[tracyg40]

ok, it's only day 2 for me, and add in that it is day 2 of aunt flo, but i'm sooo hungry!!! I need some lo-cal, high volume, filling foods! i don't have a clue how to eat!!!!
any ideas? i was pretty clueless where to start, and the info out there was pretty conflicting, so i decided to start with 1500 cal. daily and see how that did after a few weeks. i need to lose about 60 lbs.
would appreciate any input.
thanx
tracyg

[carolineintx]

I think the most filling foods that you could try are high fiber, or high protein stuff. I love boca meatless chili, as its only 150 calories but it has half your fiber requirements for the day. its a decent sized bowl for as low cal as it is. Really a lot of soups will do, the liquid tends to fill you up. Theres some double fiber bread that is pretty filling, a few slices with some reduced fat peanut butter should help fill you up a bit, or if you like granola or cereals like kashi, those are pretty healthy and tend to make me feel fuller. Hope that helps! I found when I started counting calories the start was the worst, once I got used to it I didn't feel so hungry all the time.

[mandalinn82]

Can you tell us what a typical day looks like for you food-wise? Then we might be able to suggest some high-volume low cal substitutions for things you are already eating.

In general, i have lots of favorite filling, low-cal snacks - 100 cal popcorn bags are great on the go. I like 1/2 cup of plain yogurt mixed with a little splenda and a cup of sliced strawberry - just over 100 cals and filling. For TOM chocolate cravings, i'll dip a cup of strawberries in a sugar free chocolate pudding cup - not the healthiest choice, but 120 calories for some chocolatey-sweet goodness is sometimes worth it to me.

Lots of veggies, up the fiber and water, and you should be able to stay fuller longer. Lean proteins also help you to stay full longer for a limited amt of calories.

[alinnell]

I'm usually starving a couple hours after breakfast, but this morning I had a high fiber cereal instead of my egg whites and berries. I didn't get hungry until lunchtime.

I agree, we need to know what you've been eating so we can help you tweak it. How many calories are you getting per day? What kinds of foods do you eat? Are they high in protein and fiber or are they of the less nutritious processed stuff?

It will get easier, BTW.

[maryblu]

Tracy, I have two words of advice for you: Fat Smash.

You can read how to do phase I for the most part in the book review posted by 3FC. That is how I started. (Still haven't bought the book) It amazes me how full I feel....and getting in 35 gms. of fiber is easy. The oatmeal for breakfast fills me up til past noon..you can eat lots of beans...on phase I it is hard to eat out, but if you can plan ahead, it works.....even if you don't follow it exactly........if you fill up mainly on veggies and fruits, you won't be hungry.....it has been a God-send for me...hope something helps you.......it is weird, the food keeps me full and up-beat, and not so focused on food.....it calms the urges somehow.....the broth soup idea is a good one, as it lots of water and some of our sisters have posted lots of great recipes........good luck! Mary

[tracyg40]

find my way. but here is what 1500 looks like for me yesterday and today
bkfast yogurt 70c
lunch: tortilla 53c
mixed vegies sauteed 30
cheese 40
slasa 20
apple 40
1tbsp reg pb 95
dinner: salad w/ dressing 150
vegies 50
burger 290
potatoe 100
1slice american cheese 100
ice cream 170
dove truffle egg 200
100 cal pack 100
Ok, I can see my mistakes here, you don't have to point them out lol, but it was my first day....

today:
bkfast yogurt 70
lunch: chicken breast 120
tortilla x2 106
cheese 50
vegies & salsa (guesstimating 50)
rice 50
apple 80
100 c. pack 100
peanut butter cup 90 (drat that easter candy)
dinner:
spaghetti 1c. cooked 224
1/2c. sauce 120

thats only 1060 today so far, but i'm sure i will want some kind of snack.
any suggestions would help. i'm not a morning eater, so i tend to keep my breakfast pretty light. it is late in the afternoon and after dinner that i get the munchies.
thanx
tracyg
**** ok, i added 2oz. chicken breast 60c. and 3/4c. vegies to my meal 30c
to make it more filling.

