Gum chewing or brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth out with Listerine help me get past the munchies.
Kery, a container of cottage cheese or yogurt (by themselves or mixed with stuff) is something I carry along with a plastic spoon, but it sounds like that's too messy for you. If you look in the Bodybuilding Recipes sticky in the Weightlifting forum, there are some recipes for homemade protein bars and muffins. I stay away from commercial protein bars because they're just like candy bars to me and not only don't fill me up, but make me crave more. How about a string cheese (do you have those?) and sliced apple? Not a ton of protein, but portable. Rolled up deli turkey breast? Hard boiled eggs? A grilled chicken breast? Protein rolled up in a pita or wrap?
LOL Meg, I was going to suggest string cheese to Kery too!
I also get totally hungry around 4pm. I usually bring a lunch and three snacks to work. One snack at 10am, lunch at noon, a snack at 2pm, and a snack at 4pm. If I didn't eat a snack at 4 or 4:30 I would probably skip the gym because I was too hungry to wait until 7:30 or 8 for dinner.
its not even munchies....its totally a habit thing. I picked the grapes out of the drainer and as I put them in a bag, pop one in my mouth. Pick the kids plates up and eat the last grape (orange slice, nugget, bite of mac....) as I am scraping into the trash. Pick up a box of crackers and as I am rolling up the bag to close it, one jumps into my mouth. I had killed that habit and now it is back full force. Its like me and getting in the car, I pop some gum in as I am pulling out of the driveway, even if I just poured myself a fresh cuppa coffee for the travel mug
I'll have to find out first what "string cheese" is in France, but sure, I can try that. Thanks for the suggestions! Actually, making my own protein bars also sounds like an excellent idea. I'll see if I have what it takes in my micro-kitchen to do that.
Kery, I was going to say string cheese too! As always the rest of Meg's suggestions are excellent. I have also made batches of the protein bar recipes from Meg & Mel and enjoy those on the run. If you don't have individually packaged string cheese in France like we do on in the States, you could just cut up a 1-2 oz. serving of cheese and carry that with you in baggy.
I'm always hungry for dinner, but when I work out after I get off work at 4 PM I'm ravenous. I've actually added a little more food earlier in the day to try and keep from 'bottoming out' after workouts, but... I guess I'm still tweaking my system.
Meg, I tend to be a perfectionist and am pretty hard on myself. Thanks for reminding me to take it easy.
Wed - stayed OP
Thursday plan:
B - 1 c. Kashi TGF Cinna-Raisin Crunch, 1 c. skim milk, coffee w/ 1 T. h&h
S - small banana
L - 2 sl. Nature's Own whole wheat, Morningstar Farms Garden veggie patty, 1 packet ketchup, 2 cups sliced red peppers, broccoli & cauliflower
Snacks - 8 oz Publix ff light yogurt, 1 oz. raw almonds, med. pear
gym - cardio day - probably elliptical
D - leftover Layered Mexican Chicken (?), asparagus
I googled pictures of string cheese. I still have no idea what it'd be called here, but at least I can have a look the next time I go shopping.
B: 1 coffee, 1 apple, 1 fat-free yogurt, 2 slices of bread + light jam (told you I tend to eat the same things all the time )
S: 2 small tangerines
L: 1 soup, 1 soy steak, brown rice, green beans, 1 soy yogurt
EVENING EDIT:
S: Low-fat cottage cheese + a small banana
D: Cuscus w/vegetables (carrots, squash...) and 4 small meat balls, then 1 slice of cake and 1 slice of apple pie.
Okay, so I went overboard on the dessert. I didn't get seconds on the main course, and I admit I was still a little hungry by the time the pie got on the table, so it was hard to resist the FOUR different desserts put on said table by the hostess. It could have been worse, though. At least I didn't pig out on the cookies that were served at 5.
Oh man, another disaster yesterday. The worst part is I knew I was screwing up and I should stop, but I kept eating anyway.
Wednesday amended:
S - skipped the yogurt, instead ate a small piece of cake
D - leftover spaghetti and sauce
S - cheese quesadilla (full-fat cheese, ugh, my mom had bought it for our after-wedding brunch and left three bags full in my fridge)
S - huge pile of halloween candy. I can't remember all of it, just that there was a lot. At least 10 fun-size candy bars. Plus a glass of milk.
No idea how many calories that was. Probably at least 900 calories of junk.
I took almost all the halloween candy to work today. I kept a small baggie for myself which I put in my desk drawer at work, and since I'm not at home watching DH eat piles of candy I think I can limit myself to 1 or 2 a day.
Thursday so far:
B - oatmeal (150) w/brown sugar (30) and cinnamon, glass of milk (60)
S - apple (80)
L - lean cuisine sesame chicken (330)
S - pear (97), yogurt (150)
D - (plan) pasta w/three-greens pesto (need to look up calories in my cookbook, probably about 400)
Total (plan) - 1297
Exercise (plan) - 30 minute walking workout from last month's Cooking Light
Yesterday wasn't too good...
B~Peanut butter and jelly on ww
L~turkey sandwich, carrots and celery
S~pretzels
D~2 tamales smothered in homemade chili
S~2 fun sized candy bars (Baby Ruth and Butterfinger)
Today~
I ran 2 miles. Funny how the first half (all uphill) is like torture and then the return trip (all downhill) makes me feel like I can run forever!
