Hungry in the afternoons

Options
BlckbeardDaPirat
BlckbeardDaPirat Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I do my protein shake in the morning , adding some things to it to bring it somewhere between 300 and 400 calories. I have lunch which ranges from 700-1200 calories.

This leaves me at somewhere between 400-1000 calories left for my dinner before my workout.

My workouts right now are just cardio to get my stamina/endurance back up and then I will be starting strength training as well.

My question is this.... come the afternoon I am HUNGRY!! I don't mean grab a snack and wait till dinner, I mean I am ready to eat dinner around 3pm and then get home for dinner......

How do I stop this. It is causing me to miss my caloric intake goals more often than I want to.....

Thanks,

~DD

Replies

  • h9dlb
    h9dlb Posts: 243 Member
    Options
    How do you get hungry mid afternoon if you're having a 700-1200 calorie lunch ???
    Eat an apple ?
  • fluteplay
    fluteplay Posts: 3
    Options
    If you work at keeping your blood sugar levels more steady it will help. It is true a piece of fruit and maybe a cheese stick with a glass of water at ...2:30? before you are starving should fix that. If you wait 'til you 're starving it is much harder to not pig out on all the wrong stuff. Also, personally (if time allows) I find a real breakfast that you actually have to eat and not drink may help. I guess it depends on what it's made of (not instant breakfast stuff), but maybe like real fruit etc in the blender?
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    Options
    So I do my protein shake in the morning , adding some things to it to bring it somewhere between 300 and 400 calories. I have lunch which ranges from 700-1200 calories.

    This leaves me at somewhere between 400-1000 calories left for my dinner before my workout.

    My workouts right now are just cardio to get my stamina/endurance back up and then I will be starting strength training as well.

    My question is this.... come the afternoon I am HUNGRY!! I don't mean grab a snack and wait till dinner, I mean I am ready to eat dinner around 3pm and then get home for dinner......

    How do I stop this. It is causing me to miss my caloric intake goals more often than I want to.....

    Thanks,

    ~DD

    Well, if you have 700 calories for lunch instead of 1000, you'd have 300 leftover for a hearty afternoon snack. I'd suggest maybe save some of your lunch calories for pre-dinner. Perhaps plan to eat your dinner salad and/or appetizer early. I love shrimp cocktail, very low calorie and yet satisfying.

    Good luck!
  • bound4beauty
    bound4beauty Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    You may want to spread out your calories better. 3 meals and 2 snacks works better for a lot of people if they find themselves getting hungry. It won't effect your weight loss per se, but it should help keep you from getting so hungry in the afternoon. Also, look at what you're eating for lunch. Is it carb heavy and low on protein and fat? Protein and fat will keep you feeling satiated longer than just carbs.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,734 Member
    Options
    Your diary is closed. Are you getting enough protein and fibre at lunch?
  • BlckbeardDaPirat
    BlckbeardDaPirat Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    @acpgee - I unlocked my diary. Feel free to have a look. My guess is probably not. I have an appointment with my dietitian on the 21st of June and my food journal is a requirement for me to take with me to see what I have been eating prior to starting a monitored medical weightloss program through the VA medical system.

    @bound4beauty - I have been thinking a lot about that very topic actually. I have intentions to break up my meals into smaller more frequent meals in the very near future. Thanks for that suggestion :)

    I have intentionally not modified what I eat so the dietitian can help guide me based on the things I was doing wrong before I made my decision to make changes. I want her to actually see some of the bad things I was doing.

    I have actually severely modified my diet believe it or not. It used to be nothing for my diet in a typical day to consist of 2 sausage egg and cheese muffins and an orange juice from McDonald's in the morning, I got the orange juice cause I thought that made it healthier LOL.....

    Lunch was something from some other restaurant somewhere... no telling what it was but I assure you it was typically north of 1200 calories based on what I know now.

    Dinner was going out to eat with my wife at a restaurant, ordering pizza... and when I ordered pizza I ordered an entire medium pizza from dominoes just for myself and then stuff for everyone else, oh and don't forget the order of stuffed cheesy bread that I ate at least half of.

