How do I change the mass amount of Food I eat?

[TexNolan]

Breakfast:

I am use to eating four to six eggs, one+ sliced skillet fried potatoe, four pieces of bacon.

Lunch:

three to four pieces of meat and three sides of veggies

Dinner

Steamed veggies and a cup of pistachios (unflavored-plain)

My problem is when I cut back my intake, I feel hungry and I work in a school where every breakroom has sugar filled treats. With me feeling hungry I know I am not hungry but I am missing the feeling of being full. Will power is my big issue, so I am trying to figure what I can eat that will fill space and yet be good for me. 

My average steps or movement in a day burns 2500 to 3000 calories per day.
Any suggestions would be great. And yes I take criticisms very well..

[Seb2891]

Hi there Tex,

When i first started to ween myself off snacking between meals I used to eat low calorie breakfast bars, or snack-a-jack discs.

Due to the low calories of these (the bars are normally between 60-90 cals depending on what you buy) you can have a couple in the day in between meals when you're really feeling low on sugar or energy.

Also, drinking herbal tea or something similar helps a lot to keep yourself full up and they have next to no calories in them (less than 2cals per cup).

Hope that helps,

Seb

[Dominique]

Based on the diet I’m currently on (which has worked very well for keeping hunger at bay), I would say: 1) favour lean protein (to get the benefits of protein on satiety, without the calories of fat), 2) favour healthy carbs (high fiber content, low glycemic index), 3) go easy with fats, especially saturated.

For 1), this would mean switching to egg whites (6 yolks pack an incredible amount of calories), adding low-fat dairy like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, chicken/turkey instead of beef. For 2), add oat meal (*), fruits (didn’t see any in your list), rice, sweet potato etc. For 3), reduce/drop bacon, replace with avocado, nut butter, olive oil.

(*) Something that keeps me very full is a combination of oats, quinoa, apple and banana: I cook it very slowly (the longer the better) so that it swells as much as possible. The fruits provide the sweeteness I need. Requires a little bit of planning (not something you can make in a rush at the last minute), but well worth it.

[MagsOnTheBeach]

I find having small mini meal snacks really helps me portion control.

I would drop to 2 eggs.  Replace the potato with a piece of ezekiel toast and the bacon with 2 pieces of Canadian bacon and add a glass of milk and piece of fruit.  You still have volume but you also have more variety.

mid morning snack a tablespoon of peanut butter and carrots.

Lunch meat: protein the size of your palm, 2 non starchy veggies and 1 starch veggie (half a baked potato).

afternoon snack: Light string cheese or baby bel or light laughing cow and a piece of fruit.

dinner: Protein the size of the palm of your hand, non starchy veggies, 1c beans or grain, milk.

Try hard to stop eating before you are full.  Judith Beck has some great advice about mindful eating.  I really got a lot out of The Beck Diet Solution.

[TexNolan]

Thanks to everyone on there post, I will be trying to figure out how to do each suggestion on here.
I am looking to loose this weight, and increase in energy.

[Mukluk4]

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@TexNolan wrote:

Breakfast:

I am use to eating four to six eggs, one+ sliced skillet fried potatoe, four pieces of bacon.

Lunch:

three to four pieces of meat and three sides of veggies

Dinner

Steamed veggies and a cup of pistachios (unflavored-plain)

My problem is when I cut back my intake, I feel hungry and I work in a school where every breakroom has sugar filled treats. With me feeling hungry I know I am not hungry but I am missing the feeling of being full. Will power is my big issue, so I am trying to figure what I can eat that will fill space and yet be good for me. 

My average steps or movement in a day burns 2500 to 3000 calories per day.
Any suggestions would be great. And yes I take criticisms very well..

---

With what you are doing today, are you gaining weight, losing weight or staying the same?

The reason that I ask is that cutting food isn't necessarily the only way to lose weight.  You could also increase your expendidture to compensate for your appetite while you make small changes to your diet along the way.

