Eating When Full

joshuakcaron

So you need to consume more calories. Do you eat more at your meals even if your full?

On weekends it's easier to eat more often but my job I'm here 9-10 hours with one 30 minute break. I eat, pack my lunch, go to work, eat on break, go home and sleep. Too tired to cook more.

shadow2soul

I'll save the calories for the weekend when I typically go out to eat or drink something with some calories.

csuhar

Something I used to do was have some microwaveable hamburgers or snacks available where all I had to do was open a bag hanging around for days I needed to top-off my calories. It's not ideal, but the foods we might consider "junk food" often offer an opportunity to get a higher number of calories in a less-filling size.

Another thing you could do is to cut back on things that are "diet" or "light". This, combined with seeking higher-calorie options can help you get more calories without dramatically changing the amount of food you eat.

Some procedural adjustments you might be able to make are to bring snacks that you can eat when you're not on break (provided your job allows for that) and make-ahead meals you can prepare on the weekend or days off so that all you have to do when you get home from work is toss it in the microwave.

In some worst-case scenarios, however, yes, if I was over 500 calories away from my target for the day, I would find a way to get the food in. But those days were few in number.

Azurite27

Is there any way to snack while you're working? Protein shake, granola bars, nuts, etc? And as said above, make sure to pack a calorie-dense meal if you have to get in a lot of calories in a short amount of time.

oh_happy_day

Have you tried adding more calorie dense foods to your meals? My guess is that you're eating high volume low calorie foods if this is an issue. I often eat like that myself. If I've created a large deficit with exercise that's left me 400+ calories away from my goal, then I'll have a protein shake and a bit of cheese or dark chocolate. It's a quick 300 calories that goes down easily. If it's just a gap of 100-200 calories, I'll just leave it and use the calories on another day. But if it's a big gap that's leaving me at a net figure of under 1000 calories, then I'll get something in.

If you only have a short time to eat and no ability to eat snacks, you might need to increase the calories you're having at meals. If you're having a salad for lunch, throw in a chopped avocado, some extra cheese, some quinoa or cold brown rice, nuts (slivered almonds, walnuts etc) or seeds. Extra deliciousness, extra nutrients and extra calories. Or a few spoonfuls of peanut butter will do the trick.

Liftng4Lis

Crockpot is your best friend.

pstegman888

Take a snack to eat on your commute home. As Liftng4Lis mentioned, throw something in the crockpot in the morning and it will be ready when you come home. And there's always room for ice cream.

joshuakcaron

Think people missed the point of the thread.

If you're full should you eat more? I'm locking my diary as it wasn't even done for the day my breakfast is at 1pm for me XD

joshuakcaron

joshuakcaron wrote: »

Think people missed the point of the thread.

If you're full should you eat more? I'm locking my diary as it wasn't even done for the day my breakfast is at 1pm for me XD

Assuming you need the calories.

VykkDraygoVPR

Yes, if you regularly eat too few calories, then you need to eat more.

gmallan

I think it's reasonable not to eat a small proportion of your calories if you're not hungry on occassion - probably healthy even (training yourself to eat until comfortably full, listening to your natural hunger mechanisms). If it's infrequent you can just not eat them full stop or if it's more frequent and a small amount you can save them for another day (calorie cycling). If this is happening every day or you're coming in waaayyy under then you need to examine what you're eating and when and come up with a strategy to get consistently closer to your goal.

There are lots of reasons why under-eating chronically is a bad idea (even when the goal is weight loss). As a general rule the more you have to lose, the bigger deficit you can afford to have.

oh_happy_day

joshuakcaron wrote: »

Think people missed the point of the thread.

