Hungry, so very very hungry...

[lulubel]

I'm not sure if this has already been asked - I've just skimmed the thread - but what are you eating for lunch?

It it's mainly carbs, it can fill you up at first, but carbs are very easily digestible, so you'll start feeling hungry again within a couple of hours. Having more protein and fat in your meals (fat seems to make the most difference for me) slows down your digestion and will leave you feeling full for longer.

I'm vegetarian, by the way, and I don't suffer from constant hunger, but I am careful about what I eat. I don't eat low fat anything. The calories in most low fat alternatives are pretty much the same, and the fat that's been taken out has been replaced with sugar, which causes highs and lows in blood sugar levels and makes you more hungry. If you're going to have a yoghurt (for example) a full fat one will keep hunger at bay for a lot longer.

I probably eat more saturated fat than is recommended because I like dairy products, and that's where a big chunk of my fat and protein intake comes from. However, after some discussion with a couple of different doctors, I've concluded that cholesterol levels are less important if you're fit and active. The guidelines are set for sedentary people (the majority), and active people can sustain higher cholesterol levels and stay healthy. I do eat a lot of unsaturated fat as well, though, in the form of olive and nut oils, avocado, etc.

I noticed you mentioned in one of your posts that you don't eat a great deal of fat, so I'd say that's the first thing to look at.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I'm not sure if this has already been asked - I've just skimmed the thread - but what are you eating for lunch?

It it's mainly carbs, it can fill you up at first, but carbs are very easily digestible, so you'll start feeling hungry again within a couple of hours. Having more protein and fat in your meals (fat seems to make the most difference for me) slows down your digestion and will leave you feeling full for longer.

I'm vegetarian, by the way, and I don't suffer from constant hunger, but I am careful about what I eat. I don't eat low fat anything. The calories in most low fat alternatives are pretty much the same, and the fat that's been taken out has been replaced with sugar, which causes highs and lows in blood sugar levels and makes you more hungry. If you're going to have a yoghurt (for example) a full fat one will keep hunger at bay for a lot longer.

I probably eat more saturated fat than is recommended because I like dairy products, and that's where a big chunk of my fat and protein intake comes from. However, after some discussion with a couple of different doctors, I've concluded that cholesterol levels are less important if you're fit and active. The guidelines are set for sedentary people (the majority), and active people can sustain higher cholesterol levels and stay healthy. I do eat a lot of unsaturated fat as well, though, in the form of olive and nut oils, avocado, etc.

I noticed you mentioned in one of your posts that you don't eat a great deal of fat, so I'd say that's the first thing to look at.

Today's lunch is fairly typical, I'm having five rice cakes with four laughing cow triangles and five slices of ham. I'm tracking my eating using SparkPeople for the next week so I'll post the results here.

 

[lulubel]

Today's lunch is fairly typical, I'm having five rice cakes with four laughing cow triangles and five slices of ham. I'm tracking my eating using SparkPeople for the next week so I'll post the results here.

That doesn't sound like very much.

I had a big (about 100g) slice of toasted seeded/granary type bread, with half a tin of baked beans and a bit of cheddar on top.

It would keep me satisfied until tea time, but I'm still planning to have some fruit in a bit, and probably - scratch that, definitely - some chocolate with my cup of coffee later on.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

That doesn't sound like very much.

I had a big (about 100g) slice of toasted seeded/granary type bread, with half a tin of baked beans and a bit of cheddar on top.

It would keep me satisfied until tea time, but I'm still planning to have some fruit in a bit, and probably - scratch that, definitely - some chocolate with my cup of coffee later on.

Here's my day so far (which looks like a lot of food to me):


I'll have a decent evening meal tonight and probably a beer and a glass of wine. I don't normally have the chocolate bars but am quite comfortable with having them in my diet.

 

[Rob3rt]

Your lunch looks like what I used to take in my packed lunches in primary school, the good old days, except I would eat something tastier than rice cakes

 

[Zofo]

I eat an absolute minimum of processed food, eat a lot of veg and am not naturally a fan of red meat, I manage to attain my 2500 kcal intake most days (which is more than I used to eat), I seem to be taking every increasing amount of nuts, dried fruit and home made flapjacks (River Cottage breakfast bars) to work and yet by 3pm I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open and am ravenously hungry! I'm not just talking a little bit peckish, but actually almost nauseously hungry.

I try and leave a flapjack until about 3pm but it calls to me like Edgar Allen Poe's tell-tale heart!

I cycle an average of about 80 miles a week, burning approximately an extra 5000 kcal a week.

I've shed a lot of weight through cycling (and increasing my kcal intake) but don't seem to be able to get over this feeling of being really hungry every afternoon!

So should I just follow my instinct and near-bankrupt myself by eating 1kg of cashew nuts a day or should I try and find some more slow-release foods like the flapjacks?

