# Hungry, so very very hungry...



## Andrew_Culture (9 Oct 2012)

I eat an absolute minimum of processed food, eat a lot of veg and am not naturally a fan of red meat, I manage to attain my 2500 kcal intake most days (which is more than I used to eat), I seem to be taking every increasing amount of nuts, dried fruit and home made flapjacks (River Cottage breakfast bars) to work and yet by 3pm I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open and am ravenously hungry! I'm not just talking a little bit peckish, but actually almost nauseously hungry.

I try and leave a flapjack until about 3pm but it calls to me like Edgar Allen Poe's tell-tale heart!

I cycle an average of about 80 miles a week, burning approximately an extra 5000 kcal a week.

I've shed a lot of weight through cycling (and increasing my kcal intake) but don't seem to be able to get over this feeling of being really hungry every afternoon!

So should I just follow my instinct and near-bankrupt myself by eating 1kg of cashew nuts a day or should I try and find some more slow-release foods like the flapjacks?


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## dan_bo (9 Oct 2012)

Couple of apples seem to get me through till teatime.....


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## screenman (9 Oct 2012)

Are you drinking enough?


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## tadpole (9 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I eat an absolute minimum of processed food, eat a lot of veg and am not naturally a fan of red meat, I manage to attain my 2500 kcal intake most days (which is more than I used to eat), I seem to be taking every increasing amount of nuts, dried fruit and home made flapjacks (River Cottage breakfast bars) to work and yet by 3pm I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open and am ravenously hungry! I'm not just talking a little bit peckish, but actually almost nauseously hungry.
> 
> I try and leave a flapjack until about 3pm but it calls to me like Edgar Allen Poe's tell-tale heart!
> 
> ...


 
Like you I was always hungry more so in the afternoon until I hit on the answer that solved the hunger, and helped me cut down to 2200 calories. 
Drink at least 3ltr of water every day. Fill a 1ltr bottle with water/squash.. And drink it before mid morning, another one with lunch, and one more before I leave to go home. I do not feel hungry, nor bloated. I was thinking I was hungry when in fact i was just dehydrated. YMMV


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## 4F (9 Oct 2012)

Agreed, my money is on not drinking enough and confusing hunger with thirst.


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## Andrew_Culture (9 Oct 2012)

I'm already drinking a minimum of three litres a day, I was drinking five but spent too much time nipping to the loo - I could cut clean through a brand new urinal cake in about three days. I called it job satisfaction.


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## marzjennings (9 Oct 2012)

Get more fat in your diet, seriously.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf 

Swap the flapjack for a nice fried egg in the morning.


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## tadpole (9 Oct 2012)

Ok so that is a bust, next I'd say try eating 5 times a day, small breakfast, early morning snack, lunch, Mid afternoon snack, dinner. (this along with the water thing is what I do,)


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## deptfordmarmoset (9 Oct 2012)

marzjennings said:


> Get more fat in your diet, seriously.
> http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
> 
> Swap the flapjack for a nice fried egg in the morning.


It could well be too little fat. Anyhow, the days are not getting any warmer so you'll be burning it off quicker - I was starving after a 25 mile pootle this afternoon. A little insulation won't do you any harm.


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## Andrew_Culture (9 Oct 2012)

The fat thing is genuinely interesting, I've never eaten much fat just out of personal preference. I only eat bread at the weekends but I do eat a lot of pasta.

Above all it's a lovely feeling thinking about my diet in terms of filling myself up and fuelling myself adequately, I'm calling that a minor victory in itself!


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## Andrew_Culture (9 Oct 2012)

deptfordmarmoset said:


> It could well be too little fat. Anyhow, the days are not getting any warmer so you'll be burning it off quicker - I was starving after a 25 mile pootle this afternoon. A little insulation won't do you any harm.


 
I'm still cycling into work in shorts and short sleeve tee-shirt while everyone else at work is wearing a jumper all day and putting the heating on!


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## Andrew_Culture (9 Oct 2012)

tadpole said:


> Ok so that is a bust, next I'd say try eating 5 times a day, small breakfast, early morning snack, lunch, Mid afternoon snack, dinner. (this along with the water thing is what I do,)


 
This is encouraging.


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## Lee_M (9 Oct 2012)

sounds like youre suffering from eating miserable veggie food which isnt satisfying you 

seriously, the lack of fat or protein could be causing the hunger feeling - its like the old story of you can gorge on rabbit along but still die of starvation


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## Andrew_Culture (9 Oct 2012)

Lee_M said:


> sounds like youre suffering from eating miserable veggie food which isnt satisfying you
> 
> seriously, the lack of fat or protein could be causing the hunger feeling - its like the old story of you can gorge on rabbit along but still die of starvation


 
You're possibly not far off, I was vegetarian for about nine months a while back and have never felt so hungry in all my life!


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## Globalti (9 Oct 2012)

I find that wholemeal or granary toast with butter and marmalade gives me a long energy boost. It has to be proper butter, mind, not marge or spread.

I have a decent sized salad roll with some meat in it at 1 pm and fill in with apples and bananas, which works fine for me. It sounds as if you are bonking because there's too much sugar and not enough fats and carbs in your diet for longer term energy.


