I shouldn't be so hungry!

[ladybird23]

I've got a real problems with my afternoons. It doesn't seem to matter what I have for lunch, I'm still starving again in about an hour. Here's my food diary for today.

Breakfast. Half a grapefruit (rarely eat a big breakfast, but makes no difference if I do)

Lunch. small/medium piece of grilled rump steak. Jacket potato. Apple, fennel & onion salad with 1 level dessertspoon of light mayo and 5 walnuts broken into it. About a quarter of a small fresh pineapple. That was at 1.15

At 2.30 I had......packet of quavers, 2 slices of ham, small slice wholemeal with 1 laughing cow light. 2 pickled cucumbers.


Now I'm wondering how I'm going to last until dinner. I'd usually have a cup of tea about now with 1 fruit shortcake biscuit, but by pigging out on the quavers, and having a very small amount of light spread on my jacket spud and the mayo I've only got enough syns left for my dinner and maybe something during the evening.

I use most of my Hex A's on milk in tea & coffee during the day, but sometimes fall a bit short so top up with one or two laughing cow lights.

And dinner will be a full on meal. My syns will be some redcurrant jelly and cornflour (about 2/3 syns) in a sauce to go with lamb. With that I'm having braised baby gem lettuce & peas, a mixture of quinoa and bulgar wheat with griddled aubergine slices, vine tomatoes, spinach and leeks. A tesco light choc mousse (4 syns, I think or maybe 4.5). Some fruit. And then an Options or a biscuit during the evening. (Another 2 syns)

I don't eat yoghurt or anything like that so I can't grab one of those for a snack, and I've tried a Mugshot during the afternoon but even adding to them with some chopped ham or chicken and some veg I really don't like them. I'm fine between breakfast and lunch, and in the evenings I often don't need to snack at all after dinner, it's just the damned afternoons.

Just wondered if anyone has any tips that get them through the "hungry bits".

 

[pippalata]

I make a big frittata every few days and fill it with superfree. I'll happily snack on that until the cows come home I get hungry in the afternoons too, but I think that's mostly boredom to be honest...

 

[coughdrops]

Are you drinking enough water? After lunch I tend to feel tired and that I want to snack, so I have either a coffee or a big bottle of water (litre sized with sports cap, I keep sipping at it) and a banana.

Or would you push back the food you have at 2.30, even by an hour?

 

[ladybird23]

Thanks Pippa and coughdrops - very good idea about the frittata - I'll definitely try that, (and that's what I perceive to be a "substantial" snack, so would work for me!) and no I probably don't drink enough water, so I'll up that as well and pushing my lunch another half an hour or an hour might help. I KNEW I'd get some good answers on here. Thanks again.

 

[lentil2]

Looking at your breakfast and lunch, there really doesn't seem to be much food there at all and like you, I think I would be very hungry too!
I know you say having a larger breakfast doesn't make any difference but just having 1/2 a grapefruit has got to be less satisfying than a 'proper' breakfast surely?
Yesterday for instance, I had a cooked breakfast and I really didn't want a lunch and lasted until late afternoon for my next meal.....today, I had cereal and fruit and by 12, I was starving and wanting lunch....which of course I had!
I think it's all about working out what your needs are.....if you're having lunch and are still hungry mid afternoon, before your dinner then you need to fit in another meal, even if its small just to tide you over.
You dont need to just have breakfast, lunch and dinner, if you feel you need more, have it.
There really is no need to be hungry....

 

[Hippopotamum]

What about making up some free soups, then at tea-time when you're feeling peckish you could have a bowl to tide you over. I made some today with a chicken breast, 2 potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, veg stock and seasoning, simmered for an hour, then blended it, there's enough for about 4-5 portions and it was lovely.

It looks like you're trying to survive on 2 meals a day and that's not a lot really, even if you don't want to have breakfast, you could have lunch, tea and dinner instead. Look at your 2.30 snack, stick on a baked potato and salad (or a fritatta, SW quiche or an omelette) and it might satisfy you much more than just a slice of ham and cheese and a bag of Quavers.

The whole point in Slimming World is that there are copious amounts of free food you could be eating (obviously I'm not advocating eating copious amounts, lol!) so there's no need to feel hungry on the plan. x

 

[NewMe14]

Hi,

Sorry haven't read other replies. Perhaps your not eating enough the two meals you have had today isnt much at all. Today I had a massive omelette with tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon and cheese from hex a. For lunch then around 1:30 I had massive bowl of soup and ham sandwich on 2 slice bread ( hex b). I find if I don't eat enough during the first part of day I will get hungry around 4 ish and I start looking in cupboards / fridge!

 

[hollydollystar]

I always have soup for lunch with lots of lentils, veg and I'm never hungry in the afternoon, but even if I was wouldn't be able to eat until I got home from work anyway so drink at least a litre of water as well. X

 

[xbecky11]

I have the same problem. During the afternoon I constantly have food on my mind. Maybe try having a later lunch? I snack on bananas in the afternoon, as I find them the most filling fruit.

