Stop snacking??

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pixiechick8321
pixiechick8321 Posts: 284 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone,

So my ideal day for eating would go like this:

Breakfast - 250 cal
(I do this well - with a variety of foods - oatmeal, fruit, english muffins, whole wheat thin bagel, cereal, egg, etc with milk or juice or tea mostly...)

Snack - 150 cal

Lunch - 350 cal

Snack - 150 cal

Supper - 450 cal

Snack - 170 cal
(Popcorn usually - air popped)

This leaves me 30 calories to play with..and isn't strict.

However, my problem is that I usually get really hungry between breakfast and lunch - today for example, I ate my morning snack, and my afternoon snack, - all by 10am! Breakfast was a thin whole wheat bagel with a thin spread of cheese, 2 cherry tomatoes, juice, and a bit of cranberry-orange bread left over. Morning snack was supposed to be Wallaby vanilla yogurt (150 cal).

But I had breakfast around 6:45, then the yogurt around 9, quickly followed by the pumpkin seeds (100 cal) and applesauce (50 cal) that I had reserved for afternoon snack.

And now it's like 10:11 and I'm still hungry - or maybe I'm just bored?? I did the gum thing yesterday, but I don't like chewing gum that much and it's not very professional (although I'm a grad student so whatever that means).

My lunch will be beans, brown rice, veggies, and cottage cheese and supper is bratwurst on a bun and pineapple.

But now I'm unhappy since I will have no food between about 12 and 6!

So what can I eat to stop the snacking early in the day?? Would adding protein powder to my breakfast help? Should I just get a bunch of really low calorie snacks instead of trying to stay with one?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
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    Let me know if you figure it out. My worst time is between breakfast and lunch, can't say that I am bored at work, just don't want to be at work maybe.

    Normally I would eat breakfast between 7:30 and 8:00, snack around 10:30 and lunch around 1:00. Yesterday and today, I ate a mini cliff bar at 7:00am, which I normally eat with my breakfast (100cal), then didn't eat my cereal, milk and fruit until 10:00am. Yesterday it worked and I didn;t eat again until lunch, but today I am hungry - had some wasabi peas and still hungry. Not sure if this is working.
  • Nomarfan
    Nomarfan Posts: 36
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    I chew gum. Sugar free gum is 5 calories for 2 pieces. It kicks the hunger pains for about 30-45 minutes. After that, I'm chugging water like a frat boy!
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    Breakfast should be your largest meal of the day, followed by lunch, and then dinner.
  • MellyPfromVT
    MellyPfromVT Posts: 869 Member
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    My suggestion would be to eat more for breakfast and skip the morning snack. Breakfast is an important meal. Make sure to get protein and carbs in your breakfast. I think 250 cals isn't enough for breakfast. I make my breakfast around 350 calories and am rarely hungry before lunch time.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    I almost always prepare a GIANT bowl of oatmeal and then I eat half when I first get to work around 8 and then the rest around 10 or 10:30. But I'm one of those people who gets really satisfied with whole grains and doesn't need as much protein. (low carb diets KILL me)

    Maybe try to stick with more whole grains like oatmeal, rather than a bagel?
  • aamato10
    aamato10 Posts: 2 Member
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    This is just a suggestion, it works for me. I eat a little more protien in the morning than what you are describing. That may help you through a little longer. It seems like you have a carbohydrate based breakfast, by adding more protien maybe it will help you to go a little longer between your meals and snacks. Hope this helps! :happy:
  • Girlbirder
    Girlbirder Posts: 17 Member
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    Might it helped if you swapped your snacks over, you can graze on the seeds therefore taking longer to eat, where as the yogurt has to be eaten pretty much in one hit. I had raspberries mid morning today instead of the afternoon and it seemed to work.
  • tdot64
    tdot64 Posts: 19
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    For me, if I have bread, I feel SO much hungrier. Try a few egg whites and a 1/3 cup of oatmeal with 1/2 tbsp of natural peanut butter mixed in. I used to have to snack an hour after breakfast, but since eating this, I stay full for hours.
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
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    Maybe you could try only having 100 claories for one or two of your snacks and adding a little bit more to your breakfast? It is very difficult to do because it is not what we are used to but breakfat should actually be the largest meal of the day, not the smallest. I have a very difficult time with it too so you certainly would not be alone if this is difficult :) Good luck.
  • igora_soma
    igora_soma Posts: 486
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    I like to drink coffee or tea in the morning, it really helps! I also eat a hardboiled egg and that seems to really curb my appetite. It's definitely something that you have to get used to though :/ Good luck!!
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
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    I stopped snacking in the morning by adding protein to my breakfast, like yogurt or a piece of ham. I can't for the life of me eat bacon or eggs in the morning, but those would be an option as well.

