What to do when your lunch doesn't "satisfy"

robynluvsjesus

So I had a "healthy lunch". Turkey slices, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and a small bowl of soup. I sipped and savored and made it last as long as possible and.....I'm not satisfied. I wouldn't say I'm "hungry" but, I want MORE. Any ideas on what I can do to be more satisfied?

JT1090

I brush my teeth, drink tons more water, and chew flavorful gum/mints. That always helps me avoid going back into the kitchen after a meal.

Sublog

So I had a "healthy lunch". Turkey slices, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and a small bowl of soup. I sipped and savored and made it last as long as possible and.....I'm not satisfied. I wouldn't say I'm "hungry" but, I want MORE. Any ideas on what I can do to be more satisfied?

Save up more calories for lunch? Eat less at breakfast or skip it all together.

Gee45

Crunch on some carrots and other veggies. Then do what the other poster said, brush teeth and maybe have a herbal tea.

UponThisRock

If you're eating less calories than you burn, you're probably gonna be hungry at some point. Suck it up.

devilwhiterose

Ditto on saving more calories for lunch.

I have 2 filling lunches and then snack in between with nuts, peanut butter...stuff high in protein to make you feel full.

My diary is open if you want some ideas!

devilwhiterose

If you're eating less calories than you burn, you're probably gonna be hungry at some point. Suck it up.

That too.

My first week was hard. I felt like I was starving, but I kept trucking on and drinking water/tea to feel full. Eventually my stomach adjusted.

cmriverside

I had to give up on the small meals idea.

If I don't have 400 calories or more in a meal, I am doomed to be unsatisfied.

Plan ahead.

The "six small meals" thing never worked for me. Tried it.

lilRicki

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Save up more calories for lunch? Eat less at breakfast or skip it all together.
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bad advice...never skip breakfast or else you'll binge at lunch

UponThisRock

I had to give up on the small meals idea.

If I don't have 400 calories or more in a meal, I am doomed to be unsatisfied.

Plan ahead.

The "six small meals" thing never worked for me. Tried it.

Same here. I don't bother with snacks, they just piss me off.

agthorn

High protein makes me feel fuller. My lunch was only 410 calories, but it had 46g of protein.

javajunkee

I like adding fruit to my lunches. I have a sweet tooth and it's my "dessert". I finishing off a lunch with grapes, apple or banana. Sometimes even a nonfat yogurt and a big glass of water.

godroxmysox

Save up more calories for lunch? Eat less at breakfast or skip it all together.

bad advice...never skip breakfast or else you'll binge at lunch

i agree....i would not skip breakfast

truelypinkthing

So I had a "healthy lunch". Turkey slices, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and a small bowl of soup. I sipped and savored and made it last as long as possible and.....I'm not satisfied. I wouldn't say I'm "hungry" but, I want MORE. Any ideas on what I can do to be more satisfied?

Save up more calories for lunch? Eat less at breakfast or skip it all together.

That's such a bad idea! Don't skip breakfast it's soo bad for you. I have a cup of tea and get busy to distract myself. Then a couple of oat cakes mid afternoon. But I would have had a load of salad with the cheese and turkey.

Hoppymom

Eat more fresh veggies and whole grains which are filling and add needed nutrients.

rgunn02

I had to give up on the small meals idea.

If I don't have 400 calories or more in a meal, I am doomed to be unsatisfied.

Plan ahead.

The "six small meals" thing never worked for me. Tried it.

Same here. I don't bother with snacks, they just piss me off.

Me too!! My breakfast was 396 calories and my lunch is 449.

RaeN81

Fruits and veggies would be helpful. Also, I noticed that most of what you put as your lunch can be quite high in sodium which may trigger a hunger response (which is actually thirst). Also, as others have mentioned protein can help you feel full longer (like chicken breast).

tigersword

Save up more calories for lunch? Eat less at breakfast or skip it all together.

bad advice...never skip breakfast or else you'll binge at lunch

Totally false. It doesn't matter when you eat, it only matters how many total calories you eat. 400 calories for breakfast and 400 calories for lunch versus 0 calories for breakfast and 800 calories for lunch is the same thing.

lchovet

You should never skip breakfast, it really is the most important meal of the day.

Ifly4free

I just suck it up. I Keep drinking water and wait till I have my snack. When I go to work, I take 2 snacks and my dinner, since I work afternoon shift. I take absolutely no money with me, so that way all the food I take is the only thing I eat. Period! It's hard sometimes and I do get hungry but I try to space out my food evenly during my 8 hour shift.

Tracy

rgunn02

So I had a "healthy lunch". Turkey slices, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and a small bowl of soup. I sipped and savored and made it last as long as possible and.....I'm not satisfied. I wouldn't say I'm "hungry" but, I want MORE. Any ideas on what I can do to be more satisfied?

Save up more calories for lunch? Eat less at breakfast or skip it all together.

What a terrible idea!!! No one should be skipping breakfast!

My understanding is we need the bulk of our calories earlier in the day to give us the energy to get through the day. And since our physical activity decreases into the evening so should our calorie consumption.

Also, skipping meals will probably lead to uncontrolled binging.

miss_kisha

All these responses are good, except the advice to skip breakfast. I usually end up hungrier later if I don't eat any breakfast. A nutritionist told me that even a non fat latte for breakfast is better than nothing at all. What really helps me is to drink a glass of water and talk a walk after eating. Then the food starts to 'go to my brain'

impearative

Vegetables and leafy greens make for low calorie snack options. Pick a hearty bread for your sandwich so that it will fill you up more. Also, if you can figure out how many calories you want to spend on lunch, you could try splitting it into two low calorie lunches, maybe about two hours apart (as an earlier poster suggested).

Gabbahh

Have some green tea and vegetables.

determined2lose89

Try adding some raw veggies with or without a low calorie dip (hummus maybe?) or try taking half an apple/orange and a few grapes and making a small fruit salad. Brush your teeth, drink water.

jgic2009

Add some vegetables. They're good for you and can bulk up your meal without adding many calories.

krist3ng

So I had a "healthy lunch". Turkey slices, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and a small bowl of soup. I sipped and savored and made it last as long as possible and.....I'm not satisfied. I wouldn't say I'm "hungry" but, I want MORE. Any ideas on what I can do to be more satisfied?

Get used to not being 'full' I guess. If you're not hungry you're okay. It's sometimes hard to differentiate between hunger and craving-- see if you're still hungry in an hour, and if so, have a snack!

PS: I usually skip breakfast, though I wouldn't advise it (I've been told it's unhealthy). I do it because my appetite is rather weak in the morning. I really think of lunch as breakfast. I mean on weekends I have breakfast at 1 pm (due to waking up late!!)

Gabbahh

You should never skip breakfast, it really is the most important meal of the day.

This myth needs to go away.

EDIT: Breakfast can actually be a big problem in many cases. Many folks find that it's first when they start to eat for the day, they start to get hungry. If one fast the hunger is usually much more managable when one have gotten settled to it.

kagenw

Fiber baby! Get some of that in your meal

Ali_TSO

If you're eating less calories than you burn, you're probably gonna be hungry at some point. Suck it up.

What a ****. How about you try being nice?..

Ali_TSO

I had to give up on the small meals idea.

If I don't have 400 calories or more in a meal, I am doomed to be unsatisfied.

Plan ahead.

The "six small meals" thing never worked for me. Tried it.

I agree... try this.