Getting up early is messing up my calorie plan,help :(

zikarra
zikarra Posts: 16 Member
edited November 16 in Motivation and Support
Hi there,
So I started eating healthier 2 years ago and am now reducing calories (atm 1500/day MFP)
I have had no problem with this calorie goal and it seems to work out for me.

I started logging my food during easter break where I would get up at 10/11am and be awake until 3-4am
mainly because I work in the afternoons from home,tidy the flat,then spend time with my SO & relax.
However,I naturally dont eat at night which means I have my last meal at 8-9PM and then that`s it,no hunger.

I did however had to log 979 calories for breakfast this morning.

And it wasnt even much if you were to put it on a plate.

Before Uni - at home, 6:40AM
40g Musli (low on sugar/fat high protein)
100ml Milk (3,8% )
-> 250kcal

In Class/Break 10AM
2x Wholemeal & Walnut Bread Sandwich (high in protein) Size of 1/2 Hand-Palm each
One with vegetarian spread,one with a slice of cheese
->629 Calories

1 Banana
-> 135 Calories


And I was hungry as soon as I came home,despite drinking lots of water in class that didnt
do anything for my stomach growling,so I had to have dinner at 2PM.

Anyone else with this problem? I now have like 200 kcal left and its 6PM.
Those are good energy dense foods so I was hoping it'd see me through the day :(

So basically,despite of being awake the same amount of time,I now have to eat
much more, to not feel hungry to the point of feeling awful & sick.

Replies

  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    So would you be able to skip the before uni eating? For some people, waiting to break the fast you're essentially on when you're sleeping is really beneficial, and eating upon awakening just revs up hunger. If you're used to starting to eat around 10 am, then eat around 10 am, even if you're up at 7. Try it and see if it helps!

    (I will be in a similar boat soon and this is my plan. I really don't want to change my eating schedule, it's always really hard on me. And although breakfast would come up earlier, and lunch could come up earlier, dinner can't/won't, so I'd end up wanting a snack and I don't have extra room, etc. I'm just going to wait and eat breakfast at my usual time. I've done this before and it works well for me.)

    You may also want to rethink the banana snack. Fruit is mainly carbs, which give some quick energy but don't last. Protein and fat would help keep you satiated. Full fat dairy is great, like a greek yoghurt, if you're able to bring it, but there would be other options.

    I also find it helpful to schedule my food. So if breakfast is at 10 am, make lunch at 3 and dinner at 8. (Or whatever works for you.)

    Finally... when we change up our eating schedule, we get issues with hunger. This is because one reason we can get hunger is actually expectation -- if the body is used to eating at a certain time, it may give you hunger signals for that time. You could try setting a new schedule and basically trying to stick to it until you adjust, or temporarily giving yourself some more calories for the odd extra snack to help the adjustment, etc.

    As for today -- please have a proper dinner and log it and don't worry about it. One day without a significant deficit is not going to hurt you!
  • zikarra
    zikarra Posts: 16 Member
    edited April 2015
    Thank you for answering! (: I will try to skip the breakfast at home before, actually. I was having a really hard time going 3h without food today though, after waking up,even with the muesli. Everyone sat next to me was squirming as well, saying they were looking forward for break to get some food in (which is always good to know when you think it's just you being a podger)

    The bread I`m having is home made loaf with a good bit of protein.
    (500g wholemeal,50g linseeds,40g walnuts,50g sunflower/pumpkin seeds,water/salt/yeast)
    and while the seeds bump up the total kcal by a lot i thought they'd keep me satiated.

    I thought bananas were slow acting carbs so they`d also keep me satiated but honestly I know very little yet. I guess I misjudged them a bit - I could pack a cooked egg or greek yoghurt if I ever find out what the german equivalent is.

    I can't deny I'm very picky with foods,I don't like meat and also warm food in the morning,I dont like raw veggies,I get bored of oats, so bread is my go-to but the supermarket wholemeal toast I sometimes get has actually only 50% wholemeal flour and added sugar,additives etc. so I normally have my own bread,oats with cinnamon,boiled egg,muesli .. depending on what I fancy that morning.

    I need to work this breakfast one out as I can't stand being hungry during class,it really messes up my focus - but at the same time I don't see why I should suddenly be hungry after 900kcal when I normally have 300-400 for breakfast. One of the reasons I want to stay self-employed and have my comfortable schedule ):
  • asiabacus
    asiabacus Posts: 1
    Or just try changing around what you eat. Like more fruits and veggies (less calories and good clean- feeling energy) and less Breads, meats, nuts, etc. I like to do fruit for breakfast and some veggie salad for lunch..
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Try maybe a yogurt and granola mix for the second breakfast? Something with fewer calories but still with a good amount of protein.

    Now, I absolutely do not believe that there are rules for when you should and should not eat. I do however believe that the body gets used to certain schedules and so does the brain and it can be a struggle to readjust when schedules change. But it is also doable, it just takes time, creativity and some willpower and a few tricks. I used to be hungry the second I woke up, but now I work out, shower, get ready and go to work before I eat on the weekdays, that's almost four hours. It just took a bit to adjust. A metric shitload of water helps a lot, too.
  • zikarra
    zikarra Posts: 16 Member
    I'm not sure why but it comes more natural to me to go on english forums and I find this one to be friendlier too - we don't actually have high protein yoghurts around here... it seems to be something popular in the US but all the natural yoghurts I know and can find have 3-5g Protein which is disappointing. Seems to be a problem for many Germans lurking on the EN forum, we have something called greek yoghurt but it's just air bubbled yoghurt with cream and lots of sugar (delicious but unhealthy) I can't eat granola too often as I find it hard to eat sweet things (even unflavored oats with milk) in the morning very often. I know I'm picky - sorry! I think I will try some in-season fruit with fewer calories/sugar/carbs and an egg next week and see if that works better for satiety,along with some bread since I can't leave it out,its my only bread nowadays (I used to eat bread,rice and noodles 24/7 when I was even pickier and eating worse)

    I just needed to know that perhaps it is the food itself that isn't quite right but I also forgot that body clock a bit in the equation. And perhaps that I'm not the only one?

    I know for a fact that I eat much more / feel more hunger the earlier I get up but there must be a way to control it :)
  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
    Your food choices seem odd to me. Lean meat is more satiating and lower in calories than your choices, so I'm wondering why you don't seem to be eating any.

    Your bread and vegetable spread/cheese sandwich is so calorie dense and seems to not fill you up. Whereas, say for example, 100g baked chicken breast, 50g broccoli and 100g baked potato with just salt is about 220cals and I'm pretty sure it's gonna fill you up for much longer (this meal is also less than your muesli breakfast).

    Are you vegetarian? Because there's also better vegetarian meal options than the ones you've listed.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    I'm the same way. If I eat in the morning (especially early morning) I'm absolutely ravenous for the rest of the day. I find it much easier to just skip breakfast and eat lunch in the afternoon and dinner as normal. If I don't eat anything for breakfast then I usually don't feel hungry until lunch.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    You describe the bread and the museli as high protein but really these two foods are carb sources. Basically you're eating a lot of carbs in that 900cals

    I think you have two options: skip breakfast or look at eating more protein and veggies. Eggs are a good option. Try making a fritatta with eggs and veggies ahead of time
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