First day on MFP and HUNGRY!!!!

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  • msh0530
    msh0530 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    Well, I started this morning after signing up on MFP last night. However, I am HUNGRY!!! I have been up since 5:30am EST and got a glass of water right away. Then, around 7am, I ate some Coco Wheats (hot chocolate breakfast cereal like Cream of Wheat), 6 grapes and drank water. But, I am finding that being at home, I would normally grab a snack and I am just not sure what to grab. Seems that everywhere I look there is something I should not eat but not a whole lot I can. Uggghhhhh!!! I need to grocery shop so I have some fruits and veggies to snack. And this drinking water is going to kill me. I WANT SOME CRYSTAL LIGHT TEA!!!!! LOL! Can you tell I am having a tough morning???

    Any suggestions for someone who is on their first day and not sure really what to do? HELP!!!

    As everyone said, do not try to start your day without enough protein! That being said, I also would not try to change every habit at once. If you want Crystal Light Tea, by all means, drink it today. If you deny yourself everything that you are used to, you are setting yourself up to fail. I would stay with the Crystal light for a while, and work on some of my food habits. When you have that under control, and are ready to attack something new, go after the water. You don't have to be perfect ever, and definitely not the first day! Mary
  • learningtolove
    learningtolove Posts: 288 Member
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    make a cup of tea? Go for a walk?
    Are you really hungry or is it just habit?
    I would suggest a bigger breakfast,try adding peanut or protein powder to your hot cereal. Have a bigger serving of fruit with it.
  • happystars82
    happystars82 Posts: 225 Member
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    bump

    have bookmark this page as i find i get the same problem around monthlys..x
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Crystal Light tea is not going to derail your diet. It's calorie free and it's primarily water, correct? If you want that instead of water then drink it. Don't make things so hard that you'll give up.
  • alcooper929
    alcooper929 Posts: 10 Member
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    When I feel hungry I do a couple different things . . .

    1. I chew sugar free gum, it makes me think I am satisfying my hunger
    2. I try to get myself occupied in doing something fun that takes energy like playing on the wii fit. Because my mind and body are involved so I don't think about food and after I have worked out for about an hour then I treat myself to a snack.
    3. I also find that baby carrots are something I can eat a lot of and it doesn't cost much calories but tells my brain I'm not hungry because I just chew a lot.
    4. Another thing that helped me in the beginning was to buy fiber supplements. Add a few teaspoons of benefiber to what you are eating and you should feel more full.
    5. Basically keep you mind and body occupied, drink lots of water and stick to lots of low cal foods.
  • cPT_Helice
    cPT_Helice Posts: 403
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    I agree with what pretty much everyone else i telling you. It's not just about reducing calories. It's also what you eat. You can have your two pieces of toast, still. Though I would switch to a lite bread or try a Weight Watchers english muffin - just 100 calories. Measure out some peanut butter and put it on there and maybe have a piece of fruit on the side, like a banana or some berries. Add in a mid morning dannon 80 cal yogurt. There's a lot you can do but start with filling your fridge with fruits and veggies. I also love my green tea. My diary is public and I usually have it absolutely packed all day for around 1200 cals. Feel free to add me and check it out. :)
  • Upanddown
    Upanddown Posts: 35 Member
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    If your hungry you should eat!!!
    But you need to get to the grocery store and buy some foods that are perfect for snacking on!!!
    Your appetite will subside after a few days but until then....get out and get some veggies....fruits and low fat yogurt!!!!
  • navygunner
    navygunner Posts: 36 Member
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    Grain and complex carbs will help you feel fuller for longer. I always eat oatmeal, although not the healthiest one I confess. I use the Publix Brand low sugar. Also water, water, water. Water is your friend. I snack on oranges most of the time I want to snack and eat everything, except skin and seeds of course.

    If I want a treat I will eat a pack of Lance's whole grain with peanut butter crackers (only if have been good, exercise, and want to reward myself)

    Welcome to MFP though, there are a lot of folks that will take this walk with you and I encourage you to get friends. You can friend me. As some others have posted, my diary is open, maybe not the "healthiest" but I have 30 lbs lost so far.
  • Mr_Clean
    Mr_Clean Posts: 6 Member
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    For me, empty carbs = empty stomach. If I eat more protein and fat for breakfast, I stay satisfied for a good 3 to 4 hours.

    My breakfast is typically something like 2 egg whites and one whole egg scrambled in 1/2 tbsp of real butter. Add 1/2 ounce of real Tillamook medium cheddar cheese on top and that will hold me easily until lunch.

