What do you all do to stave off hunger pangs?

[Yoghurtpots]

I'm changing my eating habits from today.

Nothing extreme. Three healthy home cooked meals a day. Cutting down on sugar. Starting moderate exercise daily.

But because previously my portions were too large and I ate a lot of chocolate and cake, this is quite a big adjustment.

I was hungry between breakfast and lunch this morning but made it through.

But now I am hungry between lunch and dinner.

Dinner is three hours away; I don't want to fail on my first day.
What are your tips please?
And will this get easier?

I pre prepare a box of veg sticks (cucumber, carrot, pepper etc) and baby tomatoes and eat them when I am hungry mid afternoon.

I also generally try to make sure I have good snack choices handy because I know I need something to graze on. Fat free yogurt, fruit, veg etc.

Sometimes you can distract yourself and it passes, sometimes you just need to eat something decent like a slice of toast with a smear of peanut Butter because it will be less calories than a load of unsatisfying snacks!

And drink loads of water.

Thank you Everycowandagain come to think of it I haven't drunk any water at all today so far.

And I will do a shop tomorrow with healthy veg snacks in mind. I'll have half an app!e today.

A friend told me to eat four almonds but I'm not sure that's going to cut it

A healthy diet does include snacks as well as 3 main meals. They just need to be good choices. You could eat a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts or one slice of wholemeal toast with low fat spread. All very low in calories. If you make it too hard, you won't stick to it.

Nogodsnomasters I know you are right but I love food and cooking and get easily carried away, so I thought I would try and keep it simple this time and keep away from food altogether between meals. I know it won't work if it's too hard though thanks. I just need to be stricter about snacks I suppose. Maybe put a plastic box in the fridge just for that purpose.

If you have the time then pre-prepared snacks are a good idea like the pp said. But something simple like a low fat yogurt can also work if you haven't the time to make a box of stuff up.

Drink water
Drink peppermint tea
Suck on a Sula mint sweet
Eat carrot sticks

Boiled eggs are also very filling

Yes, I think I had better go shopping and be better prepared tomorrow. Must take the time to plan.
Appreciate the support, thanks!

Anyone have any distraction techniques that work?

Accept that hunger goes in waves, it will build and then subside if you ignore it. We have become conditioned to feeding hunger as soon as it strikes, but it will pass if you let it.

Phone a friend or your mum, go for a walk, take up crafts - anything that keeps your hands and/or mouth busy will help.

Half an apple? 4 almonds?

That's really not going to be sustainable. It's ok to eat if you're hungry. Just make sure you're eating healthy, tasty alternatives to the usual stuff you eat.

Drink a glass of water, if you're still hungry in 10 minutes then have a snack.

Frozen grapes

I find peppermint or fruit tea very helpful to keep me going between meals. Tbh, you'll get used to the change in meal structure in a few days so hang in there!

Clean your teeth! I find that I dont want to eat after

Thank you Annabel that's good advice; crafts might be just the thing actually to keep my hands busy and I intend to be more active.

ATM I seem to have access to a fridge wherever I go though so walks in the country must be a priority!

If I only eat 3 meals with no snacks I end up ravenous (and incredibly grumpy) by meal times and inhale my food within seconds.
Definitely try the tip of having a glass of water and if you still feel really hungry 10 mins later then have a healthy snack.

This is all great advice but a calorie is a calorie so I eat two curly wurlies a day and nobody's arrested me yet :)

It’s easier to sit with the hunger and come through the other side once it finally rumbles out and you don’t feel it anymore than to keep trying to satiate it with small or heavy/bulky things that leaves you bloated but unsatisfied

I drink green tea. If I still feel hungry 30 mins later I'll have a snack. But usually I've forgotten all about it.

Ooh loads more replies thanks!

That's a really good tip thanks Couch especially immediately after dinner as that can be a danger zone.

Motherfork that's what I was hoping to hear about meal structure thank you and I've just put fruit/herbal teas on tomorrow's shopping list.

I was half joking about the almonds Chewchew but I take your point. I feel I have to restrict myself a bit because my eating was getting a bit out of control before.

Thanks everyone. Apart from one really empty/grumpy "wave" this afternoon, today hasn't been too hard , so far anyway! I've found the water bottle I bought myself at Christmas too and keeping well hydrated is helping too.

Drink water.

Have more protein which is filling.

Have more veg with your meals.

I find 200ml of Alpro protein chocolate drink filling too.

Keeping your mind busy helps too like doing crochet or a colour by number app.

I can eat one grape out of my lunch time supply of grapes mid morning and it takes the edge off hunger until lunch. It really takes very little to take the edge off.

I drink a lot too. Constantly have a drink on the go.

With portion size, i have all my meals on side plates, unless it is a meal i can have a lot of veg with so i pile on the veg.

I haven't thought of Curlywhirlys in years MorrisZapp . Didn't know they still existed tbh! Are you recommending them because of the holes ?

Onehanded one of the reasons I started this thread was to see if there was any consensus about (healthy) snacking or not. I am sure what you are saying could be true but it sounds like it takes a lot of willpower which I am lacking atm. Do you mean it is easier just in that moment or does "sitting with the hunger" have positive longer term effect too?

I crochet or knit.

Just started my diet (again) and that's the only thing curbing my non stop eating. If I get hungry and it's been a couple of hours since my last meal, I'll have something reasonable like a piece of fruit or veg. Any other times I crochet and keep my hands busy.

Great; thank you. Definitely will be upping the protein (size of my first isn't it meant to be?) and veg intake and will use a smaller plate where appropriate.

Thinking of taking up patchwork and quilting again because you can bring it out, do a few squares, and put it back fairly easily. And you definitely don't want to get food near a quilt with all the work that goes in to it so I reckon it will be a good distraction.

Xpost Tory I don't get on with knitting or crochet but really glad to hear that crafting definitely helps as a distraction!

I take fruit and usually cucumber to work to have as a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. Then 3 healthy meals around that. I do struggle though and sometimes I just want chocolate so I then go get one small bar so I stop thinking about it.