Straight talk. How do I ease the HUNGER?

acstansell

Eat more veggies. Find foods that are higher in fiber. Drink a lot of water. Drink two full glasses of water before eating. If you feel hungry, drink water. Chew gum

jessgrey2

Great advice here!

1) EAT.

2) Where is the fiber?

If you are a bread eater, eat whole grain bread, Ezekiel is my favorite, high fiber.

High fiber veggies are here:

Avocado
Beans
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrot
Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans
Eggplant
Greens -- collards, kale, turnip greens
Lima beans
Mushrooms
Potato with skin
Pumpkin, canned
Peas -- black-eyed peas, green peas
Peppers
Rhubarb
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes

Laurej

If you're hungry, eat!

I noticed a lot of fast foods, junk foods, processed foods and restaurant eating in your diary. Stop that and things will change drastically. I like to take baby steps in everything so maybe getting involved with a local slow food movement can help get you on track with healthy and tasty places to eat at if you must go out. or cut out one fast food day for a bring from home day. eliminate or drastically reduce your processed foods. That will allow you to eat a lot more!

I know you say you don't enjoy veggies, and don't have time to not eat out, but in honor of you asking people not to sugar coat it, I'm seeing a lot of excuses. If there is a will, there is a way.

3 cups of mixed green salad mix tossed with1 tablespoonful of homemade balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing =81 cals which is really a LOT of food and very low cals. you could eat 3 whole cups of food for 81 cals.. a bit more if you add some carrots, other fresh veggies... or you can eat a wendy's meal for 570 cals. I understand the desire for fast foods, but is your desire to lose weight, and be healthier stronger than your desire for a quick tasty fix?

If you don't have access to good tasting veggies, do you have an area at home to grow some? I have a very small yard and even have planter pots filled with fresh herb gardens and lettuce mixes, arugula is one of the best tasting lettuces I've found. LOTS of flavor and a tiny amount can turn a blah salad into something very tasty. Throw in some raw walnuts and some dried cranberries, and it turns into a really delish salad.. if you feel that wouldn't be filling enough even throw in a boiled egg.

There are plenty of great tasting meals you can make at home that do not require heating, and if you don't have the ability to store something, opt for something that doesn't need refrigeration, and can be stored in your car until lunch, or in a cooler in your office... heck... Even something packaged like a couple of whole food nutrition bars like LARA Bars, or KIND bars ( which you can shove in your pocket) would be a filling and better choice for food than eating at fast food places.

One things I've found very helpful is to make a bunch of different dishes once a week, so there's always something to throw into a container and go.

Check out the recipe section here, There are some delicious filling lower cal choices that will enable you to eat eat eat and still stay under your cal goal.

hillbillyannie

Eat more veggies and protein and you won't be hungry as much. I have become accustomed to being a little hungry though.

ShrinkRapt451

I have VERY hard times NOT eating out due to my job. Lunch time is varied, sometimes I only get a few minutes and cannot even leave. Other times I have a full hour. When eating out I try my best, thus far, to go to places that have fresh veggies in the quick area, choices are few and far in between. Fatz seems to be the best.

I am not sure, but lunch might be a lost cause. In server room/cubical world it is also VERY hard to bring food, not many places to heat up or store it as well. Ideas on that front?

So BMR was around 2000 and TDEE minus the 15% was about 2688... saying I do light exercise. So how do I balance the not going into red and not eating below my BMR? I guess exercise more? (holy crap that just sounds like a bad word)

How low over your daily allowed is starvation mode land as well? Getting great advice, no doubt, and am trying to figure out how the heck I can do some form of scheduale to garuntee I can eat those calories, and not just have 700 left eod.

p.s. yeah the cat in my picture is fat too... thought it was fitting.

Okay, not sugarcoating. Background: I started with 100+ lbs to lose, I work in a hospital, my opportunities to take a lunch break are hit-or-miss, and I almost NEVER miss lunch any more. I just get creative.

1. If your BMR is 2000 calories, then you should eat enough calories that your NET (as in, after exercise) is above 2000. As soon as you start doing that, you will NOT BE HUNGRY. This means you must eat more. 2000 calories on days you don't work out, more on days you do, if you don't exercise regularly.

2. Bring your damn lunch, in a lunch cooler. Starbucks protein bistro box (or the equivalent of its contents), Greek yogurt, apples/oranges/bananas, veggies + peanut butter, cheese, cold sandwiches... all are portable and do not require a microwave. Fast food and restaurant food is high-fat, high-calorie and should be enjoyed in much more limited quantities.

