How do you stay full?

summerjoy0621

I am trying to eat less calorie wise, but it just never fails that I feel like I am starving and then I start just eating everything I can! I know I have to get some will power, but it seems really hard when your whole life you have eaten whatever you wanted and never thought again about it. I work a full time job in which I sit all day and I eat alot of fast food. I dont have time to cook during the week because I dont get home until 7:00 pm. Im also a mother of 2 little girls and so as soon as we get home I have to start our nightly routine of dinner for them, bath then bed. I want my family to eat better too. Its just not enough time in the day for it all! HELP ME!!!:sad:

chelseap891

Stay full-water! Drink water....a lot of it. That way when you get the munchies, you have something to put in your mouth...and it does nothing but help a ton! Same for watermelon..if you're really hungry, eat watermelon for a snack...it's mostly water itself!

Try and cook dinner at night...Plan out your meals ahead of time...crock pot! You can cook that all day,then by the time you are home, alls you have to do is heat up veggies or whatever, and you are good to go! Or thaw out meat all day..take it out in the mornings, then cook when you get home.

Baked chicken....stick it in the oven on 350 or so for however long..until it's done..with some seasonings on it..while it's cooking, you can bath your kids, blah blah, then eat dinner, then night time.

jrich1

I eat for 2 hours and every 2 hours and drink water. I eat something like this:

2 Yogurts at about 8
at 10 I eat a fiber 1 bar (not full but takes the edge off)
eat lunch at 12-1
eat another Fiber 1 bar at about 3
Eat dinner around 6
late night snack or 2.. and I do this and usually stay well within my calories, all this while drinking lots of water.

cobygrey

Stay full-water! Drink water....a lot of it. That way when you get the munchies, you have something to put in your mouth...and it does nothing but help a ton! Same for watermelon..if you're really hungry, eat watermelon for a snack...it's mostly water itself!

Try and cook dinner at night...Plan out your meals ahead of time...crock pot! You can cook that all day,then by the time you are home, alls you have to do is heat up veggies or whatever, and you are good to go! Or thaw out meat all day..take it out in the mornings, then cook when you get home.

Baked chicken....stick it in the oven on 350 or so for however long..until it's done..with some seasonings on it..while it's cooking, you can bath your kids, blah blah, then eat dinner, then night time.

I agree with this post. Planning is EVERYTHING! You'd be surprised at how much time you really do have.

sunshine79

Well done for making the decision to eat better it will greatly benefit you. In terms of staying full I always drink a glass of water before I begin my meal that way I feel full quicker and I also eat less. I also fill up on loads of veggies and I eat those first (to get them out of the way as I don't always love them!!!!)

In terms of not having time to cook: I don't have any children but I do have a very demanding job and combined with going the gym after work I'm of the house for at least 14hrs a day. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is cook! So what I do is cook in bulk for the week during the weekend and freeze my meals then when I get in all I have to do is pop it in the microwave. Give it a try if you can then at least you know you and your girls will be eating healthily.

All the best :glasses:

vb4evr

as shelseaap891 said, plan ahead. My wife and I cook up dinners that can be made into the appropriate portions and then frozen into an individual serving container which we can then use for lunches.

Another great snack that we found that is great for filling us up is Yoplait Source Yogurt 0% - 100g's worth (comes in some absolutely great flavours like lemon meringue), and then add in some all bran buds (i put in around 14g). The fibre really helps to fill you up and it tastes great and is only around 70 calories.

theatremack

You can do it and get the girls involved. On weekends find meals that you all can make together, even if they just help stirring, then freeze and heat up when you get home. You can also make your lunch for work with the girls help and start brown bagging it. Maybe even find a place to walk to during lunch so you get a little exercise.

Also snacks at work, but lots of veggies and as soon as you get them home cut them up and put them in baggies so that you can take them to work and snack on them throughout the day.

I know you can do it for your family and getting them involved will make it seem less like you are going it alone.

Melanie1967

For me, I had to figure out if I was really hungry, or just bored. Alot of my eating I have found is boredom eating. What works for me, is lots of healthy food to snack on. I am a truckdriver. I sit alot, and get bored, and want to snack. And sometimes it's because I am hungry. But I have found if I munch, instead of doing a full breakfast or full lunch, my hungry goes away. One of my biggest problems was eating out on the road. I now pack, and I pack so much I had to buy a bigger lunch box. I pack items like: grapes, strawberries, plums, rice cakes, 100 calorie pack popcorn or other 100 calorie packs. You figure a cup of grapes goes a long way. I eat a few here and few there. The other thing is lots of water. Water will give you a fuller feeling then soda and other drinks do. As for the dinner part with kids and everything, I will let someone else answer that one. I am 43, and my youngest is 20, and none home. My husband don't diet, won't diet, and if it taste good to him it's loaded in sodium. If he wants something that I can't have, he has it, and I fix me a Smart One's meal or make something myself that I can have. I hope this helps you some. The more friends you have for support, the better. If you want to send me a friend request I will gladly accept it. My food diary is also open if you'd like to look at it.