If you're full should you eat more? I'm locking my diary as it wasn't even done for the day my breakfast is at 1pm for me XD

We didn't miss the point, people answered your question. Yes, sometimes you should eat more if you've filled up on high volume low calorie foods and you're drastically under your calorie goal. I do. If I've burnt more calories than anticipated and I'm full after dinner but I've only netted 800 calories for the day, then I will force myself to eat a bit more (e.g. Protein shake). People are recommending more calorie dense foods to help you get more calories in because you've explained you only have a few opportunities per day to eat. You've indicated in previous threads that you're exercising 2 hours a day, under eating and feeling dizzy. So yes, eat more. It's easier with calorie dense foods.

joshuakcaron

oh_happy_day wrote: »

joshuakcaron wrote: »

Think people missed the point of the thread.

If you're full should you eat more? I'm locking my diary as it wasn't even done for the day my breakfast is at 1pm for me XD

We didn't miss the point, people answered your question. Yes, sometimes you should eat more if you've filled up on high volume low calorie foods and you're drastically under your calorie goal. I do. If I've burnt more calories than anticipated and I'm full after dinner but I've only netted 800 calories for the day, then I will force myself to eat a bit more (e.g. Protein shake). People are recommending more calorie dense foods to help you get more calories in because you've explained you only have a few opportunities per day to eat. You've indicated in previous threads that you're exercising 2 hours a day, under eating and feeling dizzy. So yes, eat more. It's easier with calorie dense foods.

Never mentioned under eating ever. But yeah yesterday I felt dizzy first time in 2 weeks. I feel fine today. I was just curious because when eating dinner I was feeling full but I forced myself to eat. I'm coming down with a cold so that might have been why I was feeling dizzy.

BurnWithBarn2015

Swap some low calorie food for more dense foods
So the amount of food is the same, but you get more calories

RodaRose

I think I understand the question. In my mind it does not make sense to eat when full.
Calorie dense foods can be used as a tool so that you eat your calories without feeling full.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

I'm posting this list with the intention of creating something that people can link to when someone is having a hard time reaching their calorie goal. I hope that other users will add more ideas in the comments.

Calorie dense foods can be your best friend when you're trying to eat more. These are foods that pack a lot of calories into just a small amount, so they boost your calories quickly without putting a lot of extra food in your stomach.
avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses

oh_happy_day

joshuakcaron wrote: »

oh_happy_day wrote: »

joshuakcaron wrote: »

Think people missed the point of the thread.

If you're full should you eat more? I'm locking my diary as it wasn't even done for the day my breakfast is at 1pm for me XD

We didn't miss the point, people answered your question. Yes, sometimes you should eat more if you've filled up on high volume low calorie foods and you're drastically under your calorie goal. I do. If I've burnt more calories than anticipated and I'm full after dinner but I've only netted 800 calories for the day, then I will force myself to eat a bit more (e.g. Protein shake). People are recommending more calorie dense foods to help you get more calories in because you've explained you only have a few opportunities per day to eat. You've indicated in previous threads that you're exercising 2 hours a day, under eating and feeling dizzy. So yes, eat more. It's easier with calorie dense foods.

Never mentioned under eating ever. But yeah yesterday I felt dizzy first time in 2 weeks. I feel fine today. I was just curious because when eating dinner I was feeling full but I forced myself to eat. I'm coming down with a cold so that might have been why I was feeling dizzy.

In other threads you've mentioned that you've been losing weight very rapidly and have been eating less than your calorie goal (i.e. under eating). You indicated that it was mostly accidental and you only have a few opportunities to eat each day. Hence the suggestions for adding more calorie dense foods to your meals. I have forced myself to eat sometimes because appetite is not necessarily an accurate indicator of the body's requirement for nutrients and calories. When I haven't done this, the following day I have been utterly ravenous and felt generally terrible.

Dizziness could be caused by a virus and your appetite can also be impacted by that. I've got a virus myself at the moment and don't feel like eating. I know that my body needs food so I'm eating calorie dense, protein rich foods, even though I'm not hungry (and can't taste anything).

pstegman888

I think we are answering your question by suggesting that no, don't stuff yourself all at one sitting and make yourself miserable just to get your cals in ... instead, find other small ways through the day to get sufficient cals and just eat a reasonably sized main meal.