    The rest of the day I stay away from as much saturated fat as I can, but for right around 200 calories at breakfast, I feel much better than when I try to eat anything with empty carbs.
  • cressievargo
    cressievargo Posts: 392 Member
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    Reduced fat peanut butter is actually worse for you than regular. Honey is a natural sugar, yes, but it is still sugar. Bread - even though you are eating whole wheat - it's still a carb - which converts to sugar.

    Some high protein breakfast ideas:
    Cottage cheese
    Greek yogurt
    Hard boiled eggs (if you eat just the whites it is super low in calories, too).
    Scrambled egg whites

    If you are pre-diabetic, you really need to pay attention to your carb intake, not just calories. Also go for the more complex carbs, rather than processed / white carbs. Since you've already seen your doctor about this, is it possible for you to see a nutritionist? They can get you started on a proper diet for your health concerns.
  • plt55
    plt55 Posts: 111 Member
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    Hang in there been there done that and still have days like that .First of all you may have whatever you want .I know we all have differant thoughts on this but even my doctor said a calorie is a calorie .So this time I have done much better ,because if I need a snickers mini I have it !! I dont knoqw what your allowance is for the day but mine is 1200 I used to eat that for breakfast !! Im a chip aholic lol I buy lays lights one oz is 75 calories and a nice serving I also like lots for my plate ha ha . so I eat a fat free bolonga sandwich chips and always crystal light or unsweet tea or the new milo I hate water I do what I can with it but I figure its water when I mix it.I also love coco wheats good job !!! If u would like to add me as a friend feel free. Mu hubby and I are both on this ,we use lots of eggs in our house.He eats 3 boiled eggs every day for lunch .That works for him. I will try to help as much as I can without this site I would not be almost 50 lbs lighter .look at recipes also their are some good ones.
  • alcooper929
    alcooper929 Posts: 10 Member
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    Another suggestion: Eat your largest meal for breakfast, your second largest meal for lunch, and a small meal for dinner. I was always told if you eat like a king for breakfast, prince for lunch and a small child for dinner it is a good way to have energy during the day but not gain weight during the night when your body isn't burning much calories.
  • CassPerkins
    CassPerkins Posts: 19
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    First of all, you need to eat foods with more fiber and more protein. Eat eggs instead of Coco Wheat. You can do an omelet with two eggs and two egg whites with some ham. Snack on vegetables, such as baby carrots, when you are hungry. Vegetables have less calories than other foods. Fruit is tempting but an apple is 80 calories while 18 baby carrots has 53. It's just as filling.

    Also work out more and work out hard. If you push yourself hard by walking on a treadmill at 4MPH for an hour, you can burn upwards to 460 calories, depending on the incline. That is a whole other (healthy) meal that you could be eating to compensate.
  • opher
    opher Posts: 19
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    I am supposed to eat about 1700 calories a day (which seems like so many). My usual breakfast is 2 pieces of 100% whole wheat toast with 1 tsp of honey and 1-2Tbs of reduced fat peanut butter. That usually fills me up and keeps me content until lunch. I usually snack for lunch (and not the right stuff) and then eat a fairly large dinner of pasta and chicken. I know I need to make many changes, but trying to figure it out slowly and work my way into it. I am thinking of following the diabetic diet (I am not even pre-diabetic) but was told by my doctor that it is a safe and healthy eating plan. I also have spoken to many diabetics who say they are never hungry and have shed a lot of weight when they started following it.

    Thanks so much for the suggestions. Please keep them coming as I need all the help I can get!!!
    Your usual breakfast does not sound too bad, and since changing gradually makes it easier to stick with your plan, I'd suggest making the change in your "large dinner of pasta and chicken". Try changing from pasta to whole grains and veggies. Perhaps some qinoa as the grain part and cauliflower mash or steamed broccoli with a bit of olive oil drizzled on and some lemon pepper and garlic sprinkled on top would go well with a grilled skinless chicken breast (just as an example). You can also replace the chicken with a low-fat fish like steelhead trout to change things up a bit. Regarding lunch, I suggest real food instead of snacks. You could try a large salad with a fat-free dressing (e.g. Maple grove FF balsamic vinaigrette works for me), and add a serving of your favorite nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine-nuts, etc.), a tablespoon of crumbled cheese on top for protein, and throw in some craisins for color and sweetness if you like.

    The short of it is that you should avoid getting hungry, but do so by eating good stuff most of the time, and snacking between meals on fruits and vegetables (baby carrots as someone mentioned can be good for that, and you can even dip them in fat free ranch dressing as long as you don't overdo it). Finally, if you want to eat more, simply burn calories through exercise :D.

