dinner time, no control

Airbear3

i do great all day....lose it at dinner time! no matter how i try and talk myself out of it! any suggestions?

bikhi

what has helped me is planning my dinner and logging it before i even eat it. it seems to keep me from straying.

Renae_Nae

I also make my plate and then put all the food away before I eat. Then it's out of sight, out of mind (well, I'm working on that)...but it's harder to get more.

Airbear3

it's not necessarily a bad decision in food.....it's portion! i go back for seconds. could it be my body just needs it? yes i have my cals set to 1200 eating back my exercise cals...i did EMTWL and freaked so i started over???

asaw00

I used measuring cups for portion control and stop when its gone! I save some of my calories to have a snck later, and i try to drink more water. good luck!!!

nsmith6325

Drink at least 16 OZ of water before you eat, after you have finished your pre-planned portions get up from the table and force yourself to do something right after dinner that keeps your mind busy for at least 15 to 20 minutes and you will lose the hungry feeling you experience. If not have a small snack like raw carrots or brocolli to carry you over. That seemed to be the solution for me anyway.

the_prettty1

I was doing the same thing. Start eating earlier, I was waiting to eat with my family and I would be ravenous by then. I eat dinner @ 5 like a senior citizen, and if I'm still hungry I might eat a bowl of cereal, but I'm not eating two portions of dinner anymore

nicholawelch

You could try using a much smaller plate then if you have seconds it is not so bad. Try to cook exactly the amount of food you need too. I found it hard to start with but by cooking less we have less left overs. If anything is left it is boxed up for my husband for a dinner for work.
Hope this helps.

jo_marnes

I hear ya, I'm a large portion girl too!

I have huge dinners but I choose low cal foods so I can eat more mouthfuls, lol.

For example, instead of 1/2 cup cooked rice, I can have 2 or 3 cups of veggies. I pretty much bulk out everything with salads or veg. Or I can remove cals like oil and use stock instead (depends what you are cooking of course!). And replace the oil cals with more of other things.

C00lCountry

Could try a few things.
Try eating a later lunch if possible.
Try eating many small meals during day instead of lunch and breakfast.
Try eating slower at dinner to give body time to say I am full.
You may not be eating enough and your body wants/ needs more.

leika79

i always cook what i'm going to eat, no extra. my dinner usually comes in around 500cals or so( i'm set to 1300 but try and keep close to 1200), i eat a lot of veggie stirfrys and curry and chilli the only thing i ever cook in bulk is veg chilli (low in cals anyway) and sometimes i'll sneak another couple of spoonfuls!! but one batch lasts 4 days, sounds quite boring but keeps me on track.
oh and i log everthing for the day before i eat that meal
one more thing! probably should mention i eat a different meal to the rest of the family most days as i'm vegetarian and they are not. x

cordianet

I think you first need to determine if this is an emotional response, or are you truly still hungry? If it's the former, look for ways to distract you. I'm guessing it actually be the latter. Are you eating back all your exercise calories? This could just be your body's response to too severe a restriction. Frankly you may be trying to lose too much too quickly. Slow and steady wins the race!

michellezzz

i think what the others said about drinking water before meals and snacking healthily throughout the day is your ticket. however, my suggestion would be to also eat things with fiber in them as your "healthy" snacks because fiber helps you feel more full. almonds have quite a bit of fiber, but there are tons of others that aren't as high calorie/fat as them. there are 100 calorie fiber one bars in sweet flavors that can double as an appetite suppressant as well as a way to get a sugar fix. here's a link to a list of all the best sources of fiber.. there are a ton, it's worth a shot. if you can feel full enough throughout the day and evening by consuming more fiber, you can reserve 600-700 calories at least for dinner and then it's up to you to plan good meals that allow you to eat until you feel "full" (but not bloated and stuffed, that means you're stretching your stomach lining and have eaten too much). practice that for a few days and you'll notice your body will adapt and stop tricking you into thinking you need more food. hope it helps!

michellezzz

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/063008p28.shtml

ooops, forgot the link

leika79

I hear ya, I'm a large portion girl too!

I have huge dinners but I choose low cal foods so I can eat more mouthfuls, lol.

For example, instead of 1/2 cup cooked rice, I can have 2 or 3 cups of veggies. I pretty much bulk out everything with salads or veg. Or I can remove cals like oil and use stock instead (depends what you are cooking of course!). And replace the oil cals with more of other things.

^^^^^ this^^^^^^ bulking out with veg and cutting carb has been my god send!

TheArmadillo

I used to do that and realised it was because I was not eating enough and regularly enough during the day. My dinner time I was famished and so ended up overeating until I was uncomfortably full.

Now I have a snack in the morning and afternoon (for me the afternoon one needs to be protein based - usually a boiled egg) and make sure I have a reasonable breakfast and lunch.

I have one course at dinner time with the proviso that in an hour or so or after my evening workout I will have a pudding if I still want it. I usually don't and if I do I know it's cos I am properly hungry.

I also box up any leftovers and put them away before I start eating. And carefully measure my portion size. Also I tend to have 3 full portions of veg to fill me up.

I also make sure I am drinking plenty.

I find having stuff to do in an evening - workout, chores or even just doing something like painting my nails to keep my hands busy stops me snacking (the beautiful nails are a bonus!).

Tat2dDom624

I make sure i have a snack in the afternoon at work, so i don't over-indulge at dinnertime. Plus, drinking water (as mentioned before) helps me curb my appetite somewhat also.

JanSmelly

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day and when I eat the most. The Mister and I are pretty good cooks and I want to eat what we make. I eat small meals during the rest of the day so I can have that big dinner.

ShrinkingShawna

How much protein are you eating during the day? My dietitian wants me eating 90-110g of protein a day (I'm 5'4"). It should make you full. If your dinner is, say, pasta, that may be why you aren't getting full. Carbs will satisfy you temporarily, but you'll be hungry shortly after eating them. Your diary is private, maybe open it for a little bit so people can give you a better idea of what to change?

Also, if you don't eat enough during the day, you will be super hungry at night.

Hope this helps.

slim104

You could try using a much smaller plate then if you have seconds it is not so bad. Try to cook exactly the amount of food you need too. I found it hard to start with but by cooking less we have less left overs. If anything is left it is boxed up for my husband for a dinner for work.
Hope this helps.

I agree, this is a good idea. Just don't make so much. I cook exactly enough for 1 plateful. I tend to use a small pasta bowl for my meals. Psychologically it feels like more as it takes longer to get to the bottom of the bowl.

Airbear3

thanks for the ideas! i am snacking during the day. eating healthy choices all through the day and even at dinner. i will try to fill up on water before dinner and eat more helpings of veggies first. and no i don't think i'm hungry....it just taste good and i want more! i walk with my toddler after dinner to keep me busy but its that 1 hour by myself that i lose it.....veggies and water sounds good!

michellezzz

eating more protein than you need will not help you lose weight, and is bad for your organs. veggies as snacks are great but pick ones with fiber in them. sadly most people on this website know nothing about nutrition.