WHY DINNER???

rockasparx
rockasparx Posts: 17
edited September 2024 in Introduce Yourself
I never get hungry during the day...but when dinner comes I eat. I am not sure why or how to fix it. HELP ME!!! I am a mother of 3 and a wife. I love to bake because my kids love to eat it(they are as thin as twigs). My husband and I decided to do this once we found out... HEY YOU TWO OVER THERE YOUR OVER WEIGHT!!! We have been on here for a lil while and I feel we are doing it all wrong...or at least me. Hope to make buddies and get helpers. Good luck to you all.

Replies

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,375 Member
    Eat less through the day so you can eat a bigger dinner. Your body does not care when you eat your calorie, so I big dinner will not hurt, just stay within your calorie budget.
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    If you are used to eating dinner as the biggest meal then it's natural to not really be hungry during the day. I was like that when I first started. I started eating breakfast and spreading my calories out to eat every 2ish hours throughout the day and now the only time I actually feel hungry is in the morning. Hope this helps, feel free to add me as a friend. :-)
  • Crystals422
    Crystals422 Posts: 382 Member
    Maybe if you workout before dinner you will not be that hungry and if you are you will have some extra calories to eat. Feel free to add me.
  • aaronjarvis
    aaronjarvis Posts: 47 Member
    you really need to separate your meals. eating once a day wont help. at a minimum eat some snacks during the day, fruit etc etc. honey nut cheerios is great for breakfast.

    set a goal, & go for it. do small ones at first, then work up to bigger ones. i know its hard with kids, but you guys can do it!
  • TonyTrinch
    TonyTrinch Posts: 48
    I was the same way before starting here on MFP. I've had to force myself to eat breakfast, although I missed it today. :( I've found that spreading my meals out throughout the day has increased my metabolism and is helping my body learn to burn the calories I'm taking in, instead of holding on them.

    I've done a bit of reading on that and it seems your body kinda goes into a panic if it's not getting a pretty steady stream of calories and holds onto as much as it can out of "fear" it's not going to get anymore. Spreading my eating out during the day seems to have balanced out my body and it's using what I put in because it "knows" more is coming.

    It's only been three weeks on MFP for me, but I'm already used to smaller meals throughout the day, but getting to that point meant forcing myself to eat something in the morning, even if it was just a piece of fruit.
  • arcadiaa
    arcadiaa Posts: 1
    A good breakfast makes all the difference. It's not just the breakfast food that you eat, either. Get up early enough (painful, I know) to enjoy your breakfast.

    If your kids eat breakfast in peace, with plenty of time to finish, they arrive at school awake and ready. This sets you up for a calmer, happier day, all the way through dinner.
  • LeelaLosing
    LeelaLosing Posts: 237 Member
    Train yourself to start eating breakfast and lunch or snacks. Start eating less at night consistently and you will start going to sleep a little hungry and waking up hungry and wanting breakfast!!

    Just like training my puppy. She got fussy and didn't want her dinner, so I took it away, and next morning she was hungry!! And never left her food again. I had to train myself to start eating breakfast again, I got out of the habit, was eating too much at dinner and night snacks, but now I'm back in the habit.

    You want your body and metabolism to burn it's highest throughout the day, so fuel it throughout the day. Do you workout? That will help you gain more hungry during the day as well.
  • melzteach
    melzteach Posts: 550 Member
    You might try to eat an even amount of calories at each meal; I do about 350-400. Evenly space out your meals so your body has a steady stream of fuel all day. Then you won't find yourself famished with low blood sugar. If after eating a balanced dinner you feel hungry drink a glass of ice water and wait 30 minutes. If you're still hungry after that eat some fresh fruit or veggies; maybe with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. You could even chew a piece of gum.
    If you are hungry you should eat but if you're anything like I was you might just "think" you're hungry. I estimate I used to overeat about 1/4 - 1/2 more than I should be eating and without exercise. When I started taking good care of myself the first week or two was a little rough but I was determined and kept telling myself "I-am-stronger-than-food"! I found that Once I started exercising and "earning" more calories it helped a lot. Just keep your goals in mind and push/work hard to attain them! Good luck to you!
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    I love to bake because my kids love to eat it(they are as thin as twigs).

    Even if your kids are thin as twigs do them a favor and teach them healthy eating habits.
    Manufacturers put a lot of added sugar in "real foods" these days because it's cheap and it increase the appetite. So that you buy more.

    Kids should absolutely be able to have a treat now and then, just watch the processed foods to make sure they aren't getting a double whammy of sugar. Also I love the idea of "treats" being special. If it's a once in a while thing instead of any everyday thing. It takes less to be "special" and they get so happy and grateful when it's really is special.

    I know I'm a bit of a zealot about sugar. and I know I HAVE NO IDEA of how you are feeding your kids and I'm probably speaking out of turn, but I just want everyone to be happy and healthy for a long, long time. And I figure if you give kids a healthy diet when they are young that becomes THEIR COMFORT FOOD, what they'll fall back to in times of stress. (Instead of what I fall back to in times of stress)

    Sorry if I've overstepped.

    Happiness to you and your whole family
  • farmgirl88
    farmgirl88 Posts: 91 Member
    I was always a big dinner-eater, too and it was a hard habit to break.... I just loved ending my day with a nice big meal... but most of the time I found myself feeling gross afterwards.

    So... this is what I have found out by trial and error in my own life.... If I eat 4-5 smaller meals a day, I feel best... I never have those hunger pains. Also, I've found out that it's always better for me to eat a BIG breakfast because I feel great afterwards and I feel like eating less the rest of the day. So I try to eat a BIG breakfast, a small-ish lunch, a small snack at 3 pm and a medium-sized dinner. Eating most of my calories at the beginning of the day helps the cravings go away for the rest of the day.

    I would experiment with different eating styles to see if it makes a difference for you (i.e. 5 small and evenly balanced meals a day, 3 balanced meals a day, 3 medium meals and 2 snacks, a big brunch and light dinner, etc.)

    Also, drinking enough water each day helps too. Sometimes your body says "I'm hungry" when it's really meaning to say "I need water."

    Hope this helps!!! :)
  • rockasparx
    rockasparx Posts: 17
    Thank you all for the helpful information...I feel that I can use it all to my best.
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