I think the need to snack is brought on by not having filling enough meals. So, make sure your meals are made of lean protein, whole grains, healthy fats and lots of vegggies. A meal should fill you up and last you until the next one, with maybe a 100-200 calorie snack in between.
I usually have a yogurt a some point before lunch, and then a banana or a cheese stick or a spoonful of almond butter around 3 or 4.
If I find myself wanting more snacks than that, it means I didn't plan breakfast and lunch well (usually didn't have enough protein.)
What helps me is some protein with fat. I don’t feel hungry longer after I eat this combination.
Examples:
- boiled egg with mayo
- avocado with slice of turkey/chicken
- omelet with cheese
Also, tea with Splenda and 10% cream helps me to “shut” hunger for couple of hours.
Depending on whether I was something salty/crunchy or sweet/creamy my snacks usually consist of light microwave popcorn in the 100 calorie mini bags, fruit, yogurt, skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. Sometime a tsp of peanut butter on light bread with half a banana or maybe a cup of cereal w/skim milk. Cut up raw veggies with ff dip also makes a good snack. Hope this helps.
I drink a 16 ounce cup o a flavorfull crystal light. I like it b/c of the vibrant taste and it fills my belly. There are a lot of different flavor choices too. Plus it counts for my water intake.
I have also started eating once a da when I have a munchie craving Granola Thins. They are 80 calories but have a very rich taste with some chocolate. I am allowing one a day.
I also keep pineapple and grapes cut and ready to go in the fridge.
One thing I notice when people food log is that they want to change right away. I think it is better to change NOTHING for at least a week, maybe 2 weeks to see where it is you were coming from.
Because if the person was at 2500 calories and then dropped to 1200 it is like -- duh! Too big a drop! And setting themselves up to fight hunger crazies.
Taking it in steps on the way down is more reasonable -- 2500, 2250, 2000, 1800, etc.
Take notes on what fills YOU. I find oatmeal very filling but others might not.
Laughing Cow Light is only 35 calories, yogurt is good or fresh fruit. Tangerines this year are great. I eat something about evcery 3 hours
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack
I keep my snacks at 100 calories or less. That little snack keeps me from wanting to eat anything that isn't nailed down .
I usually just eat my veggies steamed because I'm lazy. You can flavor veggies with a variety of things including balsamic vinegar, garlic, onions, lemon juice, salt-free options like mrs dash, various spices and herbs, etc.
And remember, there may be some especially rough spots in the beginning. Your body may be addicted to the foods you have been eating. A little hunger or feeling "I want to eat more" without actually eating more will not kill you. You should try to look at creating satisfying meals and snacks though. I started at your weight and I upped my veggies dramatically, eliminated added sugars and limited my fats and that alone without worrying about portion sizes was what got me going. Later down the road, I had to worry more about quantities.
How do you fight off cravings and the initial desire to eat more?
This is what has been the hardest for me because before I started counting calories I would just eat whenever I was hungry...which was all the time. I'm not even kidding. I would finish eating and I would still be hungry. I would snack and snack and snack while being frustrated that I wasn't getting full...and then I'd snack some more.
Now that I am counting calories, I stave off cravings by slamming a bunch of water and literally telling myself, "You are not going to die." Food is fuel, and my body needs it to keep running, but my mind thinks I need it constantly.
This is what has been the hardest for me because before I started counting calories I would just eat whenever I was hungry...which was all the time. I'm not even kidding. I would finish eating and I would still be hungry. I would snack and snack and snack while being frustrated that I wasn't getting full...and then I'd snack some more.
You know, this is how I was feeling before I was diagnosed as insulin resistant.
Have you been to the doctor lately?
What if you added more protein to your diet, are you still hungry?
You know, this is how I was feeling before I was diagnosed as insulin resistant.
Have you been to the doctor lately?
What if you added more protein to your diet, are you still hungry?
