Those studies really are a generalization. If you talk to a lot of people who are trying to "diet", you'll find out that most eyeball portions and usually don't write anything down until the end of the day or even a day later... and that's if they're recording at all. Even with the dietitians, I think there's probably an element of, "I'm a dietitian, of course I know what a serving of (whatever) looks like." If you're measuring, weighing, and logging consistently, those studies really don't apply to you.

Honestly, I think a lot of it for those people is a combination of under-estimating earlier in the day and overcompensating later in the day. I see my husband do this all the time (not a big deal, but a good example). He'll just throw stuff together earlier in the day and doesn't realize he's way under his caloric needs. Then in the evening, he piles on extra portions because he feels like he needs more protein, and that's usually true. But when he does that, he is usually feeling so hungry and run down that he significantly overshoots and ends up over his calories by the end of the day. That happens to a lot of people who try to keep low calorie diets. Even with people who are logging, I see diaries where people have super low calories early in the day and then overcompensate at night.

More recently with my husband, he's started realizing I'm not trying to be a total control freak when I unpack his lunch bag and check the weights of his snacks. I end up adding more food to almost everything 99% of the time. He said he hasn't had any migraines since we've been more diligent about that, he isn't tired at the end of the day, and because he doesn't have the urge to overcompensate in the evening, his weight is coming off even though he doesn't do much exercise. His portions earlier in the day might look like "under reporting" to someone who doesn't know the weights/measures, but it's accurate for him and that is helping him lose weight. Hope that's encouraging

Farm - it's okay to eat a full breakfast, lunch and have what you ate. Just remember that you are trying to increase your calories so you're going to start getting hungry (metabolism revving up). Make sure you have good stuff on hand as well as treats. Even on a cut I'm still eating some chocolate or something else I love pretty much every day. But I pre-plan it. Maybe you should think about pre-planning your day's intake and write it in MFP...then you'll see if you have extra calories for a treat that day!

Yes to protein!! And fats, too Carbs are burned pretty quickly by your body, so it's easy to crash and feel super hungry soon after eating a carbohydrate-based meal or snack. While it might feel healthier to eat a banana, a serving of cheese might help you feel better for the same number of calories. A few weeks ago, I kept thinking, "I'm hungry and it's not time for a snack yet. I should have some fruit!" Fruit is mostly carbs, and I'd feel hungry again so quickly it drove me crazy. I finally "gave in" one day and had a piece of cheese. It was nothing short of miraculous. Suddenly my brain was shooting off happy chemicals like, "Thank you! That's what we needed!!" Checking your macro ratios can help guide you in figuring out what might help trigger that feeling of satiety. Sometimes you might need protein, and other times you might need fats. You may also need to eat more frequently. I've heard recommendations for people to eat every 3 hours. I do best if I eat every 2.5 hours... possibly because I'm so short that I might as well be a Hobbit. ((runs off to change meal names to add "second breakfast" and "elevensies"))