[Andrea85]

I am having SUCH a hard time figuring out how to balance all my eating issues. I've been working on only eating when I'm hungry AND eating very healthy. I have a good balance of all the macro-nutrients, I cook everything myself so I know what is in it, and I aim for a lot of fresh ingredients. And yet, if I stick to how many calories a day I "should" have, I am SO hungry! I work very hard to maximize the actual volume of food I am taking in vs how many calories it has. I aim for meals like having 3 cups of veggies, proteins, and light carbs for 400 calories than a small burger for 400 calories. I have already tried eating just enough to keep me satisfied without being full, but that adds another 500 calories and even with exercise, I can't drop a single pound. Even after 3 months! I have tried 3 large meals a day, absolutely no go. I try 3 meals with 2-3 snacks, which is better, but I am still hungry by bedtime.

Here are the obstacles I work with when it comes to food:
1) I work 6am-noon, then 4p-730p. I go to bed at about 9:30p, so that leaves a VERY small window to have and digest dinner. When I eat too little, I'm still hungry when I go to bed, which wakes me up at night.
2) The digestion process of most dinner foods I try wakes me up constantly. I have tried soups (beans, potatoes, veggies), chicken with rice, salads with fish, and oatmeal. The oatmeal is the ONLY thing that I have tried that I can sleep afterwards...but it would take a LOT of oatmeal to make me not hungry by the time I go to bed. I'm hungry by the time I get home, and no amount of eating before work will stop that.
3) Budget. I need to stay around $75 per week for my food.
4) I tend to eat as soon as I get hungry (at least, when I'm home I do). I eat lunch when I get home (which is great, full of veggies, a few carbs, protein, AND is a decent volume of food for not a lot of calories), take my dog to the park for an hour, and I'm hungry again when I get home.
5) My work has no place to store or eat food, nor do I get a break to eat it.
6) I don't do sleeping pills, pills to make my body not absorb things, etc. I am a natural girl and would rather cling to these last 20 lbs than loose them that way. No offense intended, just my way

Should I ignore my hunger in the afternoon? Are there any natural appetite suppressants? I want to eat! I want to fuel my body, give it energy, but I'm getting so frustrated at my lack of weight loss!
Is there anything anyone has tried? Or if you have no advice, some compassion is also very welcomed Maybe I just needed to vent, too, but I could really use any tips you have!

[WannaB2cute]

Sorry, don't have an answer but great question so BUMP

[vabs]

For me, increasing protein helps a lot with hunger. Maybe you could try a big protein shake/smoothie for your last meal of the day? It would be easier to digest.

Or you could use a shaker/mixer cup and make a protein shake at work? I guess it depends how stringent the 'no food' at work rule is...
I really prefer to not make them with just water, but it's not bad (I get syntrax nectar which mixes incredibly easily). It's shelf stable, and requires pretty much no prep besides filling the cup with water, dumping in the powder, and shaking the cup. Plus drinking something is a lot less conspicuous than eating a snack, so maybe that's worth a shot?
There's ready to drink shakes, too, which are more expensive per serving but require no prep whatsoever.

Of course both of these options require you can bring something with you in your purse or bag... So if that's 100% impossible, I'd go with having one as your last meal or snack of the day.

Beyond that, the other thing that's helped me reduce my appetite is going full on low carb (20g - 30g of net carbs a day for me). I know it's not for everybody, but it might be worth trying out if you've exhausted all your other options. It made a HUGE difference for me.

[Ontheball]

I travel for work, Atkins bars have helped me

[Andrea85]

I've tried protein shakes at night, I'm definitely hungry again before bedtime! I might try low carb to break myself of the "need carbs to be full" mindset. In the past, I have always felt like each meal MUST include a carb in order for it to be okay. Maybe breaking myself of that by going low carb will help! Thanks for the advice so far, please keep it coming!

[Kisigin]

I might catch some flak for this but I find that after a meal a little bit of whole milk works wonders as far as an appetite suppressant. And try a little dark chocolate for dessert. IMHO dealing with the hunger is not so much about necessarily filling yourself as it is about feeling satisfied. It might feel at first like your spinning your wheels but its actually not that many calories. I think being hungry is stressful. Stress raises cortisol levels which in turn makes you hungrier and affects fat storage, water retention, etc.