I don't believe I am insulin resistant, but I haven't had my yearly blood work done yet. Last year everything was fine and I've been this way for a long time, so I guess I need to get into the doc to get my blood work. I'm just always hungry, so I've just learned to deal with it. Even if I eat huge meals I am still hungry after.
If you are really hungry, you might want to up your calories- at your weight it's estimated to maintain you can eat 3650 calories (10 calories per pound) daily.
1800 calories brings you to less than half that. I would suggest trying 2200 to 2500 a day for now and see how you fare with that since you say you are still hungry.
If at 2200 to 2500 you are feeling better and the weight's going down then I'd stick to that number for a while. After a 20 lb loss if things slow down then lower them to like 2000 to 2200.
That might help
Snacks I like to eat are hard boiled eggs, celery or cauliflower with some dip (I do low carb not calorie counting), etc.
I had that same problem--eating a big meal and still wanting more. What I didn't realize is that the foods I was eating made me want more, and not just out of a psychological desire for food. Wild blood sugar swings created a physiological desire to eat even though I'd just finished a huge meal forty minutes earlier.
I feel less hungry now on 1500 calories a day than I did on most of the days during which I ate over 2500 calories. I kid you not. Here's what works for me and why. It may not be your ticket to mostly crave-free days, but it might help.
- I never eat carbs by themselves because without protein, carbs don't satiate me. An apple will make me ravenous; an apple and a slice of cheese will fix me up until my next meal.
- I eat every few hours, including having a decent breakfast. There was a time that I'd have one meal a day; I was starved by the time I ate, so that one meal would be a two-hour-long graze during which I'd consume 2000+ calories (a lot for me because I'm old and short ).
- I spend way more time in the kitchen. Few restaurants can match the low-calorie options we cook, and NO frozen dinner can match the taste of home cooking. It's hard to crave stuff that doesn't fit into my calorie budget when the fridge is full to bursting with stuff that does.
- I learned that a little discomfort isn't the same as deprivation. I'm okay with driving by a bakery and fleetingly thinking "Oh, cake, sweet cake, I miss you!" I'm not okay with actual hunger, with wasting time fantasizing about food, or with counting the minutes until my next meal-time. If I see those things happening, I need to re-think my plan in some way. If I just want a Twinkie? Nah, then I just tell myself to "sack up," metaphorically speaking.
- I gave it some time. This was tougher in November than it is now. Stuff I really missed a couple of months ago no longer moves me much.
Sorry to write such a lengthy manifesto, but...well, I just really get how wretched cravings can be and how maddening it can feel to have them nagging at you. Hope my over-long post was helpful.
Last edited by Nola Celeste; 01-19-2011 at 03:04 PM.
I'm another person who gets hungry if I either eat something that is mainly carbs by itself or too high a proportion of carbs. I had to rediscover this recently--if I ate just a pear, I'd be ravenous in an hour or two. A pear and some cheese, no problem.
I also tend to get hungry if I eat too little fat. Although fat is calorie-dense, for me it seems to help me feel satiated.
Some people find nuts to be a good snack, but I don't seem to be one of them. A serving of 10 or 15 nuts isn't enough to satisfy me, and the calories really pile up after that. In contrast, though, a 50 or 70 calorie serving of chocolate can really hit the spot.
I have to admit I would be insanely hungry at 1800 calories at 365lbs and 5'5. I'm 5'5 and 133lbs and still losing on 1600 calories. Personally, I would bump them up even more as suggested and slowly reducing as time comes on.
I think you might be experiencing not eating enough to fuel basic body needs (at only 1800 if you are 365lbs) along with perhaps not coping well with the feeling of hunger. Before you started this weight loss journey, did you ever allow yourself to get hungry?
There's a difference between
- eating because you are truly hungry (not fueling basic needs)
- eating because you are hungry (because you just want more than your basic needs)
- you don't like a normal feeling of hunger
- boredom eating
So you have to figure out which one you are experiencing.
For boredom eating, I distract. Go for a walk, watch some TV, read a book. Not liking the hunger feeling, I use water or Crystal light.
How?
