I've fallen into the routine of eating 4 meals a day and I can't stop.

[Bman94]

Wake up around 6AM every workday and try to get a 2 mile walk in. Breakfast is usually around 7:40 - 8:00. Lunch is at 11:30. I'm stuck with this schedule due to teaching from home. The problem comes when my virtual teaching day is over around 3PM. I get super hungry again, so I end up eating a meal there and then I get hungry once again around 7PM.

I don't know how to get out of this rut. I'm always hungry. The ultimate goal is to lose weight, but I'm mostly maintaining the same weight and can't stop feeling hungry through the day. Breakfast can be anything from a Jimmy Jean Breakfast sandwich and coffee or Oatmeal, crackers with peanut butter and coffee. Lunch is usually some frozen microwavable lunch meal.

These usually end up being around 400 - 600 calories each for Breakfast and Lunch. But then that extra meal around 3PM would bring in another 500 -600 calories. I'm trying to reduce the number of calories I intake and I just don't take many bowel movements, maybe once every three days, so I don't lose weight from that.

Any advice? What works for you for keeping a decent meal schedule.

 

[entremet]

"Breakfast can be anything from a Jimmy Jean Breakfast sandwich and coffee or Oatmeal, crackers with peanut butter and coffee. Lunch is usually some frozen microwavable lunch meal. "

Clean up your diet. These foods are not the most satiating.

Listen to this:

How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With 'Salt Sugar Fat'

From food scientists who study the human palate to maximize consumer bliss, to marketing campaigns that target teens to hook them for life on a brand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss' new book goes inside the world of processed, packaged goods.

www.npr.org

You're eating way too many frozen, prepared foods. Those foods are designed to be addicting. They also don't fill you up and are high caloric in nature.

Learn to cook.

 

[Era Uma Vez]

Change it to 5 meals a day. Eat less each time, eat plenty of fiber, drink tons of water.

 

[hwarang]

Why don't you consume healthy food that makes you feel full?

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

What kind of food are you eating? If you can eat more complex carbs and more protein, it can be more filling for longer, keeping you from getting hungry. You can also try protein powder with water instead of a meal.

edit: for some reason I skipped over the frozen meals part. Yeah cut those sodium traps out. Prepare a big batch of food you can divy up by the day. Big batch of grilled chicken, big tupperware of veggies, brown rice, etc.

 

[sfedai0]

Well, you can train your body although Im not saying its healthy. I eat one meal a day most of the time.

 

[jb1234]

You need to change what you eat and cook your own meals. Too much processed garbage there. It doesn't help you stay full

 

[zerocalories]

Well, you can train your body although Im not saying its healthy. I eat one meal a day most of the time.

Click to shrink...

Same I eat one meal a day on most days

OP look up intermittent fasting.

 

[Advance.Wars.Sgt.]

You consume way too much sugar and refined carbs. Sugar and refined carbs throw your ghrelin and leptin signals (both of which regulate your appetite) out of whack, which in turn keeps your insulin stimulated and keeps you in a negative feedback loop of eating but never feeling satiated.

IF, eating nutrient dense carbs with a low glycemic index, and actually upping your healthy fat intake will do far more for you than eating less of still addictive foods.

 

[HiLife]

You need a lot more fats and drink a lot more water. I personally don't see anything wrong with eating multiple meals a day as long as you're eating clean and at a deficit. Cut carbs, start grabbing shit like avocado.

 

[Wally_Wall]

Drop the "I can't" and start working on it day by day. Clean up your diet and set small goals. You got this!

 

[skeezx]

working from a "x meals a day" mindset is a losing proposition

not so much about the 'meals' but the calorie:activity ratio. if you "need" 4 a day you do indeed need that unless all 4 meals are dunkin donuts or whatever

 

[Jaded Alyx]

and I just don't take many bowel movements, maybe once every three days

Click to shrink...

that doesn't sound.... right.

 

[entremet]

that doesn't sound.... right.

Click to shrink...

Heavily processed foods, like the ones that make up the OP's breakfast and lunch are notoriously low in fiber.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Are you SO hungry at 3:00 that you can't have like a 200 calorie snack and then a regular dinner around 6? You're basically just having too much in the late afternoon.

 

[KoopaTheCasual]

In addition to cooking your food/eating less frozen foods, you should pick up a time-consuming hobby that takes you from 3pm-7pm. Watch a new movie a day, or play a video game, or do something physically active.