3. Start adding some healthier proteins. I'm a meat-eater too, man.... but chicken, turkey, pork and fish do exist and are good for you, if you choose healthier cuts.

4. Snack. Three times a day: morning, afternoon, and just before bed. Something easy (almonds, protein shakes or snack bars, that kind of thing).

5. Choose complex carbs when you can. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, low-carb tortillas.

6. You are a grown man; it's time to be responsible for yourself. Learn to cook. Hunt down recipes that are easy to make but use healthier ingredients. Start with recipes that are intended for moms to "hide" veggies in foods for kids. (Not kidding; those foods are similar to what you're eating now, just healthier.)

Best of luck to you!

Suziq1023

I checked out your diary and you are waaay below your allowed calories. No wonder you are hungry. The people saying eat more are right. Eat more of whatever foods you like - have snacks in between meals.

For sure, eat more calories, watch your sodium and get more water but I think you need to put your extra calories into substantial snacks. Can you consider eating six times a day? Three moderate meals with a morning snack, afternoon and bedtime snacks. If your calories start creeping up then incorporate more veggies into your diet. My lunch and dinner plates are half salad with one or two veggies and a portion of meat. the first two weeks were rough while my stomach adjusted to the new portion control program then things got easier.

islandnutshel

I have advice, not the healthiest but it helps me.
I am not very hungry in the morning or afternoon so I eat low calorie then, I also exercise to add more calories to my menu. Then by evening I have at least 800 calories to eat and I start with lots of vegetables. Sometimes I don't even feel like eating them all. But I was missing the eating till full feeling so I left myself room to eat more in the evening if I felt I needed it.

sreysaott

If you like protein, go for fish, tuna, and beans. It's satisty your protein need. I've been eating a lot of fish, tuna, beans and veggies. It helped me to maintain protein hunger and keep me on the run for workout.

leslturn8

If you don't like veggies, it's usually a texture thing.

BINGO! HAHAHAHAHHA I dont eat fruit, i dont eat vegies, i dont eat most meats, I dont eat salads, I dont eat alot of things!
And before i get a lecture on you cant lose weight like that, i lost 21 kilos from walking and halving my intake of junk, AND i gym now and I am stalling because i lost my will power, but i have found it again so! MFP bring it on, btw, im always hungry as of late, i eat a full meal, the meals that use to quench me and 15 minutes later that big plate is gone through my digestive system and im starving again....weird body! It use to be if I didnt have a fatty meal, i wasnt fulfilled, i had them and now it just doesnt work anymore.....P90X tomorrow :drinker: im gunna :sick:

lluulluu

i looked at your diary and you are not eating enough calories , eat more and you wont feel so hungry. Drinking water and eating more veggies fills me up.

jamface11

I've been trying to replace processed snack foods (muesli bars etc) with fruit during the day, but just never find them as satisying. Its getting better the longer I do it so I think for me its just changing my palate because I've never been a big fruit person.

My biggest problem is every now and then I feel deprived and get massive cravings for anything bready esp croissants from the bakery down the road :P

BobOki

Tons of awesome advice in this thread, and thats what i was hoping for. I think I will make another thread so people can list their secret foods and subsitutes as the few that have messaged me had some great ones.

I am saddened that I will have to eat more veggies. I dislike them, they just taste bad, feel bad, and smell bad. Love me some fruits, maybe I can subsitute some fruits for veggies or something to ease into it. Or maybe start making some fruit shakes then start adding in veggies till I damn well good and like it.

So, an excuse, grown man does not mean automatically not lazy man ;P I will have to force myself to start cooking, which really is ok, I love cooking.

I never even thought about bringing a cooler, amazing advice. Something so simple and just over my head. It will take all my willpower each morning not to load it up with beer and be the hero at work ;P

One more question, for the moment, does anyone know a LOW calorie red wine? I have taken to having a glass or two of red each night, or a lot of nights, but the calories are high.

rovernio

lots of water

clover5

Don't sugar coat anything, not needed.

I dislike most veggies, so thats out, and I never really liked breads much. Ican't go around eating 100% meat all day, and fruits and nuts are very very much not filling.

