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Old 03-24-2014, 10:46 AM   #1  
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Default How do I combat 'hungry days' effectively?

I've finally found my groove and have been adhering well to my plan. However, yesterday I felt like I had a bottomless pit inside me. I was completely insatiable! I did my best to fill myself with veg. and fruit...nothing. I then made certain that I had enough protein...nothing. I worked (I work at home) and knitted to take my mind off it, but nothing still. So, later in the evening I ended up going over my points, not by too much, but damn.

I know that I have a whole week of extra points from which I can draw and that this might just be one of those days where I need a little extra. However, I would like to know how to combat this better if I find myself having another 'hungry day' or several in succession. I have been on WW for over a year now and the light switch finally flipped on for me. I don't want to blow it!

Tips?

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Old 03-24-2014, 02:25 PM   #2  
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These are the days that WP are made for! It is part of the plan, it is well within where you're supposed to be to use those.

You hit the high points - making sure you're eating plenty of protein and trying to fill up on fruits and veggies. Make sure you're drinking plenty of non-caloric fluids. (Yes, of course, water is best.) Keeping your hands busy is good, too.

Are you hitting your daily guidelines? Specifically, healthy oils? It is an easy one to skip, I am guilty of that all the time. Fat can help satisfy. (Peanut butter, nuts, seeds, mayo, oils.) If you are careful to measure and are within your WP there is no harm. Fat has unfortunately gotten a bad rap in the dieting community when truly the right *kinds* of fat make all the difference.
(Take a look: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio...d-cholesterol/ )

Make sure you're hitting your other healthy guidelines. I'm guessing you are, but thought I would mention it.

If you're having a particular craving, find a sensible way to fill it. Sugar free chocolate pudding is one fallback of mine, sometimes I will dip a banana into it. Or a tablespoon of almond butter (or peanut butter) on a banana, heated.

Other than that I'm out of ideas and will keep an eye on this thread. I too have days (on plan or off) that it seems there is a hole where my diaphragm is, and my gut is empty and hungry.
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Old 03-24-2014, 04:02 PM   #3  
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I drink water, water, water on my "empty pit" days. I've read that your body reacts the same to hunger as to thirst, and I do find that I feel more hungry at times when I haven't drank as much water as I should. I also try to eat fruit with as much fiber as I can - I especially like strawberries or peaches/plums/etc.
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Old 03-24-2014, 04:54 PM   #4  
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Thanks, guys!

I guess I am thinking of WP in the wrong way. I tend to think of them as 'falling off' points more than 'damage control' and I feel like I have failed when I delve into the WP.

Water is my #1 drink of choice! Save an after-work wine, I've never been a calorie drinker thank goodness.

A HA! Healthy oils! I didn't have ANY oils of any kind yesterday. I'll have to pay more mind to that.

Don't be afraid of telling me rudimentary things. Sometimes the obvious, like above, will elude me. That's why I come to you all. Not only that, but others reading this might learn something.

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Old 03-24-2014, 06:41 PM   #5  
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You can always eat a piece of fruit. Zero points, lots of fiber and good nutrition . Sometimes your body might be fighting you lowering your calories and try to get you to eat because you will be losing weight. But there is no sense being starving. As mentioned good fats, and also protein. Have you tried a light string cheese stick? Only 1 point. Or making the soup and having some is a good idea too.
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Old 03-24-2014, 06:57 PM   #6  
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I pretend I'm not watching my weight for 10 mins and eat whatever the thing is that's eating at my brain. Because if I don't, it WILL turn into 3 'hungry days' and I'll end up bingeing. I'm not on WW though, so I don't know how this would effect you.
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Old 03-24-2014, 07:15 PM   #7  
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My go to food is grapes. I will have 1 cup that fills me up plus I get my sweet tooth satisfied.

Like Becky Quilts mentioned I also use sugar-free pudding with some cool whip.
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Old 03-25-2014, 10:37 AM   #8  
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I go for higher volume foods when I'm really hungry - an example: breakfast will be a scramble of 1-2 cups of sauteed mixed veggies mixed with 3 egg whites and a bit of cheese, lunch is a huge serving of pureed or broth-based soup, and dinner is a huge plate of zucchini noodles with marinara sauce, stir fry vegetables with fish or scallops, or sauteed cabbage topped with shredded meat.

The entire day is filled with big, filling meals, but is a low calorie/point range.
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Old 03-25-2014, 02:53 PM   #9  
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@riotgirl: Yes, you make a definite point about that and I do do that. However, at the moment it is too soon for me to give in. I need to stay on track a while so I don't fly off the wagon. lol

@Munchy: You know, I meal plan so tightly during the week that I haven't left room for extra food. This is a habit for budgeting that I've fallen into for the last 15 years. I see that I should be buying extra veggies and other ingredients to have on hand for such an occasion. Thanks for that! Yes, broth-based soups are really helpful. I was a total calorie counter before WW. What worked before (cal. counting only) no longer works now that I'm about to turn 46. So, I'm straddling the calories/points.

