Is there a way to get full on a diet or do I have to feel like I'm starving???

Hey yall, I was just wondering does anyone know of a way to actually get at least half way full on a diet, or do I always have to feel as though I am starving? I really want and need to lose weight, but the problem is that I do very good all day long, but then by dinnertime, I am starving. I always excessively overeat at dinner, and I wind up undoing my diet for the whole day by consuming almost 2000 calories at dinner alone. Are there any foods that taste good that are healthy and filling? Thank you in advance for your help.......

I've found that if I eat most of my calories during the day, I am much, much better by dinner time.

I'm sure you've read this or heard it before, but you should eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. I find that when I do this I can have about 400-500 calories for dinner, and then literally cut off my eating time by 7. I try to not eat after 7pm. This also helps me to get to bed at a decent time, allowing me to feel better in the mornings.

Here's what I do usually:

Breakfast 630am: Very light (I've never been hungry for breakfast): Usually a small bowl of cereal with skim milk, sometimes fruit. Coffee. 300 calories.

Snack 1030am: Usually a decent helping of strawberries or other fruit. It satisfies my hunger for lunch I'm and usually below 150 calories.

Lunch 1230pm: I work at a school and have limited time for lunch. I usually pop a Lean Cuisine in the microwave - 300 calories.

Snack 3:30pm: After work I usually have a 100 calorie pack snack of Ritz or something to tide me over for awhile. Sometimes I'll nibble on some raw veggatbles or carroties. 100-200 calories.

Dinner 6pm: By this time I've allowed myself to consume anywhere from 400-600 calories for dinner.

Of course, this all depends on how much you weight and how much you have to lose. As well as age and height. For me, I should be eating about 1500 calories to meet a deficit to create weight loss.

I know you asked for specific foods, but I think the best advice I can give you is to eat more often. Eat lighter meals/snacks every 3 or so hours. For me, this allows my stomach to feel satisfied all day long. That way by dinner- I dont feel the need to binge.

I used to roll my eyes at this advice. But I hope it does help you. i used to eat a ton of calories for dinner too. It honestly does help to eat more often.

what's your age, height, weight? what does a typical day of food for you look like? how many calories are you consuming a day? are you exercising?

we need some info so we can help you

eat more fat and protein.  they are more filling.

Exercise, that way you can eat more. :)

UD

Like Jessica said, eat more protein.

I found that if I eat a high protein breakfast/first meal, I do amazingly well the rest of the day.

I will admit, I like feeling full. So....I add raw veggies to almost every meal. Raw veggies are low in calories and high in bulk. For instance, I add baby carrots or raw broccoli to almost every meal (I am guilty of having lunch for breakfast).

Lots of protein + not dense foods (raw veggies) = satisfaction.....imo.

I fill up on vegetables and never feel hungry.  I have them raw or steamed, or incorporated into soups, stews, curry, or chili, etc.  A typical meal for me would be a piece of fish, chicken or tofu (cooked to be yummy of course), a small serving of whole grain or potato, and all the steamed broccoli and carrots I want.  In other words, I measure out the high calorie foods but not the low calorie vegetables. 

I agree that a higher protein breakfast is more sustaining.  For instance, I cook my oatmeal in milk for just that reason.  I do a mean tofu scramble too - better for you than eggs, although whole eggs have a lot of important nutrients too. 

I got a lot of help reading the Advice section, especially Mary Hartley's Expert articles.  Hope they help you too.

edited to add:  I don't know if they still have it, but Weight Watchers used to have a list of "unlimited" foods.  These were things like celery, mushrooms, cucumber, radishes - all the very low calorie items - and you could eat as much as you wanted from that list. 

I was the same way until about two weeks ago.  I changed my percentages and the side effects have been great.

Around 40% Carbs/30% good fats/30% lean proteins.

Side effects from this change:  feeling fuller longer/ more energy/and I went from eating 1700-2000 calories a day to eating 1500-1700 calories a day.

I have been weighing and logging in all of my foods, because it is hard for me to get my proteins over 17%.

Good luck and I hope you find what works for you.

I know your feeling...........although I don't think I have ever eaten 2000 calories at dinner while trying to cut back! WOW!

I think the secret is finding what works for you.  Many have answered fruit and vegetables.........if you happen to be a carboholic (my hand is now raised) that will make you hungrier than when you started to eat it.  Don't misunderstand that is a great choice for some, just doesn't work for all of us.  I tend to "fill-up" better using protein.  We have been told for so long that meat is BAD but you can choose wisely..........turkey, lean beef, lean pork, fish.  I have tried the salad route and it doesn't work for me. Having lean turkey slices ready for snacking helps me, a boiled egg occasionally, peanut butter combined with a cracker and 1/2 cup skimmed milk all work as effective snacks for me.

The other consideration is how long have you been on this way of eating?  I had a headache for almost three weeks...........there goes those carbs again.  If a carrot makes you hungry, try celery with peanut butter, 1 oz sharp cheddar, but I would encourage you to always have protein in your meals.

The other thing that works for me.  If I make the effort to exercise I usually will eat in a proper range..............I hate exercise and don't want to waste it.

We all have to find what works for us.  Good luck with your journey!

Barbara

These would be my tips for feeling satisfied and losing weight at the same time..

1.  Make sure you're planning the right amount of food to lose weight.  Don't try to exist on 1200 cals if your age/size/activity level mean you need 1700+ to lose weight. 

2.  Eat regularly by spacing out meals and snacks so that you don't allow yourself to get very hungry at any time.  Start the day with a good breakfast

3.  Balance your diet carefully so that you're getting a good range of wholefoods.... lean protein, complex/high-fibre carbohydrates, vegetables and fats.... at each meal.  If your plate looks empty, fill it with more vegetables.

