Ruining my day, starting in the morning.

TheAngelmaker

Hey guys!

One of my biggest problem with my calorie totals is that I tend to eat a lot throughout the day, and then I'm left with nothing for dinner/the evening. Aside from more careful planning, does anyone have any meal or snack tips I can use throughout the day so that I can eat a nice healthy dinner in the evening and not feel completely deprived?

Thanks in advance!

Sidesteal

My first suggestion would be to consider skipping breakfast or eating a very low-calorie breakfast so that you can save calories for later in the day.

It may be difficult at first but your body will adjust to the brief period without food and you'll get used to it fast.

This will allow you to eat a larger dinner.

See www.leangains.com as an example for this type of protocol.

pattynava

Try some Special K bars ( they are 90cals per bar) or you can get the Quaker Oat kind and they are 100cals per bar...but have lots of fiber and such in them....quite filling and should leave you calories for the rest of the day....hope that helps :flowerforyou:

paperm313

try eating chobani yogurt, the calcium and protein will def keep you full, and only 100 cal for plain or 140 cal for the flavored ones.. Eat plenty of fiber too so you wont feel hungry. good luck!

TheAngelmaker

Thanks a lot guys for your advice.

Yeah, my main problem is that I wake up hungry and then I grab either food that is unhealthy or worse, a large portion because since I FEEL hungry, I guess I assume something smaller won't satisfy me the same. This is a problem I've been dealing with for what feels like forever, haha.

MinnesotaManimal

definately give the low or no cal breakfast a try. then just plan ahead for the rest of the day..... back when I had a ton to lose I was eating 1300 a day, I ate a can of Tuna for breakfast ( 100 calories) a 6 inch subway sandwich with no cheese and just mustard for dressing at lunch (300 calories) an apple for an afternoon snack, (80) leaving me with more than 800 calories for supper at night.

I am not advocating eating 1300 calories a day, I am a 6 ft male and I did more harm than good doing that, but just trying to prove that you can eat 3 meals and a snack very easily on not to many calories. and I LOVE eating a big supper.

Jorra

Go for a high fiber and high protein breakfast. Both of those should fill you up well.

kelseyhere

You really don't want to skip breakfast- that's going to screw up your metabolism. You need to eat something when you wake up to get the metabolism working.

have the same problem where I wake up hungry so I want to eat a lot. What I do is I eat while I'm doing something else like checking e-mail or reading a magazine. That way I eat slower and actually feel full on smaller amounts.

Sidesteal

You really don't want to skip breakfast- that's going to screw up your metabolism. You need to eat something when you wake up to get the metabolism working.

This is a myth. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is determined by macronutrient content and calories, it is not timing or frequency dependent and this has been well established as of now.

Jorra

You really don't want to skip breakfast- that's going to screw up your metabolism. You need to eat something when you wake up to get the metabolism working.

This is a myth. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is determined by macronutrient content and calories, it is not timing or frequency dependent and this has been well established as of now.

This is true. Your metabolism is always going, it doesn't need "waking up." Your metabolism is the chemical reactions in your body that keep you alive.

Eating breakfast is a personal choice. I like it, so I'm gonna keep eating it. :flowerforyou:

littlesis412

Try oatmeal or a smoothie for breakfast. I know you feel hungry but if you can manage to push through it for a little while, you don't really need a high calorie breakfast to satisfy yourself. You can munch on some fruit once you wake up to help get your blood sugar up so you don't have the dizzy feeling. And there's always the obvious of working out so that you can have more. This is what works for me anyways.

skingcomputerguy

If you just need to grab something, I'm a fan of the Fiber 1 bars.. They have brownies or chocolate peanut butter bars w/only 90 cals and 20% of your daily fiber.. About 5 grams.. If you have time to make breakfast I've found where one egg and an ounce of cheese will help you burn calories throughout the day. When I do the egg thing, I can usually eat lunch later than usual.

NoAdditives

I suggest planning (and logging) your meals a day or so in advance. This way you'll be able to regulate your calorie intake throughout the day and you won't just grab whatever is handy for breakfast. Having a plan makes it easier to stick to eating healthy foods. If you don't have time to cook in the mornings you can make some things ahead of time or you can just have a protein shake or fruit smoothie with greek yogurt and protein powder. It's fast and easy and the protein will keep you full. Also, make sure you're eating your exercise calories. I never had a problem getting enough food as long as I was eating my exercise cals.

fininski

Fruit!
Cereal or yogurt for breakfast

NoAdditives

You really don't want to skip breakfast- that's going to screw up your metabolism. You need to eat something when you wake up to get the metabolism working.

This is a myth. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is determined by macronutrient content and calories, it is not timing or frequency dependent and this has been well established as of now.

This is true. Your metabolism is always going, it doesn't need "waking up." Your metabolism is the chemical reactions in your body that keep you alive.

Eating breakfast is a personal choice. I like it, so I'm gonna keep eating it. :flowerforyou:

You may not need to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going, but it sure helps to keep me from passing out. And if someone is legitimately hungry at any point during the day, they should eat.

ldalbello

I have the same problem. Now for breakfast I will often have Egg Creations (those liquid egg whites in a carton) scrambled with salsa and a laughing cow cheese melted on top. It's so yummy, you get your protein and it's less than 100 calories.

mleoni092708

I have a breakfast sandwich most days and it's very filling and low calorie.

Thomas English muffin multigrain 100 calories
Egg white 17 calories
Turkey sausage link (40) or patty (60 calories)

Optional:
1/2 slice of sharp cheddar full fat cheese (40 calories)
or instead of turkey sausage, center cut bacon 1 slice (23 calories)

So around 220 calories if you have cheese.

