I'm a calorie counter and I always plan out my food for the next day. I seem to be having the problem though, where I am hungry 30 minutes to an hour after I eat anything. It can't be running through my body that quick can it?!
I wake up at 5:30 am usually eat when I get to work-8:00 am. can hardly make it to 11 rarely 12 to eat my lunch. and even with a snack in the pm I'm starving on the way home. I try to eat the foods that should fill you up....
What does everyone else do for breakfast and snacks that will hold me over until the next meal?

I'm just going out the door for a bike ride, Tampagirl. But I'll answer this more fully when I get back with my diet coke!!!

Would you take a minute and give us an example of what you're eating in a day?

Hey. This happens to me some days too, I am also a calorie counter. First off, how many calories do you eat per day? How many calories are in each meal? I wake up around 5a.m. most day, workout, then have about 300-350 calories for breakfast. A couple hours later I eat again, usually around 200-300 calories. I do that all day, anywhere from 5-7 small to medium meals/snacks and usually don't eat after 7p.m. or so. I started on 1200-1500 calories a day, but as I have upped my workouts and become more hungry I go from 1300-1700 per day and usually don't go under 1500 calories, and I am actually losing faster. I think that sometimes hunger is just something that is a habit, but sometimes it's just your body's natural way of saying "hey, you're not eating enough, eat more". Be honest with yourself about how much you're eating, I know how easy it is to say to yourself "if 1200 calories a day is good, than 1000 is better, than 800 is better" but that isn't the case. Unfortunatly there seems to be a fine line between over eating and under eating! Hope that helps.

Hi there!

I make sure to have at least one 8 oz glass of water with my meals, and then have another after my meal. It helps fill the void if my meal is a bit light.

I also have a Curves shake.

Just keep on trying.

I honestly know that feeling of being hungry after you drink plenty of water and eat a lot of food. I don't know why I am craving oatmeal cookies and also shakes , it's not like I am not eating my sweets, I just don't understand how come I can't get full . Well i am not going to give up I am just going to keep trying. Talk 2 yall later

Are you sure it's actual physical hunger? If you're eating a sufficient amount of food and doing so every 2-3 hours, then chances are you're probably not physically hungry, just mentally hungry. Do be sure to drink plenty of water with your meals and try to eat the foods that pack the most bang for the buck. I eat popcorn sized bowls of salad with lots of yummy fixins, for minimal calories and I'm left completely satisfied. I would try some good, hearty oatmeal or high fiber cereal in the mornings, maybe with an egg white-veggie omelet? YUM, and very filling! Also, something that works for me when I'm "feeling" hungry but know I'm not really. I drink a nice hot beverage like decaf coffee (my fav.) or tea. Something about it seems to curb the feeling, though I'm not sure why. I'm sure one of these other fantastically wise ladies will be quick to offer a full explanation of just why that is. (I hope!) Anyway, good luck and hang in there!

Beverly

SusanB- For breakfast I usually eat one scrambled egg in tortilla or oatmeal with raisins (oatmeal usually fills me up until lunch, but I can't eat it everyday...I need variety)...other days its yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit. Lunch is a small portion of leftovers or a salad or sandwich I throw together. I read somewhere that proteins keep you full longer than carbs do, but I feel like I need a carb to fill my stomach. Dinner threatens disaster almost every night since I'm starving by the time I get home at 5:30 pm. I usually eat a ton of "little things", but they usually add up to big calories. Should I eat more at lunch and have a small dinner?

Thanks ladies!

I don't know Beverly. A cup of coffee, green tea or just plain hot water will help to prevent me from pigging out while I'm getting something good to eat ready. BTW ... you have done awesome work and are a wonderful encourager here at 3fc.