[ManiFitness]

I usually add a lot of fruits and veggies, they're low calories foods that make you feel full which can help you eat smaller portions of everything else

For example, I eat a salad before supper or I make a fruit salad with my breakfast and if I eat that first, I'm less likely to eat as much of my actual breakfast.

[emili]

@TexNolan hey there and welcome to the community. Like anything else, it takes time for a new habit to replace an old one. Being in the school environment you know you have to teach, say, explain the same concept seven different ways seven different times in order for the learning to take place. same thing with habit. create a habit of less food in calories but more in volume like Dominique suggests. You may also not be really hungry it may be boredom or habit- lean on liquid. Have tea, have coffee, have water- anything that will keep you busy until the feeling passes. I am not a fan of snacking unless you are going to work out or your sugar is low- simply because it is creating a different type of dependency that is ruled by the clock. But, if it works for you go for low calorie but high nutrition kinds of snack- berries, cauliflower, sweet pea- the sweet or the crunch will make you feel like you are eating. If you need a carb or salt- my two favorite things- do air popped popcorn or pretzels- low cal - high crunch.

[TexNolan]

over all I stay between 200 and 207lbs.
My goal is to get below 190lbs.
My habit is to eat, but I am usually very active so I know I burn a lot of it.
My other goal is to not be so tired in the late afternoon. Not yawning, but if I sit down to write a script, I can fall asleep with no hesitation.

[TexNolan]

@emili You are correct it is boredom and habit. I'm not hungry most of the time I am just eating to be eating. And it becomes difficult to break that habit. I was using pistachios to break that boredom, then I realized i went through three bags in a week. I do a lot in fruits (Watermelon, Blue berries (can't stand but still eat). Bananas and others). I am trying to do water with Amino Acid (MRM BCAA=G) to add flavor. No sugars.

[Daves_Not_Here]

I have no self-discipline -- therefore, I need tactics that eliminate hunger and the need for willpower.  Here's what I do to eliminate hunger:

• Satiating breakfast including avocado
• 8 glasses of water per day
• 8 hours of sleep
• When choosing between two foods, select for satiety
• Meal prep and take food to work -- that way if I have a craving, I can dip into my appetite suppressing food instead of mowing through the donuts.
• Understand my triggers - sweets spike my cravings.  It's easier for me to avoid the first bite than the tenth.

Here's something I just learned:  I used to eat large portions of low-calorie "healthy" foods like vegetables and fruit, with the idea that the sheer bulk of the food would satiate me.  I now think that is counterproductive. I now believe that eating large portions of anything to stretch out my stomach in order to somehow eat less is like fighting a war for peace.

[SunsetRunner]

I like your post since that used to be exactly the way I feel before I started to change my diet and lose 50 lbs. Like you I don't like to count calories during the day and restrict my eating amount, so I did chose an Atkins style diet. Little hard for 4 days but then you are fine. Before you make a change I suggest you start reading a bit about the diet and "life style changes" you like to take/change and get some mental readiness for this. Take your time to get started with this. Lets face it you being a lean and strong like King Kong starts in your head. Once you have made that choice the diet and exercise will be a piece of cake.  Best of Luck!

[TexNolan]

@SunsetRunner

I agree that it is mental first. And that there lies the problem, I smell food all day so it plays havoc. Bacon in the morning, and what ever the school is fixing for lunch. So training my mind is difficult. Not impossible though.

@Daves_Not_Here

The list is great with one exception, i never agree with the amount of water. I consider the amount of water we get in our foods equals to a lot. But I have been reaching for water every time I feel hunger trying to substitute it for food. If still hungry after a cup of water then I turn to fruit/vegetable. Once again i have to get my mind set to have smaller portions.

@ every one

Thank you for the encouragement here and the ones that have sent me messages. Thank you, It does help knowing/talking with others fighting the same struggles, it is encouraging to me. 
Thank you every one.

Tex Nolan

[SunsetRunner]

@TexNolan you have to give yourself some credit. The most important thing is to actually recognize that there may be a problem. My mom eats like a "Trucker", is overweight and thinks there is no need to change things.