Not eating often enough, help plz!!!!!
 

Hi all,

I think I'm finally ready to get back to my original size BC (before children). I've been researching weight loss alot and seeing what will work best for me. I'm not a dieter and will never be. But I've come up with a plan I think will work.

After listing all mybad habits and what I need to fix to go along with my new life styel change, I have one MAJOR problem..... I don't eat often enough. And I do not know how to make myself eat more often. My daily food regimen consists of no breakfast, no lunch or snacks, and I eat dinner at about 6-7pm and have a snack late at night since I'm a night owl.

I was brought up not really eating. My parents were never too big on eating normal or even making meals. But I've always been a chubby person. I was never built to be skinny. But When I hit my teens I looked like a healthy athelete shape, until children in my early twenties. I'm 31, 5 feet and 169 lbs. And my goal is to be 135 (hopefully by the summer hah! lol).

Does anyone else have this problem? Not eating often enough. I know I need to eat way more small meals throught the day to raise my matabilism. It's in total hybernation mode because I don't eat often enough. But how can I MAKE myself eat? And change these habits. I have NO desire at all to eat until after 5pm. Never have. I know I cannot start to lose weight until I get this major issue fixed. Any advice or ideas or anyone else have this problem?

Please help, before I can lose weight I need to figure out how to make myself eat more or it won't even work. Thanks all :)

Being on low carb makes me have zero appetite most of the time, plus I am really busy so getting something to eat is a PITA. I have to keep snacks in my car for those times I don't have access to food.

I agree that snacks may be the answer.

Sometimes the 'rules' like ... eat breakfast it's the most important meal of the day ... just are too hard. There's lots of threads at 3FC about this. Many successful posters have a protein shake a couple of hours later.

Lots of successful dieters graze all day. Healthy bits and bites ... not formal meals ... As long as you make sure they are healthy snacks and don't add up to too many calories.

Hey! :wave:

It may be that given your lifestyle in the past, you have learned not to recognize hunger until it's really bad! So, one thing might be, start by having a glass of 1% milk in the morning. Not 12 ounces, just 8. Don't chug it, try sipping it.

Then once you get used to that, you can perhaps have a snack mid-morning. Something small, again, like a wedge of Laughing Cow lowfat cheese (aka BabyBel) and three whole-grain crackers.

Lunch--well, I might have half a sandwich, except with a little extra "filling" whether it's meat, cheese, egg salad, whatever. The reason is that I'm not crazy about bread and would rather not eat two slices.

So you see, you can define "meal" and "snack" as something different that will fit your tastes, or at least be bearable.

And, while you're doing this, have just a little less at dinner after 5.

Try it and see how it goes?

Jay

I think you said it yourself, that this is where you issues are:

"But how can I MAKE myself eat? And change these habits. I have NO desire at all to eat until after 5pm. Never have. I know I cannot start to lose weight until I get this major issue fixed."

Okay, you've identified it, now you need to work on fixing it. I know it won't be easy, most things truly worth it rarely are, but you MUST work on changing those habits. And I can tell you this from experience, food habits CAN be changed. And once you do it, you will be thrilled to pieces and wonder why you didn't do it sooner. How about setting up a food "scheduele" for yourself? Actual times as to when you will eat. 9:00 this, 11:30 that, and so on and so on. Small, healthy items like no fat/sugar free yogurts, canned tuna and salad, turkey breast and some whole wheat crackers. Through experimentation you can find foods that you truly like and can enjoy. Set a scheduele, make a PLAN and stick with it. It's worth it. You're worth it. :)

Debbie, I have to tell you, I'm kinda old and didn't have my glasses on when I saw your message and I thought your BC (before children) said "BC (before chicken)". LOL Hey anybody else sick of chicken? LOL

Best to you!

Karen
:sunny:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Karen, that's the funniest thing I've read in awhile. So glad to see that I'm not the only one who 'misreads' things! Thanks for the laugh!!

Well, that's why I read her post - I thought it was funny that she would use the term "before chicken". LOL

Have a good one!

Karen
:sunny:

Oh thank you for posting! - I was beginning to think I was bizarro woman or something :lol: I spent the majority of my life only eating once a day and I was honestly getting the feeling that people didn't really belive me (after all, how could I eat enough in one meal a day to get this big?). It's been quite an adjustment for me to actually eat during the day.

Do be a little careful and pay attention to what type of food you are eating and your portion sizes. When I had tried to add meals during the day in the past I wasn't adjusting the size of my "dinner" and ended up gaining weight so I wasted a lot of time whining "that won't work for me". This time around, I'm paying very close attention to the total amount of food I need to get for the day and just spreading it out. I actually set the alarm on my cell phone to go off every two hours to remind me to have just a small bite - might be a hard boiled egg, a little fruit, or a few almonds. My lunch has actually grown to be a pretty decent sized salad and my dinner has shrunk considerably. Imagine my surprise to find it seems to be working :D

It does take some time for our bodies to adjust to new habits so, hard as it is, try to be a little bit patient and don't try to change everything all at once. Visit 3FC often too. Great place for support and encouragement.

