To be starving?

[Pollyputhtekettleon]

I'm trying to lose a stone and have started myfitnesspal app to do calorie control for a month and see how I go. I've never dieted before but ive just had 3 babies (in 3 yrs) and I found a love of cake in my second pregnancy.

Anyway, so far today I have had a bowl of porridge (decent size) made with whole milk, a big banana, a cup of tea and cup of coffee, both with whole milk. I am starving for the last 2 hrs! Surely that is a normal breakfast whether I'm calorie counting or not? I am physically hungry (growling tummy etc) and not just psychologically hungry.

AIBU to be hungry on that? Lots of people manage with no breakfast at all!

That wouldn't fill me up for more than about an hour and a half.

Eggs, as suggested, are more filling. Or avocado on toast. Some kind of oily fish thing if you can stomach it (I love a savoury breakfast but appreciate not everyone might!)

Thanks for the protein advice. I'll try it. I'm also going to go measure approximately how much porridge I made out of interest.

Porridge makes me hungry as well.

I find eggs fill me up but I get bored with them everyday. This morning I had a bagel with philadelphia, a coffee and a banana - that was three and a half hours ago and I'm not hungry yet. My other quick go-to breakfast is plain greek yoghurt with a banana or two - I add a drizzle of honey on top and I find it keeps me going for hours.

I think the Europeans breakfast very well - things like eggs, ham and cheese are really filling and much better for you than sugary cereal and buttery toast.

Have you tried low carbing? It may not work for everyone, but It works for me, and I am rarely hungry on it. IME porridge, toast etc for breakfast means I spend half the morning feeling ravenous.

5:2 is 2 days at 500 calories and 5 days eating "normally". Though "normal" is best worked out using a TDEE calculator.

Yep, porridge and apples leave me ravenous, even though lots of people find them filling. Eggs all the way or cheese on toast, something savoury and with protein and a bit of fat.

truly so what do you have for breakfast in that case? I don't like the texture of porridge so can't really comment on that but toast with boiled eggs keeps me going until lunch - as does muesli with greek yoghurt.

Joins others in not finding porridge filling.

I find I need to eat a lot for breakfast, normal lunch and a small evening meal or else I am starving all day. Maybe try that if you are hungry in the morning. I find the usual diet advice of very little but fruit, yogurt and soup in the morning/daytime before a 'healthy evening meal' impossible to stick to.

If I was counting calories I might have 600 for breakfast, 400 for lunch, another snack of 100/200 at sometime during the day and then an evening meal of no more than 3/400 calories, which is fine because I don't need more than that and would lose weight on those amounts but I am tall and active.

OP was it instant or quick cooking porridge?

Those are cut quite small and move through the stomach much faster than the old fashioned style that needs more then 5 mins cooking.

Also, it was nearly midday when you posted, what time did you eat breakfast? I can't go more than about 3 hours on a bowl of porridge. I make granola and that, with yoghurt and fruit, is much more sustaining.

Haven't used MFP so I don't know if you have a diet plan but what about a piece of fruit, apples and pears are both good, and some nuts mid morning?

If I have anything carby I am ravenous by 10am too. Eggs are the answer!

Spinach 2-egg omelette (I add bits of sliced turkey and/or feta and chillies if I'm particularly peckish); boiled eggs with sliced avocado; little bit of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. Kippers and grilled tomatoes. Buckwheat or rye crackers with nut butter are a good snack. Plain yoghurt and fruit, too. This morning I had a plate of goats cheese with fresh pineapple, slightly randomly. Lots of leafy greens. Lots of water. Lots of green tea. Plenty of good fats (olive oil, avo, nuts).

And ditch bread, refined white carbs and refined sugar for a bit.

Good luck!

I found that mfp made me think about food all the time but I do agree as well about the porridge and as I cannot stomach eggs for breakfast and prefer them for lunch I would often give in and have a very small snack before lunch even if it was only a few almonds.

I ate oatcakes and peanut butter a lot for breakfast or for a filling snack and sliced apple spread with philladelphia and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Actually use cinnamon a lot as it is supposed to regulate blood sugar.

