Hungry every 2-3 hours

I use the fridge on the 1st floor - I am on the 4th. That way I have to take stairs to and from my snack. No one sees and I get exercise in.

I work in an office and i seem to be the only person that eats every 3 hours or so. Everyone else eats VERY little and i mean very little. Maybe a bowl of soup through the entire shift. But i feel guilty having loads of plates and things on my desk because i'm literally starving every couple of hours.

A typical day for me at work would be like:
8.30am - a bowl of porridge with half a home made veggie/fruit smoothie
10.30am - a piece of fruit
12.30pm - half a brown sub roll with ham and salad and the other half of my veggie/fruit smoothie
3pm - Start snacking on some grapes

In between all of this i sip on plenty of water all day.

4pm and i am STARVING but too embarrassed to go to the fridge again!
Is this normal or does everyone else sit and starve worse than me?

Yes it is normal...sound lik you have 6 smalls meals/day.... so whats the REAL issue? EAT!

I sometimes keep bananas on my desk, they go manky in the fridge anyway :P the nuts are a good idea but I have no self restraint so they'd be polished off by 11am as as they're so easy to mindlessly pick at.

It doesn't look like you eat too much to me either the food you just described could've come straight out of a healthy lifestyle magazine, so anyone who'd look down on what you're eating has issues

I think I also eat more frequently than other people near my desk, but I think that's because most, probably have a more calorific lunch, the 2 slim girls that sit near me and possibly watch what they eat I've never felt judged by even though they don't really snack, but if they were to pass comment I'd probably just laugh it off (but that's because they're nice so can't see them meaning it snidely) If someone was being a d*ck though I probably would come up with a cutting/witty comeback (most likely 5 minutes after I'd left the office for the day driving home)

Anyway I think I'd be prising the keys off my keyboard and giving them a chew if all I had was soup or salad and nothing else during an 8hr shift.

So yeah bananas

What you are doing is a great way to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. My mother was diabetic and her nutritionist recommended eating every three hours or so. By doing this, she was able to completely come off of her diabetic medications and regained normal blood sugar levels. Don't worry about what your coworkers think!

Don't bother with everyone else. If they're not skin and bones, then they're either eating a hearty breakfast, or a hearty dinner. Maybe both.

Personally, I don't eat breakfast so I can have a nice-sized lunch and dinner. I can easily go 'til 1pm without feeling hungry (though I'll eat if I go to a breakfast place with someone else). If I nibble all day long, then I'm never satiated.

Others like to eat steadily through the day and say it curbs their craving/hunger pangs. Do whatever works for you.

"8.30am - a bowl of porridge with half a home made veggie/fruit smoothie
10.30am - a piece of fruit
12.30pm - half a brown sub roll with ham and salad and the other half of my veggie/fruit smoothie
3pm - Start snacking on some grapes "

:noway:

Lady, you are eating too many carbs and sugar. When you do that, your blood sugar spikes.

A blood sugar spike completely dysregulates your body's production of leptin, making production surge. Surge of leptin production then is completely ignored by the brain because you've basically deafened your brain's ability to read leptin.

Then your brain believes it is starving, because it can't understand its leptin hormones.

Your brain, totally believing it is starving even though you just had some sugar 2-3 hours ago, now sends you uncontrollable, irresistable appetite cravings.

Your brain also likes things stable and at the same level internally, so it is more likely to perk up and said OH GOD YES MORE SUGAR at the sight of more carbs and other sugars.

This whole process takes about 2-3 hours. This is why you have cravings.

"8.30am - a bowl of porridge with half a home made veggie/fruit smoothie
10.30am - a piece of fruit
12.30pm - half a brown sub roll with ham and salad and the other half of my veggie/fruit smoothie
3pm - Start snacking on some grapes "

:noway:

Lady, you are eating too many carbs and sugar. When you do that, your blood sugar spikes.

A blood sugar spike completely dysregulates your body's production of leptin, making production surge. Surge of leptin production then is completely ignored by the brain because you've basically deafened your brain's ability to read leptin.

Then your brain believes it is starving, because it can't understand its leptin hormones.

Your brain, totally believing it is starving even though you just had some sugar 2-3 hours ago, now sends you uncontrollable, irresistable appetite cravings.

Your brain also likes things stable and at the same level internally, so it is more likely to perk up and said OH GOD YES MORE SUGAR at the sight of more carbs and other sugars.

This whole process takes about 2-3 hours. This is why you have cravings.

I assume the smoothie has protein it. I know porridge is has decent protein. Then she said she has ham with her lunch. I don't see a problem with her over doing the carbs or the EVIL SUGARS!