4.  Avoid processed foods, 'diet' products, artificial sweetners, sugary foods and refined starches (white bread, pizza, ready-meals, white pasta, white rice) ... these tend to be the least satisfying foods and you'll feel hungry again 20 minutes after you've finished

5.  Make meals flavoursome.  Bland tasteless food is very unsatisfying and leads to cravings for tastier junk.  Create flavour by starting with good, fresh ingredients and by using herbs and spices.  Savour the flavours.

6.  Make mealtimes a conscious action by sitting at a table, eating slowly, savouring your food, talking to others if you can.....  Avoid eating on the hoof or eating whilst doing something else (watching TV, using the computer).  If you eat slowly your stomach has chance to recognise that it's full.  If you pay attention to what you're eating you're less likely to overeat than if your attention is elsewhere

Steamed veggies! Sweet Potatoes are my newest love in life--one is SO filling and it's super yum :)

I'm a nighttime eater too so what do is reserve most of my calories doing the night and eat light doing the day

I feel stuffed at the end of every day. Almost sick of eating. Three things.

1. A salad a day at least. Look at a bag of salad it has less than 100 calories. I've started making my own salad dressing out of 1 scoope of may some mustard and a cup of water. I'm gonna read up and find a better mix item then may buy still i get a hugh 200 calorie meal.

2. Water, water, and more water I drink 3 to 5 liters a day.

3. Eat, eat and eat again at least every other hour. Low cal items in the right proportions. 1 ounce of peanuts or 1 cup of soy beans, 1 skim cheese stick, 1 Hard boiled egg, all the celery you can eat. Celery if you can stand it is a great snack, try it with a small bit of peanut buter or soft cheese.

I hate 1600 calories yesterday and ate every time i was hungry. If you have a day where you cheat on your diet be prepared to suffer for days to come with hunger pains after a few weeks they start to subside as long as you feed the need. Your body will get used to the lesser intake.

joe

I am not suggesting that anyone follows this eating regime, but Google "Cabbage Soup Diet".  I make a pot of this ever so often and have a very low cal and healthy bowl when I'm starving. or between meals.   A bowl before a meal will keep you from seriously over eating.  You can modify the ingredients by adding other green vegetables (Kale, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, etc).  You can also alter the cuisine by adding things like cumin, Italian herbs, or curry to suit your tastes.  I wouldn't try to flavor the whole pot, just in case you don't like it.  A 1 cup serving is less than 100 calories, and if I eat that and go over my calorie limit for the day I can do it with a smile because I didn't snack on junk.

 Well, I certainly thank all of you for your help. Someone asked me how old I am, what is my weight, How much do I excercise, etc. I am 29 years old, and I weigh 246.0 lbs. In a typical day I do quite a bit of housework and I usually try to work out 3-4 times a week. I try to eat around 1600-1800, but definetly not more than 2000 calories per day. I was actually wandering if I should be eating more or less. When I mess up and binge at the end of the day, sometimes I wind up eating around 3500-5000 calories a day which winds up adding me on an extra 2 or 3 pounds the next day. But when I am doing a good job on my diet, then I stick to about 1600-1800 calories per day. I think that part of the problem is that a lot of the food that I eat consists of high calorie foods. For example. For breakfast, I may have a sausage and biscuit for about 400 calories. Then 3 hours later I may have a 100 calorie snack. Around 3 hours after that I will have lunch which ususally consists of maybe a sandwhich and a few chips usally adding to around 400-500 calories. Then I may have another snack around  100-200 calories. All of that sounds okay (i know it could be a whole lot better) By dinnertime, I am usually starving and I mess up and consume around 2000 calories. I am 5'5. What can I do differently to stop making the same mistake over and over again???

Here's my take on your situation. It's exactly as you say, you eat way too much calories in a day. Since your a big guy, try not to limit your calories intake to 1600-1800. Let yourself eat about 2000-2200 a day. Your food choices definitley has to change.

In the morning i suggest you eat a bowl of cereal instead. For lunch try to avoid the sandwich(bread has lots of carbs). I suggest eating chicken salad or steak salad. Hold the ranch dressing and use vinegret. Eat lots of fruits as well for lunch and as a snack when you get hungry. For dinner, eat lots of fish, chicken, or steak with some brown rice. Try to avoid white rice. When your eating, don't eat full size protions and don't eat too fast. Avoid junk food. That means things with sugar and food with lots of fat. example: FAST FOOD!!. Heres another way but it's unhealthy. You can forget all that and stick with tuna salad all day everyday for months.

Some excerise tips, do about 30mins to an hour of cardio everyday or every other day. You can jog outside, jumping jacks, squats, some crunches(3 sets of 10), and yoga. You can also try buying a sauna suit and wear it everytime you run. Also, if you got excess to a sauna and a treadmill, try using them both. What i meant by that is use the treadmill inside the sauna.

The most important thing here is COMMITMENT. But don't worry, most people are always committed when they see results in a week. Your goal should be 25-30lbs a month. So about 1lb a day to shed. When your weighing yourself, make sure you do it weekly and try having a journal to write down what you ate plus the calories intake for each day.

Well i wish for your success and if you do follow this guide and it works for you, than I am happy.

One more thing, Your goal should be 145-155lbs. Try to reach it in half a year.

Eat every 2 hours, this is what i do, i start at 8 am and finish at 8 pm and im never hungry. i actually started with a 10 pm as well but now i dont need it.