It sounds like you're 'bored' eating, which i'm super guilty of as well. For me, i just hard reset my appetite by going from 4+ 'meals' a day to 2 with controlled caloric intake. First 3 days were awful, but your stomach/appetite adjusts faster than you'd think, and now 2 is pretty normal to me.

 

[Slammin_Hammon]

I'd say look into finding foods that satiate more effectively, so you get the most bang for your caloric buck.

 

[Bdub79]

Ima 2 meal a day person and have been for 20 years. I believe I'm this way because caffeine is a natural food depressant for me. I dont get my first meal until after noon most days. Seems off topic but I guess my point is you could always supplement a meal with something else if possible.

 

[DarkStream]

I mean, all you can do is change the habit. There is no "hack" or shortcut.
I've been eating one meal a day for years now, was an all day eater beforehand. The first couple of weeks can be hard but then your body adapts.
Focus on the goal, only buy food that you plan to eat, no extra stuff so you can't "cheat". Treat it like an addiction and persevere. After two weeks you'll be golden.

Pick up an eating protocol like intermittent fasting, it's going to help with your insulin and ghrelin response. You won't be as hungry, guaranteed.

 

[wolfshirt]

Honestly, don't worry about calories at this point. I've lost about 100 pounds and I can tell you right now you need to focus on three things:

1) Identify when and what you're feeling when you are "hungry". If your stomach is grumbling, you are NOT hungry, this is just your intestines emptying. Drink a glass of water when you have legitimate cravings wait TEN minutes and see how you feel then. Most of the time you are simply dehydrated.

2) Focus on Fiber intake every meal, NOT calories. You should aim for 5-10g per meal. You will be full before you can do the calorie counting napkin math.

3) Drink black coffee or tea in-between meals, not with them. This will help suppress your appetite until next you eat.

Good luck!

 

[Dali]

The days my breakfast consisted of a 2 egg omelette and a batch (about one cups worth of flour) of almond flour pancakes or a 2 egg omelette and a bun made out of vital wheat gluten and almond flour with a meat to make a breakfast sandwich I would be pretty full almost the entire day. I'd only eat something like an apple and a Mediterranean salad and be done eating by 2pm for the day. This is coupled with daily walks/jogs of anywhere from 2 to 7 miles.

I'd say just eat something heartier.

 

[MarioW]

Drink more water. You can often confuse the feeling of dehydration for the feeling of hunger.

Try to drink water regularly throughout the day, then re-evaluate where you are at from there.

 

[Kittens McMittens]

Yea, if I only ate 4 meals a day I'd feel super bad too. You need to get back up to the regulation 7 a day - breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper.

 

[Bman94]

"Breakfast can be anything from a Jimmy Jean Breakfast sandwich and coffee or Oatmeal, crackers with peanut butter and coffee. Lunch is usually some frozen microwavable lunch meal. "

Clean up your diet. These foods are not the most satiating.

Listen to this:

How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With 'Salt Sugar Fat'

From food scientists who study the human palate to maximize consumer bliss, to marketing campaigns that target teens to hook them for life on a brand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss' new book goes inside the world of processed, packaged goods.

www.npr.org

You're eating way too many frozen, prepared foods. Those foods are designed to be addicting. They also don't fill you up and are high caloric in nature.

Learn to cook.

Click to shrink...

You need to change what you eat and cook your own meals. Too much processed garbage there. It doesn't help you stay full

Click to shrink...

I used to meal prep when I was teaching in person. I stopped because a few reasons: 1. They stopped allowing teachers to have microwaves in their classrooms, which made me switch to Smoothies since I didn't have to microwave them.

2. I end up cooking too much and made huge proportions and I felt like I was eating too much

3. I was relying on the frozen meals since they were Something I could heat, scarf down and get back to my computer in 30 minutes to be ready for the next class.

Why don't you consume healthy food that makes you feel full?

Click to shrink...

Okay...but what are the healthy foods that make you feel full?

that doesn't sound.... right.

Click to shrink...

The only time in my life I was having multiple bowel movements a day was in college with the University's cafeteria because pretty much anytime we ate there 10 minutes later everyone was running to the bathroom.

