Trouble with eating too much after lunch. Help?

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  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    well i don't eat meat or dairy, so finding protein sources that are not also super fattening is difficult. in the past i have tried eating things like brown rice with vegetables, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

    You can get plenty of protein from beans and seeds. Canned beans have a lot of sodium which makes weight loss harder, but you can cook dried beans in batches, save them in the freezer or fridge, and then make a quick stir fry or stew. You can also cook them in a crock pot. Have fun and experiment with one or two new dishes.

    I eat a lot of lentils. One cup has 18 g protein (the same as 3 eggs). They are inexpensive and don't require soaking. People lack an enzyme that makes the coating on beans hard to digest, but you can get around this if you soak them or add extra water and cook until they are very soft. I make batches of them, then stir fry some in a little olive oil with chopped vegetables like sweet onion and tomato. I also add a little spice (I am trying McCormick's Perfect Pinch line -- they have some that are no MSG, no sugar, no salt).

    Watch out for soy products. Some of them are delicious and have high protein, like chocolate soy milk, but they can be very hard to digest. The soy products that are better for the body to digest are fermented, like miso and tempeh.
  • CariS001
    CariS001 Posts: 169 Member
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    Can you give an example of your standard breakfast and lunch?
  • blackmax78
    blackmax78 Posts: 28 Member
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    sardines, tuna, hard boiled eggs, hummus, tahini peanut butter or peanuts, raw almonds... i'm liking the raw almonds right now myself... take a small hand full (1/4 cup) eat them one at a time... your jaw will start to ache before you are done! crunchy craving taken care of.
  • Elle_Coffee
    Elle_Coffee Posts: 13
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    i almost always always have oatmeal for breakfast, along with some chia seeds mixed in and maybe a piece of fruit like a banana or an apple. and always with a cup of black coffee.

    lunch is not always the same. usually if i have time i will make some brown rice or quinoa (usually rice because its cheaper to buy) and then some vegetables like broccoli or carrots (or both). and then maybe also a piece of fruit with that as well.

    then my after lunch snacking usually starts about an hour after lunch, with maybe some more carrots with hummus, and then it gradually gets worse, with crackers or pretzels with a lot of peanut butter, or if i have any sweets around, i will usually grab those. i try not to keep unhealthy things around when im at school, but ive been living at home for the holidays and there are just TONS of leftover cookies, and candy, and huge jars of peanut butter. peanut butter has really become a dangerous food for me to have around. for the last couple years, any time i have attempted to buy a 15oz jar in hopes of making it last, it's usually gone within 3 or 4 days. i dont even want to imagine the amount of calories and saturated fat ive consumed from peanut butter alone.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    i almost always always have oatmeal for breakfast, along with some chia seeds mixed in and maybe a piece of fruit like a banana or an apple. and always with a cup of black coffee.

    lunch is not always the same. usually if i have time i will make some brown rice or quinoa (usually rice because its cheaper to buy) and then some vegetables like broccoli or carrots (or both). and then maybe also a piece of fruit with that as well.

    then my after lunch snacking usually starts about an hour after lunch, with maybe some more carrots with hummus, and then it gradually gets worse, with crackers or pretzels with a lot of peanut butter, or if i have any sweets around, i will usually grab those. i try not to keep unhealthy things around when im at school, but ive been living at home for the holidays and there are just TONS of leftover cookies, and candy, and huge jars of peanut butter. peanut butter has really become a dangerous food for me to have around. for the last couple years, any time i have attempted to buy a 15oz jar in hopes of making it last, it's usually gone within 3 or 4 days. i dont even want to imagine the amount of calories and saturated fat ive consumed from peanut butter alone.

    Track your protein and make sure you are getting enough in breakfast and lunch. I've heard it said that increasing your protein can help with cravings. Peanut butter has protein, so you might be craving protein. Also be sure you are getting enough good fat in your diet so you don't crave that, too, which is also in PB. Good fats include olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.
  • ScientificExplorerGirl
    ScientificExplorerGirl Posts: 535 Member
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    Everyone has given great suggestions for dietary changes to help with satiety so I will take a different approach.

    Not sure what your daily schedule is but could you schedule some type of physical activity during your afternoon? This could be time for your workout, or even taking a nice walk.
  • elsyoommen
    elsyoommen Posts: 155 Member
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    it sounds like your problem is boredom/downtime. It that is the case, schedule (non-eating) activities you enjoy or schedule your workouts during this time. If it's just the weekends you could schedule a weekly activity - i think someone suggested volunteering? another idea is to take a lesson in learning something new that you always wanted to learn - this could be anything from a language... to a musical instrument... a craft... or something physical like a dance class. If you are going to university there are probably lots options to choose from.
  • clairercoll
    clairercoll Posts: 6 Member
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    Someone has probably already suggested this - but I recommend that instead of planning out only the 3 meals, plan out the 3 meals AND a good afternoon snack. That may mean having to adjust calories or whatever for one of the meals a bit, but if you plan out a certain snack, you'll find it easier to just eat that instead of mindless snacking/grazing.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    just account for it....if you like to snack, plan for it and incorporate those calories into your daily. I have a snack pretty much every afternoon. You want your diet to work for you, not against you...going against the grain so to speak is a sure fire way to make you lose you mojo. The key to all of this is to learn to eat in a sustainable way...account for your calories and eat in such a way that you can sustain for life.
  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
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    It is unrealistic to think that I'm not going to snack, so I try to pre-log all of my meals AND snacks for the day. Especially my go-to snacks that I pretty much have every day (apple, carrots/hummus, piece of chocolate). It helps me keep on track.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    Maybe to make your lunch more protein-heavy, you could have rice and beans together because they'll make a cheap complete protein.

    I'm also a college student on break, but I make sure that most of my foods require some preparation. I don't want to cook and slice veggies every second, so I won't be eating all the time either. I also pre-log so I don't just eat everything in sight.

    Find some productive things to do with your time. I've been clearing out my email inboxes, updating my resume, and I plan to update my LinkedIn and write some articles for our school magazine before break ends.

    I understand that it's difficult to eat at home when you're used to being on your own with only food you want to eat. I was home for Christmas last week and I had unhealthy dinners three nights in a row, as well as plenty of cookies. If you're going to eat something unhealthy, save it for the end of the day when you're not worried as much about fullness, and make sure to log it.

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