[Msamy]

I can eat 1300 calories a day but I'm having trouble figuring out how to preportion them out so I'm not hungry..

[Chunkahlunkah]

Hi, Msamy!

Can you provide a sample of a day's menu? That way we could look for ways that might make your daily diet more filling.

Generally, protein is filling. On the days that I have a large amount at breakfast (30+ g), I practically have to force myself to eat during the rest of the day because it kills my appetite. I don't always have such a high protein breakfast though because I like variety, but when I do, it really does work like a charm. You don't need to go that high protein. It's a good idea though to have at least some protein every time you eat.

Fiber and healthy fats are also great for mitigating hunger.

Reducing or entirely eliminating certain foods can help a lot too. Sugar or empty carbs make me hungrier than I would've been if I hadn't even eaten them. I limit them. When I do have them, I pair them with protein and fat. That helps a lot with my hunger levels.

1300 is low, so it does take careful selections to be satisfied. Even then, you may find that it's still too low for you and opt to go slightly higher in calories, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Chunkahlunkah]

Sorry that I didn't comment at all on how many calories to eat at each meal, which was your question! That's because I've personally found that for reducing hunger, it matters more what comprises the calories than their number. I also think that there's a big variety in the way the calories can be laid out. Basically, that part seems more flexible and personal while the types of foods that are more filling is generally more universal.

[PrairieQueen]

I used to force myself to eat breakfast, but now that I've given up caffeine and artificial sweeteners I can skip it and not be hungry. I drink seltzer water in the morning and have lunch at 10:45 (I work in a school). Dinner is somewhere between 5-6:30. I do not snack but since I can eat a larger lunch (400-500 cal w/a good amount of protein) and a big dinner I do not feel hungry between meals/after dinner dinner. I used to try and do 300/300/600-800 a day and it was tough. I did lose weight over the year but it wasn't fast. My last ten pounds did not want to come off. So after recycling the same five pounds all summer I started skipping a meal at the start of the school year and I'm losing again.

[medigal]

I just started dieting a few weeks ago. I'm doing 1,500 calories/day right now; I didn't want to set a drastic goal at first and end up discouraged. I've noticed that I am starting to feel full from smaller meals now, so I would like to get down to 1,300 per day within the next month or two. I have two main obstacles: 1) I have kidney disease, so I can't eat too much protein. 2) We're on a budget, so I can't afford to make two different meals for my husband and me to eat for dinner. So I basically eat 250 calories for breakfast, 250-300 for lunch, and then I save the rest for dinner. Some days I am close to 1,500; others I am around 1,350.

[Angie83]

Hi guys I'm new here, do any of you use myfitnesspal?

[classykaren]

Angie I use My fitness Pal.

[jeminijad]

I can stick to 1400 for weeks on end, no problem. If I drop to 1300, it becomes harder and I overeat. A month straight at a 400 deficit is better than messing up every other day trying for a 500/600 deficit, KWIM? Just something to keep in mind if a particular number seems super hard to stick to.

Now, to answer your actual question!

I first identified where I could eat lightly/"skimp" and still make it to my next meal not ravenous. For me, that is either a light breakfast and bigger lunch, medium dinner, OR big breakfast/lunch and barely eat at dinner. What I can't seem to do is skimp on lunch. So I would do something like 300 cals breakfast/600 lunch/300 or 400 dinner. Or the ever popular 600 breakfast, 500 lunch then just pick at stuff while I'm making dinner, but don't sit down with a full plate for myself.

And volume is an issue. I need a good chunk of protein, a medium chunk of carbs and some fruit or veg volume. All oatmeal, even if the calories are right, and I am hangry at 3pm. Def try different combos.

And even if you do get hungry - that's OK. Hunger isn't intrinsically bad. It is a boogeyman for dieters for some reason, but we can also learn to work on being hungry for a couple of hours.