Hi All,
I started eating grains on Sunday and now I'm hungry! Is this bad?

Background - did Phase I for 2 weeks, then added one fruit the next week, another fruit the next, and this week decided to add grains. I have not been losing which frustrates me so I am dropping some more calories. Goal now is 1325 cal/day, down from 1400-1500.

Sunday I had one slice of ww toast, yesterday and today each had a slice of Ezekiel cinn/raisin toast. Had it with my normal egg/2 whites/cheddar eggs. Both days I am starving. Counting down until lunch. Had to have a string cheese! Before I never even thought about it. What's up?

I hope y'all don't tell me I have to ditch the bread. It's the highlight of my day!

I'm not going to tell you to ditch the bread, but I will say, "Don't be hungry!" Eat something safe and phase 1 -- cheese, nuts, beans, dairy. I starve around TOM. Could that be it?

Chelby,
about 10 days out for that...but I suppose it could contribute. The good news is that *usually* the scale budges around that time, too. Let's HOPE!

It may be the time of the day you eat it. I find that I can't have a lot of "grainy" stuff in the morning, or I'm starving not too long after that. Experiment by eating at a different time maybe...Try eating bread later on in the day and adding some veggies at breakfast.
I eat a sandwich for breakfast every morning, but use flat outs and really stuff them with protein/veggies...so the protein/veggies really "out weigh" the bread.

Do you have enough fat in your diet? I find that with myself, if I have enough fat, ie. olive oils, skim cheese, that I don't get hungry often. If you have enough fat in your diet, I would say if you're hungry eat-but pile on the veggies. Hope that helps!

I add a Tbs. of natural nut butter on my whole grain toast & it helps keep you full for hours.

H20! I assume you and our wonderful co-mod, Ruth, have talked "Portie?" She bred and raised them for many years until the loss of her last two. I'd never heard of them until I met her. What wonderful, fun dogs they are!

As for your question, I agree with Cat. You should try a different time of day. First of all, you need more veggies in your breakfast. Protein makes you feel full longer, but it doesn't "fill" you up when you eat it. So you need the combo of veggies (which make you feel full instantly) and protein (which makes the feeling last). You may be able to have the bread too, if you have veggies. However, I've found that fruit and/or starch in the morning sometimes leads to more hunger. So try eating the bread later in the day and add some veg to your eggs. You can get lots of great ideas for breakfast from the recipe forum, and you can also get more ideas for egg-less breakfasts in the thread dedicated to them in the FAQ.

Are you exercising? While cutting calories does help with weightloss, the more you cut, the harder it is to keep up. Exercise helps a lot and is much easier to add in than it is to cut more and more calories. I think it's extremely difficult to lose long-term without exercising.