like on days like today,get up @ 3am & go to bed around 9:30/10.
I usually eat a little something on the way to work cuz I know it'll be awhile before I get a break,by the time I get home I've eaten around 500-600 calories & I still have about 4-5 hours til supper.I'm always starving & wind up eating way too much.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

What a long day you have! I have heard eating every 3-4 hours keeps you from getting to hungry and helps keep your metabolism high. That is what I do. Here is my idea for you. You said you get up at 3:00, not sure what time you are in your car driving to work and eating something so I guessed 4:00. Important thing is to evenly space your meals/snack.
Have something at 4:00am - 8:00 am - noon - 4:00pm - 7:00pm. I basically have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day for a total of 1200-1300 calories. Having protein at each meal or snack keeps me from getting hungry in between and I drink 8 - 10 glasses of water. You can do it!!

i second Helen. Have a snack and some water when you get home. sounds like at that point you still have about 700 calories or so. that's plenty for a snack and a filling dinner, and will hopefully cut out that "starving" mode.

I agree w/ Helen. Try to just keep eating good stuff every few hours. Yoiu didn't say what your total calories are for the day, but if you are only eating 500-600 from 3am until dinner, you could easily add a pre-dinner snack and still have plenty of calories available for dinner. I'm actually finding that I kind of seem to do best myself by grazing all day. It's like splitting my total food for the day into a snack every couple of hours or so. It's working pretty well for me right now because I know I never have to wait hours and hours before getting some food if I'm a little hungry. Mind you, I don't graze on Doritos and ice cream, but on food that is healthy to the best of my ability.

Barb

Thanks.I'm in my car @3:30 be at work at 4,my breaks & lunches are not at the same time everyday,so planning is a little hard.Sometimes theres 3 hours between the time I start work & my 1st break or sometimes it's lunch first & no morning break.I'm trying for 1200 but not over 1400.I walk a mile during my lunch break everyday & somedays walk a 1.5 mile track also.

The dietitian I visited recently recommended that I should make sure to eat something with lots of protein or a protein shake within an hour of waking. This has helped curb my appetite tremendously!

So maybe a protein shake might be something you can try and drink on the way to work to make you last a bit later until breakfast?

you could also try eating more for lunch. I know most people talk about eating something every couple of hours, but I do better having my main meal of the day at lunchtime (usually 650-750 calories worth of a really big salad with chicken, egg, avocado and a whole wheat pita or some other grain). I have 160 for breakfast and supper is anywhere from 300-500 depending on what I'm having or if I happened to be particularly hungry. I usually eat lunch around noon, but then don't eat again until between 6:30 and 7:30 pm and I'm hungry then but not starving, at least not most of the time.

also, if at all possible, can you try going to bed earlier? It's easier to not overeat when you are sleeping! lol! Plus 5-5.5 hours of sleep a night isn't really enough.

When I worked in the job force and had a long commute before going home AND since I cooked foods from scratch, it was at a minimum of an hour before dinner, it was often 8 pm before I could get dinner on the table. To go 8 hours after lunch with no food was impossible. To fix it, I had a tea time break at 3 pm at work. I left my desk (VERY IMPORTANT TO GET AWAY and RELAX FOR A BIT!) had a pot of tea and a small meal. Usually cheese and fruit, or a meat and cheese roll up (roll a slice of deli meat around a cheese stick or spread cream cheese on a slice of meat) or I would have a couple of hard boiled eggs. This kind of food saved me from feeling famished when I got home and less likely to taste the food as I was cooking. It didn't keep me out of the brandy though. lol.

After awhile you will be able to tell at what point in the day you get the most hungry and plan around your schedule and hunger levels.

I sure do try.By the time I get off,pick up my son from school,clean up alittle before I start supper,eat supper,clean/wash clothes,ride my exercise bike & get a shower,it's usually around 9-9:30.Then I can't wind down.Luckily those 3 in the mornings are only a couple days a week,my schedules never the same.One Monday I go in 3pm-11pm!

That is a tough schedule which makes it even more important to plan ahead. Of course planning ahead is hard to do with a crazy schedule! As much as you can, plan out what you are going to eat in a given day and prepare as much of the meals and snacks as you can in advance. Also, when I am really starved I sometimes chew 3-5 pieces of gum at once. It calms me and helps me get the control back for a little while. Congrats on losing 7 pounds. Be proud of yourself.