I'm starving & I have no clue how to fix it. I have no clue what I can eat that won't make things worse.
This morning I had a large bowl (1.5 to 2 cups) of Honey Nut cherrios. For a mid morning snack I had a Lipton cup of soup packet. And just now I ater a Campbells chicken noodle soup at hand. I am bout to eat an apple. Is this all I am supposed to live on? I'm so hungry!!
You should be able to find more filling (and healthier) foods to help keep you satisfied. Are you on a specific type of diet, or are you counting calories?
What diet/food plan are you working with? or are you counting calories in general? Do you have a rough idea of how many calories you need to consume? Do you have any health concerns?
These are just ideas:
Maybe soup isn't a good food for you. Maybe you need to replace the soups with some foods that require chewing, and have the soups as part of a meal or something. Have something with a little higher protein and maybe less sugar in the morning. Have a cup of yogurt for a mid morning snack and maybe a big salad with protein for lunch with a cup of soup and an apple. Or if soup is your thing because who really wants to eat cold salad on a cold day, switch to a hearty vegetable with lean beaf or chicken and tons of veggies or maybe a bowl of chili with beans.
I'm not really on any specific plan. I didn't want to limit myself to the point that if my family wanted spegetti for dinner, I would have to make something totally different for me. The soup thing was just quick & easy. And I have NO clue how many calories I need. Any advice for me?
I would be starving, too, if that was typical of my diet. Also, what you're eating isn't the healthiest of choices.
First of all, you are eating primarily simple carbohydrates and salt. All three of the foods you mention are SKY HIGH in sodium. You are getting no complex carbohydrates and no protein, both of which will keep you satisfied longer. The Honey-nut Cheerios aren't awful, but there are plenty of cereal choices with more fiber and less salt and sugar, and often higher protein. The soups are basically salt water with starch; those things contain very little real nutrition.
For breakfast have half the amount of cereal (either the Cheerios or something more whole-grain) and milk you had this morning, then for a mid-morning snack have something like cheese or cottage cheese and fruit. Lunch should have some real lean protein, some starch (preferably whole grain), a little fat, and a nice healthy portion of vegetables. If you still want to eat soup, look for things like Healthy Choice or make your own with low-sodium broth, and supplement that with some protein. For example, I have a couple of standby soups I make that have just the broth, vegetables, and seasoning, and then I eat a nice bowl of that with lowfat cheese and lowfat Triscuits or 100% whole wheat bread. If you get hungry between meals and can't "spend" any calories, have some vegetables -- raw vegetables are pretty tasty with salsa. Eat something every 3 to 4 hours to keep from getting overly hungry for meals.
Another quick-fix for hunger is scramble up some egg-whites and add some spice or a tiny bit of cheese and some vegetables to them. An egg-white is like 20 calories, and has good protein. Or boil some eggs and just eat the whites. Vegetables can fill your stomach, and protein helps you stay full longer!
You are starving because you are eating empty calories that raise your insulin levels, which in turn makes you hungry. Honey nut cheerios will not keep you full. Do this, make yourself something that will fuel your body and not raise your insulin levels.
Here is a breakfast of champions. Go to the store and buy some turkey sausage. Jimmy Dean brand turkey patties are good and precooked. Whatever brand you buy, check the fat content. One Jimmy dean sausage patty is 60 cals (a serving is two, but one is all you need). If you're going veggie get morning star brand tofu sausage. Also buy some Kashi Go Lean Crunch. It is high in protein and fiber and low in sugar. I get mine at Costco. It's 190 cals a cup. I cup of skim milk is 83 calories. Now for breakfast have 1 cup of kashi with milk, one sausage patty on the side. This will fill you more, keep your insulin levels stable. And get you through to lunch, which should be something like a side salad with low fat (not no fat) dressing, a turkey sandwhich with 4 oz of meat and 1 slice 2% cheese, and 2 slices of carb controlled bread (higher in fiber, lower in calories).
See what I'm saying. Up your protein, up your fiber, lower your carbs. You won't feel hungry and you won't be setting yourself up to fail.
And you might need a midmorning snack too, depending on your activity level. As mentioned, cottage cheese and fruit is good. On the go string cheese is great.
I agree with a lot of the advice you're getting, but unless you provide some idea of where you are with your weight, it's going to be hard for people to be any more specific. Do you have 10 pounds to lose? 100? What is your activity level? Your age? All these things affect the amount of calories your body needs to maintain a particular weight and in turn, THAT determines how much less you need to eat (or more to exercise) in order to lose weight. You're kind of stumbling around in the dark at the moment and I think we're only able to give the most generic of advice.
And I'll chime in and say that cold cereal leaves me more hungry than before.
Karma's right. I've noticed that when I eat a higher-protein breakfast (like egg whites, turkey sausage, Morningstar Farms bacon strips, etc.) I keep that 'full' feeling longer than if I'd eat something really carby. Not that I don't have my cream of wheat or cheerios on occasion, but most mornings I have egg whites and Carb Countdown chocolate milk. I personally don't count carbs, but I buy the Carb Countdown milk because it's lower in sugar, therefore lower in calories than regular chocolate milk. I loooooove my chocolate milk.
Back off of the soups a little bit. I eat quite a bit of soup myself, but I usually buy Healthy Choice soups because they're lower in sodium and are chock-full of beans and meats (for protein) and vegetables. Instead of the soup, snack on something yummy like veggies or the yummy egg white dishes that Sara mentioned. Lots of times when I'm super hungry and need a snack in between meals, I'll cook up egg whites. Super lowcal, plus you're getting protein and lots of other nutrients. All that stuff you're eating is just shooting your insulin levels up and when you 'crash' (come back down) you're going to feel starved.
Currently, I'm 210 lbs., I would love to see 140 (but that's doubtful at this rate!)!!! My activity level during the day is low (I have a desk job)....at night I try to do some exercise...for example, last night I did 25 minutes on the Urban Rebounder (I love it...it's my new toy) & a mile walk. I am 34 1/2 years old.
I always have oatmeal or oatmeal and an egg for breakfast. If you want to stave off hunger - you should be looking at high fiber and lean protien.
My snack that really kills hunger - and it probably sounds weird.
1/2 cup fat free refried beens mixed with 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese - microwave 1 minute, pour in a little bit of salsa. This is about 200 calories and you won't be hungry for quite awhile after. Of course you can't like it so much that you open a bag of tortilla chips to go with it.
I am 35 1/2 - 210 lbs and I just started Weight Watchers - for the umpteenth time. I have lost 7 lbs so far.
I eat every 3-5 hours, and I am not hungry throughout the day. I have my breakfast, then a mid morning snack, Lunch, then an afternoon snack, and then dinner. I usually have a yogurt for my morning snack and some type of fruit with cottage cheese as my afternoon snack. Also if I get a little hungry I drink some water.
I'm starved!! Help me!
