Eating Too Much Dinner/Hungry

socrmommy

Hi everyone,

Hopefully my question makes sense. I love dinner. I love cooking and trying recipes etc. I eat about 400-600 total during the day then come home and I am starving so I end up eating too much in calories because of snacking while cooking or portion size because I'm hungry. Does anyone else feel like this or have helpful tips? I want enough to enjoy dinner so that's why I try to go light in the day if that makes sense even though I know it's not working . So backward in thinking but I am being honest.

TashaaaKayeee

I'm pretty sure your "biggest" meal of the day should be breakfast then healthy snacks through the day. Then there's your lunch & dinner. Maybe try finding recipes that are more filling but less your calorie in take?

socrmommy

I don't eat snacks normally. Today had whole grain English muffin and 1 egg scrambled. Then a bag of popcorn for lunch with a whey protein shake. All of that was 380 calories because I knew I was making a 615 cal recipe for dinner but then came home and ate a bunch of crap while cooking. Does it mean that to lose weight 600 cal dinners etc. are out of the question? It was a fish with udon noodles and cabbage from Blue Apron.

lisaisso

Nothing is wrong with the time you eat your allotted calories. I do the same thing, i love a big healthy dinner. In 42 days of logging I'm down 10.6 lb, with occasional overages and sporadic exercise.

seska422

It does not matter when you eat unless eating late causes you acid reflux when you go to bed.

I eat most of my calories in the evening and I'm losing weight just fine.

If I were you, I would plan in a few more calories throughout the day. I don't let myself get hungry. If I'm hungry, I eat a little something or a meal. If I get too hungry, I'm prone to overeating.

Alatariel75

I live a big dinner, and eat lightly through the day to make room for it. It hasn't stopped me losing weight! I really believe the key to success is to make it work for you.

shadowfax_c11

I always have a big dinner. Breakfast and lunch are about the same calories, breakfast a little bit lighter. I always plan for a snack in the afternoon or make sure I can eat dinner pretty soon after I get home. Crock pot meals really help with that.

socrmommy

I like the idea of crockpot meals . I need to make some of those. Maybe a 100 cal late afternoon snack would help the hungry/cranky feeling I get while making dinner. Do you guys think a protein or carb?

socrmommy

The other thing is that according to mfp to lose 2 lbs a week I am to eat 1200 cal. I think this part of the problem. I am too hungry. I think maybe try 1500 for a couple of weeks and see what happens? I am walking or doing a class 3-5 days week.

jenfa115

I have been trying to include protein in my afternoon snack and I think that helps. I also love to cook and dinner is my favorite meal as well. I know it seems simple but sometimes I pop a piece of gum in my mouth or brush my teeth before I cook dinner and it helps me not eat while I am cooking!

rankinsect

socrmommy wrote: »

The other thing is that according to mfp to lose 2 lbs a week I am to eat 1200 cal. I think this part of the problem. I am too hungry. I think maybe try 1500 for a couple of weeks and see what happens? I am walking or doing a class 3-5 days week.

2 lb/week is pretty aggressive for many people. In general, the upper limit should be around 1% body weight per week, and many people will do well to go lower than that.

arditarose

I save about 1000 calories or more for the night time. I've had to learn how to eat during the day to stay full to do so. Breakfast is coffee with cream and sugar, lunch is around 1:00 and is usually a can of tuna with a whole box/bag of lettuce, laughing cow cheese, and hot sauce for dressing. I get a second coffee around 3:00 and if I'm training at night, I will have a protein bar around 4 or 5. The key for me is the volume of my salad. I eat a stupid amount of lettuce. I like it and it's worth it to me.

kdblpn

I start my calories at 3pm so i can have the extra calories for dinner..then i adjust what i eat the next day for breakfast and lunch so i can stay under my calories for the 24 hours

socrmommy

So I need to bulk up my lunches I think with more veggies and protein. I really like dinner and don't want to give it up. How long did it take to learn to eat less during day?

socrmommy

kdblpn wrote: »

I start my calories at 3pm so i can have the extra calories for dinner..then i adjust what i eat the next day for breakfast and lunch so i can stay under my calories for the 24 hours

Can you explain further??!? That sounds really interesting

jennifer_417

You just need to find a little balance. Meal timing isn't important for weight loss, but if not eating during the day is causing you to go over your calorie allotment at night, then you really should eat a bit more at lunch. Plus, you'll likely enjoy your dinner a bit more if it isn't causing you the anxiety of overeating.

arditarose

socrmommy wrote: »

So I need to bulk up my lunches I think with more veggies and protein. I really like dinner and don't want to give it up. How long did it take to learn to eat less during day?

Learning was not the issue. I was a little uncomfortable hunger wise for maybe...a week, or less. I'm not in a deficit though so I have quite a lot of calories to use at night which probably helps me get through the morning the next day. I did do it in a deficit and found that throwing some protein powder in my coffee helped me stay fuller longer. I didn't need sugar either so the calorie count wasn't much more than cream/sugar.

arditarose

What you eat...that english muffin and popcorn, would leave me really hungry. Those are snacky things I leave for discretionary calories. Not how I stay satiated.

socrmommy

Ok. I think that is the fundamental problem. What I am eating in day is the problem.

