To wonder why I get so ridiculously hungry?

[Pinkwintersocks]

Not sure if this is normal.

On an average working day I eat;

Bowl of porridge or 2x weetabix for breakfast (don't have time for anything more substantial)
Banana at 10 o'clock
Sandwich at 12, either egg or chicken or some pasta salad.
Then a small orange and a yoghurt or a packet of crisps.

By half 3 I'm so hungry I feel weak and I struggle to wait until 6 for my dinner.

Also if i don't eat my sandwich at 12 I can't concentrate on my work and get the shakes.

It's embarrassing because everyone has their lunch at 1.30 but I just can't wait.

I have tried having eggs for breakfast but it makes no difference and I don't have time anyway.

The funny thing is though, I don't feel like this on my days off.

On my days off I usually skip breakfast, but then I have a loads of scrambled eggs with mushrooms on a bagel and a yoghurt, all at about 11am, this then sees me through until my tea.

It's almost like my body just wants me to stuff my face at 11oclock

More healthy fats? For lunch do yourself a huge salad with chicken, olives, feta, nuts with some olive oil drizzled over. Caffeine decreases my appetite do iv found coffee mid morning helps hugely.

Iv found cutting down on carbs stopped the hunger.

Too many carbs. Try a boiled egg for breakfast or a handful of nuts with a glass of milk, skip the banana in favour of a bowl of berries, and you may find you have more energy.

I’m the same. I used to get the shakes too but find that low carb diet helps with that. But I’m still very hungry on low carb

I am always

on a diet (starving)

or

not on a diet (eat double what I need to and put on weight).

I still get really hungry when eating loads - I like to eat until I feel ill. Something very wrong with that I’m sure but I manage to stay in normal under BMI 25 (but wobbly) category as I get fatter and decide I need to get in control again

When I diet I get a bit used to eating less, and I think I must misread the hunger signals. Hunger doesn’t mean you need to eat. Hard to stick to that though.

Skip breakfast and see how you feel.

Some people are fine when they don't eat until 10am. You have to find what works for you (a revelation, I know)

On my days off I usually skip breakfast, but then I have a loads of scrambled eggs with mushrooms on a bagel and a yoghurt, all at about 11am, this then sees me through until my tea

^

Do this on week days then.

I do scrambled eggs in the microwave. Two eggs, dot of butter, splash milk, 2 mins. Takes less time than porridge, plus porridge always used to explode

Did you read my post OP? Sounds like you are similar to me. Don’t eat breakfast at home. The 10 minutes you save allow you to get into work 10 minutes earlier. Then you can make some porridge there. Eating breakfast later might help you.

I have found that swapping to full fat milk with my breakfast keeps me feeling full for a lot longer in the morning

I am exactly like you OP. I’ve always been hungry and need to eat mid morning and mid afternoon or I get really hangry and can’t concentrate. I think it’s just your metabolism, everyone is different. I wonder if having early breakfast early is part of the problem. I find I am hungry again an hour or so after I get to work possibly because I’ve rushed around, got ready, walked DCs to school then battled the journey to work and burned off the early morning porridge.

It's almost like my body just wants me to stuff my face at 11oclock
I suggest you follow your body in that case. Have a very light breakfast, then something a good deal more substantial for elevenses.

I used to work somewhere with a good canteen open all day. Day went - up at about 7.30, bowl of muesli, half mile walk to train, arrive at work just before 10am, up to canteen, grab bacon roll or sausage sandwich to eat at my desk (I didn't share an office), work for a couple of hours, eat cooked dinner in canteen, and then I could work through to 7pm and do the journey home with no further food.

How are you getting on OP? Are you hungry?

Deadgood yes sorry I did read your post, you're probably right in that breakfast is too early. There are lots of good suggestions on this thread.

Jeopardymouse well, I haven't been hungry today, but that's because I brought a packet of mini eggs on my way to work and have been munching my way through them throughout the day. Not very good but I am due on my period so that's my excuse.

Thinking about it it's also probably why I've been so extra hungry.

Ha ha well that will help! Love mini eggs .