Now, Tampagirl ... for me the secret was learning to eat protein. I really do carb crave. If I have one processed, easily digestible carb .... I want twelve. So I bury good carbs in protein until much later in the day.
For breakfast, I have a shake of protein powder, fruit and crushed flaxseed in water.
I had a couple of baby carrots and a spoonful of no fat cottage cheese before I went for a bike ride because I left later than I thought I was going to.
Because I'd left my 'feedings' further apart than usual, I was starving when I got back from the store. I sipped diet coke while I made lunch. I had an oatmeal/egg white/ protein powder pancake with cottage cheese and berries.
The way I stop myself from scarfing everything in sight when I get home from work before supper is to have a bottle of water in the car.
Maybe the fluids just sooth our innards until we can put proper food in them.
I do have a theory that some folks think they're hungry when what they really are is thirsty.

Oh honey, we were posting at the same time. Just a minute.

Sorry, for disappearing like that. That dratted family of mine thinks they can walk in here like it was their home or something

I'm gonna stick with what I've already said. It's mostly still appropriate.
As for your questions about meal size ... I'd maybe keep both lunch and dinner on the smaller side so that it won't hurt much to have something in the evening. I eat after supper, at least once, often twice. I really like food and eating so I've just had to learn how to manage my calories (I'm still learning)
As for that stuffed stomach feeling ... Anne M Fletcher in her book Thin for Life talks about learning to listen to your body. You can learn to stop eating when you are satisfied instead of when you stomach feels full. There's more to it than that but it's a germ of an idea for you to think on.


Have you got some stats hidden somewhere? height, weight, calorie level you're shootin' for ...?

I've given up on the breakfast-lunch-dinner idea and think in terms of Meals 1-5. Eating every 3 hours really helps. As Beverly said, bathtub sized servings of green veggies and salads (with some protein!) can really fill you up.

I try to drink as few calories as possible. Liquid calories (juice, milk, etc) do not fill me. My one exception is a protein shake when I'm working and can't eat real food.

On the other hand, I'm hungry alot. Mostly, I've just learned to deal with it as "misinformation" from my brain. My body wants to be fatter than I want it to be, so it's a matter of whether my head or stomach is going to win the battle. I have a lot of tricks to outsmart my stomach like brushing and flossing when I've eaten what I should eat for the day, drinking hot herbal teas, reading posts at 3FC

Mel

are you drinking enough water?

I'd be drowning from the inside out if I drank more. Flipafart, what's your story? Can you write more than a one line post? Tell us about yourself.

Mel

I would like to ask a question...is it bad to skip breakfast? When I wake in the morning I shower dress then I'm out the door for work. Not only that I don't find myself being hungry at all in the mornings. I have a cup of coffee(half n half w/splenda) but I don't have lunch until about 1:45 more or less and even then I'm eating because I know I should have something and not because I'm hungry. Sometimes I can go all day without eating until dinner time. Should I invest in breakfast bars even though I'm not hungry in the morning? I haven't had breakfast since...heck since elementaryschool which was maaaaaaaaaaaaaany moons ago! LOL share....

Yes! Eat breakfast but forget the breakfast bars unless there's no way in the world you'll eat anything else (like real food).

Eating every 3-4 hours keeps the level of sugar and insulin in your blood stable. If you are eating more frequesnt, smaller portions your body can use all the nutrients that it's receiving instead of getting one or two huge meals thrown at it. When all that food hits your system and your blood sugar is already low from not having eaten, your sugars skyrocket (all food, some faster than others, are eventually converted to sugars in your body), then your pancreas goes into overdrive to produce enough insulin to lower the sugar levels. This is a perfect environment for several things to happen: 1) You get fatter on less total food. 2) The constant wear and tear on your pancreas increases the likelihood of type II diabetes if you are prone to it. 3) By the time you eat, you really are very hungry and will eat anything that wanders by...not necessarily good, healthy choices.

If you want a good explanation of the science behind eating small, frequent meals, take a look at the explanations in the South Beach Diet of Dr. Pamela Peeke's Body for Life for Women. You may or may not be interested in those programs, but the explanations hold true whether you count calories, do a particular diet program, of just try to eat healthier and move more

Mel