 

[Jeanne Von Buttonpopper]

I think you've had some really constructive feedback and to be honest I would say this is down to your poor breakfast habits (no offence intended). Looking at your meals, clearly, you're a woman who can cook. I know lots of people don't fancy much first thing, or sometimes just don't have the time. I think your metabolism is not kicking in until lunchtime and then 'bingo', your body thinks "great, I've been fed, I want more!!", which is leading to the mid-afternoon munchies. I would try a week of breakfasting in a new way. Try what you like, toast and fruit. Cereal and maybe something for elevenses. Cooked breakfast, omelette with mushrooms or what about SW rice pudding with some frozen berries defrosted. I know you don't eat yogurt but have you tried magic porridge? I really do think it's worth a weeks trial to see if this has any effect at all. Let us know how you get on?? Good luck

 

[ladybird23]

I think you've had some really constructive feedback and to be honest I would say this is down to your poor breakfast habits (no offence intended). Looking at your meals, clearly, you're a woman who can cook. I know lots of people don't fancy much first thing, or sometimes just don't have the time. I think your metabolism is not kicking in until lunchtime and then 'bingo', your body thinks "great, I've been fed, I want more!!", which is leading to the mid-afternoon munchies. I would try a week of breakfasting in a new way. Try what you like, toast and fruit. Cereal and maybe something for elevenses. Cooked breakfast, omelette with mushrooms or what about SW rice pudding with some frozen berries defrosted. I know you don't eat yogurt but have you tried magic porridge? I really do think it's worth a weeks trial to see if this has any effect at all. Let us know how you get on?? Good luck

No offence taken! (I'm Mrs. Rhino Skin)

I really value these replies and it sounds to me as if that breakfast is my downfall, and the bit about my metabolism kicking in at lunchtime makes absolute sense. It's kicking the bad habits isn't it? My Mum always made sure I had breakfast, but that seemed to go out the window when I left home (and that was many, many, MANY years ago!). OK, this week's challenge is to have proper breakfast and up the water intake. (Says me who's been up for two hours and not the slightest bit feeling like any food, and has already had a very large mug of tea and already on my first coffee) ....but I'm off to find myself something nice for breakfast right now!

Thanks again everyone, you all made me think and set myself a new challenge - this slimming lark is so much easier when there are people to help you out of the dark holes!

 

[Bunnylush]

A quick and filling breakfast I have is a tin of tomatoes heated up and drained, crack one or two eggs in a bowl whisk with fork, frylite small frying pan and cook egg turning over, like a Chinese flat omelette put tomatoes and egg in bowl and eat. It's free and filling.
I have free soup daily for lunch and grab fruit late on in the afternoon if I'm hungry. I think the best way to break a cycle is to go cold turkey through it. Perhaps your bodies asking for food because its used to getting snacks after lunch? Try drinking water instead. Good luck. .

 

[coughdrops]

I'm awful for not eating breakfast til mid morning, I tend to forget about it.

Although, somehow, I NEVER forget lunch, dinner and junk food

Apart from not being that hungry, I am also not v organised in the mornings. So to have a brekkie, I need something convenient and quick.

Porridge is handy, if you soak it night before and just microwave
Scrambled eggs are quick too, I add in ham and cheese from Hex A. I usually put them with 2 Ryvita from Hex B (I actually eat this for lunch a lot)
Cereal is an obvious one
Fruit chopped up with a free yogurt isn't too heavy in the morning. Have a bowl of chopped fruit in fridge ready to go from night before.


If you do start eating breakfast, you'll possibly be hungry again mid-morning as your metabolism adjusts, so have a banana on standby to get you to lunch time.

 

[Shirleen]

Add some protein into your breakfast, so a soft boiled egg would be great, use ham rolled up as a dipper, add more fruit in too make your grapefruit a fruit salad, grapes, melon, whatever. Chewing food helps to send signals to the stomach that food is coming, which in turn helps to tell it that it's had food.
Grapefruit isn't chewy so your tummy won't feel the benefit.

 

[Phoenix_Girl]

I have also found that if I make the effort to drink water or black tea with my food, it tends to make sure that the meal I have eaten triggers my stomach to acknowledge it's been fed. Part of my problem is that I can really easily over-eat so drinking water with meals really helps and makes you feel full.

As your stomach shrinks, this will be less of an issue but I try not to go over a portion if I can (even though SW does let you! )

 

[Jael]

With your BMI you're going to need more food than some of the food diaries you might've read. My appetite has gone down as I've lost weight. Yours should as well. But right now, you will need more food just to keep going than you will at your goal weight. You're body probably just is hungry! Try bigger portions of free food at meals and increase the protein, particularly at breakfast. Protein is proven to keep you fuller for longer, as is a substantial soup. Seriously, I eat way more than you. I'm not surprised you're hungry.

 

[Gwella]

I usually get hungry about 3.30-4.30pm even after a big lunch, and tide myself over to (earlyish) dinner with a massive fruity snack. Could you try saving the pineapple from lunch for a bit later on? Small and often might help.

I've read in various places that the most filling foods are fibre, protein and dairy (including the fatty dairy but also low-fat). So I always try to include two of those groups in my breakfast (eg bread with an egg, or hifis with yogurt and fruit). You might find if you get in the habit of a bigger breakfast you adjust and it helps long-term.Agree with the people above who talk about drinkign more water. Your lunch looks quite filling to me (protein, and fibre in the potato skin and the veggies) but I wonder if having your hexBs earlier in the day would help, as they have lots of fibre? The fibre in hexbs is different to the fibre in veggies (I think one is soluble and one is insoluble but don't quote me).

Also agree with those who suggest more water! Fizzy water can be a good variant and help fill you up too.