oatmeal and hunger question

jpalocy77
jpalocy77 Posts: 114 Member
in Food and Nutrition
how come they say oatmeal is the best and most filling thing for you in the morning, whenever *I* eat it, I am starving in an hour. I get so scared to eat it in the morning, cause I know that i'm going to be hungry. Maybe I should be pairing it with a protein shake or a few egg whites?

Replies

  • kellehbeans
    kellehbeans Posts: 838 Member
    I add peanut butter to mine to fill me up. Using whole milk instead of skimmed is also very useful. I also add banana (or more often, eat it after my oatmeal).
  • slainte35
    slainte35 Posts: 10 Member
    how come they say oatmeal is the best and most filling thing for you in the morning, whenever *I* eat it, I am starving in an hour. I get so scared to eat it in the morning, cause I know that i'm going to be hungry. Maybe I should be pairing it with a protein shake or a few egg whites?

    I experience they same thing. I usually have a banana with it and that does the trick.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I tried the peanut butter thing and couldn't even finish it, but I find oatmeal is quite filling with some fats.

    But um, if you don't find it filling, you could always try a different breakfast like an omelette.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I have the same problem, so I stopped eating it. High protein breakfasts seem to work best for me.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I mix mine with flax and it's very filling to me. I also make mine a bit on the runny side (that is, more water), so maybe I'm filling up on water. My standard recipe is 2 tbsp dry oatmeal, 1 tbsp milled flax and about 1.5 c water, and 100 g blueberries. I don't use milk or cream.
  • kharbaugh29
    kharbaugh29 Posts: 11 Member
    Are you eating instant or the quick oats/ or steel cut?
    I found that instant just doesnt work for me. I take the time to cook the Quaker 1 min version and through in some fruit, almonds or pecans and a packet of truvia. It is so filling and satisfying and still comes in around 200 cal.
  • jpalocy77
    jpalocy77 Posts: 114 Member
    oh I use whole oats.. I can't stand to use quick, and I HATE instant oatmeal. I use 1/2 cup dry, to usually a cup of unsweetened almond milk.. I just started that recently.. I was using 2% or whole. I do do eggs some mornings, but you know, you just need to change it up some mornings.. or sometimes oatmeal is just quicker for me..or I can make it sweeter. This morning I am going to try protein pancakes. I used to make them long ago, with egg whites, oatmeal, and cottage cheese cooked in a skillet, and maybe i'll see if it will do the trick. Thanks everyone.
  • affacat
    affacat Posts: 216 Member
    do not use instant oatmeal in a packet. that stuff is junk food, all of the nutrients are smashed out of it, and it's just not filling.

    go get some steel cut oats. (i can recommend bob's red mill, but there are other brands)

    my breakfast is basically:
    1 egg on toast
    1/4 cup steel cut oats with blueberries, honey
    1 oz (shot) of oj, one cup coffee

    and it's extremely filling.

    if steel cut isn't your thing, rolled oats or oat bran or pretty much anything other than instant works.
    steel cut oats take longer to cook, so i cook them for a couple minutes at night, then let them sit/soak overnight. that reduces cook time down to just heating them up in the morning, which i can do while cooking our eggs.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    oats, banana, and another fruit/honey/jam/jelly is what I usually do.. i like to cook the oatmeal.. add the banana and usually another kind of fruit (strawberry apple and kiwi are my favorite) and then stick in the microwave for 30 seconds. some of the fruit "melts" and makes it so good. I Today I just had it straight with only honey.. but that's cause my bananas aren't ripe and my son wanted the other apple we have.. and I have a cold.. so i'm gonna be starving all day today.. i hate having colds.. all I wanna do it eat.
  • RunEatLift
    RunEatLift Posts: 68
    I have the same problem, so I stopped eating it. High protein breakfasts seem to work best for me.

    Same here. High protein with moderate/high fats is what fills me up for breakfast.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Are you eating it with sugar, or eating a sweetened variety out of a packet? If so... it's probably the sugar that's making you hungry. Try steel cut oats instead of the really powdery ones, and add a small quantity of protein and or fat.
  • amyniceneasy
    amyniceneasy Posts: 143 Member
    Me too. Anytime I eat a high carb bfast I'm starving. Eggs and low fat meat, cottage cheese, yogurt....those are the types of food that will hold me for a while.
  • jqh23
    jqh23 Posts: 311 Member
    Are you making it with water or milk? I second the steel cut oats, made with milk and adding in pb.
  • Machafin
    Machafin Posts: 2,988 Member
    just because some people say it works for them doesn't mean it'll work for everybody. Try different options for breakfast to see what works for you. Me personally, I don't eat breakfast. But when I did, what held me over the longest was a breakfast high in protein.
  • Terree_G
    Terree_G Posts: 69 Member
    I'm with the OP. Nothing fills me up, not really. And I eat steel-cut oats, flax, you name it.
    I just tell myself that my body has been given the nutrients it needs; then I carry on and try not to think about it (but: lots of water, snack 2-3 hours later).
  • 19bulldog60
    19bulldog60 Posts: 96 Member
    Same here --- and too high in carbs.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    how come they say oatmeal is the best and most filling thing for you in the morning, whenever *I* eat it, I am starving in an hour. I get so scared to eat it in the morning, cause I know that i'm going to be hungry. Maybe I should be pairing it with a protein shake or a few egg whites?

