Hi everyone! I doubt anyone remembers me, but I was here for a short time about 2 years ago. Back then, I lost about 15 lbs on SB, and then gradually went back to eating "normally". I kept off the 15 for over a year, and then last winter, lost 10-15 more due to illnesses of 2 close family members (running back and forth to hospitals with little time for eating is a great diet, but I don't recommend it!) Unfortunately, after the death of both family members, I guess comfort eating got the best of me. In the past 6 months or so, I put back on most of the weight I lost. So, here I am, back on the wagon and hoping to stay until I lose ALL the weight.

My question is- why am I so hungry??? I have been eating a lot and have only lost 2 lbs in 9 days on P1, so I really don't want to eat MORE. My husband is eating the same as me and he says he's never hungry. Actually, he rarely eats snacks, so he's even eating less than I am! I think maybe I had this problem around this time last time around too and don't remember how I fixed it.

I do well in the morning. Breakfast (usually 2 eggs, 2 slices turkey bacon, V8 and coffee) keeps me feeling nice and full till lunch. I usually don't have a snack in the morning. I eat breakfast at 8:30 and lunch at 12 so don't really need a snack. The problem sets in at lunch. I can't seem to get satisfied. Today, I just had lunch about half an hour ago.(a giant salad-3 cups lettuce plus other assorted veggies, topped with a whole can of chicken breast sauteed with mushrooms, and italian dressing) and my stomach is already grumbling. I stay hungry like this pretty much all afternoon. I'll have a snack (yesterday was celery with natural PB) around 2 and sometimes sneak in another (string cheese etc...)at around 4. By dinner I am starving, but once I eat I am fine. I sometimes even skip dessert. So, what is up with this afternoon hunger? Does anyone else experience this?? What am I doing wrong?

Everyone is different, IMO, as to what makes us feel full. Some I think is physical and some I think is psychological. For me, salads even with protein rarely make me feel full for long. I know it makes no logical sense, but there it is.

Some mornings I snack, some I don't. But I am always hungry for an afternoon snack and, honestly, have more than one. I probably eat more in the afternoons than most people but it works for me. (As long as I stay on plan with what I eat.)

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the snacks as long as they are healthy and you are truly hungry. But, you might try experimenting with different foods to see if that helps. Nuts, beans, different veggies. I like a huge plate of green bean fries and some cheese most days.

Another trick that works for me... drinking lots of hot decaf flavored tea.

I think that even though you eat breakfast at 8:30 and lunch at noon, if your lunch doesn't satisfy you, then you definitely need a mid-morning snack. I eat every 2 to 2.5 hours all day. Oatmeal with NSA dried fruit at 9, cheese stick at 11, lunch at 1 (usually soup, veggies & hummus,) almonds at 3, dinner at 5:30, and if I need to, another snack at 7:30 or so (but usually dinner holds me.)

Listen to your body, and if you're hungry, then eat. Secondly, is it anywhere near your TOM? I'm always STARVING during TOM and crave really weird things (like last night it was Frank's Red Hot.) Thirdly, it looks like you have a bit of sodium just in the foods you listed - are you drinking enough water? That may be slowing your weight loss, and also water helps fill you up too. Maybe instead of using canned chicken, buy a package of chicken breasts at the store and boil one, then shred it up for your salads. Not only do you save on sodium, but you also get a nice chicken stock that you can use in soups or stews.

I would say just go back to basics. Make sure you're eating 4.5 cups of veggies a day (and lettuce for your salad doesn't count!) Eat 1/2 cup of beans every day, drink your 8 glasses of water, and if you're still hungry, drink a glass of skim milk, which has only 80 calories but a TON of protein to fill you up. Like Karen said above, hot liquids are quite filling too.

Good luck girl, just stick with it and you'll get it!!!

Lisa

Fiber! Lettuce is a vegetable, yes. But, two cups of lettuce wont leave as full as say, two cups of broccoli. Add in some foods with more fiber, and maybe a little more protein as well.

I'm also in the "I can't have salad for lunch" camp. For whatever reason, it is never filling enough for me. Probably jsut something mental, but I've decided to roll with it instead of trying in vain to fight it.

I'll be the 3rd to admit about the salad being unsatisfying. I was skeptical to try SB because of the required veggie intake because I really just do not like salads. (Unless it's loaded with yummy dressing and crutons to take away from the blahness of lettuce). Have you tried subsituting your lettuce for spinch? It has a lot more fiber in it. I find an omlette in the morning with lots of spinch makes me super full. For lunch I like doing chopped up veggies and hummus - again, the thought of just bringing a salad to work for lunch makes me sad. haha. I've also done just some spinch leaves and hard boiled egg - sounds weird, but it was satisfying me!