Some people are carb intolerant. If I had a load of carbs for breakfast I'd be starving by 10.30.

You need to go low carb, then you won't feel hungry but you'll lose weight.

PPs are right about porridge v protein for keeping you feeling fuller for longer, but getting used to a growly tummy between meals is crucial to successful weight loss.

I find it helps to plan meals so I share out my calorie allowance through the day. I'm starving now, but I know I'm going to have some lunch in a minute so it's not really too much of a problem.

Try a smaller bowel of porridge with a spoonful of peanut butter mixed in, the fat and protein make it more satisfying.

Polly how can you be using MFP to count calories if you have no idea how much porridge you actually ate? I've done MFP before and it works but you need to weight everything.
I'm doing the low carb bootcamp on here now and it is great - no calorie counting or weighing and the high fat, low carb definitely curbs my hunger pangs. if you don't fancy low carbing, I still agree with the others about eggs as a great filling, breakfast.

I have porridge (well, overnight soaked oats) with chopped nuts, seeds, flax, yoghurt and berries. Sounds complicated but the dry ingredients are premixed in a container and I add the yogurt, milk and frozen berries the night before and leave in fridge. It keeps me happy til lunch.

Agree with the pp who said peanut butter too but make sure you buy the no added sugar or salt versions.

Don't have fruit at mid-morning either - again - full of sugar which will make you hungry shortly after you've had it.

Forgot to say I make my granola with a generous amount of chopped almonds, so I'm getting protein with the oats.

How many calories will you be eating?

Like Curren, I normally eat around 2500.

2000 is already a diet for me....2000 is a lot of food though , but still irritating as i can feel hungry if I eat less than 2500

(before people freak out, I am 6ft and do exercise every day. But still am a bit fat-ish, in my mind's eye)

So OP, have you got a realistic amount of calories to work with?

I think it's to do with a reduction in your portion sizes too. Me an DH went away for four days and really indulged and put on half a stone, when we came back we had reduced portion sizes, really strict on snacks and felt hungry because it was less than my body had becomed accustomed to. I always feel hungry the next day after having a three course meal out, and I think this is why.

I eat 30g of porridge for breakfast (dry weight) and that's plenty. I make it with 80ml of whole milk and 120ml of water. I add either blueberries or banana and about a teaspoon of agave. the milk/water mix is because other than a dash in coffee, it's the only milk I drink and DH and the DDs drink whole so there's no point in buying else for me.

I lost nearly 2st of baby weight last year and have now kept it off for a year.

How long have you been doing MFP OP? I found the first two weeks (I did WW) really tough - distraction and lots of water are key! It's normal now though.

Start for a couple of days eating normally but weighing everything. Then each day drop by 100 cal until you reach the daily calorie count you want to eat at.

Drop the calories from carbohydrates and increase the protein calories. When you are really hungry, mushrooms and courgettes are great for adding bulk. Aim for 7 vegetables portions (80g each) per day and drink a lot of water.

MadSprocker, I'm exactly the same - I was away this weekend and ate way more bread than usual.

It was a long stretch from breakfast to lunch today!

When I started out my weight loss I always had 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast some form of fat spread and a banana which was enough to fuel 2 hours of exercise and see me through to lunch. I still start the day the same but normally forget the banana but I can still manage a 10 mile run on what I have.
Cereal never worked for me and other fruits just left me hungry. I use the oats so simple plain sachets if I need a snack with a squeeze of honey and 25g of raisins and sometimes I add almonds depending on what my lunches protein content was.

at 100g of porridge oats.

I wonder if it's the sheer quantity that's the problem. I make porridge with about 30g of oats and 200ml of unsweetened soya milk - it comes to a very creamy, soupy consistency after long, slow cooking (I microwave it, but have it on simmer, once it's come to the boil, so the oats cook through properly) and, with a banana chopped into it and nothing else added to sweeten it, the only time it doesn't keep me going for 4 or 5 hours is when my period's due.

I can't sweeten it, though. It's delicious with a spoonful of honey or a square of dark chocolate melted in, but I get the shakes after 2-3 hours if I do that.