    Just eat some eggs and bacon with it. You won't be hungry until dinner.
  • _danjo_
    _danjo_ Posts: 134 Member
    I put an egg in my oatmeal. 1/4 c. oatmeal (not quick/instant), 1/2 c. water, 1 egg, mix it all together and microwave for 3 minutes. Add a banana or some strawberries or peaches or apple, whatever. The egg makes the oatmeal a bit more "pudding-y" I guess, like bread pudding maybe? It sounds strange and kind of gross but it's really good, I promise!
  • Jennjo322
    Jennjo322 Posts: 74 Member
    I eat half a cup with an egg or mini egg omelet with veggies and half a grapefruit. Very filling. I also mix blueberries and walnuts in. A complex carb is great with protein.
  • sradams1
    sradams1 Posts: 69 Member
    I add Peanut butter and fresh fruit. I also eat a banana or apple and it kkeps me full for about 3 hours till my workout.
  • tomg33
    tomg33 Posts: 305 Member
    I find all the ****ing around with macros to control hunger to be a waste of time. Hit your macros for the day (according to a sensible plan), and add foods that are not calorie-dense for hunger. Read: vegetables

    The problem is most people, myself included, hate cold vegetables for breakfast. If you have the time, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and capsicum are great.
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
    YOu are not alone.

    I eat a big bowl of oatmeal and yes I do feel full right afterwards, but after an hour I'm starving.

    High protein breakfast like bacon and eggs, or protein shakes do so much better for me. Actually last me through lunch.
  • affacat
    affacat Posts: 216 Member
    I have the same problem, so I stopped eating it. High protein breakfasts seem to work best for me.

    if you're not going instant, oats are reasonably high in protein. my 1/4 cup of steel cut oats, for example, has 7 grams of protein. My egg has 6. even instant have like 4 grams, though again, i'd avoid those.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I have the same problem, so I stopped eating it. High protein breakfasts seem to work best for me.

    if you're not going instant, oats are reasonably high in protein. my 1/4 cup of steel cut oats, for example, has 7 grams of protein. My egg has 6. even instant have like 4 grams, though again, i'd avoid those.

    Yea but I try for a least 30g of protein for breakfast and that would be a lot of oatmeal :-) The calories would be too high, but eating that much oatmeal would probably keep me full for sure, hehehe
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I find all the ****ing around with macros to control hunger to be a waste of time. Hit your macros for the day (according to a sensible plan), and add foods that are not calorie-dense for hunger. Read: vegetables

    I disagree. It's the only thing that keeps me on track and I notice even the slightest change with regards to when I eat my protein vs carbs. Maybe it's just me, but when I eat what makes a lot of difference in my level of hunger (blood sugar spikes). It also has an impact on my energy levels towards the end of the day which is why more carbs before my work out works best for me. Vegetables are good filler but they do not keep me full for long like protein does and protein keeps me full but doesn't also help with energy.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I add Peanut butter and fresh fruit. I also eat a banana or apple and it kkeps me full for about 3 hours till my workout.

    This!^ ..... add something to your oatmeal. Bump up the fiber with flax or chia seeds. Make your oatmeal with milk instead of water .... this will bump up the protein. Add some fat ..... chopped walnuts are great.
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    cuz it is just carbs add a tbs of peanut butter and some fruit for fiber. never eat a carb alonre carb, protein and a small fat will keep you full! Think about it eat a couple peices of toast one mornibg an haour later you will be hungry. Another day have 2 eggs, some turkey bacon, whole wheat toast and some fruit. you will be satiated for 5-6 hours
  • affacat
    affacat Posts: 216 Member
    Yea but I try for a least 30g of protein for breakfast and that would be a lot of oatmeal :-) The calories would be too high, but eating that much oatmeal would probably keep me full for sure, hehehe

    well, that would be a lot of oatmeal but nobody's saying it has to be eaten exclusively. in fact, i'd say the reason it would be hard to do 30g of protein with oatmeal is -because- it's so filling and you still have to get 23 grams in, not because it isn't filling.

    it's hard to get to 30g of protein of anything without feeling full. i mean, many brands of protein bars are only 20g, so you'd still need a egg and some other stuff on top of one of those.

    i'd wager substituting in 7 grams of steel cut oats (1/4 cup) protein in for some of the other protein in your 30g days would leave you feeling more full, not less.
  • tomg33
    tomg33 Posts: 305 Member
    I disagree. It's the only thing that keeps me on track and I notice even the slightest change with regards to when I eat my protein vs carbs. Maybe it's just me, but when I eat what makes a lot of difference in my level of hunger (blood sugar spikes). It also has an impact on my energy levels towards the end of the day which is why more carbs before my work out works best for me. Vegetables are good filler but they do not keep me full for long like protein does and protein keeps me full but doesn't also help with energy.

    There is a fair amount of evidence to support the idea that meals of different macronutrient composition will affect satiety in different ways, but for me I've never felt this particularly strongly so I can only offer my advice: vegetables ;)
  • twodavez
    twodavez Posts: 3 Member
    Relatively quick and easy breakfast:
    Breakfast
    Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
    Aldi Friendly Farms - Milk 2% , 1.5 cup 180 18 8 12 1 95 18
    Whole Wheat Bread, 1 slice (38 g) 100 18 2 4 170 3
    Eggs - Fried (whole egg), 2 large 185 1 14 13 188 1
    465 37 24 29 553 22
    totals: Cal 465, Carbs 37, Fat 24, Protein 29, Sodium 553, Sugar 22
    *Edit - sorry this looks so bad, it was all spaced out in my reply, but it scrunched it together...


    I use a little Mrs. Dash, and a quick spray of cooking spray in the pan. I like the eggs dippy as the yolk is creamy and gives good texture.

    Is there an easier way to copy and past a meal from my diary? I like the numbers, so posting those with what you're all eating would help me realize what i could eat and how much for the calories...
    Just a suggestion.

    On a side note, i do get hungry around 11, and do lunch at 11:15, but i'm eating breakfast around 7:15... Seems to be working so far. Like the Tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.

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