I was the exact same way. I'd eat one meal a day and wonder what was going on ...

Now I make sure I eat breakfast - I do think this is so important - It makes me good until around lunchtime. Then I have lunch and believe it or not, I can make it til dinner. My bad time has always been after dinner - you know, watching tv, mindless munching...

I'm finding though if I eat my 3 meals and have a small snack with it, I stay under the 1200 calories and actually don't want more food. So far so good!

Best to you!

Karen
:sunny:

I also used to do this when I was in high school: no breakfast, no lunch, and then one enormous meal at 4pm. Not good!

The idea now of even going til 10am without food makes me want to faint! :faint: It's definitely possible to reprogram your body to want food at certain times of the day. You may have to force it for a few weeks, but it's definitely possible. You can also try to make associations that trigger the "it's time to eat" response (an unhealthy example of this is that a lot of people associate watching tv with eating).

I just wanted to say thanks to the OP for posting this - and you all for your tips. I too do not want to eat till 5 pm (5pm - bedtime I just want to binge and binge). I guess I like the tips on having food at hand to make myself eat more often, plan to initiate it tomorrow and give it a try.

Karen... I nearly chocked when I read your post! lmao.

Thank you all sooo much for the awesome advice. As of today, I started "making" myself eat. And now I know that it will take time to get used to it. 31 years of programming needs to broken.

For those of you who have the same problem, thank you so much for posting! I really thought I was the only one as well, that hated to eat all day until the night. And you are so right..... people think that if you are larger than "normal", then you must be pigging out all the time. That has neverrrr been the case for me.

So this is day 1 on my eating more tryout. I'll post to let you know I haven't keeled over form it lol. It's funny, I was actually more hungry during the day then I ever am, after eating! I guess once I see any type of result that will reinforce this is the right way to go.

Thank you Thank you Thank you all for taking the time to post your tips and your own concearns! The setting a timer tip sounds great and I think I'll try that staring tomorrow. Anymore tips would be great!

Oh, one more thing, what is the best little snack that can help fill you up?

TYTYTY all! xoxo Debbie :)

Debbie -

You know what I think fills me up? Water. (And I'm not one of those people that says drink, drink, drink.) I have about 3 bottles (16oz) a day, sometimes more, just depends on if I'm thirsty! That, and eating breakfast. I wasn't a breakfast person, except on weekends when I would fix a huge breakfast for everyone. Now, after I eat breakfast, usually a bowl of Special K or maybe oatmeal, I'm good til noon. I just can't seem to stress that enough. Breakfast does seem to be the most important meal.

I've also tried those little packets that you put in your water? I read about green tea helping your metabolism, so I bought a box just to test it out. Now, I'm no doctor, and I don't know metabolism from q-tips, but I'm losing weight and whatever it is I'm doing, I'm not changing! LOL

Anyway, the green tea I got is from Crystal Light and I got raspberry green tea. It is a tad sweet, but after you read the instructions (d'oh) it says one packet is 2 servings.

I digress! Snacks - green tea, yogurt and I broke down and bought some of those 100 calorie packs of cookies. Portion control!

Anyway, yes, I think I'm done now ... LOL ...

Later

Karen
:sunny:

PROTEIN & FIBER PROTEIN & FIBER PROTEIN & FIBER PROTEIN & FIBER

Yup, anything containing one or prefably both of those things.


-Cottage cheese and fruit
-fat free/sugar free yogurt with 1/4 cup of Fiber One Cereal sprinkled in
-a sliced apple or a pear and a TBS of peanut butter or 10 pistachios
-cut up veggies - baby carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, bell peppers with either some hummus or salsa or a couple of hard boiled egg whites
-mixed fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
-homemade trail mix - baggie of Fiber One cereal & 5 raisins or craisins & 5 chocolate chips (optional - proceed with caution ;))
-if I'm home and can cook - egg white omlette with sauteed veggies
-can of tuna in water, 3 ozs and some veggies or salad greens

I personally, am not a fan of those 100 calorie pack snacks. They taste good and all, but they don't satisfy me (fill me up) in the least bit and unfortunately they always leave me wanting MORE 100 calorie packs, ummm not a good thing.

Remember, set yourself up for success. Have the proper foods on hand - always. Plan, plan and then plan some more. You absolutely CAN change your habits. I know it for sure. Good luck and please keep us posted. :smug: