I have to agree - eat more at Breakfast. I find that if I don't "spend" 5-7 points at breakfast I am hungry all day long. Also, Try Egg Beaters instead of egg whites - 1/2 c egg beaters is 1 pt and equals 2 eggs. I stuff this with spinach, mushrooms and a bit of cheese + fruit and toast for a great breakfast!
Steel cut oats have been a lifesaver for me, breakfast-wise. Very filling, and goes great with all kinds of fruit added in. I make a big pot once a week and reheat with a bit of milk and fruit for a quick and easy weekday breakfast.
Thanks immensely for all of the advice. The protein suggestion really stood out. I am vegetarian and guessing that my protein may be low causing me to get all of my energy from the carbs in fruits and vegetables in a rapid state.
As a vegetarian, my sources of proteins are eggs, dairy, beans, soy and nuts, but I'm nearly fond of any of these things as I am the carbs like rice, potatoes and pasta---one of the reasons I chose WW since these are allowed foods.
So, I will try increasing my protein with each meal and see if this decreases my hunger.
This is all great advice. I'm having the opposite problem. I haven't used all of my points in one day yet. Well, scratch that, I had a mini binge on Friday because I only lost 1.5 pounds. But because I'm not eating the foods I'd really like to eat, I'm struggling to use all of my points. Is it bad to not eat all of your points?
Thanks immensely for all of the advice. The protein suggestion really stood out. I am vegetarian and guessing that my protein may be low causing me to get all of my energy from the carbs in fruits and vegetables in a rapid state.
As a vegetarian, my sources of proteins are eggs, dairy, beans, soy and nuts, but I'm nearly fond of any of these things as I am the carbs like rice, potatoes and pasta---one of the reasons I chose WW since these are allowed foods.
So, I will try increasing my protein with each meal and see if this decreases my hunger.
I'm a vegetarian too So I definitely know what you're talking about with regards to protein sources. Because we don't eat meat, we sometimes have to work just a little bit harder to make sure we do get our protein. I eat eggs with breakfast and have a hard boiled one with dinner. Depending on how much of the carbs you're eating, your points won't last nearly as long since that stuff is high in points. Have just a little bit of rice but bulk it up by throwing in beans and veggies.
Skinny Taste isn't strictly veg friendly, but she does have an entire section of Vegetarian recipes and many of them are adaptable. The best part, though, is that she does list the WW points (if you make a non-veg recipe veg you might have to redo the points just to be sure). the Happy Herbivore is plant based/vegan, so all of the recipes are things we can eat and they are super yummy. With these, you will have to put them into the recipe builder to get the points, but it might give you ideas on ways to get more protein.
Thanks immensely for all of the advice. The protein suggestion really stood out. I am vegetarian and guessing that my protein may be low causing me to get all of my energy from the carbs in fruits and vegetables in a rapid state.
As a vegetarian, my sources of proteins are eggs, dairy, beans, soy and nuts, but I'm nearly fond of any of these things as I am the carbs like rice, potatoes and pasta---one of the reasons I chose WW since these are allowed foods.
So, I will try increasing my protein with each meal and see if this decreases my hunger.
This explains a lot... the simple carbs make me even hungrier! Even brown rice as opposed to white rice will help a lot for satiety. Also have you tried high-protein grains like quinoa? Really easy to prepare and very versatile. That really fills me up too.
Last edited by wickedlady; 04-02-2012 at 08:07 AM.
I often find that a big bowl of steamed veggies with every meal helps me to feel full. That and a glass of water makes my stomach feel really full.
Beans are a huge help. I'm not a vegetarian but I try to keep my meat intake to dinner only most of the time, so beans, and eggs are my protein sources most of the time.
You might want to check out the recipe section on the southbeach diet board. The focus there is the glycemic index of things, but calories count too. So it can be a great source of recipes that'll keep you full, but aren't high in calories and fat like an atkins/low carb diet might be.
I am a vegetarian too, and I have had major hunger with WW. I have gone over the points.
My nutritionist has told me that all obesity, in her opinion, is a form of malnutrition. There is some nutrient missing and the body is sending hunger signals to compensate.
What if that is what is going on here for us? I am practically a vegan, and one yogurt a day is my only dairy.
This thread is so informative. I really appreciate the intelligence and thoughtfulness of the women on this thread who have brainstormed and come up with solutions. You didn't just help OP, you helped me as well.
Your protein analysis would also explain why I was not hungry on my high protein medically supervised diet that I went on the first month of my diet journey. My nutrional needs were met. Now, I am eating three times as many calories, and I am so hungry that all I think about is food!
Last edited by lettingslenderin; 04-03-2012 at 10:47 AM.
Volumetrics eating is an awesome way to stay really satisfied and get a lot of nutrients in. I've been known to make obscenely large meals that are low in calories/points, just because they're bulked up so much with non-starchy vegetables.
For example, you mentioned pasta. I'll take my 2oz portion of pasta (sometimes even cut it down to 1oz), saute onions, an array of colored peppers, sliced mushrooms, and spinach and mix it into my pasta and add tomato sauce. It's a huge bowl of food that sometimes I can't even finish because I've added so many veggies.
Peeling zucchini and/or yellow squash into ribbons and mixing it 50:50 with fettuccine and making an "alfredo" sauce is another favorite pasta dish. I even add in asparagus and peas for more bulk, nutrients, and general deliciousness. You can also mix your pasta 50:50 with spaghetti squash or just eat the spaghetti squash instead of pasta.
My Asian noodle bowls and stir fry meals are mainly veggies. I'll use mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, and usually a frozen stir fry mix too. A little bit of oyster/hoisin/sriracha or whatever you like, and you have a great meal.
I shred zucchini and/or squash into my burritos and enchiladas so that it's mostly veggie, and the beans are a smaller component of them. Usually my rice and beans are filled with all kinds of peppers.
Cauliflower is great to add into everything. I make my dal half cauliflower, mix it with potatoes in baked potato soup or mashed potatoes, or I'll make mac and cheese with cauliflower puree mixed in or just mix a little pasta, a lot of broccoli and cauliflower to give it more nutrition.
I love eating soup - and I'm a thick soup kind of woman - so I use pureed veggies in my soups. I love broccoli soup, carrot soup, and tomato soup, and I puree them all. I make chili with about every vegetable under the sun. It's not vegetarian, but it can EASILY be tweaked.
Be creative! Whenever you're making something, think of how many vegetables you can add into it to make it more nutritious. It will fill you up!
Volumetrics eating is an awesome way to stay really satisfied and get a lot of nutrients in. I've been known to make obscenely large meals that are low in calories/points, just because they're bulked up so much with non-starchy vegetables.
I love doing this, too! I always keep lots of veggies around and throw them in whenever I can. It's amazing how satisfied you can get this way. I, too, have sometimes been unable to finish a meal because of all the veggies (But that's okay, leftovers are always awesome!)
I am always adding tons of veggies when I eat so that I stay on plan better. I do not eat pork or red meat but I do eat poultry and eggs.
For morning I do and apple diced and cooked with a little water and cinnamon in the microwave, once it's tender I sprinkle raw uncooked oats on top with 1 packet of equal. I think that is 3 pp and it's because of the oatmeal.
That keeps me full until lunch and I usually have a bagel thin with a tbsp of my egg salad that equals 5 pp total including the bagel thin. I also have a serving of fresh fruit with that.
For dinner I will usually have some turkey or chicken and tons of veggies, sometimes steamed and sometimes raw. I use tons of spices because you can change up the taste of anything with a different spice every day!
I drink tons of water and if I want to snack it's veggies and hummus, sometimes if I want to blow some points I have left over I'll have a spoon of sugar free peanut butter.
I would not be able to make it on the breakfast you had either. Takes those egg whites and fill them up with all the 0 point veggies. I would eat the toast with them and more then likely have my first glass of milk also. Then I only need a piece of fruit perhaps to get me to lunch...sometimes I am not hungry until lunch. I am also a big oatmeal eater, fills me up and keeps me full...with one slice of toast and some blueberries on top, my glass of milk. Not sure of you points for the day, but mine are 27, and I don't normally go over those.
So I definitely know what you're talking about with regards to protein sources. Because we don't eat meat, we sometimes have to work just a little bit harder to make sure we do get our protein. I eat eggs with breakfast and have a hard boiled one with dinner. Depending on how much of the carbs you're eating, your points won't last nearly as long since that stuff is high in points. Have just a little bit of rice but bulk it up by throwing in beans and veggies. 
I love bulking food up with veggies!
