber, I feel full for a long time. When I start it with some thing "carby" like fruit and yogurt, I ride the carb rollercoaster all day (not good!). Skipping breakfast altogether gets me a ticket to the rollercoaster, too - especially if I don't eat until lunch. I very rarely make good choices then.
When I first started this journey, though, I ate a lot of food. I made sure it was healthy food, but I ate as much of as I needed to be satisfied. I used to make two of those egg and toast things every morning. Yeah, it was more calories, but at the time it kept me from being tempted to eat junk for lunch and kept me off the carb rollercoaster. Eventually, my stomach and appetite changed and I began eating less. Initially, though, my focus was 110% on food quality (clean foods) and the hunger scale. It still is now, but it takes less for me to reach a 7 out of 10.
There is definitely a psychological angle here, though. We bring into our lives what we choose to focus on. If you think about food early in the day and keep your attention on eating and food, it can lead to over eating. Food is pleasurable, but not the center of my life. Eat when the hunger scale gets low (a 3), choosing clean foods until you are satisfied (a 7) and then distract yourself and live your life until the scale gets low again regardless of what time of day it is.
A food journal can be a good tool to see the patterns in your life. I am sure they would be different from mine.
I need to eat when I first get up, sometimes I can wait an hour, but most of the time I like to eat. I don't think I eat a lot, 2 slices weight watchers bread (love that it's sliced so thin!), light cream cheese, and sliced cucumber on top. It keeps me satisfied for 4 hours until my morning snack.
I agree, if you aren't hungry, don't eat. Trust your body
Can anyone help me with my breakfast situation