    Good luck!
  • jJmanfre
    jJmanfre Posts: 1
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    Planning what you are going to eat is key. It's unreasonable to expect to make good choices when you are hungry! You can use the food tracker to try out what you are thinking about eating the next day and adjust portion sizes, etc to make them fit into your daily goals. Be proud when you meet your daily exercise and calorie goals. Set yourself up for success and it becomes additcting!
  • lauehorn
    lauehorn Posts: 183
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    You should try and eat breakfast within 30 min - 1 hour of rising. You should also look for a more balanced breakfast than the one you described. You are eating sugar and simple carbs, and the cereal is mostly empty calories. This won't keep you full, no matter how much of it you eat. Try a more wholesome breakfast with a balance of protein and complex carbs with a little healthy fat. You'll stay fuller much, much longer for the same calories. Think eggs, whole wheat toast and avocado. Or toast with a little peanut butter and banana. Things like that. After you make some more nutrient-dense food choices, if you are still hungry, evaluate your calorie goals and make sure you are eating enough. Eating too little can be detrimental to your weight loss just like over-eating can be.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    Drink a glass of water. It is easy to confuse hunger with thirst.
  • PinkEarthMama
    PinkEarthMama Posts: 987 Member
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    I have always been hungry while dieting in the past. I don't seem to be as hungry this time.

    I have a granny smith apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter in the morning. And yes... I measure the peanut butter. I'd love for my tablespoon to suddenly be 1/4 cup, so I have to measure EACH time.

    I find that I am fullest on the days when I plan out what to eat. Today, I have a bad cold so I'm taking it a bit easier.

    B: WW toast ( 1 pieces ) with 1.5 tablespoons of pb.
    Snack : Apple
    Lunch : Fiesta veggie soup with extra black beans
    Snack : carrots & peppers with 1 tablespoon of ranch dressing, bulked up with 1 tsp of hot sauce
    Dinner : Taco salad - Ground turkey, chopped peppers, onions, carrots, 1/4 cup refried beans, lettuce, 2 tablespoons of salsa, 1 tablespoon of ranch dip.

    If I make it to the gym tonight, my " dessert " is a chocolate powerbar :)

    ( I also have, and log, 2 cups of coffee with 1 oz whole milk and 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup each )
  • MizzKaykay
    MizzKaykay Posts: 10
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    I would stick to plain oatmeal or cereal, something with lots of fiber. Also egg white scrambles loaded with veggies like spinach, mushrooms, tomatos, leeks, etc., are low cal and very filling.

    My breakfast is usually plain oatmeal with a tsp of brown sugar and coffee (with skim milk) and that is usually under 200 cals. And two hours later I will have my first snack - veggies and hummus, which are also low on cals (2 tbsp of hummus is 70 cals). I started MFP pretty abruptly; that is, I decided one day to do it and did without having a "farewell" decadent meal. The first few days were really hard because I was trying to eat sensibly and it resulted in my thinking about nothing but food! lol

    Don't worry, just eat small meals every 2-3 hours, so you don't get hungry between your main meals.

    Yup, 1700 feels like too much when you're eating sensibly. But go to a chain restaurant and one meal will set you back almost all of it! So it's actually a good sign that you feel like it's a lot. :-)

    Best of luck. Go to success stories and look at pictures - that's what I do for inspiration!
  • Kamalka
    Kamalka Posts: 164 Member
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    You could try to add one meal. As an example, put your fist together and consider 1,5 fist as a portion (you should have proteins and carbs in every meal). The easiest is to spend 2h cooking in the week, preparing toperwares that you can heat up when required. You can have five meals a day (for me it was 1 every 3h), wite chicken and brown rice, oat and yogurt, tuna and salad, whatever you like as long as this is not processed food. Doing this, I never succeeded to get my 5th meal (I was so full even though a meal is about 1/4 of a normal portion for me). It becomes really difficult to reach 1200 cal with such foods. Of course I could snack my banana, carrots, apple, or oranges after 2h if I was hungry (especially in the morning). For me, the first rule of my diet is NEVER get hungry. If I am hungry, I am afraid my body will stock my next meal in my belly, so I always have fruits and vegies around. Carrots really kill my hunger feeling.
    Increasing the meals also increase metabolism, so that your body burns more...and I know the body spend a lor of energy digesting, so that maybe increasing meals make him burn more (the lst one is a supposition). Count 5 meals and snacks, I can swear you will never be so full all day long

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