jennylynn84

I eat snacks all day. I'm a fan of yogurt and granola bars. Anything high in fiber and/or protein will keep you fuller. So, fiber one bars, boiled eggs... I've eaten low cal cheese snacks, veg with a little hummus, goldfish crackers... I keep all my snacks at around 150 calories. I snack at 10:30 and 3:30.

And while I'm not FULL all day (I am definitely ready for mealtime when it arrives) I'm not prepared to gnaw my own arm off like I am if I forget to pack my snacks.

For dinner, I'm a fan of the crock pot suggestion. I recently made a super-delicious crockpot o'beef and its low cal/low sodium/completely healthy. And VERY good. Then, its ready when you get home. And a bag of Green Giant steamers is a quick set for veg if there's none in the pot.

Personally, I don't have time to prepare dinner in the crock pot in the morning before work. I've fixed it in the evenings. At around 8:30 or 9 even, I get it all ready and put the whole pot in the fridge. That way all I have to do in the morning is whip it out and stick it into the heating element portion of the crock pot and voila! So maybe this is something you could do after the kiddies are in bed?

Supermel

I reccomend eating often. Lots of water. Lots of protein. I find making a bunch of things all at once, like meatloaf, homeade turkey burgers, hardboiled eggs, cut up fresh veggies, etc really helps. Even freezing cut up cooked chicken breast to throw together with a fresh stirfry can take some of the prep time away. I used to be a fibre1 junkie and now try to not buy them, they make more crave carbs or junk so bad. I used them successfully with WW, but now that i'm closer to my goal, the higher sugar value doesn't work for me, and when looking back over my logs, i found i binge on the days i have one. I have eggs/egg whites for breakfast then sometimes a whole grain cereal an hour or two later, then a 1/2 turkey sandwich .. then an hour later veggies and hummus or dip or plain veggies, then at 3ish i have some oatmela with peanutbutter than a nice dinner with a lg serving of lean protein and lots of veggies. I know what works for me, I just have to DO it, haha. Letting myself go more than 3 hours between snacks or meals and not eating enough protein leaves me starving!!!!

Also, we ate KFC last night and man, did i have a hard time power walking. I just about dyed on the last stretch home. I was bloated and yucky. I have zero cravings now for junk and will avoid it, i can't stand feeling that weak.

junebug523

First off, don't overwhelm yourself by changing everything all at once. It won't work. You'll get frustrated, feel deprived, and lose focus (okay, maybe YOU won't, but that's what always happens to me!). It might be best to try to make one or two small changes, work on sticking with those for two or three weeks, and then change something else.

You mentioned that you are eating a lot of fast food. I know that I can easily eat a big old hamburger and fries, and still feel like I could eat more. One of the reasons for this is that most of the calories in these kinds of foods are "empty"--they don't have the nutrients to support your body and keep you satisfied. So one thing that might be worthwhile would be to make the time to plan my lunches, snacks, etc. I take a lunch to work every day, and I prepare it the night before. Some nights I feel too tired, but I have learned to do it anyway...it is so worth it. It also saves a ton of money. If you make that a habit, it could drastically decrease the amount of fast food you eat. Make sure your kitchen is stocked with foods high in fiber, protein, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables, and it will be so much easier to make healthy choices that keep you full. Once it becomes a habit, it really doesn't take much time! Maybe you could even prepare tomorrow's lunch at the same time that you are preparing your little girls' dinners.

I also make sure to pack snacks with me for work in case I feel like I'm going to gnaw off my arm. That saves me from eating too much junk, and also keeps me feeling better throughout the day.

You don't mention how much you are eating right now. What is your calorie goal? I actually had to start eating about 300 more calories per day than I was originally at, before I started to lose any weight. It's been wonderful--I haven't felt deprived, and the weight is still coming off!

Don't give up! This is a journey, there is no time limit. And learn to forgive yourself if you slip up. If you are diligent about tracking your food and exercise, making the changes to fuel your body with good things, and do the research to figure out what's going to work for you, the weight will come off!