    I did absolutely 0 exercise even though my wife pleaded with me to go to the gym with her.....

    I have a long way to go and right now I am just in the very beginnings of this change....

    I appreciate everyone taking a moment to answer my question and I hope having a look at my diary will help even more

    Thanks,

    ~DD
  • thatjulesgirl
    thatjulesgirl Posts: 200 Member
    Options
    I relate, relate, relate!!

    AND... I'm on an almost identical daily calorie limit, and I, too am doing cardio + weight lifting.

    I tend to find I need a solid breakfast (either eggs or oats) so that after a morning snack (yoghurt or beef jerky or fruit) I'm not actually that hungry at lunch. So far my best tip for the afternoon eats is:

    DO NOT have carbs with lunch - you will get plenty of carbs in your other meals but if you're already prone to afternoon hunger, the insulin spike will just speed up your appetite.

    DO eat STACKS of protein. I'm talking good, solid, sits in your belly for a couple of hours protein. I often cook an extra steak with dinner the night before and have a full scotch fillet or whole poached chicken breast with lunch. Will keep you FULL much longer.

    DO add cheese. Cheese is a miracle food IMHO, and seems to give you that lovely "omg I'm STUFFED" feeling (similar to the one you feel after eating a whole pizza!). Go for a FULL fat cheese, have a decent portion (30-40g) with your protein.

    DO chuck in as much salad as you can munch through in your lunch hour. Go v. minimal on the dressings as they're carby and will spike your insulin, making you hungry again. I tend to find avocados work kind of like a dressing and will give you lots of good fats anyway.

    For the afternoon snack itself, you'll probably find yourself craving carbs - now is not a bad time to eat them, especially if you go to the gym at night. Try dark, wholegrain breads (wholewheat / rye) and slather on a decent amount of peanut butter (protein!!!). Pair this with a huuuuge glass of water and possibly a giant bag of negligible veg (celery, snow peas etc) and you'll basically have yourself a MEAL for very few calories.

    Doing this, you may find that your lunch works out to around 500 - 700 calories (depending on your protein) and your afternoon snack will be around 200 - 300 cals. That will still leave you plenty for a decent dinner and a good breakfast.

    I had a look at your diary and hiiiiighly recommend you up your protein. You're doing really well with it at the moment, but, particularly when you start weight training, you can really never have enough. I've changed my macro split to 40% protein, 30% each carbs and fat. Seems to be working wonders. Also make sure you keep your sugars as *low* as humanly possible, and mostly from fruit / starchy veg / wholegrain breads. The more added sugar you have in your diet, the more often you'll feel hungry. Drink heaps of water and you should never get the afternoon tummy rumbles again!
  • newmelady
    newmelady Posts: 132 Member
    Options
    Save some calorie from lunch and have some kind of protein between 3 to 4 pm. ....... a protein bar, protein shake or simply hard boiled eggs , nuts or anything you can conveniently carry to office.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    Ok first is you might not be logging accurately. I mean I see 'scrambled eggs, one cup'. It doesn't mean anything. What's in the eggs, what is one cup exactly? Enter everything individually. And you're eating out a lot... there's a lot of unhealthy calories that won't really fill you up for long (pizza, fries etc). Can you bring your lunch instead?

    I'd try something more filling for breakfast too, and save the shake or protein bar for 3pm.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Options
    Find some real food for breakfast instead of the shake that is digested quickly so you're starving at lunch. Schedule a 100 calorie snack mid morning of some real food (piece of fruit, some veggies, almonds, string cheese, one of those not all!), eat a nutritious lunch not pizza and other carby junk food, have another snack mid afternoon, dinner isn't usually too bad from what I see but more veggies would be a good idea.

    You're eating a lot of empty calories that aren't keeping you full or giving you the nutrition you need. You've got a huge budget to work with and should be able to feel stuffed on that if you make better food choices. Choose more fruits and veggies for fiber to fill you up, more lean proteins, rely a lot less on protein shakes and empty fillers. Protein shakes only serve a purpose if you need them for a specific reason, they aren't a weight loss tool or a meal replacement.

Categories