I feel like I either pack too much to eat because I know I get really hungry, or if I don't pack enough, then I'll go out and buy something. Buying yogurt pretzels from Walgreens today was a mistake when I realized the package was about 700 calories... Now it's only 3 PM and I already hit about 2300, when I'm supposed to stop at 1300 for the DAY. This seems to end up happening every single day since I started this work schedule. It's hard to make 1300 stretch out from 5 AM to 11 PM...

I can totally relate! My daily limit is 1450 and by the time I leave work I'm hoping I have enough for dinner. Working out helps, even if its 20-30 min on the elliptical.

Personally, I bring everything with me to eat to work each day. Snacks are carefully portioned out so I know exactly what I'm having. A few examples of what I bring are 14 almonds (yes, I count 14 into my baggie), 12 wheat thins (reduced fat) and 1 laughing cow cheese wedge. 1 apple, sliced. 1/2 C blueberries. Sometimes I'll chop up baby carrots and bring those. I find that smaller pieces, lots of hand-to-mouth action makes me feel like I'm eating more when I'm not really.

Often, if I really evaluate it, I'm not hungry, physically, but rather it's something about my job that's causing me to want to eat (bored, stressed, avoiding a project, etc.).

Planning ahead really helps!! Good luck!

I've had the same problem. The key for me was to include protein with every meal and every snack. No exceptions! I even add protein powder to my morning coffee with cream now. It's made an amazing difference.

I agree with the protein thing! I've also found snacks that are low in calories (like a bunch of carrots/celery/broccoli with some "homemade ranch". Mix a packet of dry ranch salad dressing mix with 1 cup greek yogurt and a little skim milk to thin it out and there you have it, lots of protein and WAY less calories).
I work from 6AM until 8:40PM so I take EVERYTHING I'm supposed to eat for the entire day with me, and I just know that when I get home I need to go to bed and not snack.
I find that decaf hot tea with some lemon juice and a small squirt of liquid stevia helps keep my mouth busy and stomach satisfied.
Keep trying different things, you'll find one that works for you!

I've been using the 'Lose It' app. It's free & you can track your day as you go. Helps me a lot. I like to have a snack in the evening so I watch my day closely so that I have some calories left.

That is a tough spread, and you're right that the pretzels were an awful choice. If you calories absolutely must be that low (and those are extremely low for someone even lightly active at your weight, who isn't post-menopausal or dealing with metabolic dysfunction of some sort) they must all count! Thisis where the 'maximize the bulk' game comes into play. No refined crud, no sweets, no 'junk'.

You can eat plenty of food throughout the day for 1300 calories, but we're talking things like pistachios, celery, turkey breast and cheese cubes, half a grapefruit, 1/2 cup of yogurt with some nuts, etc. There isn't much room for both satiety and empty calories when your stretch is a 5-11 spread and your calories top out at less than 450 for each major meal.

I agree that planning your day out in the morning with something like MyFitnessPal or Loseit is your best bet. Picking foods that go a long way and are easy to bag and munch (like pickles ) are going to get you through those hours with the least hunger and the most time spent actually eating (if the desire to snack is what you struggle with, play into that and not against it!).

I wish you better for tomorrow!

I know what you mean. I work 8-430 everyday and am up at 6 so it's a long day. I plan my lunches the day before and I always bring breakfast, snack, lunch,snack ( eat approx every 2 hrs) and then have dinner at home. I work in an office at a manufacturing plant and I'm a bit far from anywhere to be able to go get food on my 30 min break which has done me well. Anyways, if I always know what I'm going to eat for the day and at what time I'm going to eat it, I rarely stray. I also keep some low calorie/ low ww point foods at my desk for those days when I just can't make it. I also make sure I am including protein in all my small meals and it really helps to keep me full. I found after about 2 weeks the hunger really subsided.

You've got an entirely new schedule and job - so personally I would suggest that you take a couple weeks and just try to maintain your weight.

After you've settled into a new routine start restricting calories again. You've got months before it's beach seaon so ... what the rush?

Beyond that - you haven't got a lot of fat to lose. Thus your caloric goal for the day might be challenging to stick with for more than a couple days. So maybe a higher number is needed to get you to your goal.

I'd say it's hard to tell what you're really dealing with though due to the new routine which is why I'd suggest just trying to maintain for a little while till you're in a rythm.

I have to agree with other posters and I think if you are still getting used to a new job you need your energy towards learning and not focus on another stressor as losing weight but try to maintain a bit. I can also tell you that I am 5,6.5 weigh around 127 and eat a lot more than you even though I am unemployed at the moment, recovering from a knee injury so I don't have a lot of activity and I am losing a bit, muscle I am afraid (sighs).

In my case, what I have found that works for me is that although I have always eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner without problem when my schedule changed and I did not have anything to do in the morning I started including a second breakfast and a snack after lunch so my calories increased exponentially.

What I have done is to think in a scale of 1-10 how hungry I am, and I only eat if I am at the 7-10 level. I always go first for water, coffee, tea and wait and if I am still hungry I eat. But I have reached that level of knowing how hungry I am thanks to IF. Mind you I never thought I could survive without breakfast in the morning but now I am a converted. The hunger I experience when I get up is manageable but the hunger I experience before dinner is really unconfortable.

So I think when you feel like you are at your confort zone at your job meaning you know all protocols and are confident you can deal with the situations that arise spend some time focusing on food and how to schedule your new eating times. Eat only if you feel unconfortable like you need to eat. I also think that 1300 calories probably worked for you in a different situation but you could take into account the added activity you have and experiment with another calorie levels.

And also how are you doing with the calories you are consuming now? Maintaining? Gaining? Losing? Why do you think you need to eat 1300? Did it work in the past in the exact same conditions you are now?

I made a menu for myself for each day, so I already know ahead of time what I'm going to eat and at what time (if at all possible). That way I'm not browsing the store or grazing at home. Everything outside my daily menu items are forbidden, so I tend to be far less tempted to eat more. And since I calorie-count, if I stick to my menu I know that I'm doing good. Variety is a killer for me so I had to restrict myself.

you can try looking at what other calorie counters eat through out the day. that can be a guide for you.

IF is the only way I survive 9-5 without chowing down on whatever isn't nailed down/gas station food. I pack a very bulky and protein-rich meal (Greek yogurt and huge salads with eggs and meat most days) and graze on it for 2 hours straight.

How lenient is your job? Can you eat when you want or do you have to take lunch at X o'clock?

Ι was about to post exactly what krampus did. I don't really have a 9-5 schedule. I have to be at college for 3 hours a day and the rest of my day is completely unpredictable. I'd plan my meals ahead, but it was pointless because I never stuck to my plan. It's a lot easier with IF.

It also helps with the bloating which was a huge issue. I used to take slimming pills, magnesium and tea that had diuretic effect and they did nothing. If I wanted the bloating to go away I had to stop eating salt and stop moving for at least 2 days. Nothing helped. Now, I'm not even bloated during TOM. In fact, I lost 2 lbs today and it's the 3d day of TOM. IF is a ~true miracle~