One more thing: if I feel hungry, I drink water first. I drink water throughout the day (usually 12+ cups), and I really do think that half of my food cravings start with thirst, not hunger. The more water I drink, the more easily I can discern whether I'm actually hungry or not!

emilysparey

i stay full by drinking diet coke and eating nectarines....maybe an odd way to stay full...but it works for me

Barneystinson

I sometimes find what I identify as "hunger" is really just boredom or cravings. This may be contrary to some advice here, but try not eating anything for 6-12 hours (during the day, but make sure to still drink water) and keep a log of how you feel. You'll begin to feel real hunger. It's a bit of a different feeling from cravings or a psychological response to the sight or mention of food.

I still struggle with cravings, but I've tried the above suggestion and it definitely helps me mentally sort out what real hunger is. It's just telling myself "Uh hello, you don't need food. Wait until meal time" that's always a challenge.

megamom

My day off I cook the food I will eat at work. Or I should say I have my hubby cook the foods I will eat at work The slow cooker is great also. Takes seconds to throw a meal in there and have it done when you get off. I work 12.5 hours a night and sleep all day so planning is everything. And when I am really hungry popcorn or a few dried cranberries will fill me up along with my water and chia seeds. I find the longer I have been eating well the less hungry times I have, but when I do have them I eat something good for me, no fast foods ever.

LotusF1ower

I am trying to eat less calorie wise, but it just never fails that I feel like I am starving and then I start just eating everything I can! I know I have to get some will power, but it seems really hard when your whole life you have eaten whatever you wanted and never thought again about it. I work a full time job in which I sit all day and I eat alot of fast food. I dont have time to cook during the week because I dont get home until 7:00 pm. Im also a mother of 2 little girls and so as soon as we get home I have to start our nightly routine of dinner for them, bath then bed. I want my family to eat better too. Its just not enough time in the day for it all! HELP ME!!!:sad:

I have eggs for breakfast, either scrambled on one slice of toast or a two-egg omelette using that 1 calorie spray for the pan. It usually fills me up for three or four hours and gets me off to a good start to the day.

I may use up 400 calories for lunch in a sandwich and for dinner I will often have a microwave meal as I am like you, get home sometimes late. I have quite a lot of protein as I have found this fills me up and stops me wanting to binge or eat rubbish.

The main meal is brekkie though, I never go without breakfast now.

CocoFire

I never stay full. Most of the time I'm pretty hungry soon after eating. I'm on a diet plan that my trainer worked out for me. I eat between 1300-1800 calories a day with 3 meals and 2 snacks.

It's annoying, but that feeling of hunger means I'm using up the energy from the food. I never have more than a few hours between a meal or a snack so I just try to focus my mind on something else until it's time to eat again. I also try to pay attention to what the hunger feels like. I'm pretty sure some of the hunger pains are my mind being trained to always eat or snack. So retraining my brain to know what real hunger feels like has been difficult. I've been reading this book, Mindful Eating, that talks about paying attention to your body. It's been a lot of help.

I've been at this for a month, and I'm noticing that I'm not feeling as hungry as often. So maybe over time things change if you stick to it.

Becka77

Eating every couple of hours helps me. It was really hard at first, because I get busy at work and forget to eat and I went from not eating all day to eating all the time.

I've found though that if I don't eat often enough and I let myself get to the point that I feel like I'm starving then I can eat and eat and eat and never feel full. So, I try to keep snacks in my purse, like nuts, or cereal bars so that on the days when I'm running errands or just really busy I have something to eat so I never get to the point of feeling like I'm starving.

Also, eating proteins for snacks seems to help hold me over longer.

creativefrugalmom

Lots of good tips. I agree with the majority of them. I eat about 4 - 5 times a day and as I have begun doing this, I do get full much faster. I feel like I'm eating all the time, but my portions are much smaller. Also, as mentioned several times.....WATER!

I am fortunate enough to stay home, but I don't always want to spend all day cooking, etc. so when I grocery shop, I measure and place everything in snack bags that day. I have a snack shelf in the pantry and one in the fridge. I also keep fruit, yogurt and granola bars around too. Here are some of the snacks that I bag: pretzels, carrots, celery sticks, mini rice cakes and grapes. This allows me to be able to grab and go if I need to. As for work, grab these on your way out the door, or keep 90 - 100 calorie granola bars in your drawer. These work exceptionally well for sweet cravings too.

Eat breakfast around 8:00 a.m., snack at 10, lunch around noon, snack at 3 and dinner around 7 or 7:30.

As for dinner, I agree that pre-cooking is great, whether it be spaghetti, lasagna, casseroles, chopping vegetables and freezing or cooking ground beef or chicken breasts. These all pre heat fairly quickly and can be added to different things for a quick meal.

I hope this helps.