    Good luck!
  • linzfaulk
    linzfaulk Posts: 3
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    Try drinking water! I usually drink about a liter or so before lunch... this really helps with cravings. Are you really hungry or just looking for something to eat because you know you have extra calories to spare? I LOVE sugar free jello as a snack. I freeze it so it takes longer to eat and it more fulfilling. :drinker:
  • ChezInProgress
    ChezInProgress Posts: 25
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    Personally, I've found that making breakfast my biggest meal of the day works best for me.
    It wards off the hunger for about 2 hrs which by then is snack time. I eat between 100-160 calories for a snack
    which will hold me another two hrs until lunch time. A common lunch for me is 230-290 calories.
    Two hrs after that, another snack.
    And then dinner which is the smallest meal of my day.
    That structure coupled with copious amounts of water seems to work fine for me.
  • pixiechick8321
    pixiechick8321 Posts: 284 Member
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    Wow, fast replies, thanks everyone!

    My problem is time - I usually have 5 minutes for breakfast before I have to race to catch the bus. Then it takes an hour and some minutes to get me to work. I can't eat on the bus.

    While I do eat oatmeal some days, usually with a tiny bit of sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, I don't want to eat it all the time and a big bowl makes me queasy - I have a tolerance of 1/2 cup dry. I do the eggs on english muffin on days I drive in (once per week) but I still get hungry quickly. I have also tried putting peanut butter into the oatmeal (not my thing) and on a bagel (Works but still hungry).

    I do graze, and I can eat really slowly, but it only takes so long ;-) And I drink water constantly - I go to the bathroom at least once every hour so no more of that! ;-)

    Does protein powder work as well as eggs, peanut butter, etc? I never feel full after drinks (ie, smoothie) and I don't like the taste of slimfast, etc so I hesitate, but if I could sprinkle it on, that would be ok - I just can't drink it....perhaps I'll try though making sure that I eat an egg or nut or something with every breakfast...


    Any other thoughts?
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
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    I get hungrier in the evenings and have more options away from work so I limit myself to lower calorie breakfasts and lunches. I keep a a babybel cheese in case i'm DYING of hunger but that way if I meet friends out after work OR have lots of time at home.. I have about 800 calories to work with in the evenings.

    Needing to eat more at breakfast or not past dinner time is not a proven deal. Save your calories for when YOU are most hungry then eat something that feels good. I personally do better with a meal, wrap, veggies, salad then snacks for my basic meals .. snacks I do like the occassional 100-130 calorie ice cream something or another but if i'm famished I will always choose a protein.

    You have to make this fit your wants and needs. This should be a lifestyle that you can fit into, not a diet that you one day think you will no longer need.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Protien for breakfast - greek yogurt is a godsend.

    Add veggies to your snacks - lots of fiber - few calories. I always pack a reserve - snap peas, carrot sticks, cucumber slices Yum!

    Midafternoon - Chai or Mayan Cocoa tea. I use 1/4 c. skim milk & 1 packet splenda.
  • tdot64
    tdot64 Posts: 19
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    Maybe if you can't control your hunger with your breakfast, just choose lower calorie snacks. For me, I chop a few stalks of celery, a carrot and a bell pepper all into relatively small strips (to make it look like more) and eat it with salsa. Since everything is chopped smaller it can take me an hour to eat it, and usually I am too full to finish it all at once.
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
    Options
    Wow, fast replies, thanks everyone!

    My problem is time - I usually have 5 minutes for breakfast before I have to race to catch the bus. Then it takes an hour and some minutes to get me to work. I can't eat on the bus.

    While I do eat oatmeal some days, usually with a tiny bit of sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, I don't want to eat it all the time and a big bowl makes me queasy - I have a tolerance of 1/2 cup dry. I do the eggs on english muffin on days I drive in (once per week) but I still get hungry quickly. I have also tried putting peanut butter into the oatmeal (not my thing) and on a bagel (Works but still hungry).

    I do graze, and I can eat really slowly, but it only takes so long ;-) And I drink water constantly - I go to the bathroom at least once every hour so no more of that! ;-)

    Does protein powder work as well as eggs, peanut butter, etc? I never feel full after drinks (ie, smoothie) and I don't like the taste of slimfast, etc so I hesitate, but if I could sprinkle it on, that would be ok - I just can't drink it....perhaps I'll try though making sure that I eat an egg or nut or something with every breakfast...


    Any other thoughts?

    My most filling breakfast to date is a Trader Joe multigrain waffle toasted with 1 TBS Better then Butter and 1/2 banana sliced on it. Like an open sandwich. 228 calories
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    It seem like you are eating a lot of carbs ( Breads, Juice, rice, beans, applesauce, yogurt) they all have a lot of carbs and cals . Try to have an egg white omelet with lots of veggies. for breakfast and salad or Low carb bread with 2 oz. Tuna or low fat low sodium luncheon meat with cucumber, lettuce and tomato for lunch. This will leave you with more calories to play with during the day. In stead of sandwiches for dinner, Lean meat or fish, fresh cooked veggies and portion control of starch. Eat an apple instead of applesauce, drink water instead of juice. This may help.
  • kathrynvculek
    kathrynvculek Posts: 7 Member
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    Protein at breakfast is a must. Try Egg Beaters to get a great protein boost with fewer calories and cholesterol than a whole egg. Kashi cereals are also a great source.

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