I have the same problem-I try to budget a little extra at the end of the day just in case.

SpeedBump1

Protein shake.

MinnieInMaine

It's hard to give constructive advice without knowing exactly what you're eating but I'll try based on some assumptions...

Definitely plan as much as you can as others have mentioned above. Or make sure whatever is handy at home/work is healthy. Pack lunches and snacks for the day and don't allow yourself to get something out of the vending machine or whatever the case may be.

If you're eating something like cereal and milk and fruit for breakfast that may be part of the problem. I know for me, if I try eating that for breakfast, I'm starving again in an hour or two. Instead, get some protein in with those carbs - like that breakfast sandwich mentioned above (I make something similar most mornings) or if you just love cereal, check out the ones with high protein like Kashi's hot and cold cereals.

Not sure if you're active at all, but for me, the only way I'm able to even come close to my calorie goal is to earn those extra calories. Even if you can only get in a quick walk now and then, it's better than nothing!

Jorra

You may not need to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going, but it sure helps to keep me from passing out. And if someone is legitimately hungry at any point during the day, they should eat.

No argument here. I'm getting hungry talking about all this delicious food. Good thing I have an apple planned right about now.

CouchSpud

I still go with porridge or oat or oatbrans in the morning, don't need much to fill you up for quite a while. Then lots of water in between I have cut down to the point where I will have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner - because I was snacking so much in between. Other than that, always good to have some veg to crunch away ... celery, cucumber...they don;t have much calories and you can keep your jaws occupied ^^

But at the end of the day - satisfying dinner doesn;t have to be big in calories. I had steak and shedloads of veg today and was under 300 ^^

FitBridget

Try drinking before you eat breakfast - either water or herbal tea. I used to wake up starving all the time, then I started drinking a huge glass of water in the morning. Turns out I was just thirsty, and I can eat a normal breakfast.

EllieLou357

Try to keep things on hand that are small and healthy. I like to keep carrots, almonds, protein bars, and things like that, that I can grab every couple hours to fill myself. Also drink a lot of water. Never starve yourself you will binge later in the day. Also allow yourself a treat every now and again. Whenever I hit a certain weight I am wanting I will treat myself to Mr. Goodcents.

MinnesotaManimal

Try drinking before you eat breakfast -

I tried this... my last employer frowned on it :drinker:

ShannTron

I do the following:

Breakfast: Whole grain cereal 1 cup measured and 1/2 cup non fat milk <---only 150 calories ad very filling (high fiber is thr key to feeling full)

Lunch: Progresso light soup and a piece of double fiber bread <

---

250 calories and very filling

Dinner I keep calories 400 and below, usually it is betwwen 200 and 300 calories. I steam vegtables, and top with 1/4 cup low fat cheese.....or 3/4 cup rice with low sodium black beans, corn, low fat cheese, and corn tortillas <----350 calorie meal.

Snack are VEGGIES!!! these contain VERY little calories and are very filling.

look at skinny cow desserts since they will only be 110 calories for an ice cream sandwich....yummy

other snacks ( I snack alot ) are a piece of high fiber bread and 1 tbs peanut butter (you gotta get yummy good fat in there) or special K crackers (you get 27 for 110 calories!!!!) Special K just came out with sour cream and onion chip crackers that are delish.

if you stick to veggies, high fiber, prep your foods you can totally do it. Also get out and move your body! When I exercise and keep myself busy I am less likely to get depressed or feel deprived.

I am new at this too, but my calories are limited to 1220 for the day and it is doable...and I dont feel hungry.

keep up the good work and you can friend me if you wanna!

Shannon~

kapeluza

What Sidesteal said. I eat a very small breakfast and dinner but very heavy lunch. Seems to help for me! Good luck!

lizziebeth1028

breakfast - oatmeal, coffee or tea
mid morning - greek yogurt
lunch - turkey or tuna on whole wheat, piece of fruit
mid-afternoon - string cheese, carrots sticks, coffee or tea

This should leave plenty of wiggle room for a tasty dinner!

loved1

You can get a lot of volume thats filling and taste good with an omelette loaded with veggies. Try 3 egg whites (sometimes I blend in 1/2 a yolk) your favorite veggies - spinach, mushrooms, onions, green peppers are good, a sprinkle of low fat or fat free feta or cheddar & top with a tomato slice. If you must have meat add a strip of turkey bacon.

Theresa0577

eggs and fruit always keep me full.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so don't skip it but definitely try to go lower calories.

Oatmeal
Scrambled eggs (1 egg and 3 egg whites) with toast
Protein Powder/bar
vanilla yogurt with grapenuts
fruit.

I tend to realize that Cereal is not an option for me it doesn't keep me satisfied and I too wind up eating more throughout the day

lynn1982

I find the more protein I have at breakfast, the fuller I am throughout the day. I too wake up hungry. I've been eating greek yogurt, fruit, and a soft boiled egg every morning for breakfast and it (usually) keeps me full until lunch time. (Unless I eat breakfast at 5am, which does happen a couple days per week.) I know oatmeal is supposed to keep you fuller longer, but for some reason that doesn't work on me! It needs to be protein or else I'll feel hungry again an hour later. For lunch I usually have a turkey sandwich and then an afternoon snack consisting of fruit and a piece of cheese or peanut butter, or some carrots with hummus. That usually leaves me with a good chunk of calories for dinner.

MaraDiaz

Exercise. Eat the calories back. You'll never be hungry as long as you're able to keep moving.

Sore to the point where you think someone dipped your muscles in hydrochloric acid while you slept, sure, but never hungry! :laugh: