Mid-afternoon hunger. Tips?
#1
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
Mid-afternoon hunger. Tips?
Hi guys,
I just started FitDay and it's going great, but I really need to figure out how to prevent getting really hungry at about 3 PM. I have noticed that it helps to make sure I have a large lunch (at least 1400 calories by 1 or 2 PM, including breakfast). I think what's in my lunch matters too. I am trying to make sure there is a little fat, a little fiber, and some protein in my lunch, but I'm not sure what nutrients are affecting my hunger the most.
Has anyone else had this problem? Suggestions?
Cheers,
Alexis
I just started FitDay and it's going great, but I really need to figure out how to prevent getting really hungry at about 3 PM. I have noticed that it helps to make sure I have a large lunch (at least 1400 calories by 1 or 2 PM, including breakfast). I think what's in my lunch matters too. I am trying to make sure there is a little fat, a little fiber, and some protein in my lunch, but I'm not sure what nutrients are affecting my hunger the most.
Has anyone else had this problem? Suggestions?
Cheers,
Alexis
#2
FitDay Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 59
Have you tried reshuffling your calories to allow for an afternoon snack? Some people just need to eat more often than others. I am currently growing my own beansprouts (mung, mostly) and treating them as a practically-free food. I do log them, but they are very low in calories. Not that this is all I snack on, I use a variety of things, but it's a random suggestion.
How much fat and protein are you getting overall, as percentages of your daily calories?
How much fat and protein are you getting overall, as percentages of your daily calories?
#3
FitDay Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 120
I agree with Esofia, I would try spreading your calories out so that you can have an afternoon snack. Since I have started trying to loose weight I haven't gone more than 2-3 hours without eating. I find if I worry too much about getting hungry later I will overeat earlier. I used to always think eating after supper was bad for loosing weight so I would try to eat enough supper that I wouldn't feel hungry later. Well, it didn't work, no matter how much I ate at supper I was still hungry later, so I stopped worrying about it. Now I eat less at supper and if I am hungry later I grab a snack, I just try to make it a healthy one.
Protien seems to help most people feel satisfied the longest, you could also try increasing that a bit.
Protien seems to help most people feel satisfied the longest, you could also try increasing that a bit.
#4
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
I am a pescatarian so I often don't get a lot of protein. It looks like I get about 40% fat, 10% protein, and 50% carbs on a daily basis. Today, I'm trying more protein, but frankly it's hard to get more protein on a vegetarian diet.
I will also try more snacking in the afternoon. Maybe if I eat breakfast later I can save some calories for the mid-afternoon snack.
Thanks for the responses!
I will also try more snacking in the afternoon. Maybe if I eat breakfast later I can save some calories for the mid-afternoon snack.
Thanks for the responses!
#5
FitDay Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 59
It's not all that hard, actually. I'm vegan and I get about 15% protein, though I've just started adding a bit of soy protein isolate to my porridge in the morning, which bumps it up to 18-20%. Which protein sources are you using? Here are my main ones, not including the protein powder which I've only just started playing with:
* porridge (oats and soya milk)
* grains e.g. bread, pasta, rice
* pulses e.g. houmous, soup made with lentils or other beans, refried beans, tofu
* nuts and seeds e.g. almonds or cashews in a stir-fry, pine nuts with a pasta sauce, a few chopped almonds and seeds on the porridge
And there's a modest amount of protein in veg as well.
OK, so you're presumably eating a fair amount of fish, dairy and eggs. I'm trying to work out how you're ending up with more fat (mine is about 28%) and less protein than me. I've not eaten dairy/eggs since I was 19 or fish since I was 3, though, so I'm floundering a bit here. Could you maybe give us an idea of what you'd eat on a typical day?
* porridge (oats and soya milk)
* grains e.g. bread, pasta, rice
* pulses e.g. houmous, soup made with lentils or other beans, refried beans, tofu
* nuts and seeds e.g. almonds or cashews in a stir-fry, pine nuts with a pasta sauce, a few chopped almonds and seeds on the porridge
And there's a modest amount of protein in veg as well.
OK, so you're presumably eating a fair amount of fish, dairy and eggs. I'm trying to work out how you're ending up with more fat (mine is about 28%) and less protein than me. I've not eaten dairy/eggs since I was 19 or fish since I was 3, though, so I'm floundering a bit here. Could you maybe give us an idea of what you'd eat on a typical day?
#6
FitDay Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 630
Hi,
There is a thread on 3 PM snacks on the food section, with a few people's selections from a few weeks back (I think I called it "3 PM Goodie Bag". Mine consists of 8 almonds, 3 prunes, and 12 squares of whole grain cereal.
Good Luck!
Abby
There is a thread on 3 PM snacks on the food section, with a few people's selections from a few weeks back (I think I called it "3 PM Goodie Bag". Mine consists of 8 almonds, 3 prunes, and 12 squares of whole grain cereal.
Good Luck!
Abby
#8
I've found that if I eliminate grain from the a.m. I don't binge through the afternoon. Somehow or another grains early in the day give me a really bad carb crash and send me into binge mode in the afternoon. Just a thought.
#10
For fiber, GG crackers are - well, they are pure bran, basically - very filling. Fiber is very satiating. What happens when I eat a GG cracker (you can find them at Whole Foods or buy them at Amazon) with some peanut butter: I am no longer hungry. But then, if I smell chili cooking on the stove, I still want to have 'just a little' because it smells so delicious. And it is.
The difficulty is finding something that is filling and just 'hits the spot' in terms of taste! Hmmmm. a GG cracker topped with chili.
The difficulty is finding something that is filling and just 'hits the spot' in terms of taste! Hmmmm. a GG cracker topped with chili.