I've also found including nuts in my afternoon snack really makes me feel more full until dinner (usually around 7 or 730pm for me). People at work laugh at me because I sit and count exactly 15 peacans and eat them.

And like everyone else said - good luck! I'm on Day 12 of P-1 and can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Agree with all about the salad business. Maybe try your salad for dinner, and roast up a whole bunch of broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts to be your veggie for a couple of days and have that with a baked chicken breast? Also agree on the mid morning snack. You're allowed to have it, so why not?

something that i do on the days when i just can't seem to get satisfied is to put some chia seeds in my water. it really seems to help "fill me up" and I'm usually not hungry again until my next meal. I also have to make sure that I am properly hydrated -- if i'm not, i'm hungry all day long regardless of what i eat.

Thanks everyone for the ideas! I will try to fit in a snack in the morning, and also work on cutting the sodium and upping my water. I know my water intake is really far below what it should be, but I have been working on it.

So, does lettuce really NOT count toward my 4.5 cups of vegetables?? If not, I guess that's where my problem is. I LOVE salads and would have them for lunch even if I wasn't on a diet. (of course, I'd have some bread with it) Lettuce definitely accounts for a lot of my veg. servings, so I guess I'll have to work on that. If it's green does it count? I am not a big fan of most vegetables, especially cooked ones. I eat them, at least 2 cups per day, but I think if I had to eat all 4.5 cups of just that type of vegetable, I might not be able to do it.

Also, what are chia seeds?

I'm gonna stand by what I said and go with no, lettuce doesn't count.

One cup of iceberg lettuce:
8 calories
0.5 gram protein
0.7 gram fiber
10 mg calcium

One cup broccoli:
31 calories
2.6 gram protein
2.4 gram fiber
42.8 mg calcium

What kinds of vegetables do you like? And for those you don't like, when is the last time you tried them? Our tastebuds change every 5 years or so. I used to hate onion, asparagus, and brussel sprouts, and now I love them. Our 13 year old is learning that she likes a lot more things than she used to, as well.

There are a lot of yummy recipes for veggies on this site, and I am a huge fan of soups, especially this time of year. Put veggies in everything you eat if possible. Have you tried cucumber slices with hummus? A new fave snack for me.

Also, it's kind of a cop-out, but if you really hate veggies, try topping them with some of the Alfredo Sauce (or variations) stickied on the Ph1 Misc recipe board. Not cheating, and still counts

You can do it girl!

It depends on what you mean by lettuce. Like weezle said, iceberg isn't really counted as anything. It's kinda just solid green leafy water. I really love salads and eat them almost everyday but I NEVER use iceberg! Kale is super good for you but can be a little tough and bitter for some people. Try red or green leaf lettuce, romaine, arugula, baby spinach, raddichio... Dole makes all those bagged lettuces- take a look at what they contain and get the ones that don't have iceberg. I really like their spring mix.
Then try adding some more color to your salads. Chopped bell peppers, roasted red peppers, raw broccoli, artichoke hearts... I like to add sliced dill pickles, and pepperoncini or cherry peppers to my salads too sometimes! If I do it right, sometimes I get my 4.5 all in that one salad! Then I just add a little olive oil and vinegar as a dressing because I get enough flavor from all those veggies.
You do really need to make sure you are getting enough water too. You are likely to feel even more sluggish and achey on P1 while "detoxing" if you don't have enough water helping to flush everything out.

When I have salad, it's either romaine or the spring mix. This week, it's been romaine because that's what I have in the house. I also always add other vegetables- (usually some combo of green pepper, cucumber, celery, tomato, onion, mushroom) I probably usually have about 2-3 cups lettuce and 1 cup other veggies in a salad. So not counting lettuce really hurts my veggie intake count.

I DO like a lot of vegetables- broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, brussel sprouts, edamame(is that a vegetable?). The problem is, looking at a big bowl of broccoli for lunch(which is what I am having right now) makes me want to barf. I am good with a cup of them cooked on the side of a meal, or raw dipped in ranch dressing, but more than that is not too appealing to me.

you can try making a dip out of plain nonfat greek yogurt. add some dill, salt, pepper, and a wedge of laughing cow and dip your raw veggies in that!

i count "lettuce" as a veggie as long as it's a type with lots of nutritional value.

I eat huge salads, but then can be hungry in a couple hours (Every kind of veggie under the sun). I've been adding one of those 100 cal. guacamole packs on my luncheon salads as well as my protein (deli meat) and a cheese serving. The MUFA fats (nuts, nut butters, avocado, etc.) really help me feel fuller. I always try to get a mid-morning snack in as well as one in between lunch and supper.