How often do You have to eat?

S

smurfette

Cathlete
I did it. I ate perfectly clean for one whole day. I'm very proud of myself and I'm happy that I feel good and my energy is a little better than yesterday.

My biggest problem is that I get hungry every two hours. This is what I had:

Myoplex with TB of Peanut Butter
Apple and PB
Salad and chicken
Myoplex
Cottage cheese and Strawberries
sugar free jello
and a couple of helpings of raisins.

I feel very satisfied after eating. But after two hours I feel that nagging hunger creeping up on me. I know that If I don't take care of it right away- I'll go crazy and binge.

This is a big transition for me. I have never mastered clean eating in the past. I didn't take the time to make sure I had food prepared and on hand. Since I've joined a gym, I'm more in touch with how overweight i am. The mirror doesn't lie! I want to make sure my hard work isn't in vain so I'm working hard on the clean eating now.

Has anyone else struggled with managing your hunger and how long can you realistically go without eating? I must admit that I'm a little frightened of learning how to manage this. It's scary to finally tap into what is going to help me reach my goals.

Any thoughts??

Danna
 
Hi Danna,

BY Myoplex, do you mean a protein shake? Just checking :) And is this your food for the whole day?

It seems to me, and I am not an expert, that the reason why you are hungry every two hours is that you are not getting a whole lot of calories in each meal. They say that you should have 300 - 400 calories per sitting adn I think, depending on your shake, that you are lower than that for most of your meals (depending on their size, etc.) Maybe you can take a look at the calories and ratios just to be sure that you are getting "enough" in each sitting.

Christine
 
If you eat unprocessed foods or foods as nature intended it should stay with you for a longer time. But everybody is different. When I did BFL I was eating every 2- 4 hours depending on the TOM , how I slept the night before what activities I had been doing. What I'm saying is that it is all very subjective to each individual. If you feel fine I wouldn't worry. If not have a glass of water then ask yourself if your still hungry, many times when we think we are hungry we are actually thirsty. Well that's just my opinion as I'm sure you'll get plenty more.
HTH
 
I agree with Christine. You may not be getting enough calories per meal. I try to get about 300 calories per meal, and during times when I'm working out more (cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon) or working out with more intensity, I need more than that. I eat 4-5 meals per day, depending on how hard I'm working. Do you keep a food journal? I did that for a while, and although I didn't like how meticulous it got, it helped me figure out the right ratios and number of calories per day for me. Eventually, figuring out what to eat came naturally and I no longer over-analyze the foods I eat and their ratios. It also helps to keep protein sources at hand -- boiled egg white, tuna in foil packets, diced chicken -- so you don't just have carbs when you get so hungry.

Pinky
 
I agree with others who have said that you are not eating enough calories per meal. Go with 300-500 calories in a meal and around 200-300 for snacks (eating only 5 meals/snacks, and leaving about 3 hours between meals). And to me "eating clean" is eating natural foods, not manufactured protein drinks (Myoplex) or jello (of no nutritional value whatsoever), but that's IMO.

I believe the body recognizes real food and "fake food," and hungers for the real thing.

The apple and Pb is a good natural snack, and the salad and chicken (if the salad is more than iceberg lettuce: think romaine lettuce, beans, artichokes, etc.) is a nice light meal. Other good snacks are veggies (red peppers, jicama, cucumber) with hummus or a tofu-based dip (you can make lower-fat hummus by blending a can of garbanzo beans with garlic, parsley and a bit of cumin, or spices of your choice, using the bean broth to moisten it as necessary instead of using tahihi or oil).
 
Danna, I think you've already been given excellent advice and suggestions here! I agree it sounds like you aren't eating enough calories overall. Also, the one trick that I still use after my WW days is to constantly have water with me. I drink about three quarts a day. It keeps you full, hydrated, and helps your muscles recover during and after a workout.

Carol
:)
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone. i'm going to have to really play around with this. it is a far cry from my regular eating habits seven years ago....junk, junk and a side order of junk!

Ever since I started with The Firm and doing BFL, it has helped me learn to love and crave good foods. Still working on the sweet tooth but like I said....baby steps.

Danna
 
Perhaps adding more fiber to your diet would help you. To me it seems that your diet is good but doesn't have a lot of fiber in it. Maybe adding some raw veggies (dipped in hummus YUM :)) and beans would solve the problem. Mari
 
Hey Danna,

I agree w/the other posters. However, you have to eat the appox. amount of calories for the next couple of hours activities. For example, if you plan to workout after eating a meal, plan your calories accordingly. Also, you may not be getting enough protein and/or good fats in each meal.

Good luck :)
 
I try to eat 4-6 small meals per day. I read an article weeks ago that eating frequent but small meals actually increases our metabolism! This is because the body has to work round the clock to digest the food that we ate. The more often we eat, the harder the digestive system has to work, thus more calories will be used by the body. But of course, the meals have to be clean foods. I've adjusted to this eating habits for two weeks now and it has done wonders for my energy level.
 
I agree with the other posters here. Certainly doesn't look like enough calories or enough fiber. I would be starving all day if I ate like this.

You could add some F/F cottage cheese and splenda to the jello for added protein and only about 80 calories.
 
Hi Danna,
For me, I eat all day long. My body always knows it is going to get food which I think really helps maintain my weight. My friends always tease me that I'm always eating. My body is use to this, as I have always been this way (I'm 45).

Joanne
 
Actually, if you are trying to eat clean, the Myoplex, raisins, and jello are not really considered clean. If you stuck w/ truley clean foods, they are usually more filling.

That doesn't sound like enough food. I usually only eat 3 meals a day, but the meals I have contain enough that I am not hungry until the next one.
 
I eat every couple of hours but I only eat approx 200 calories per meal. This works very well for me as I am more of a "grazer" than a big eater.

I understand this also helps the metabolism so I guess that's good for me.
 
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