anyone else have this issue?

ausal
ausal Posts: 4 Member
edited November 27 in Motivation and Support
I am a 47 year old woman trying to lose 5-10 lbs. When I can stick to 1600-1800 calories daily and exercise, I lose weight. My issue is that I am always STARVING in the afternoon. I eat 800-1000 calories in breakfast and lunch. I emphasize protein and strive for 1-1.5g/kg/day. By 3pm, I'm ready to eat anything. I work in healthcare so I have to grab something quick between patients. On my days off, I do well with eating veggies during this time. At work, I don't have time to munch on crudites until I'm full. I'll do a quest bar or premier protein shake if I'm disciplined, grab treats out of the break room if I'm not. By the time I get home, I have no calories left for dinner with my family! Any low calories satiating ideas for an afternoon snack? Thank you so much.

Replies

  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Try eating your protein. Kitten shakes and bars. Not as much satiety for me. Just my experience. I work in healthcare as well.
  • born_of_fire74
    born_of_fire74 Posts: 776 Member
    LOL. The censor on this page changes curse words to "kitten". So what they meant was "never mind shakes and bars" but what they said was something less acceptable.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    "Kitten" is a word MFP puts in when someone uses a swear word. Psychod787 means that perhaps a protein food, rather than a protein drink would be more satisfying.

    Have you tried rearranging the 800-1000 calories you have for breakfast & lunch to try to incorporate small snack around 3pm? I find a handful of grapes or a fruit in the afternoon will stave off the hunger pains until dinner. That's only about 150 calories or so. If you can shave the calories from lunch, would this help?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Kitten is the way mfp bleeps profanity.
    The suggestion is that some people don't find shakes and bars filling, regardless of macro composition.

    Unfortunately different people find different things filling. I found I needed higher protein and fiber, others do better with higher fat. You can play around with meal timing. I found I do fine not eating in the AM and it helps me save calories for later in the day when I'm hungry regardless of what I've eaten so far. If eating good sized breakfast and lunch aren't working, maybe experiment with a smaller or skipped breakfast or lunch.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    ausal wrote: »
    what's a kitten shake? Tried to google it and just got memes of spazzy cats.
    I think it's a push by the Humanes Society to increase our consumption of cat meat. Lean, a little stringy, but adds to satiety with the inclusions of the fur balls. I think they are avaivble the local, slightly unpredictable meat market.....

    Haha. Many moons ago I worked on a cruise ship. At the beginning of the season in one particular city (I won't say which), there were a considerable number of dogs and cats roaming around this outdoor restaurant that we went to. When ordering my food, the waiter didn't seem to be particularly forthcoming on the type of meat in the food I was ordering and I decided not to press it. I noticed a considerable decline in the pup and feline populations by the end of the season. I'm not saying that's what was in the food, but I do sometimes wonder...

    OP. I know how busy healthcare can be. You have a break room. Pack a lunch that has good grab and go food sources that will work for you. Tuna, beans, cheese, small items that don't need reheating. These will give your stomach something to work on so you feel less hungry and because it's planned, you know it will fit in your day.
  • mamasara2
    mamasara2 Posts: 194 Member
    Beef jerky!!!!! It's so yummy and filling and relatively low calorie. It's easy to stash in a small snack bag in a pocket.

    I like almonds as well.
    But beef jerky is better. 😂
  • mamasara2
    mamasara2 Posts: 194 Member
    I have the same issue with being hungry by the end of the day, but it seems to be less of an issue when I have my first meal closer to noon. I'm not usually hungry first thing in the morning, though, so that works for me. May not work for you.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    I was going to mention this.... have you ever considered time restricted eating? I have been doing it for a few months and kind of like it. After I eat, my hunger foes through the roof. So by breakfast skipping, I seem to delay the hunger. It has taken a while to get use to it, but it has shown me a few things. As some members have told me, its ok to be hungry. Most of us in countries of plenty have forgotten what it feels like. Lord knows I did. You can actually teach your body to be hungry I am finding. Setting established meal times, I know it is hard in our line of work, helps. I actually seem to do better in a deficit myself. Surpluses just make me hungrier. Strange.... Best of luck.
  • fichey
    fichey Posts: 9 Member
    I love nonfat Greek yogurt for afternoon snacks. High protein, sweet, 120 cals (for chobani and some others).
  • ausal
    ausal Posts: 4 Member
    thanks for the suggestions! will play around with timing my meals and substituting real food for the protein shakes/bars. No kittens!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    ausal wrote: »
    thanks for the suggestions! will play around with timing my meals and substituting real food for the protein shakes/bars. No kittens!

    1-1.5g protein per kg isn't necessarily that much. The general recommendation, especially when you're in a deficit to lose is 0.8g per lb, as a minimum....you might find bumping it up helps with satiety. I'd also suggest planning your cals around when you're hungry - I found leaving breakfast til as late as possible didn't make me more hungry, and made later meals more satisfying as they could be more calorific.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    ausal wrote: »
    thanks for the suggestions! will play around with timing my meals and substituting real food for the protein shakes/bars. No kittens!

    1-1.5g protein per kg isn't necessarily that much. The general recommendation, especially when you're in a deficit to lose is 0.8g per lb, as a minimum....you might find bumping it up helps with satiety. I'd also suggest planning your cals around when you're hungry - I found leaving breakfast til as late as possible didn't make me more hungry, and made later meals more satisfying as they could be more calorific.

    True, I run 1.3 per pound of bw..
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    ausal wrote: »
    what's a kitten shake? Tried to google it and just got memes of spazzy cats.

    That had me laughing so hard.... They want me to eat WHAT?!?!?! The H kinda site is this!!!
  • kateowp
    kateowp Posts: 103 Member
    Embracing dietary fat has solved that problem for me- especially going from fat free to 2% yogurt for breakfast.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    There are a wide variety of fiber-rich or protein-rich bars available, too, that fit nicely into a pocket. Find the ones you enjoy and carry one with you always. They average 100-150 calories. Some of the protein bars are higher (200-250 cals).
    Beef jerky, as suggested above, is a good choice, too. So tasty!
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