Marilyn0924

You could reset your goals to a 1 pound per week loss and have enough calories to allow for snacks and suffer less frustration. @rankinsect is bang on in his comments. Most aim for too aggressive a goal.

arditarose

Right, also 2 lbs per week can be too aggressive. Make the experience the least painful you possibly can while still losing weight

Sandytoes71

I've always had issues with eating huge dinners and still do. I just drastically reduce my cals during the day. Eggs, and salads work best for me during the day. This does not always happen tho, but I still end up having large dinners. So, what I know about myself is no matter if I eat more cals during the day or less cals during the day, I eat large dinners. So, I am for less cals during the day. Yes, I think you may want to try for more veggies and a lean protein at lunch. I would eat alittle cheese and/or raw veggies while u r cooking. Just try different things and eventually u will find what works best for you. And drink water with your snack while cooking dinner. It seems to help me. Good Luck!

Vanessalookingood

Try a lower cal protein bar with a coffee to take the edge off the hunger around 2:30pm. It works for me and I am not so ravenous at suppertime.

DoNotSpamMe73

I'm pretty sure your supposed to have breakfast though I usually don't as I always end up as hungry or hungrier if I do. I completely relate to big dinners. I've lost quite a bit of weight but this habit made that just that bit harder but it comes down to how much you eat and overeating is what causes weight gain. You do metabolise differently when you sleep though so it is a good idea to not eat heavily before sleeping.

seska422

DoNotSpamMe73 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure your supposed to have breakfast though I usually don't as I always end up as hungry or hungrier if I do. I completely relate to big dinners. I've lost quite a bit of weight but this habit made that just that bit harder but it comes down to how much you eat and overeating is what causes weight gain. You do metabolise differently when you sleep though so it is a good idea to not eat heavily before sleeping.

If you don't like to eat breakfast, don't eat breakfast.

It comes down to how many calories you eat on average over the course of the week. If you don't eat breakfast, that's basically 16:8 intermittent fasting. That's a totally valid way to eat. Some people eat 5:2 so they have two low calorie days and five maintenance days. Also totally valid.

It's the overall calories that count, not when you eat them.

try2again

Definitely ditch the 2 lbs/week. You need sustainability above all else. I just adjusted my goal recently from 1.5 to 1 lb/week and the 200 extra calories makes all the difference. I have been unintentionally letting myself get too hungry before dinner and have been running up a couple hundred calories snacking while cooking. It's dumb really... if I just ate an 80 cal. greek yogurt, I'd be good and it wouldn't cost me near as much as the snacking. I'm with you on the big dinners, though

Springfield1970

I hate that 30-60 minutes that I have to wait for dinner. I have tactics. I clean the house, I drink a cup of tea, do my nails and I allow myself to nibble on raw vegetables only. They also act as a kind of starter and stop me over binging. I get these crunchy snow peas, and have a carrot.

I also cook exactly enough for 2/3 portions, one for me, my son, and lunch the next day.

I'm still hungry for 20 minutes after dinner too, so I wash the dishes, make a decaff coffee and sit down with a bowl of full fat greek yoghurt with golden syrup and raisins.

Then I'm happy. I brush my teeth, and that's the signal that food is finished for 12 hours.

kdblpn

socrmommy wrote: »

kdblpn wrote: »

I start my calories at 3pm so i can have the extra calories for dinner..then i adjust what i eat the next day for breakfast and lunch so i can stay under my calories for the 24 hours

Can you explain further??!? That sounds really interesting

I work night shift so i get up at 3pm. I start my calories for the day at 3pm. That is the reason I started logging like this. However i soon realized when i would switch to logging from midnight to midnight on my days off that i would be over on calories. Reason being, i love dinner meals and a snack around 10pm. So at 3pm everyday i start counting my calories for the day. I eat dinner with my family...usually whatever they are having but healthier versions or smaller portions. Then if i am feeling like a bedtime snack i have one....Then i go to bed and when i get up the next morning i have a small breakfast (i dont care for breakfast foods to much) and then i see how many calories i have left for snacks and lunch. I adjust my menu accordingly. Even if i dont have alot of calories left for a decent size meal for lunch, my calories start over at 3pm so its not that big of deal to me. It is alot easier for me to distract myself from food in the middle of the afternoon then at night. Remember if u r going to log this way then you log dinner and any snacks you have on todaya diary and the next morning when u wake up and eat breakfast you have to go back and log it on yesterdays diary, same with lunch. Then your evening meal will start your new diary.

kmbrooks15

What are you "snacking" on while cooking? If it's vegetables, you're fine. If it's other stuff that is high in fat or sugar or is high calorie, that could be what's sabotaging you.

GsKiki

If I understood correctly your problem is starving by the time you get home and then snacking while making dinner.
My advice would be to have some healthy low calorie snack ready to grab when you get home. Some fruits, or veggies with some yogurt. If you eat a low calorie snack you won't have to lower your dinner calories too much, and you won't be going over your goal.

ChelseaPeanut

I was in your boat, until I started bumping up the lean protein in the am and at lunch. Maybe add an egg-white or 2 to the 1 your already eating with your English muffin...more protein with only a few added calories..