Hunger issues - can you look at my meals today?

[Revived]

I consistently seem to get hungry like an hour after each meal.  It's not full fledged stomach growling, empty feeling hungry but it is like a "hollow" "man, i should've eaten more" feeling. (there is a difference between empty and hollow, i just dont know how to explain it)  But when I'm actually eating, i eat till I'm full.  Each meal I think I have to make sure i eat enough and then i think i do and then i get this weird hunger thing again!  I dont think its craving.  i can tell the difference.  The whole thing about are you hungry enough to eat fish and brocolli is difficult because i HATE fish.  I could probably fast for 2 or 3 days before i felt hungry enough for fish. But I do think i could eat another meal.  Sometimes i resort to a snack of a hard boiled egg or a banana and almond butter but i try to just hold out for the most part.  Its not full fledged hunger like i said.  it just messes with my head.  i keep thinking i need to eat more.  not junk or fruit.  just more of the meal or whatever.  

 

 

 

For breakfast I cooked a lb of ground turkey in ghee.  Probably a thumb and a half.  Then i re-sauteed some leftover califlower rice with zucchini, squash and a tiny bit of plantain.  i added like a half thumb of ghee to that pan.  then i mixed that with 2 eggs and like half of the ground turkey.  My plate was FULL.  I ate all of it except maybe 3/4 of a cup.  because I was full.  I drank a full glass of warm lemon water when i woke up.  Plus i had 2 cups of herbal tea.  Then i got the weird,hungry, hollow feeling like an hour later and it just kept growing steadily till i ate lunch.  that habit.  Today I held out and made it till lunch but i could tell my blood sugar was dropping by the time i got ready to eat.  maybe its normal and I'm supposed to feel like that after meals because im not stuffing myself full of pasta.   

 

Then for lunch i had left over rotisserie chicken.  like 1 breast worth.  a big salad with avocado dressing (like a TBS) and a small plantain tostada.

 

Dinner was a pot roast with roasted zucchini and yellow squash (which i layered in a casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil, onion, squash, almond meal sprinkled on top and then a bit more olive oil drizzle) and sweet potato chips (roasted on a baking sheet that i covered with coconut oil first) with some mayo based dipping sauce.  and a cup of berries. i dont know how to describe how much sweet potato i had.  maybe 1/2 cup of medallions? Is that a crazy amount of oil?  it feels like it is but I'm not the only one eating it and not all the oil in the pan makes it to the place so i have no idea how to measure it.  I cook for 4 people.

 

So like right now its almost 8.  We sat down to dinner at 6.  I ate until I was full.  Right now I feel hungry.  Like if you put a meal in front of me, i could eat the whole thing.  Maybe not fish, but just about anything else.  By the time i go to bed at 11, i will be starving.  

 

Why??  What am i doing wrong??

[KitchenWitchy]

I think you might need more fat in your meals. I would eat what you eat, plus a bulletproof coffee at breakfast, half an avocado with lunch, and half a can of light coconut milk on the berries but that is just what works for me. There are lots of posts around the forum on different fat sources, maybe that would help you?

Good luck and if you are really truly hungry, don't starve yourself! Eat a small meal of protein, fat, and veg.

[HippeeChick]

I am on Day 10 of my first Whole30 and I understand about the hunger management dilemna.  I don't know that I have cracked the code completely, but if you have any history of dieting, it is daunting to eat a LARGE meal, especially with fats...but, that is the only way I have found to beat the hunger game.  I agree with KitchenWitchy, the fat is the key   I am psyched about this though because for years I have denied myself the flavor joy of cooking with and eating fats!  But, I have found they are essential to beating the hunger and maintaining energy, especially if you are consuming primarily lean protein sources, as chronic dieters are conditioned to do.  Always did a good job consuming protein.

 

Are you doing any working out?  If yes, I believe eating according to the template guidelines is critical to maintain any sort of plan without a loss of energy and stamina. 

[Tom Denham]

It sounds like you are eating a good amount of food, but maybe you need more fat. Instead of cooking ground turkey, use ground beef that is 80/20 or 85/15, not something lean. And instead of a chicken breast, eat chicken thighs. And maybe you could add avocado or olives to get a little more fat in there. Don't worry if you are not satisfied with three meals. Make it four meals for now. Eventually you will adjust, but this can take some time.

[spagirl]

So glad you posted this!! I feel the same way!

I thought I wasn't eating enough in general, my breakfasts are small, an egg or two with veggies. I'm not a huge breakfast eater so....

Interesting about the fat though, because that's what I'm tending toward "craving" and not my old choices, but nuts or coconut flakes and I don't want to eat too much of that (no brakes foods for me).

Again, great advice here!! (And very friendly too!)