Title pretty much says it all. For example, today I had a doctor's appointment in the early afternoon which I was really nervous about. I can't really eat when I'm nervous because my stomach gets upset, so I had a very light breakfast around 11 am. By the time I got out of the doctor's office, it was after 4 pm and I had planned to go to the grocery to pick up milk and bread, but I also wound up getting chips and baked goods because I was too hungry to pass them up. When I get so hungry like that, nothing healthy seems appealing, or takes too long to make. So what do you do in situations like that in order to stay on track?

I always keep an extra protein bar in my purse. If I stopped at the grocery store and I was so hungry that I was tempted to buy something I would regret I would opt to grab a Greek yogurt or stop at the deli and get 4-5 slices of turkey breast or roast beef. Also, many grocery stores carry hard boiled eggs, ready to eat.

I drink a cup of hot green tea -

My tea is just 7 oz water, 1 oz skim milk, the green tea bag and 1 packet Splenda. I microwave to superhot and sip very slowly, and my appetite gets controlled.

Keeping a protein bar in my purse sounds like a great idea, and if I keep some plastic spoons in the glovebox, I can do the greek yogurt thing too! Thanks

I definitely do this when I am at home, but when I'm out and about, it's kind of difficult. Maybe I should carry a bottle of water.

A broth based (not cream based) soup. The liquid fills you up without a whole lot of calories.

When that kind of hunger strikes, anything longer than instant feels too long to me. I've taken to carrying around a snack in my bag, usually a protein bar. It really helps.

"Nothing healthy sounds appealing." - What "healthy" foods do you think you should be eating? I know when I'm super hungry all of my urges kick in for foods that I used to binge on. The ironic thing is that once you eat something, those urges will subside.

So, if you don't have anything, you can try to use mindfulness. "I know that I really want to buy those cookies, but this is only because I'm hungry." You an also buy and eat something that tastes good, but won't de-rail your weight loss goals. Sometimes I have a granola bar for a snack. I know it's not "perfect eating" but it puts the hunger on hold and also gives me a little sugar boost. Also, better that I have one cookie, than deny myself and eat a box of oreos later. I definitely agree that having something around (protein bar, apple, banana, beef jerky... choose what you like) helps though!

I think you have it backwards. Chips won't make you feel very full. I'm not sure what type of baked goods you eat, but if they're refined carbs then they won't be very filling. Healthy foods are more filling (per calorie), especially if they're high in protein, fiber, or water. Most of the foods that I eat are healthy, and as a result I almost never overeat.

Some foods that will help you feel more full are eggs, fish (not fried), lean meat or chicken, fruits (e.g. apples, bananas, berries, oranges, avocado), vegetables (e.g. carrots, spinach, brocolli), whole grains (e.g. quinoa, freekeh).

If you don't like to cook and you're looking for foods that don't require any preparation, here are a few suggestions:
Canned salmon
Pre-peeled eggs
Bananas
Baby carrots (you can dip them in hummus if you want)

Foods that require just a little bit of preparation:
Avocado (20 seconds to cut it open and remove the pit)
Whole grain toast with nut butter (preferably the nut butter should be 100% nuts) (3 minutes preparation) (or you can put sliced avocado on the toast, if you prefer)
Microwaved green leafy vegetables (pre-washed) with olive oil and garlic (3 minutes preparation)

If you don't mind cooking, you can make a pot of your favorite whole grain, and then eat it as a snack for the next 3-5 days.

If by "healthy" you mean "needs preparing" - I get you. It's hard to pass up convenience foods for something you're going to have to take home, unload, and cook so you can eat an hour from now. However, bananas and other fruits are wonderful on that front. Most grocery stores carry "grown up lunchables" in the deli case with a handful of nuts, a boiled eggs, crackers, cheese, and some kind of meat. I love those things. There are also single containers of hummus with pretzels. I have been known to eat an apple and break into the almonds on the way home from the grocery store. It's a grocery store, it's FULL of reasonable convenience options if you look for them.

I also try to pack something if I know I have fasting blood work or I can't eat before an appointment and I know I'll be ravenous. I have T2D and when my blood sugar dips really low, I can get a little unreasonable so I need to have a plan.

Also - there is not a single reason to go to the chips and baked goods aisle. None whatsoever. Maybe you are one of those people who can have that in your house and eat it "in moderation" but I'm not so I just skip all that.

I would drink a lot of water. Break my meal to 4-6 small meals rather than large meals.

Weight Loss with Paleo Diet

Hi,
I try and remember to take a premier protein drink, I can drink it warm or cold, it's quick and it stops the hunger in its tracks.
Best of luck!

What you experienced is completely normal. When in an nervous (or stressed or anxious) state we are more primed for highly palatable sweet food than 'healthy' food.

We then fall back onto learned behaviour in terms of what that sweet food will be. So, if you walked into a supermarket hunger and post-nervous chances are you'd pick up something sweet that you've had before.

Why is this important?

a) Because now you know what you've experienced is totally normal
b) You'll know that 100% you'll encounter a similar situation to this again in the future (change Doc appt with overrun meeting, stuck in traffic on the way home etc)

This is why, it sounds boring but prep is your greatest friend. If you find yourself hungry, self control is already shot.

Prep in this stage will fall into two categories:

1) What you have through the day keeps you satiated enough that you won't feel hungry until your next meal
2) When you are feeling hungry what do you have on hand that falls in line with the way that satisfies your weight goals (under 10 nuts, fruit, protein bar, rice cake & peanut butter)

Hope that helps

Aaron

I've experienced the same thing a hundred times.

I've found that I only get really hungry (read: ravenous) when I didn't eat enough when I had to. Ever heard of losing weight by eating more often? By eating more often, I don't mean binge-eating often. I'm saying eating something healthy (like all the things the others here suggested) and in small proportions every 3 hours could boost your metabolism and prevent you from getting hungry such that you'd eat more than you should. I know this isn't easy. But personally, this works better than sticking with 3 full meals a day, as I do get hungry in between and start craving for junk food or sugar. Hope this makes sense. All the best to you!