[alinnell]

I suggest you add more veggies to go with your lunch and dinner and have some cut up cold ones for snacks. I think they fill you up better than the 100 cal packs (and are less processed, so they're better for you). The fiber in them will help make you feel full.

[mandalinn82]

Heres the thing about not being a morning eater...you end up overeating later in the day, which makes you not hungry the next morning, but sets you up on a low morning/high evening vicious cycle. I found this was one of the hardest transitions for me to make - eating more in the morning. If you only give your body 70 cals worth of fuel to start your day with, you will feel hungrier all day than you might if you balanced out your eating more over the day.

For me, if I eat a very small breakfast, my total calories for the day will end up higher despite the calorie savings at breakfast...this is because my body gets in that "I'm hungry" zone before lunch and that makes me eat more the rest of the day.

My suggestion - go to bed hungrier than you might otherwise, and the next morning, make yourself a breakfast of around 150-200 calories, with some fiber and protein to it. Hey, its worth giving it a try, right? It was absolutely essential for me to do to control my hunger.

Also, the 100-cal packs are fine, but they aren't very filling for your calorie buck, except maybe the popcorn ones. Fruits, veggies, proteins, and etc will fill you up a lot better.

[BlueToBlue]

I usually eat two huge salads every day, one with lunch and one with dinner. They have around 7 to 10 oz of lettuce and veggies, but I use either balsamic vinegar or 1/2 serving of low cal dressing, so they come in at only around around 50-70 calories.

Also, eating smaller amounts of food more frequently may help. I eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, two afternoon snacks, dinner, and a post-dinner snack. This means I'm eating every two to three hours. Breakfast is 200 calories, lunch is 300-400 calories, and dinner is 350-450 calories. On a 1500 calorie diet, that leaves me with 450 to 650 calories for snacks. My standard snacks are fruit, NF yogurt, fiber cakes that I get from Trader Joe's, lite string cheese, and one low-cal pudding (60 calories, my post-dinner snack) per day. Sometimes I also have nuts, popcorn, a low calorie English muffin, or a low calorie energy bar as a snack. I stay away from 100-calorie packs (too many calories, too little fuel) and full fat cheese (same problem).

[alinnell]

Barbara~tell me more about the Trader Joe's fiber cakes. Thanks!

[chickaboom]

I would up your intake to 1750 and not sweat it! To keep yourself from getting to the "starving" point, make sure you eat several times throughout the day, and not just three times. That'll getcha every time.

You can eat things like protein to curb hunger. The best thing for me if I really don't want tons of calories but want to feel full is deli oven roasted turkey or chicken on a fat free tortilla with horseradish cream (it is already low in fat), and pile on the turkey! It is low calorie and low fat. So you can easily pile two servings on there and be ok....then drink with that a full glass (10 ounces) of Skim Milk Supreme. It is fat free, 90 calories for 8 oz, and Safeway sells it I know. It tastes just like 2% to whole milk. I was amazed. But this would help stop you from binging. Give you that nice full feeling and help in a pinch.

Good luck!

[sockmonkey70]

I keep strawberries around for the late night munchies I usually get. They curb a craving enough for me to keep from binging, and they are oh so good.

My primary appetite killer/ curber would have to be water though.

[cjc92802]

I agree with mandalinn - eat a big breakfast. I used to just have coffee, but then would overeat from lunch until dinner. For me, I try to make my meals progressively smaller throughout the day. This keeps me full of energy the entire day. I eat 5-6 times a day, and when I don't feel I feel the effects of very low blood sugar, one of which is making poor snack choices!

I'm "lucky" though because I have a lot more calories than some of the ladies here have.

[Carbiegirl]

Eating smaller meals more often helps to curb hunger for me.

I eat 1/2 cup of quick cook oatmeal with stevia in the mornings and it's very filling.

I've been eating 1/2 cup of black beans on a Flat Out wheat wrap with some avocado slices for lunch and it's pretty satisfying.

I've noticed that if I eat high protein / high fiber, I don't crave as bad.

[MissieA]

Drink plenty of water. It helps fill you up.