Please review my daily food intake and offer suggestions.

[sab1976]

Today I have had:

Breakfast:
Bowl of shredded wheat
Half a grapefruit
Small iced coffee (decaf)

Snack:
Granola bar
A few baby carrots

For lunch I brought:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
String cheese
Apple
Yogurt
Baby carrots/grape tomatos

So why am I still hungry? I'm hungry now after having had breakfast and the snack. I'll be hungry again after having eaten lunch. Can you offer any suggestions for items I can add that will help fill me up? Thanks!

[EmilyK]

How much water are you drinking? Sometimes when you're thirsty, your body registers the feeling as "hungry".

Some of my "trigger" foods include apples, bananas, carrots, and yogurt... [I'm still hungry shortly after eating these foods] Maybe you're the same?

Did you have milk on your cereal?

What quantities of everything did you consume?

Are you exercising?

You might want to try protein/veggies for breakfast and see how you do throughout the day.

There are several online nutrition tracking programs you can enter your information into to see just how many calories you're consuming.

www.fitday.com
www.sparkspeople.com
www.ediets.com
Weight Watchers Online (not sure of the address)

[Sarah428]

Could it be that you're pregnant?!? :p

I had a queezy stomach in the morning but was always hungry in the afternoons with both of my pregnancies.

My advice....drink lots of water!

[TerriS]

Protein earlier in the day.
More dairy earlier in the day...maybe have that yogurt earlier.
Carrots and apples also make me feel hungry right after eating - I have to eat them *with* something with a teensy bit of fat in it otherwise my tummy is growling! I bring low fat dip for my carrots and a wedge of Laughing Cow for my apple.
Ditto on the water drinking.

[sab1976]

Could it be that you're pregnant?!? :p



Yes, Sarah, that is definitely a big part of it! :D

I agree that I need some more protein...just wondering what sort of items I could bring to work to snack on...

[wallycat]

Today I have had:

Breakfast:
Bowl of shredded wheat
Half a grapefruit
Small iced coffee (decaf)

Snack:
Granola bar
A few baby carrots

For lunch I brought:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
String cheese
Apple
Yogurt
Baby carrots/grape tomatos

So why am I still hungry? I'm hungry now after having had breakfast and the snack. I'll be hungry again after having eaten lunch. Can you offer any suggestions for items I can add that will help fill me up? Thanks!


Adding a fat or protein in the morning will help with hunger.
Either PB or an egg or if you're not watching too much sat. fat. intake, a small wedge of cheese. I love leftovers from dinner...chicken breast slivers or fish or tofu.
Your breakfast is pure carbs. Studies have been done on people who consume oatmeal for breakfast versus a breakfast with higher protein/fat and found that oatmeal eaters ate more calories over the course of the day because they were so hungry after breakfast.

You could also have a faster metabolism.
I personally have to eat every two hours (I am NOT kidding. It is a royal pain because I've constantly got to make sure I carry food with me). If I have a higher protein/fat meal, I can stretch it to 3...rarely 4 hours.

If you're exercising, have thyroid issues, etc. ..these all contribute to your hunger as well.

[EmilyK]

Yes, Sarah, that is definitely a big part of it! :D

I agree that I need some more protein...just wondering what sort of items I could bring to work to snack on...
OH! Well, that's a whole different story... I was hungry from about my 4th month on, never able to feel "full" until DS was weaned! :p

Some higher protein options for work: nuts, cottage cheese (if you bring a lunch and have a cold pack), cheese like you're already having but in addition to your fruit/crackers/etc. It's best to combine your higher carb foods with protein and fat to help balance out the sugar spike, like Terri mentioned.

[lbd]

I agree that it's the pregnancy - what would satisfy me before pg stopped being enough. I second the addition of more protein in the morning and combining proteins and a little fat with the carbs to keep you satisfied longer but to also help keep your blood sugar even throughout the day (this is a big part of the emphasis on managing my gd!). I forget how far along you are but I've recommendations to actually increase cholesterol in the early part of pregnancy because it helps with brain and neural system development. I used to have granola with fruit and yogurt every morning, have switched to more breakfast sandwiches (usually egg and cheese on a whole wheat english muffin, add a slice of turkey if lunch will be late) for the extra protein or add a hard-boiled egg when I still want the granola. Your overall diet sounds great though, very healthy (I'm assuming dinner is not just potato chips and cheesecake! :D )

[wallycat]

I thought everyone was kidding about the being pregnant part. You never mentioned that in the initial post.
EAT MORE. You need to EAT MORE when you're pregnant.
Not gorge yourself but you will have to consume more calories.

[sab1976]

I thought everyone was kidding about the being pregnant part. You never mentioned that in the initial post.
EAT MORE. You need to EAT MORE when you're pregnant.
Not gorge yourself but you will have to consume more calories.

Sorry, I should have included that little factoid to begin with.

Well, it's ten to three and I'm still starving. :o Thank you for all your suggestions. I'm going to make a list of the foods you mentioned and hit the grocery store tonight (again).

[moonbeam]

EmilyK,
Thanks for posting the links for tracking your food. I just joined sparkspeople.com. What a great site.