I always overeat at breakfast!

I just eat huge breakfasts and plan it that way. I always see lots of posts about skipping breakfast to have a bigger dinner. I do just the opposite. I'm at about 1500 as well and it's not at all unusual for me to have 2/3 of my calories by mid-morning. I have a smoothie at 4 as soon as I get up (fruit, yogurt, protein, BCAA's, beet & blueberry powders). I go to the gym, then once I'm at my office I have "second breakfast" which today was a big chicken thigh, rice and green beans, and some chex mix. I don't usually eat lunch after that, but have a snack mid-afternoon. Today that will be carrots and salsa. Dinner will be a bit heavier than usual since I have supper club tonight, but generally I have 300-500 calories for dinner and don't have too much of a problem sticking to that. If you're a morning eater, I think it's just easier to work with your body than against it.

Add some more fat in the morning- it definitely helps satiate me longer. I know you have that listed already. The other thing I do sometimes is to split breakfast into two parts. It may up your overall calories by 100-150 in the morning but will avoid the crazy binge need.

rosesandsuch wrote: »

My general intake is around 1500 cals, but I often wake up super early in the morning feeling extremely hungry, usually around 5 am, but sometimes as early as 4! For whatever reason my urge to nibble and graze after eating the +/- 400 calorie breakfasts I usually prepare in advance (unsweetened oatmeal with fruit and nuts, veggie omelettes, etc) is so intense that I can end up scarfing down 750 calories before 9 am, but because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut I have to eat lighter the entire day! I feel like I’m starving by 10:00! I’ve tried eating higher fat breakfasts, higher carb breakfasts, and I always keep the protein count high, so... what’s worked for all of you?!

What do you consider high protein, as a percent of the calories in a meal? Neither of the things you mentioned are a meal I'd call high protein. The omelet may have adequate protein.

As others have said, you may not be eating enough at dinner or overall.

For myself, I feel hungry in the AM but because it goes away for a few hours after I start drinking my tea, I was actually thirsty. But I'm definitely eating enough overall and at night.

I remember a proverb or saying I heard once that says:

Eat like a king for breakfast,
A prince for lunch,
And a pauper for dinner.

I think it is fine to have your heaviest meal in the AM if you are feeling satiated with what you eat later in the day, which I'm not sure if you are based on your post. I will assume you aren't....? And out of curiosity, why only 1500 cals a day? Is that for loss or maintenance? Maybe you just need a bit more? *shrugs* I'm kinda new to this whole process myself, really.

Anyway, a shake I like in the AM that fills me for hours is kale, 8 oz coconut almond milk, a banana, a scoop of Vega one, a tbl peanut or nut butter and a quarter to half cup of oatmeal. It is huge and the cals are about 450 , but I usually only want a light lunch because it fills me. Maybe a salad with fiber and protein and then an apple later in the day. I also like soups for dinner because they can fill you without tons of calories.

ETA after more thinking...I"m kind of like the other posters who don't eat first thing. I have coffee with sugar and half and half around 7, then usually don't have anything to eat or my shake until around 9.

Do you wake up because you are so hungry or is that just your normal wake up time?

can you open your diary up?

kshama2001 wrote: »

rosesandsuch wrote: »

My general intake is around 1500 cals, but I often wake up super early in the morning feeling extremely hungry, usually around 5 am, but sometimes as early as 4! For whatever reason my urge to nibble and graze after eating the +/- 400 calorie breakfasts I usually prepare in advance (unsweetened oatmeal with fruit and nuts, veggie omelettes, etc) is so intense that I can end up scarfing down 750 calories before 9 am, but because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut I have to eat lighter the entire day! I feel like I’m starving by 10:00! I’ve tried eating higher fat breakfasts, higher carb breakfasts, and I always keep the protein count high, so... what’s worked for all of you?!

What do you consider high protein, as a percent of the calories in a meal? Neither of the things you mentioned are a meal I'd call high protein. The omelet may have adequate protein.

This is a good point. My idea of protein for a breakfast is 25-35 g, and to hit around 30 g with an omelet (I use 2 eggs, and reasonably high protein veg, like spinach and broccoli), I have to add something else, like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, or smoked salmon on the side. The oats aren't going to be particularly high protein at all, unless you add protein powder.

For me -- but this may not be the answer for you -- a combination of protein and fiber are needed for breakfast. I try to have some vegetables, and like I said get to around 25-35 g of protein on a 350-450 cal breakfast. Less protein seems to be needed when fiber is higher, but that could be my own quirk.

As others have said, you may not be eating enough at dinner or overall.

I'd look at this.

But also if you are setting new habits, it may not be comfortable at first, and for me it was important to plan and stick to the plan. If you are hungry after breakfast you really don't need to eat before lunch or eat more than your planned lunch. If you do that for a week and continue to feel really hungry post breakfast, try something else, like 3 small meals (adding up to the same calories) over the time period from breakfast to lunch. Or try delaying breakfast even if you wake hungry (have coffee or tea if you drink them) and see if the hunger diminishes, sometimes that happens.

Also, if you are waking really early and not sleeping well (something I have struggled with) the hunger could well be a result of sleep-deprivation and your body needing energy. Try working on that.

If you have a such a small amount of kcal per day, I would suggest use protein + fat as a breakfast, move the carbs to the latest meal or afterworkout.
Do not be afraid the to eat carbs before sleep, but have at least 1 hour before bed time.
Breakfast is not necessary tho, hunger will pass anyway.
It might be just in your head that the first thing u wake up is having breakfast, have some drink instead lets say coffee with coconut oil or alternative.

Maybe 1500 isn't enough in general. I would be starving on 1500, and I'm a little old lady with no job and a relatively low-maintenance/low activity lifestyle. If you are younger and active (a job? school? kids? husband?) you definitely need more than 1500 as a baseline.

Well overeating breakfast is better than at dinner. More day to run it off!

Some of dieting is just dealing with being hungry, it sucks but it is temporary, it gets easier the longer you do it and eventually you'll be back at maintenance and not having to do it anymore.

I think many people tend to have one meal bigger than the other. I usually eat all of my calories before 6 PM, and I've tested it that whether I eat everything before 1 PM or 6 PM, I feel the same at the end of the night.

It is possible that you feel like you are starving because you have established a calorie deficit that is too high.

If your target calorie intake is 1500 what is your typical expenditure? What is your TDEE?