I'm hungry

[70sShmeventies]

I started Sunday and I am hungry! I am wondering if my appetite needs to adjust , I used to graze constantly on biscuits, crackers and have a double breakfast 😂. I have listed yesterdays food below, I think I am eating enough but I am hungry in between meals, particularly between breakfast and lunch (hence the old second breakfast routine).

B (6am): 2x weetabix (HexB), a banana and a handful of strawberries with skimmed milk (HexA), coffee

Snacks: apple, pear, egg, coffee

L (12): Bacon, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, egg, beans

Snacks: tangerine, another apple, coffee

D: Mushroom pasta and salad with cheese (HexA), yoghurt, small glass of wine and a few squares of choc.

I get an extra HexA as I am breastfeeding which I use for milk in my coffee. Maybe I need to have dinner for lunch and a lighter evening meal?

Have you used something like my fitness pal to actually work out the calories vs what you need to take in to loose weight? I'd sugges doing that first to see where you can change things

No I haven't I might do that. I am only 5pounds overweight and with the breastfeeding etc maybe I need to eat more.

As an X keto, X low carb-er, I think there's not enough fat in your diet.
Instead of two weetabix have one weetabix with a full fat yogurt. Time how long you feel full afterwards.

snacks, instead of a tangerine or an apple which would both create an insulin spike, try black olives in brine, or an avocado or a couple of walnuts.

Saying this, I 'm not keto! not recommending it! But it did take away some of my fear of fat. Some is ok. It definitely fills you up.

What is hex cheese? I sometimes have a babybel about 80 cals if i'm uncomfortably hungry and there's a while til I was planning to eat.

I'm back on the wagon now and the weight loss stalled for me today!

You can't start comparing calories and recommending full fat yoghurts when the whole premise of SW is low fat??!

Can you eat your breakfast later? I'd be starving if I started eating at 6am too. I have 3 weetabix with warm milk and a measured amount of sugar which I syn. Then I'll have a banana and an assortment of fruit with it.

Have plenty of food at each meal, with 1/3rd veg/fruit on your plate.

Also, are you drinking plenty of fluids?

@Blueuggboots I usually have about 4 glasses of water a day. I tend to eat with the kids as they are up early but I could push it back as yep, it is VERY early!

I will try and beef up my salads too, maybe that'll help.

There is something to be said for full fat though, I could syn some greek yoghurt and have less whole milk. Because of the (young) kids we tend to have full fat dairy so that is a big change for me. Might syn an extra weetabix or switch to porridge at breakfast too.

I wonder if part of the problem is having breakfast at 6am? When I eat breakfast early I'm usually hungry again mid-morning, but I'm finding that on days when I'm WFH and don't eat breakfast until 9-ish, I can go until lunchtime without snacking.

I think we eat breakfast when it best fits our timetable (eg before 7am because we have to leave for work) instead of when it best fits our hunger cycle (which would be later in the morning).

Also, Western societies have evolved 'breakfast' into a specific (very lightweight) morning meal that isn't actually filling. When I visited Japan I was surprised that the hotels offered 'proper' meals at breakfast time (things we would consider lunch or dinner food), so fish, potato, steamed vegetables, curry, rice (and also desserts!). Apparently that's normal in Asian countries. It took a while to get used to eating broccoli at breakfast time but I much preferred it to our pathetic breakfasts of a bowl of cereal etc.

Eating plenty of protein helps too - aldi do lovely low fat, high protein yoghurts which aren't too high in syns.

Unfortunately SW works but it doesn’t. It can help to get weight off in the short term if you can tolerate the masses of carbs but it isn’t sustainable and it’s not healthy. Low fat and load of sweetener plus that god awful fry light. No thanks. I’ve been there done that and think I’d be healthier fat than doing SW again.

First thing I’d do if I found I was routinely hungry between meals is to see if I need more protein in that meal, you could do that fairly easily by swapping the banana for Greek yoghurt or something. Obviously there’s protein in all dairy stuff, lol, but you’re looking for things that have a p symbol next to them.

But also... you might want to think about why you’re expecting not to be hungry when it’s 6 hours between breakfast and lunch and probably the same or more between lunch and dinner? I don’t mean in terms of slimming world or weight loss, just... in general, if you’ve had nothing substantial for 6 hours, IMO (for what it’s worth) you’d be hungry... 🤷‍♀️ So it might be worth working out whether you’re just hungry for your next meal, but not used to paying attention to how your appetite works and you need to just adjust to it, or if you actually might need smaller meals but more often.

@Rolandoratto I agree with you to a certain extent, although since being on it, even if only for a few days, I have eaten so much less junk and waaaay more fruit and veg. I disagree with the whole unlimited potatoes and pasta thing and still portion control, and once I have lost the weight I will be running back to full fat yoghurts (within reason) BUT so far its been a good 'reset'.

@Blueuggboots ah right, I didn't know that the whole premise of SW is low fat. Kind of hard to believe, thought we'd moved past that.

With regard to breakfast though, yeh, I used to sit down and eat breakfast at 7 am before I left the house but then I realised that if I just waited til 11 I could have breakfast when I was hungry. If I ate at 7 I would be hungry at 10

@JoyPeaceHealth, you might have but lots of people lose weight doing SW.
what's works for one doesn't work for another. It's about finding what works for each of us.

I'd say you need more protein to keep you fuller for longer - especially in breakfast and dinner xxx

Also you don't have to eat low fat yogurts on SW! I eat full fat ones and full fat milk and real butter - you just have to measure it 🤷

I don’t eat for between 16 and 18 hours every day and am not hungry. Eating so many meals a day can wake up your appetite rather than manage it. (Sugar/carbs spike insulin which then causes hunger etc)

I also don't use sweetener or fry light and just measure sugar and oil. The are just options in the plan - nothing is forbidden!

When I look back on the old weight watchers my mother used to follow I think it was basically healthy but should have allowed a bit more fat.

Oh I agree! But fat is so satisfying that it is hard to deprive oneself of it.
I have followed low fat diets too and they do work for a while. I've tried everything now at this point! 52. I'm currently counting calories but aiming to make low carb choices but carbs aren't measured or banned. I'm looking for a middle path i can keep up forever.

@Goingcrazyimsure - I'm the same - I use olive oil and sugar and use syns for them.

I agree with this. I’d stop having breakfast if you can help it. I loosely follow SW and do 16:8 and haven’t had breakfast for years (this isn’t SW advice!) but I just find once I start eating I can’t stop - it seems to trigger my appetite. I don’t eat until lunchtime. Maybe the 16:8 diet would work better for you OP as it’s really good for curbing large appetite?

I find if I do start eating breakfast (like over Xmas as family were staying) I start putting on weight, fast.

I agree with a PO. I wouldn't recommend calorie counting and SW. They are both 2 different diets and won't compliment each other.
Stick to one or the other!
You will adjust to it, especially after your first weigh in ☺️

@Yeahrightthen i might try that actually, I’m never hungry when I have breakfast but there is something to waking your appetite because I then become ravenous. When I skip breakfast I am less hungry.

I’m very all or nothing and love eating. I find I have to be v restrictive to keep control of my appetite. The only reason I’m not extremely overweight at this point is breastfeeding two kids.

I try and eat around 9ish, dependent on what I'm doing but deffo wouldn't eat that early.

Also, a protein rich breakfast (eggs, bacon etc) is meant to keep you fuller for longer.