OP you need to willing to try some different foods and with an open adult mind. Even vegetables.

seeeekret

Start the day off with a high-fiber, low-calorie meal, such as plain oats and an apple. The fiber with keep you full for longer. And drink tons of water!
If you're dehydrated, your body will make you think you're hungry when you're really just thirsty.

pants77

I also hate almost all vegetables but I try to eat as much fruit as I can, especially berries. Some things I have found that work for reducing hunger pangs:

1. Fruit (as mentioned), and squeeze in the veggies you can tolerate as often as possible.
2. More frequent, small meals. It's a good idea to eat 4-6 meals a day, or at least to have a piece of fruit or a string cheese or something between meals to tide you over. If you go into a meal really hungry you're much more likely to overeat. It's like going to the grocery store on a full stomach - bad idea. Small meals with a protein component and a fiber component are very helpful.
3. Carbonated beverages. This is kind of a double-edged sword. You'll feel fuller, but you'll be gassy. Pick your poison there, I suppose.
4. Eat your calories, don't drink them. I like milk and whey protein after a workout but it doesn't fill me up much. If I had more time I would eat more grilled chicken or fish but I just don't have the time to cook it and the precooked stuff is full of processed junk.
5. Drink as much water as you can without feeling sloshy. Sometimes hunger isn't hunger, it's thirst. Sounds stupid but it's true.
6. Whole wheat instead of white wheat products. I try never to eat white bread of any kind - I can't spare the calories so if there's going to be bread it has to add to my fiber count.
7. Keep at it. I've been watching calories for 2 1/2 years straight now and I very rarely ever feel really hungry. There's often some element of hunger in the background but I've learned to tune it out - if I really feel HUNGRY, I know it's because I've been shorting my protein and need to get some chicken or steak in there ASAP. You will eventually learn to tune out the hunger that's not really hunger.

pants77

Don't sugar coat anything, not needed.

I dislike most veggies, so thats out, and I never really liked breads much. Ican't go around eating 100% meat all day, and fruits and nuts are very very much not filling.

OP you need to willing to try some different foods and with an open adult mind. Even vegetables.

I agree with this to a point, but I also believe very strongly that people have a tendency to sabotage their efforts at eating better by setting unrealistic goals for themselves. For example, I know it would be much healthier for me to eat a load of cruciferous veggies every day. However, I simply cannot get them down without gagging. If I were to set out to eat broccoli and cauliflower every day, I'd fail.

Instead, I say "ok, I can't eat those veggies but I do like/tolerate things like carrots, peas, green beans, cucumbers, etc, so I'm going to eat as much of those as I can, eat more fruit to get my fiber in, and then make sure to take B vitamin and multivitamin supplements to fill in the gaps." It's not ideal, but it's something I can maintain.

Trying new things is important and setting optimistic goals is also important, but none of it matters if your goals aren't realistic. You have to be able to maintain your plan or it just won't work. Eating food you absolutely hate every day is not sustainable.

Morgaine_on_the_move

Try roasting vegetables. I hate tomatoes raw, but roast them in salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil, and they become amazing. Same with cauliflower and carrots.

rextcat

fiber, and try one big @$$ salad at the end of the day.

cmriverside

Tons of awesome advice in this thread, and thats what i was hoping for. I think I will make another thread so people can list their secret foods and subsitutes as the few that have messaged me had some great ones.

I am saddened that I will have to eat more veggies. I dislike them, they just taste bad, feel bad, and smell bad. Love me some fruits, maybe I can subsitute some fruits for veggies or something to ease into it. Or maybe start making some fruit shakes then start adding in veggies till I damn well good and like it.

So, an excuse, grown man does not mean automatically not lazy man ;P I will have to force myself to start cooking, which really is ok, I love cooking.

I never even thought about bringing a cooler, amazing advice. Something so simple and just over my head. It will take all my willpower each morning not to load it up with beer and be the hero at work ;P

One more question, for the moment, does anyone know a LOW calorie red wine? I have taken to having a glass or two of red each night, or a lot of nights, but the calories are high.

You're so funny, OP. I wanna work at your work.

Also, if you have to drink, a glass or two of dryish red wine is the best choice - like a Cabernet. I tend to want the 300 calorie craft beers - the IPAs - myself. So I had to adopt the 3-day-a-week-max rule. And then only one.

Do you like bananas? Add half an avocado to a banana shake. I know it sounds weird, but it's gooood. Also a cup of spinach in a smoothie doesn't really add any flavor. Spinach is one of the best veggies you can eat - it's awesome in eggs. If you can figure out how to get 3-5 servings of veggies you are golden -or fruit. The problem with fruit is the sugars. But I added fruit first then slowly switched to veggies. I admit to drinking V8 low sodium spicy and pretending it's a Bloody Mary.