OK, I feel like this journey is an experiment of one, ya know? Trying to get the calories right, the exercise right, the type of food right--all so that I lose weight, but NOT so that my hunger pangs are the ONLY thing I can think about.

And I'm having one of those days where I am just hungry ALL the time (before I eat, while I eat, very shortly after I eat).

Is it like.....I saw the Christmas sugar cookies and want to eat the whole box? Except....it's NOT head hunger. I've had 3 big weeks: 3.5, 4, 2 gone (and last week with the 2 pounds, that was an Aunt Flo week--I know...I couldn't believe it myself). I eat 1500 cals and I adjust for exercise (eat more) since the 1500 is an almost guarantee of 1-2 pounds off. I had a VERY big workout yesterday (for me....1+ hour on the treadmill with inclines and upper body weights).

So....should I eat more today? Suck it up and quit whining? What would y'all do?

When I'm really hungry, I eat. I don't let myself go crazy, but I accept I might have a few hundred calories more than I want. I try not to do it as a "binge" and I drink tea or water too.

I think as long as I'm thinking about what I'm doing, and it's not happening a lot, I'm not going to worry about it too much.

Yeah....that's kinda what I'm thinking I'll need to do. I just was wondering how much I'm being influenced by the HOLIDAYS LOL. I'm sort of thinking this might be the effect of yesterday's big workout catching up. I'm just getting so damn SCALE OBSESSED

Eat low calorie fiber-rich foods. Have a HUGE bowl of steamed veggies with lemon squeezed over it. Have an enormous raw salad of chopped veggies with balck beans and a fat-free dressing.

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What I do when I have one of those days is eat a bowl of oats. I dont know why but they tend to keep me full for a long time. Now, I also can eat grits and it does the me the same way. It is very fullfilling.
Also, when I crave sweets try some of those special K bars. There like 90 calories and really curbs the sweet tooth.
Just my two cents..

I like the oatmeal idea. I've eaten so many veggies today and just....NOTHING. I think it's making it worse actually (apples totally do that to me).

Some days are better than others. I try to stick to a 1200-1500cal day, but I realize that my body changes everyday. So some days I let my self indulge a little- up to 2000cal

Pasta with marinara sause is good for those "I want to eat everything in sight" days. Whole wheat pasta is better, but even the regular stuff works. And drink a lot of water while you eat that will make you feel fuller.

Thats exactly where my "Satisfied Meal" plan came from . Some days I just feel like I'm starvving and I want that satisfied feeling . That is where that dinner I posted came in....when I eat pasta along with some sort of low cal. meat (shrimp) or (grilled chicken) with a salad. It seems to satisfy that feeling. With the pasta and shrimp it fills me up and I don't feel deprived. I suppose that is why I did that post. I wanted to know what sort of foods filled people up on those days when you just feel like raving your fridge ya know. Now....stay strong......your doing good....and keep up the good work!!!

I first cut out snacks, and then started scaling back on dinner until I don't eat it at all. My calories are now down to 1,500/day (~600 breakfast, 900 Lunch) except one day a week when I go back up to ~4,000.

At this point I am not really hungry at night because my body isn't expecting food then. If I try to skip lunch my stomach is growling by 12:30.

No cardio, but I lift weights 3xweek (transit strike permitting). When I stay on plan this is good for 4-5# of weight loss per week. If I don't carefully measure what I eat weightloss tends to grind to a halt. No instinctive eating for me.

Protein is the trick for me. If I make sure that I have protein every few hours I stay satisfied longer. If I start with carbs too early in the day ... I'm scrooged ... I just want more carbs and more carbs.
You said this ....OK, I feel like this journey is an experiment of one, ya know?
and it's brilliant! yes, it is a journey of one. Take in all the info you can and make your plan for you. Brilliant!

For the most part, if I'm *hungry*, then I just eat. I try and make a high protein-high fiber 200/300 calorie meal/snack, put all of the ingredients away, write down all of the calorie info I'll need for logging it, sit down at the table with a glass of water/cup of tea and really focus on eating the food.

(That is, if I'm starving, I don't just 'snack a bit' and nibble... I recognize that I need more food and I make a deal of it. I make it consious.)

Solid Proteins for Breakfast (Eggs), Veggie Wrap Sandwiches for lunch, Fruit and protein for snack, Whatever fits into remaining cals for dinner

I think everyone has a day here and there that no matter what they are just plain ol' HUNGRY!!! I have had a few days over the past 5mo (since I started changing my eating habits) that I am just RAVENOUS!! I could literally eat ALL day. When that happens and I CRAVE a certain food....I eat it, but I also drink a glass of water first, then I have a SINGLE SERVING of whatever it is, whether that means weigh it out or measure it, that is what I do. I refuse to not give my body something it wants, just make sure it is within reason.

The best way for me to curb my hunger is a thick slice of whole wheat bread dipped into a thick spicy bean soup. It isn't the lowest-calorie thing out there, but it's very very satisfying