Changing what and how we eat

[LonaS]

Im struggling to spread my caloric intake out over the full day.  On the upside, I can see, after less than a week,  the times I tend to over eat.  On the downside, if I eat what I've been taught to think is a healthy breakfast and a healthy lunch, I run out of available calories.  Im not getting full on 1 cup of cereal with 1/2 a cup of milk.  Im not getting full on a sandwich.  I feel hungry all the time.  Im drinking more water than is called for,  walking 1.5 miles every morning.  Why do I feel so hungry?  I run out of calories long before dinner.  If I have so much as one little treat, I go way over on the in and out meter.  Last night I was over by 425 calories!  All I had for dinner was scrambled eggs!  Im in desperate need of help constructing an eating plan.  This isnt working for me.  I have to eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks, Im a type 2 diabetic and Im trying to keep my sugar balanced.  HELP!!!!  

[AmandaBee · Accepted solution]

Hi @LonaS

Just a suggestion but try to load up on fruits and vegetables, they are pretty low in calories and great fillers.

Also what has really worked for me is on the weekend I prep the majority of my meals for the week.  I usually do my snacks and lunches then make a plan for my breakfasts and dinners that way I know exactly what I am going to eat.  I try to eat smaller meals 5-6 times a day and because I am a snacker I make sure that my snacks are something healthy.

My Fitness Pal is a great app that helps with seeing where your calories are going if you have not already I suggest checking it out as it was a great help for me.  

Hope that helps a little bit! 

[Magnusson · Accepted solution]

Are you getting enough fiber ? A great way to feel satiated for a longer time is getting food with a good amount of fiber. 1 cup of cereal with 1/2 cup of milk doesnt sound like a lot for breakfast. How much fiber is in the cereal? Oats for instance have will keep you satiated for a long time.

When I started with calorie counting I also felt hungry, especially in the evening/night time. But I have tried to cut as much sugar from my meals as possible and it is easier now. Maybe you should also look into that.

[W247]

I am having the opposite struggle, I went to a nutritionist who is also a trainer and she told me that I wasn't eating enough calories to support weight loss. All my body was doing was storing the calories because it had barely enough to function. I am now in my first two weeks of this eathing plan  up from about 1300 calories to 1800 calories. At 1800 calories, I feel like I am eating all the time! I am working out 3-4 days a week, eating about a 450 calories a meal ( 25 gram protein, 60 carbs). Breakfast is my biggest meal: egg scramble of 1 scrambled egg with 1 serving of egg beaters  and what ever veggies I have on hand ( spinach, zuccchini and peppers these days!), then a bowl of oatmeal with a banana in it. That sticks with me for a good part of the day! Lunches are lighter, salad with a protein, dinner is veggies with a protein and a carb.  It seems unnatural to eat so much but the foods I am eating are natural foods, not processed, no sugars, no wheat and you really won't go hungry!

Like I said, this is week two, I can check back at week six when I weigh myself and do my next set of measurements to let you know how this is working out for me!

On the measurement things, don't go by what the scale is telling you ( I am hating scales these days because of the emotional toll they take on me!). Go by how your clothes are fitting, and enjoy the moment knowing that you are taking steps to get healthy again! Each good choice you make is a victory to your mental and physical well being!

[awood08]

I add flaxseed and chiaseed to my breakfast in the morning. It keeps me fuller longer. The first few days I felt starving and some days even now I have the feeling that i'm still hungry so I chew sugar free gum in between meals.

I have my meals planned out each day what I will have for breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and evening snack. Even with eating 6 times a day i'm still maintaining my 1200-1400 calorie limit.

I really think the flaxseed/chiaseed combo is helping curb my appetite.

[Atomicjoe]

I went on a ketogenic diet, which is very low carb, high fat. The fat keeps you feeling full, i eat a few times a day at a large calarie deficit and an never hungry. This diet also keeps your blood surger low. Here's some info.

Low Carb Diet: Fat or Fiction?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GUIBNKnT1M

Dr Eric Westman - Duke University New Atkins Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss and Health
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSLf4bzAyOM

Keto support community
http://www.reddit.com/r/keto

[Proudpatriot]

Like the poster before me, I am also on a Ketogenic diet.  You are probably familiar with the Atkins diet.

I eat lots of veggies, with fat plus all sorts of meat.  I also eat eggs and cheese.  When you eat enough fat you aren't hungry as much.  That is where this sort of diet really stands out. 

My food intake today:

2 cups of coffee with cream, cocoa and stevia early in the morning

1 small pork chop after my workout (I usually eat boiled eggs but I was out of them)

1 greek salad with chicken for lunch

I won't be hungry unitl dinnertime, around 7 (it's 1:30 here now).

When you eat lots of low fat foods they tend to be higher in carbs.  Lots of carbs make you hungry.  You can lose weight counting calories but when you eat a ketogenic diet you don't need to count calories because you just aren't that hungry.

[greenandgroovy]

Do your best to eat a bit less carbohydrate and focus on lean protien - your body works harder to breakdown protien and it also helps to rebuild muscle if you are new to exercising. Imagine if you could eat lettuce nonstop all day - you would never be hungry - try to add shredded lettuce to everything you eat - I don't even like lettuce it is far too boring but I add it in and it makes my portions look so much more "normal" . Try taking some cauliflower and baking it with hot wing sauce - yummy and add bland veges like squash to everything they just take on the flavor of whatever they are with - I mix it in with pasta, meats and other veges. Believe me you can be stuffed on 1200 calories per day if you do it right - there is a big difference between being hungry and wanting to eat something - a quick brush of the teeth helps too

[Annie-NH]

Having cereal for breakfast and a sandwich at lunch sounds like a lot of carbs to me, 

not sure what kind of cereal but a cup could be 200 cal, and then add in what the milk has.

What about using egg beaters to make a big omelet with lots of veggies: mushrooms, spinach, or brocolli, red and green peppers and add a small amount of reduced fat cheese.  Have a healthy snack mid morning- an apple, raw veggies, sugar free yogurt, or cottage cheese.

lunch could be a big green salad, with grilled chicken and a moderate calorie dressing,   figure out your lean protein first, then add in the veggies to make a big dinner.  I love stir fry, and I don't have it over rice,  I might have it over shiritaki noodles

[Kati50]

Not sure what your caloric intake should be for a day---i shoot for around 1800 calories.  If you're walking 1.5 miles daily, your caloriecount should be up there I would think??

One cup of cereal for breakfast is not enough to keep you feeling full until lunch-----processed carbs, like cereal aren't a good main food choice in general IMO-------try old fashioned oatmeal or eggs (I eat four poached eggs on 2 pieces of lo cal toast along with a pint of strawberries or a banana every morning---less than 500 cals) for breakfast along with some fruit.

For lunch, try legumes with salmon or tuna, along with veggies (I eat an entire can of garbanzo beans tossed with a large handful of spinach and a whole can of tuna, with a little low fat Balsamic Vinagrette---comes to less than 500 cals).

Stuff like this will kep you full and are really good for you 🙂  You would have room for (2) 100 cal snacks (I eat a lot of fruit or veggies, popcorn I make myself with a sprit of olive oil spray in a microwave popper---I stay away from dairy but if you don't, you could do unsweetened greek yogurt with fruit, string cheese or something like that) plus 600 cal for dinner (I go heavy on the protien but eat no red meat, mainly chcken, fish or shrimp----pork about once a week, plus lots of veggies and a salad----might throw a baked sweet potato in there or quinoa/brown rice).

Hope this helps! 🙂