B~leftover rice from the Chinese dinner a few days ago
L~peanut butter and jelly on ww, carrots and celery, yogurt
D~this is the ONLY night the entire family will be home to eat, so it'll be something good and healthy, but I don't know what yet.
ETA: dinner was cheese ravioli and a HUGE salad. I must have eaten 5 cups of greens with tomatoes, peppers and onions with fat free Italian dressing (2-3 T). I probably overdid the ravioli--I believe I had 7 pieces with lots of sauce and a little parmesan.
Okay, November 1. It always seems appropriate to get yourself in hand on the first of the month (or a Monday )
B - cheerios w/skim milk, 5 walnut halves, 3 prunes, 1/2 bagel, butter,
S - 3 fun-sized Nestle crunch bars NO MORE!!!
L - homemade chili, homemade roll
S - sugarfree applesauce, graham cracker
D - left over beef stirfry (onions, peppers, zucchini), squash
S - ff latte
We have string cheese in the netherlands, so maybe it is availalbe as well in france.
Another possibility: we have the "breaker" yoghurt that comes in a foil squeeze pack that you like drink from. In the commercials they show that you can consume one while walking along. You can just carry it in your pack and you can screw the cap back on if you haven't finished it between classes. They also have it in "light" variaties, but it is from frisian flag (obviously a dutch company) so I do not know if it is availalbe in france
: 2 Kashi blueberry waffles, 1 with natural peanut butter, 1 with apricot preserves
S - 6 oz raspberries
L - home made salmon salad (canned red salmon, a little low fat mayo, pickles, onions), on whole grain bread, 1/2 sliced roma tomato, kale
S - 100 calories of no sugar added cocoa
S - orange
S - cut up veggies - sugar snap peas, carrots, grape tomatoes, red pepper strip
D - 3 tacos made with Morning star farms veggie crumbles, spicy taco seasoning mix, 3 organic blue corn tortilla shells, a little low fat cheese, salsa, chopped romaine, roasted butternut squash on the side with 1 tbs of pumpkin butter mixed in
OK yesterday continued...where did I leave off?
M4: 1c squash soup, 1 oz chicken
Trick or treating - 3 fun size bars
M5: Barbecue pork sandwiches on ezekiel bread, salad
Bedtime snack: string cheese
OVerall not a bad day really - I kept taking bites of candy and then spitting them out because I didnt WANT them.
Today
B: veggie eggbeater omelet
Workout - 26 minutes hi intensity cycling
S1: cottage cheese & apple
L: veggie pizza, salad, fun size snickers
- I forgot to thaw my dinner for tonight so a little unsure about dinner.
S2: squash soup and veggie soup mixed, 2 scrambled eggbeaters, 1/4 apple
S3: ryekrisp with hummus, 5 almonds, 10 oz v-8, nibbled on the chicken for dinner while waiting for the rest of dinner to cook
D: 5 oz chicken breast (including above), 1 oz barilla plus spaghetti, 2 cups stirfry veggies, 2 cups cauliflower, 3/4 c spaghetti sauce, sprinkle grated parmesan.
ennay, wow, spitting out bites of candy? give yourself a pat on the back!
end of Thursday:
gym - 60 min. elliptical
D - leftover Layered Mexican Chicken, asparagus w/ 1 tsp. olive oil
S - No Pudge! fat free brownie, 1/2 whole wheat pita w/ 1 oz. hummus
cal: 1830 pretty good - I'm trying to see if I can stick w/ 1 low cal day, 1 higher but not too high, so this was a good "higher but not too high"
Friday:
gym - 60 min. elliptical
B - 3/4 c. Kashi Cinna-Raisin crunch, 1 c. skim milk, sm. banana, coffee w/ 1 T. h&h
S - 1/2 oz. raw almonds
L - 2 sl. Nature's Own whole wheat, Morningstar Farms Garden veggie patty, 1 packet ketchup, 2 cups sliced red peppers, broccoli & cauliflower
S - 1/2 oz. raw almonds, 8 oz Publix ff light yogurt, med. pear
Edited to add a Soy Joy bar to my snacks for the day. I am sooo hungry, and with 6 g of fat that will bring my fat for the day up to 30 g. I think since I worked out early I am hungrier, and also my body definitely craves a little more fat when I work out hard.
Going to the opening of a local festival w/ BF and getting his boat "blessed" in the "blessing of the fleet". Not sure about dinner, but I've told BF that I'm not eating festival food so he might get something from the vendors and I brought a green salad, apple, and protein bar with me, and will probably go to the grocery store to get some lunchmeat or rotisserie chicken if needed.
I forgot to log a glass of cider and 30 minutes of aerobics yesterday. Someday, I'll get the hang of it.
B - 1 apple, 1 coffee, 1 "English muffin" (whole wheat, I think--looks like bread, not like a McD's muffin or whatever), a couple of coffee spoons of light jam on it, 1 fat-free yogurt.
S - 2 small tangerines.
L - Green beans, chicken breast, spelt pasta w/ tomato sauce, a thin slice of cheese and a soy yogurt.
D - Erf, I screwed up on the butternut So I had an emergency fruit instead (I should really stock on other veggies some more in the future, in case this happens again). Anyway: 1 Chinese pear, red rice w/mushrooms, 1 small slice of chicken breast, 1 thin slice of bread w/ low-fat cheese, 1 yogurt.
I still have no idea what it'd be called here, but at least I can have a look the next time I go shopping.