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Old 03-25-2014, 03:06 PM   #10  
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On those (hungry days) I suggest eating oatmeal, wheat bread, brown rice, white and black beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, and salad. All these foods really fill you up and they will still give you energy. Also when you have a sweet tooth, try eating an apple, pear, or an orange with yogurt, this will satisfy you and help you feel guilty free! Try drinking powerade, zero calories and good for you, also they taste good. Only 99 cents each. Keep yourself occupied, talk on this site for help, read a good book, take a walk, watch a movie, anything to help keep you distracted. They helped me, hopefully they'll help you too! And heres a hug for good luck!
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Old 03-25-2014, 05:53 PM   #11  
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Originally Posted by archychick View Post
Thanks, guys!

I guess I am thinking of WP in the wrong way. I tend to think of them as 'falling off' points more than 'damage control' and I feel like I have failed when I delve into the WP.
Weekly Points aren't falling off points and while they can act as damage control, that isn't their sole purpose either.

Think of it this way. Your daily points are the minimum you should eat. They are most assuredly not the maximum. The maximum is your daily points, plus over the course of the week, your weekly points and your activity points. I'm not saying you have to eat all those --- I don't usually eat my activity points for example --- but you certainly can do so.

You can see this clearly because your daily points are a single number - 26 in my case. Think about it. WW is not so inflexible that it would tell me that I must eat exactly 26 points each day. After all, 25 is too few and if we aren't supposed to eat weekly points then 27 would be too many. I think it really promotes a diet mentality to think that you have to eat exactly 26 points (or whatever one's daily points are) every day. That would drive me crazy trying to eat to an exact number of points and I would feel like I'm on a diet.

So, I vary it depending upon what is going on in my life and what I'm hungry for. But weekly points aren't just there to control damage. They are there because we are human beings and we don't always want to eat the same number of points each and every day.

Further if your daily points are 26, you can be eating under 1000 calories in a day. For me, on days that I eat 26 points, I usually eat about 950 or so calories, including zero points food (I know this because I also count calories).

That is fine to do sometimes, but I don't think it would be nutritionally good for me to be eating that few calories on a consistent basis.

I don't go out of my way to avoid eating weekly points or to try to eat all of them. I just go through my day and basically eat what I think is reasonable. Usually I end up averaging about 31 points a day so I eat about 35 of my 49 weekly points. This does vary from week to week. But, I often eat out and those tend to be higher point days. Or I have days when I'm just hungry. Or I have days that I eat higher point food.

The point is -- don't be afraid of eating weekly points. WW assumes in setting your points that you are, in fact, eating those points. You don't have to eat all of them but the program is designed for you to be able to eat them and still have a good loss.
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Old 03-25-2014, 08:04 PM   #12  
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I am so glad that I made my way back to 3FC & posted this question! I am learning much more than just the answer to it. Your tickers tell me you know what you're talking about.

I see that my mentality about this program is totally off. My career is very mathematical, so I guess my mind automatically goes to the equation instead of the word problem. lol

This totally makes sense in regard to WP. I can't stop calorie counting, so the points-only made me nervous. Glad to see that others count them as well. Now that I have some clue to the points/cal equivalent nutritionally from reading other threads I feel a lot better. The DP on the regular can be too few.

WW is getting more fun now that I have more to put into my formula.

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Old 03-26-2014, 10:57 AM   #13  
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Originally Posted by archychick View Post
@riotgirl: Yes, you make a definite point about that and I do do that. However, at the moment it is too soon for me to give in. I need to stay on track a while so I don't fly off the wagon. lol

@Munchy: You know, I meal plan so tightly during the week that I haven't left room for extra food. This is a habit for budgeting that I've fallen into for the last 15 years. I see that I should be buying extra veggies and other ingredients to have on hand for such an occasion. Thanks for that! Yes, broth-based soups are really helpful. I was a total calorie counter before WW. What worked before (cal. counting only) no longer works now that I'm about to turn 46. So, I'm straddling the calories/points.
I do almost exactly the same thing as you - I've been meal planning/freezing cooking for over 6 years, BUT I do eat high volume, low calorie foods all the time. That means that my plans (with snacks) usually equal 600-800 calories per day, but I have the leeway to add in other things if I feel it's necessary. Before, that was typically a couple of glasses of champagne. Now it tends to be a serving of fruit and maybe some rice crackers with an oz of cheese. I only eat them if I feel it's absolutely necessary.

I count both calories and points too

ETA we have a 3fatchicks volumetrics thread with plenty of ideas on how to eat filling meals for few calories.

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Old 03-26-2014, 07:27 PM   #14  
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Yeah Munchy, it's hard to break out of the type of meal planning habit when you've been doing it so long. I guess now we just evolve it a bit, right? I cook all my WW meals for the whole family so that helps and I'm thinking that you do too. Any meal planning tips would be great! Unfortunately, I can't freeze as I have a tiny apartment-size freezer and no room for another freezer. Oh, I wish that I could!

My husband has been complaining about the cut-back of meat. I told him that, that is the actual amount that humans are to eat - the amount I used to eat before we got together! lol I'll just use the extra $ from the meat budget on vegetables.

Thanks, I'm going straight to that volumetrics thread! It really helps to talk to others that also count calories.
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Old 04-29-2014, 11:44 PM   #15  
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Making good food choices is important too. For example I might be able to eat a Mars Bar or a Fillet of Fish burger for lunch and it fits into my points but it won't fill me up, where as for the same points I could have a ham salad sandwich, soup, fruit and a yoghurt. If all else fails I find exercise manages to stave off the hunger pangs. Oh and making sure I eat my points for the day and not skimping otherwise I can feel hungrier.
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