Missing a scheduled meal makes me RAVENOUS

aleena2975

Hey guys!

I'm doing pretty well on my weight loss journey nutrition wise. I finally figured out my protein and fiber and hit my daily calorie goal. This makes weight loss and eating less bearable.

Here is my roadblock. I get hungry every 4 hours, and if I miss a scheduled meal at that time I usually overeat a little. For example, I had a later dinner yesterday at 7:30pm and ate more rice than normal because I was so hungry. Luckily I still stayed within my calorie goal but missed out on dessert.

Fast forward to this morning. I woke up late, and had numerous things I had to do before breakfast. Normally I have breakfast at 8am, now its 11am and I'm starving and hangry. I had a plan for my breakfast this morning, but because I was so hungry I made something different (an omelette as opposed to the yogurt bowl I was planning and a sugary latte). Thankfully my macros and calories are not too bad with this change of plans, but I'm wondering how I can manage my weight loss when my meals get shifted around.

lynn_glenmont

I would think that if you eat a late breakfast that is more calories than usual, you wouldn't need to eat as much for lunch.

AnnPT77

One of the things I did was to have some kind of nutrient-dense food I could just fix/eat quickly always on hand. At home, that could be frozen food/meals - either commercial ones or home-prepped; or something like Greek yogurt or peanut butter on a pita, always on hand.

While losing weight, I kept filling nutrient-dense snacks in places like my desk at work, my car, and my purse or backpack, choosing things I like but that weren't so extremely tempting I'd eat them when not needed. For me, things that worked were individual snack packs of things like nuts, dry-roasted edamame, crispy chickpeas, etc.

Depending on where you live and other circumstances, this might not work for you, but I also thought ahead to plan things that worked in my overall eating plan that I could pick up at one of the fast food chains or at a convenience store. I'm vegetarian, so my choices might not work for you, but it was things like a Subway salad or some of the Taco Bell fresco items, or from convenience stores things like hard-boiled eggs, individual Greek yogurt, fruit, etc.

In short: Plan ahead. Assume life will be complicated sometimes, and be ready for that. Even make a list, if necessary, so it doesn't require much thought when you're in a pinch. Home-prep foods can serve most of these roles if necessary for budgetary reasons.

PAV8888

To add to the above good ideas.... it.all sounds quite normal and well adapted anyway!!!

I mean you're already eating at a deficit. And you feel the temporarily larger than optimal deficit even more so than you would otherwise! Your body is working normally… you're the one trying to convince it to do things faster than it's willing to, and it objects!🤣🤣🤣

The adaptive response (feeling/needing to overeat) is in line with most situations where the deficit is either temporarily or long term too large for the situation.

But adapting your eating to the situation (having more or less or different food sometimes) is also part of the process and you sound like you're adjusting acceptably... which is great!

I would double check if my deficits are acceptable or perhaps a bit too aggressive, internalize that life happens and adjusting is part of the whole process, and perhaps look into some of the toolset described in the posts above to make things a bit easier.

Corina1143

I agree with what Ann said about having nutrient dense snacks available. Only for me, it's protein heavy snacks. Jerky, protein bars.

I also think that's one of the major things you have to figure out for yourself. This is the way you'll eat for the rest of your life, so take the time and trouble right now to figure out what's best for you—for happiness— for life!

sollyn23l2

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48685736#Comment_48685736

Nah, it makes me ravenous too. It's a normal response to not eating. You've just pushed your body into managing on 1 meal a day. That doesn't necessarily mean everyone can or should be able to do that. I agree with making sure she has pre-planned food available when needed.

sollyn23l2

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48686028#Comment_48686028

Sure, that makes sense, but I wouldn't consider 4-5 hours missing a meal., since most my meals are spaced out about 4-5 hours apart. Now, if I went 8 hours during the daytime without a meal, I would consider that missing a meal, so it seems like we agree on that.

yakkystuff

I tend to use voracious, and I quite mean voracious when I use it. There are various times when it shows up - and, various appropriate strategies to use when it happens. A few of my favs...

• Carry snackage that does not need refrigeration so there is something to eat in a pinch
• Hot cuppa tea
• Bump up to maintenance level calories and have an extra snack.
• Have a big bowl chopped salad or a broth soup.
• Have popcorn.
• Do something that requires attention - reading, puzzle, hand craft
• Watch something hysterical
• Talk with a friend
• Get to sleep a bit early - appetite will probably be better in morning.
• Hang in. Don't let ravenous be a reason to stop or overeat. But do eat regular amount, then stop and do other things until next time to eat.

springlering62

I always have a backup plan.

If I don’t have enough time to make the “usual” breakfast, I have cottage cheese, and a jar of unsweetened 5grain granola mixed with chocolate coconut chips ready to pour a few grams on top.

If lunch is running late, there’s usually chopped chicken, steak or smoke pork in the fridge. I can “butter” a carb smart wrap with bbq sauce, shaken some meat, and be eating a high protein lunch in a minute or two.

Or I toast two pieces of low carb bread, pan fry (dry pan) some prosciutto and eat throw a slice of Swiss on top to melt a little before scooping it between the bread slices.

On nights I know I’ll be home late, I have diced raw chicken breast in the fridge, and a bag of veggie fried rice in the freezer. I can brown the chicken, throw in the rice and be eating in less than ten minutes.

Or diced beef, and a deli roll. Brown the beef with toasted onion seasoning. or A1 while the roll is broiling, slap on a slice of cheese, and tasty dinner again, in less than ten minutes.

After a while you get the rhythm of regular meals and backups, and are able to coordinate so everything gets eaten up.

My Ninja nonstick pan is in constant rotation for dry-frying/browning/“sauteeing”. Most used piece of kitchen gear outside my kettle and aeropress.

I also started keeping an English burpless cucumber (the kind shrink wrapped) in the fridge for emergencies. Instead of reaching for chips or pretzels, I’ll slice a chunk of cucumber and put some nice chunky salt on it for a quick low cal fix.