@PinkWintersocksWay you're eating way too much carbohydrate! You need more protein and more fat to keep you feeling satiated.

And it's worth reading a book called [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D4WO272/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21 'Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal'
]] which will help explain why eating breakfast is likely to make you more hungry - interesting that you don't experience the same hunger when you skip it!

@VapersNest:

I have a completely carb free lunch - a big salad with a substantial portion of lentils or chickpeas, 2/3 eggs or 6/7 falafels (currently vegetarian)

There are loads of carbs in this! All vegetables have carbs in them, and legumes/pulses have even more.

@Pinkwintersocks:

Bowl of porridge or 2x weetabix for breakfast (don't have time for anything more substantial)

You'd be better off having a bowl of full fat Greek yoghurt, with some nuts or a few berries - just as quick and easy. If you had the time, a couple of boiled eggs, or scrambled eggs (made with butter) would be great.

Banana at 10 o'clock

One of the most carby fruits you could have. If you had a higher protein/fat breakfast you won't be hungry mid-morning.

Sandwich at 12, either egg or chicken or some pasta salad.
Then a small orange and a yoghurt or a packet of crisps.

Again, all carbs. Try a salad that doesn't have pasta/rice/noodles in it, and instead of the orange, have some veg, like celery or cucumber. And some nuts instead of the crisps.

By half 3 I'm so hungry I feel weak and I struggle to wait until 6 for my dinner.

This is because you're eating so much carbohydrate your insulin levels are spiking really high - which means your blood sugar levels will also drop really quickly. This is a hugely simplistic explanation, but low blood sugar levels make you feel shaky and hungry

Also if i don't eat my sandwich at 12 I can't concentrate on my work and get the shakes.

As above!

Porridge is a good source of fibre, so I'd stick with that if you can - maybe try adding peanut/almond butter or a spoonful of Greek yogurt to it to up the protein content.

I'd skip sandwiches for lunch in favour of soup - anything with beans/lentils in is a good source of fibre and protein, plus it's easy to make a big batch of soup and freeze it in portions.

Could you have a hardboiled egg and some oatcakes for your afternoon snack, maybe with carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes? They'll keep for a couple of days in the fridge once cooked, so you could boil them in advance. Or hummus with crudites/oatcakes? If you have yogurt, choose plain Greek over sweetened fruit flavoured ones, and add a handful of cut up fruit.

I find eating something small every hour and having smaller portions at meal times helps keep my blood sugar more stable. Could you add a bit of protein into your porridge like a spoonful of peanut butter or a little sachet of whey protein powder?

If i have sandwiches, white rice or pasta for lunch i get absolutely ravenous in the afternoon and can sometimes feel a bit faint or dizzy.

If i have porridge or cereal for breakfast then i am ravenous an hour later.

If however i fill up on protein instead then i don't have the same crashes.

@Pinkwintersocks Probably just because you are used to that much food?

I eat at the opposite end of the scale. I have had very little food indeed since the weekend (circumstances and generally shit eating, not an eating disorder, although never do breakfast and rarely lunch)

Sunday: a half sausage baguette at 5pm.
Monday: nothing all day, then a single stuffing ball at 6pm
Today: several biscuits and 2 apples

As it stands now, I am "peckish" but not chewing furniture or anything.

That is almost less than you have for one meal on one day.

Quite simply, you(r stomach) gets used to it.

Although if I do have breakfast and/or lunch I am ravenous a few hours later.

I am massively overweight so it's not like I need extra calories.

That's terrible advice, ShotsFired.

It's a lot of carbs messing with your blood sugar. I'm low carbing at the minute and i don't get the same fridge raiding urges that i've had all my life. I also don't get tired in the afternoons.

I could easily go with Greek yoghurt and berries for breakfast.

Any ideas for nice salads to eat at work?

I didn't give any advice - unless you mean my comment about being used to so much food?

I've found that to be true in my experience- on holiday for example when I have breakfast lunch and dinner - my appetite expands to fill. Then I come home and go back to normal.

I wasn't advising anything per se though?

Im the same, watching for some food ideas