What do you do on hungry days?

I try to eat when I am hungry. But, I also try to determine where the hunger is coming from. Am I truly hungry or just bored, moody, etc. If I can honestly tell myself I am truly hungry, I give myself an extra 200-300 calories for the day and try to find a high protein/high fat snack.

If I realize that the "hunger" is just boredom or something else, I busy myself with something. Just last night, I got myself off the couch and did some overdue ironing because my hunger was clearly just becoming boredom eating.

Rice cakes help me.

If you're genuinely hungry, eat! If you've done weight training you're probably needing more protein in your diet.
If you're genuinely hungry and eaten your calorie allowance then maybe review what you're eating and try foods that release energy slower.
If you're eating because you're bored, such as because you're stuck at your desk, do something to distract yourself and if you can't leave the desk get yourself something like a cup of tea

I like high volume low calorie foods for those days...popcorn, veggies with a bit of dip, especially if it's antsy eating. I can munch on some bell peppers just mindlessly and not worry too much about consuming too many calories.

If you do happen to go over because you're hungry, it's fine. It's consistency that counts so on the other days, adjust your calories and maybe have a look at what you're eating to see where you can make improvements on satiety.

bgh707 wrote: »

Maybe you did a killer strength training workout. Maybe you've been sitting at a desk for too long and are getting antsy. Maybe it's the stress. What do you do to stay under your calories on days when you just can't seem to get full?

1. If it's a training thing, I make sure I'm actually fueling that activity
2. As far as sitting at my desk goes, I get up every hour and walk around the office common areas for about 2 minutes.
3. Regular exercise is also my answer to stress.
4. There's a difference between full and satiated...I no longer even like the feeling of "full" as it is quite uncomfortable.

I don't log so I don't eat exactly the same calories day in and day out...but I'm pretty good at listening to what my body is telling me.

I drink more water before anything. If that doesn't help I plan out my remaining calories with things I know will fill me. If I'm still hungry, like tonight I eat. I'm above my calories today but eating a set meal stops me from picking at foods that don't fill me. Try eating more protein when planning.

Hot tea, if I know I've eaten enough. Sometimes a mini babybel takes the edge off if I've been low on fat.

I do one of two opposites: I either take a maintenance day or a fast day (a fast day for me means eating 800-1200 calories regardless of exercise). I have hormonal hunger days where no matter how much I eat I stay hungry, so if I'm hungry anyway might as well make it a fast day. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it does. If it's just a typical hungry day I try to stick to my calories eating the foods that I know are most filling to me, but if I still can't stay within calories I don't sweat it if I go up to maintenance or even slightly over and it isn't frequent.

Water, diet soda, zero calorie snacks, caffeine and exercise.