[the shiv]

No flak, I second the milk thing!! My first instinct was that before a night out, milk is supposed to line your stomach before some booze. So I figured it would have a similar effect when trying to sleep. It worked for me! I get terrible insomnia and on top of that can NOT fall asleep when I'm hungry.

Also, seconding the low-carb suggestion. It might not work for everyone, but for me, carbs stimulate hunger. I'm not saying they're "bad", just maybe avoid them more in the latter half of the day? Something with protein & fat helps curb my hunger, like an omelette with cheese, or king prawns (you can buy them cheaper frozen) cooked in olive oil with garlic & chilli, or whatever you like.

I doubt this is a problem, because it sounds like you're eating pretty clean, but have any "diet" foods made their way into your... diet? These always make me ridiculously hungry, hence why I never buy them. Something with real, honest, fat in it should help. Maybe a bowl of full fat yogurt, or a piece of bacon. The way towards not feeling hungry isn't always the most obvious, it's not always the sheer volume of food. What's in it (fat, protein, nutrients) makes such a difference, and it's worth experimenting with. If your body's not satisfied with a ton of salad, maybe just feed it a burger (or whatever) once in a while and monitor what happens to your hunger. Sometimes the good things come in small packages

[charliee]

I'm a little confused. You said you work from 4-7:30pm and are in bed by 9:30. So does that mean you eat dinner around 8-8:30 and an hour later you are hungry again? Or are you waking up during the night hungry?

How many calories are you estimating that you are eating a day? Is your job highly active? And what is your exercise regime like?

[karen98745]

Originally Posted by vabs

For me, increasing protein helps a lot with hunger. Maybe you could try a big protein shake/smoothie for your last meal of the day? It would be easier to digest.

Or you could use a shaker/mixer cup and make a protein shake at work? I guess it depends how stringent the 'no food' at work rule is...
I really prefer to not make them with just water, but it's not bad (I get syntrax nectar which mixes incredibly easily). It's shelf stable, and requires pretty much no prep besides filling the cup with water, dumping in the powder, and shaking the cup. Plus drinking something is a lot less conspicuous than eating a snack, so maybe that's worth a shot?
There's ready to drink shakes, too, which are more expensive per serving but require no prep whatsoever.

Of course both of these options require you can bring something with you in your purse or bag... So if that's 100% impossible, I'd go with having one as your last meal or snack of the day.

Beyond that, the other thing that's helped me reduce my appetite is going full on low carb (20g - 30g of net carbs a day for me). I know it's not for everybody, but it might be worth trying out if you've exhausted all your other options. It made a HUGE difference for me.

I didn't know this.

[rbrtsmth]

Stock your house with fruits and vegetables, whenever you feel hungry other than your meal timings rather than resorting to snacks, eat a fruit, or a light salad. You should go according to your appetite; keeping yourself hungry won’t solve anything

[Andrea85]

Originally Posted by charliee

I'm a little confused. You said you work from 4-7:30pm and are in bed by 9:30. So does that mean you eat dinner around 8-8:30 and an hour later you are hungry again? Or are you waking up during the night hungry?

How many calories are you estimating that you are eating a day? Is your job highly active? And what is your exercise regime like?

Yes, I am eating dinner around 8pm and I'm hungry again within an hour. And my dinner isn't small! I've been having oatmeal (about 1.5 cups) with walnuts and an apple, and by 9pm I'm hungry again.

When I eat 1500 calories a day, I'm pretty hungry still. When I get to 1800-1900, I'm good, but I haven't been able to lose weight with that calorie level. Or really, loose fat. My weight can stay the same, I'm trying to burn off the fat on top.

I'm a personal trainer at a gym, so I walk around all day, help lift weights, show people how to do exercises, but I am not actually "working out" all day. I do a zumba class 1-2 times a week, jog for a mile or so 2-3 nights a week, and use the elliptical 1-2 times a week for about 20 minutes. I also walk my dog for about 45 minutes each day, but that is a pretty low pace walk. I strength train about 3 times a week.

I like the milk idea! I will definitely try that...esp with a little dark chocolate, who can say no?