I was in the same place for around 4 years tthen I recently stumbled across intermittent fasting as a way of burning fat. I've lost 7 lbs in 6 weeks and I'm never hungry .check this out:

http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Intermittent Fasting Primer

 

[Davidc]

The eggs being unhealthy tale is a myth. Please see BHF website, among others.

The myth was so strong (relating the cholesterol content of food to blood cholesterol) that specific research was done to disprove it.

The BHF advice is that an unlimited number of eggs can be eaten as a part of a healthy diet. (boiled or poached, without added fats or salt)

What they do to the breath is not however discussed in the BHF documentation.

 

[Archie_tect]

There are sound reasons for not drinking too much water... you can overload your cells... there is a sensible daily limit which you can google to check.. just a quick check [depends on many variables] but 3 litres should be about the most ....unless you cycle across Nevada every day..

 

[lulubel]

Here's my day so far (which looks like a lot of food to me):
View attachment 14281

I'll have a decent evening meal tonight and probably a beer and a glass of wine. I don't normally have the chocolate bars but am quite comfortable with having them in my diet.

Your lunch is a reasonable amount of calories, but doesn't look like much to fill you up. My beans on toast was around 500 cals, but was a much bigger volume of food.

I could say the same for breakfast. Similar cals - mine is around 400-450 - but I get a lot more food for my calories. My breakfast is loose bran, oats, chopped apples and pears, a sliced banana, some AllBran for a bit of crunch, and milk, and it's a "be careful you don't spill the milk" kind of bowl full.

Maybe you are getting enough protein (and possibly fat), but breakfast bars, snickers, mini roll, etc doesn't sound like keeping processed food to a minimum, which is what you said in your first post, and things like that aren't known for being filling. Compared to my diet, it sounds like a lot of processed food. (The most processed food I eat on a more than very occasional basis is 85% dark chocolate.)

The really big thing I noticed is the lack of fibre in today's menu. Does the website you use log fibre for you? I think the recommendation is a minimum of 18g a day, although I have around 50g most days. Fibre fills you up for no calories!

To be totally honest with you, there's absolutely NO WAY I could get through to dinner on what you've listed there. I'd probably be stuffing myself with things like bread and fruit to stave off the hunger pangs before I even got to lunch time.

(I'm not trying to be critical of your choices. I'm just saying I'm not at all surprised that you're hungry.)

 

[Motozulu]

I admit to being very 'old school' here (that's because that's what I am - I'm 50 FFS) but I've always been a fan of listening to your body. I may suddenly crave choccie, or salted peanuts or whatever - but there is a reason for that - so follow your cravings. As long as it is'nt for 14 donner kebabs. If you are putting the miles in then you are ok, your metabolism may go into overdrive (hence eating more) but again - that's for a reason too.

Relax, enjoy life, try not to obsess..

 

[nathanicola]

Do you have a high sugar intake, i used to eat a lot of sugary foods and used to get very tired and lose all my strength in the afternoons. If i ate something sugary i would be fine again but it was like a vicious circle.
Now ive cut out sugar completely apart from natural sugars like fruit, took a few weeks of cravings but i feel so much better now. I only eat natural food now, I dont eat any meat just loads of veg and fish, wholegrain bread and cerials ect. I don't get tired or weak any more and i feel full of energy i've also lost about a stone and dont get a bloated stomach any more.

 

[Motozulu]

You might be on to something there - when I'm at home I don't do sugar and feel chipper- when I'm on nights at work I have sugary coffee to keep me going...next day -ie today - I go out on the trails and feel poo...hmmmmmm

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Your lunch is a reasonable amount of calories, but doesn't look like much to fill you up. My beans on toast was around 500 cals, but was a much bigger volume of food.

I could say the same for breakfast. Similar cals - mine is around 400-450 - but I get a lot more food for my calories. My breakfast is loose bran, oats, chopped apples and pears, a sliced banana, some AllBran for a bit of crunch, and milk, and it's a "be careful you don't spill the milk" kind of bowl full.

Maybe you are getting enough protein (and possibly fat), but breakfast bars, snickers, mini roll, etc doesn't sound like keeping processed food to a minimum, which is what you said in your first post, and things like that aren't known for being filling. Compared to my diet, it sounds like a lot of processed food. (The most processed food I eat on a more than very occasional basis is 85% dark chocolate.)

The really big thing I noticed is the lack of fibre in today's menu. Does the website you use log fibre for you? I think the recommendation is a minimum of 18g a day, although I have around 50g most days. Fibre fills you up for no calories!

To be totally honest with you, there's absolutely NO WAY I could get through to dinner on what you've listed there. I'd probably be stuffing myself with things like bread and fruit to stave off the hunger pangs before I even got to lunch time.

(I'm not trying to be critical of your choices. I'm just saying I'm not at all surprised that you're hungry.)

The breakfast bars are homemade, the mini rolls and snickers are quite a freak occurrence

More fibre sounds appealing.

 

[JoeyB]

Load up at breakfast. It should be the largest meal of the day!

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

No dinner listed???????