Food Log

Breakfast (8 AM, hungry)

• mixed fruit ~ 1.25 cups
• coffee cake
• coffee - 2 cups

Lunch (12:20 PM, hungry)

• Turkey & sandwich on sourdough w/mayo and mustard
• salad with Asian dressing
• diet pepsi

Dinner (6:30 PM, very hungry)

• Teriyaki Chicken Lo Mein - 2 helpings
• pork egg roll - 2
• lemon aid
• 3 tsp peanut butter
• 3 tsp strawberry spread

Snack (10 PM)

• decaf coffee
  

Trying to be Good

This evening was challenging. We had a favorite family meal this time: meat loaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and mixed veggies. I usually end up stuffing myself until I feel uncomfortable. This evening we ended up eating later than usual, almost 7:30 PM so I was hungry despite my late lunch.

Problem was I was hungry in my head when I hit the door. Normally I would have had chips & salsa or peanut butter & crackers but I didn't. I did have 2 oz of tuna in 1 oz of olive oil in an attempt to provide a pre-meal, high satiety appetizer. I read about this while investigating where hunger comes from. Figured no time like the present to give it a try.

Well I certainly didn't snack any more until dinner, which was about 2.5 hours after I came home. I did eat 2 helping of everything for dinner, however, but I did stop then even though my head wanted more. I was going to have some carrot cake, but I decided to wait to see if I felt hungry later.

Since it's rainy tonight I can't walk outside and now at a bit passed 10 PM, I'm not really hungry for that piece of carrot cake. I want it, but I'm not hungry for it. I'm not sure this is an "atta boy" since I did eat a bit more at dinner that I really needed but it is a step in the right direction.

Food Log

Breakfast (10 AM)

• Breakfast burito - wheat wrap, eggs, salsa, rice, beans, cheese and some green squisy stuff
• coffee

Lunch (2:40 PM)

• P&P Loaf sandwich - 3 slices, w/lettuce, cheese, pickles, mayo/mustard
• 1 handful corn chips
• salsa
• lemon aid

Appetizer (5 PM)

• 2 oz tuna in 1 oz olive oil
  

Dinner (7:15 PM)

• Meat loaf w/catchup - 1.5 helpings
• Mashed Potatoes w/gravy - 2 helpings
• Mixed veggies - 2 helping
• cup of 1% milk

Snack (10:20 PM)

• Coffee
  

Eating Schedule Myth

Trying to maintain an eating schedule, e.g. breakfast by X time, lunch by Y time, etc. is a myth, well at least for my life anyway. Where as yesterday I was hungry before 7 AM, this morning I didn't feel like eating until almost 10 and even then I had to force myself to eat (LOL, what a hardship) so I wouldn't skip it entirely.

I had hoped that by eating breakfast I would establish a more predictable eating pattern that eliminated the hi/lows of being hungry at any one point. So much for that wish. On balance I think eating breakfast has helped - I certainly feel I have more energy in the early parts of the AM (provided I eat then) than when I was not eating breakfast. I've tried several different types of foods and although I haven't settled on a favorite the experimentation has been fun!

All that said, I do think it's important to eat when I feel hungry rather than waiting until an appointed time and consuming an appropriate amount of food rather than binging until I get that full feeling. By that time I'll have eaten too much and it's too late to give it back.

Slow Bloat

I was extremely hungry when I hit the door at 6:15 PM this evening. My big breakfast had long worn off as had lunch and I wasn't being patient about eating. My wife had the pasta chicken dish ready when I got home. I had 2 helpings and really had to force myself not to have a third. Since I was still hungry I decided to wait a bit before eating more. After an hour, I had some milk and a piece of that carrot cake. My GI track still felt empty but I didn't eat anything else.

I had some errands to run in town with my daughter and while I was out started to feel full. As the evening wore on and I went on my walk, I really felt like I'd had too much to eat. I was definitely not hungry any more. I felt really bloated. I'm wondering if pasta or the sauce on it has some delayed dietary effect or if I really ate more than I needed to. I felt great for not having that 3rd bowl, but should I have had less, perhaps just 1 despite how hungry I still felt?

Food Log

Breakfast (7 AM)

• 2 eggs over medium
• 3 strips of bacon
• 1 slice toast, margarine and strawberry spread
  
• 1 cup coffee

Lunch (11:30 AM)

• Medium toasted tuna melt from D'Angelos
• Small bag BBQ Potato chips
• medium diet Coke

Dinner (6:30 PM)

• Tuscan Garlic Chicken Pasta - 2 servings
• water

Dessert (7:30 PM)

• cup of 1% milk
• low fat carrot cake
  

Out of the Chute

While it doesn't happen too often, there are nights where I have problems going back to sleep. Last night, or rather this morning was one of them. I awoke about 4:30 AM and just could not go back to sleep. At 5 I decided to get up and try to read a bit, perhaps get sleepy. No dice. My son got called into work about 5:30 AM so I took him. By 6 AM my daughter was up. I tried to lay back down from 6-7 AM but I gave up at 6:40.

I was hungry however. That pinching feeling had been there since about 5 AM, so I decided to use my extra time this AM to make a big breakfast like I make on Sunday - eggs, bacon, toast and coffee - no hash browns. I was eating a little before 7 AM and still had plenty of time to do my 3 S's and get my daughter to school on time. And I was seriously awake by the time I hit work. Usually it takes my first cup of coffee at 8:30 AM to come fully awake. Not this AM - I felt like a bull out of the chute. Got a lot of stuff cleared off my work plate before 9 AM rolled around.

I'm certainly not going to guess at what the rest of the day will bring in terms of energy levels and hunger, although I can say I'm starting to get a little hungry now. Typically I get more tired that usual if I have trouble sleeping. I have a 1 PM meeting at our main office this afternoon which means about a 45 minute drive up and back today. It's a nice day for it, however and perhaps the fresh air will keep me perked up.