Honestly, don't worry about calories at this point. I've lost about 100 pounds and I can tell you right now you need to focus on three things:

1) Identify when and what you're feeling when you are "hungry". If your stomach is grumbling, you are NOT hungry, this is just your intestines emptying. Drink a glass of water when you have legitimate cravings wait TEN minutes and see how you feel then. Most of the time you are simply dehydrated.

2) Focus on Fiber intake every meal, NOT calories. You should aim for 5-10g per meal. You will be full before you can do the calorie counting napkin math.

3) Drink black coffee or tea in-between meals, not with them. This will help suppress your appetite until next you eat.

Good luck!

Click to shrink...

I usually drink my coffee with my food, should that be the first thing I drink before my walk? And will any tea work fine?

So Fiber is the thing that will "fill" me up?

 

[entremet]

I used to meal prep when I was teaching in person. I stopped because a few reasons: 1. They stopped allowing teachers to have microwaves in their classrooms, which made me switch to Smoothies since I didn't have to microwave them.

2. I end up cooking too much and made huge proportions and I felt like I was eating too much

3. I was relying on the frozen meals since they were Something I could heat, scarf down and get back to my computer in 30 minutes to be ready for the next class.

Click to shrink...

Eat smaller portions? If you can tell you were eating too much, then limit your portions to your natural appetite. Get smaller containers.

Also try to hit at least 30g of protein per meal. Protein is very satiating. Should help tons.

I do around 2 meals per day, but they're around 60g of protein each, so very filling.

 

[Min]

The only time in my life I was having multiple bowel movements a day was in college with the University's cafeteria because pretty much anytime we ate there 10 minutes later everyone was running to the bathroom.

Click to shrink...

Oh man... I remember my freshman year. The college cafeteria food just passed right through me. Can't believe I paid for a meal plan.

 

[Advance.Wars.Sgt.]

I used to meal prep when I was teaching in person. I stopped because a few reasons: 1. They stopped allowing teachers to have microwaves in their classrooms, which made me switch to Smoothies since I didn't have to microwave them.

2. I end up cooking too much and made huge proportions and I felt like I was eating too much

3. I was relying on the frozen meals since they were Something I could heat, scarf down and get back to my computer in 30 minutes to be ready for the next class.



Okay...but what are the healthy foods that make you feel full?



The only time in my life I was having multiple bowel movements a day was in college with the University's cafeteria because pretty much anytime we ate there 10 minutes later everyone was running to the bathroom.



I usually drink my coffee with my food, should that be the first thing I drink before my walk? And will any tea work fine?

So Fiber is the thing that will "fill" me up?

Click to shrink...

- Healthy fats like full fat yogurt, non-processed cheese, avocados, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, fatty cuts of beef/pork (uncured and grass-fed preferrably), salmon
- Fibrous nutrient dense vegetables/fruits like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries
- Alternative sweeteners like Swerve, Xylitol, etc.
- Other foods you can eat in moderation: carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, chicken (too lean but good source of protein), cashews, peanuts, dark chocolate (80% and above), sweet peas, string beans, jicama, apples, kiwis, oranges, shrimp/shellfish, etc.

To further help, I will refer you this link which will help you avoid foods loaded with hidden sugars. You have to completely warp your mindset and view sugar as a highly addictive toxin with dependency/withdrawal effects no different than it's cousin, alcohol.

List of Hidden Sugars

 

[sph3re]

You should be pooping at least once a day. Drink water and eat plenty of fibre.

The benefit of pooping is that you poop more because pooping is delightful

 

[carlsojo]

Step 1: Learn how to cook.

Step 2: Learn how to meal prep.

 

[wolfshirt]

I usually drink my coffee with my food, should that be the first thing I drink before my walk? And will any tea work fine?

So Fiber is the thing that will "fill" me up?

Click to shrink...

If you need a pick me up after eating, sure have a coffee or tea after a meal that's totally okay.

But if you want to focus on suppressing your appetite, a cup of joe on an empty stomach will definitely lessen cravings. When your nervous system is a little stimulated, it doesn't really want to eat.

As for Fiber, it's just one of things that makes one feel satiated. Fiber is the easiest to recommend because most foods that are decently high in fiber, also have most of the other things that your body needs to fire on all cylinders. Think salads with your lunches, an apple to snack on and a side of peas and carrots with dinner. Each of these items are loaded with vitamins and minerals obviously, but they also come fully loaded with phyto-nutrients like antioxidants and polyphenols which can reduce your risk of disease.

Hope this helps