I don't think you're eating enough protein. I have to have, eggs or a protein shake with at least 25 grams of protein in it, in the morning, or I am hungry 2 hours later, as well. Though your choices are great they also look very low in calories, so you can add a little protein in without causing your total calories to go over. Adding an egg to breakfast would only add 70 calories and a low fat string cheese is only 60 calories (great with fruit). Just make sure you get a little protein with each snack/meal and I think that will really help. Good luck!

Hmm. I had a protein shake with 30g 2 hours ago and I am STARVING right now. But that's just how I roll. :drinker:

Have you always been hungry every 2-3 hours, or has it started since you have been running a calorie deficit?

My wife regularly needs to eat every 4-5 hours or so. I didn't, until last January when I started on MFP. Then I found myself getting quite hungry about 3 hours after breakfast and lunch.

However, by the 4th or 5th week, I stopped getting so hungry. If this is a new phenomenon for you, try gritting your teeth and sticking it out. The hunger might go away.

If you've always been this way, that might not work.

Either way, I would suggest getting more protein and fat in your meals. As damask1988 notes, they seem heavy in carbohydrates, especially sugars. If you want veggies and fruit, eat more whole vegetables and fruit and fewer smoothies; the blender breaks down the cell walls in them, making it easier for your digestion to extract sugars. Having a 100-calorie snack of almonds or cashews might not seem as satisfying as a 100-calorie smoothie, because it's smaller, but it might keep you satisfied longer. Adding an egg to your breakfast might keep you until lunch.

I live no more than 5 minutes from work so I go home for lunch. I pack a bunch of snacks to last me the afternoon, but then by 1:30, I'm fighting the urge to eat the rest of my snacks. Then when I do, I'm STARVED by the time I go home at 4:30.. lol

Eat more protein, and stop worrying about what your coworkers think!

Sounds normal to me. My day is usually:

9am Protein Bar
11am Yogurt or Fruit
12:30-1pm Lunch (leftovers, sandwich or salad)
2:30-3pm Yogurt or Fruit (whatever I didn't eat the last snack)
5pm (after workout usually): Protein Shake
7:30-8pm Dinner

I try not to eat after dinner but sometimes I'll give myself a treat and have a popsicle or a little bit of frozen yogurt. My hubby makes fun of me because on the weekends I have to take snacks when we go off because I'm used to eating often and he isn't. We're creatures of habit... if you eat often, you have to. If you don't... you don't have to. Eventually your body gets used to your routine and reminds you of it in hunger pains. (Note: I also eat less at lunch and dinner than my hubby does because i'm eating all day).

I'm always eating but thats probably more to do with how fast the food i eat digests (normally 2 hours max) this maybe something you want to look into when planning your meals if you don't want to eat every couple of hours
but yeah theres nothing wrong with eating often

I did not have time to read the whole thread, but first of all I noticed your meals have very little protein and fat. Both will help with hunger.

As to eating every 2-3 hours, that works for some people, and you sound like one of them. I can't stand doing it as I much prefer larger meals.

In terms of metabolism, all the studies show that how frequently you eat or infrequently, there is no difference for your overall daily metabolism. The idea that a bunch of small meals will speed up a persons overall metabolism is a myth that just won't die.

So, don't worry about what your co-workers think. As long as this keeps you eating at your calorie goal and satisfies you so you don't give up, do it.

I do the same thing. I also work in an office, and I have some co-workers who hardly eat during their shift and then a few like me. I keep healthy snacks in my office.

I sometimes keep bananas on my desk, they go manky in the fridge anyway :P the nuts are a good idea but I have no self restraint so they'd be polished off by 11am as as they're so easy to mindlessly pick at.

It doesn't look like you eat too much to me either the food you just described could've come straight out of a healthy lifestyle magazine, so anyone who'd look down on what you're eating has issues

I think I also eat more frequently than other people near my desk, but I think that's because most, probably have a more calorific lunch, the 2 slim girls that sit near me and possibly watch what they eat I've never felt judged by even though they don't really snack, but if they were to pass comment I'd probably just laugh it off (but that's because they're nice so can't see them meaning it snidely) If someone was being a d*ck though I probably would come up with a cutting/witty comeback (most likely 5 minutes after I'd left the office for the day driving home)

Anyway I think I'd be prising the keys off my keyboard and giving them a chew if all I had was soup or salad and nothing else during an 8hr shift.

So yeah bananas

I know what you mean about the nuts! I love them too so don't last long!

I tried bananas before but found that the texture didn't agree with me after a few days.