Meal timing or smarter snacking?

jesspen91

I've recently been finding myself getting really hungry late afternoon and I think it is to do with my meal timing. Here is a typical day for me:

6:30 - 7:30 - Exercise (alternating cardio and strength)
8am - Breakfast - (e.g. eggs, porridge, yoghurt smoothie) I vary what I have but always try to get a decent amount of all macros and usually between 300 and 400 calories
12pm - Lunch - Salad bar (around 400 calories) or leftovers (400-500 calories)
4pm - 7pm - INTENSE HUNGER!! Out of control snacking (200 -400 calories)
7:30pm - Dinner, 400-500 calories

My goal is 1390 calories (5 ft 3) and I am constantly going over that and well into my exercise calories (sometimes over those too). Obviously, my weight loss has stalled (about 2 months now). Luckily it's not gone up by much just bouncing around in about a 4lb range. I don't want to reduce the size of my meals because they satisfy me and I enjoy them but my calories don't leave much room for snacking. How do I tackle this late afternoon hunger and what might be the cause of it? My lunch should be filling enough because the same meals never make me hungry late at night after dinner.

I realise that there is quite a lot of time between my lunch and dinner. I can't really have my dinner any earlier because I don't usually get home from work until around 6:30 and I like to cook nutritious meals from scratch. I could delay my lunch as my breakfast is quite filling and if I waited I wouldn't start to feel hungry until around 1:30. However, my colleagues always want to eat lunch at 12 and I don't want to be antisocial by having my lunch later. I enjoy my lunch break as a break from work and a chance to catch up with my colleagues so I would really miss it if I switched to having lunch alone.

My other option is to find some smarter snacks that are satisfying, portable and preferably less than 150 calories. Any suggestions for such snacks? The timing of my hunger pangs means that they usually hit as I am leaving the office and faced with the huge selection of snacks at the train station, that makes them really hard to ignore. If I had something in my bag that I could eat on the train, I feel like this would tide me over until dinner. I love snacking on cheese and little meat packets but I don't want to leave them in my bag all day!

Sorry that this has ended up so long. I'm just in a bit of a rut and want to work through my options. Please don't suggest drinking some water or some tea. I've tried that. These aren't boredom cravings they are actual hunger with rumbling stomach, fatigue etc.

kommodevaran

Maybe your calorie goal is too aggressive, at least as you exercise. Just by 200 more calories, your plan would be easier to stick to - your eating pattern suggest this - and you would feel more at ease eating 1590 "controlled" calories than 1390++ calories.

As for snacks, if you prefer snacks and not just allocating all your calories into the three meals - what about nuts, babybel cheese, carrot sticks, apple, can of tuna? The tuna has the additional benefit of giving you a whole row to yourself on the train!

ansmit4642014

Maybe just add 200 calories in planned snacks as I used to eat salads for lunch and be very hungry later.

kshama2001

I don't like a lot of protein bars, but I do like the ThinkThin 150 calorie bars, especially peanut. (I don't care for the taste of their higher protein bars, which also have more calories.)

This might get you through til 7:30, but it wouldn't be enough calories for me. I'd need those 200-400 calories you've been having.

What about meal prepping on the weekend so you have food ready to eat when you get home?

You have a salad bar at lunch so I assume you're eating enough bulky foods - what percent protein is your lunches?

How many more pounds do you have to lose and what's your weekly weight loss goal?

SarahRishelle

Maybe have some caffein around 3? it should be early enough to avoid messing with your sleep and just late enough to ward off cravings. Then maybe a greek yogurt and raw veggies to snack on. The fiber from raw veggies can really fill you up with few calories and the bright colors make it mentally satisfying to eat.

spiriteagle99

Hard boiled egg, cheese, yogurt, fruit. You might try putting more protein in your lunchtime salads as well.

jesspen91

Thanks for the suggestions. I am short (5 ft 3), 135lbs and have a desk job so I can't really up my calories any more. I set MFP to lose 0.5lbs per week and it gave me 1390. I only have about 10lbs to lose now. Is it worth customising to an even smaller loss or would that just make the margin of error too small?

My lunches are leftovers more often than salad bars and my salad bar contains a good mixture of all three macros (e.g. potato salad, pasta salad, cous cous, olives, feta cheese, seeds, sundried tomatoes, peas, spinach, egg) I usually top them with two hard boiled eggs. So they're not just leaves and a few veggies (that would make me hungry!)

I think maybe meal planning might be the way to go. If I know I won't have to wait long for dinner, something small like a babybell will keep me going. Thanks for talking through my options with me

@kommodevaran haha, I get enough flack for having tuna in my lunches. I would not be popular if I started bringing more out mid afternoon. My office only just about forgave me when I reheated a fish pie in the communal microwave!

yirara

I would honestly not be filled by something from a salad bar unless it was only chicken, cheese or similar things. Dressing and green leaves just do nothing for me. I need something my body can 'chew on' for a while and not food too quickly digested. Maybe that's something to look into?

Also, I have a bowl of veggies on my desk for the afternoon: bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber or carrot usually and I snack on those. They are fairly low in calorie and they keep me full until dinner time.

kommodevaran

I see I messed up in my assumption about your calorie goal - but you have two other aspects to consider, in addition to lowering your weekly goal further (which I think is a good idea as you are getting into the last 10 pounds): Your daily activity level may be set too low, and you have earnt your exercise calories, not just that - you need them.

Planning your meals is a good idea - knowing beforehand what you're going to eat, the predictability in that the meal is ready (just to heat up, or easy to prepare, everything's already in your kitchen, or at the very least, you have made a shopping list and scheduled a grocery pickup on your way home) and waiting for you, can make it easier to wait. But it has to be something worth waiting for. Make sure your meals are worth waiting for.

rheddmobile

15 minutes vigorous activity (hard enough to make you sweaty and out of breath) would earn you 200 calories and you could eat your snack in peace. However, if you don't want to add more exercise, my suggestion would be to eat some slow digesting carbs with your salad - legumes in particular stick with you - and a banana or orange at your desk later, with a small handful of nuts for satiety.