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## Graham (10 Oct 2012)

Big bowl of porridge in the morning might help? Although I am similar - cant stay away from the canteen in the afternoon!


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## poynedexter (11 Oct 2012)

i have lost about a stone (11.5 - 10.5) in less than a year. i find i need to eat 5 times a day. big porridge breakfast, fruit and yogurt at 10.30, sandwich and fruit at lunch, mid afternoon snack of a small sandwich and raisins. normal dinner.

if i eat protein at lunch (2 chicken breasts with some salad) i dont get too hungry till tea time.

my advice is add protein at lunch (fish/ chicken) and eat dinner at 7 - 7.30pm. this keeps the 9 oclock munchies at bay.

for me its the usual crappy processed food, sugary stuff and drink which is the killer for weight control, not the quantity of good food.


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## ttcycle (11 Oct 2012)

Eating smaller meals more regularly, upping the healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, olive oils, oily fish and - if you're riding as much as you do, you'll need it. Complex carbs are good as you know but you'll need to balance it out with much more protein veg based or meat and fish to aid the feeling of fullness. 

Hope this helps.


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## Sittingduck (11 Oct 2012)

Get a couple of spoons of peanut butter down your neck


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## Andrew_Culture (11 Oct 2012)

Sittingduck said:


> Get a couple of spoons of peanut butter down your neck


 
I can't stand the stuff, but I do hide it in the breakfast bars


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## jonny jeez (11 Oct 2012)

There's nothing else for it.

The golden arches are calling!


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## ttcycle (11 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I can't stand the stuff, but I do hide it in the breakfast bars


Try other nut butters then- hazlenut, nutella, sesame - there's loads out there


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## ttcycle (11 Oct 2012)

jonny jeez said:


> There's nothing else for it.
> 
> The golden arches are calling!


Wash out your mouth..! lol


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## Andrew_Culture (11 Oct 2012)

ttcycle said:


> Try other nut butters then- hazlenut, nutella, sesame - there's loads out there


 
Hmm, Nutella, droooooool... And you get a wee glass to use after the pot is empty, handy!


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## jonny jeez (11 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Hmm, Nutella, droooooool...* And you get a wee glass* to use after the pot is empty, handy!


Perfect, that'll save all those trips to the loo then.


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## ttcycle (11 Oct 2012)

Ah don't get me started on jars and bottles- I love them, recycled ones are really handy for storing more food or craft stuff.


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## Andrew_Culture (11 Oct 2012)

jonny jeez said:


> Perfect, that'll save all those trips to the loo then.


 
*nods*


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## Sittingduck (11 Oct 2012)

Avocado?


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## byegad (12 Oct 2012)

I used to get very, very tired around 2pm every day. Almost out on my feet at times. I used to have a cup of tea for breakfast then a cooked lunch.

I found that it could be solved by eating breakfast and eating a lot less at lunchtime solved the problem.


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## Drago (12 Oct 2012)

I avoid the hollow calories in veggies and fruit, and stick to red meat as much as poss. Got a lifting competition next month and I don't think celery is going to help much


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (18 Oct 2012)

Protein. Whilst on tour, I would go through periods where I would wake up starving in the middle of the night. A hand ful of cashew nuts or similar would only get me through a couple of hours until I woke up really hungry again. But if I ate a hard boiled egg, I would get to sleep the rest of the night through. We ended up adding both nuts and eggs into our evening meal to resolve the problem. (I've been veggie for 29 years, near vegan for between 5-10 years (after developing a dairy allergy, near vegan because I still eat eggs...))


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## tadpole (18 Oct 2012)

Drago said:


> I avoid the hollow calories in veggies and fruit, and stick to red meat as much as poss. Got a lifting competition next month and I don't think celery is going to help much


 In what way are fruit and Vegetables Hollow Calories?


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## Andrew_Culture (18 Oct 2012)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> Protein. Whilst on tour, I would go through periods where I would wake up starving in the middle of the night. A hand ful of cashew nuts or similar would only get me through a couple of hours until I woke up really hungry again. But if I ate a hard boiled egg, I would get to sleep the rest of the night through. We ended up adding both nuts and eggs into our evening meal to resolve the problem. (I've been veggie for 29 years, near vegan for between 5-10 years (after developing a dairy allergy, near vegan because I still eat eggs...))


 
I LOVE eggs, I've been considering upping my consumption from two to four a day.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (18 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I LOVE eggs, I've been considering upping my consumption from two to four a day.


 
well given there are not that many calories in an egg (something like 72kcalories in a large boiled egg I think), go for it.
All those 'restrictions' on the number of eggs we should eat in a week, have long been since removed for a healthy diet and it is not unheard of for my hubsand and I to get through 18-24 in a week when we are at our friends place who has hens and seems to always have way too many delicious eggs that need eating. really tasty ones with big yellow yolks.... (now if I could import that smilie from foodchat that licks its lips)...


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## Andrew_Culture (18 Oct 2012)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> well given there are not that many calories in an egg (something like 72kcalories in a large boiled egg I think), go for it.
> All those 'restrictions' on the number of eggs we should eat in a week, have long been since removed for a healthy diet and it is not unheard of for my hubsand and I to get through 18-24 in a week when we are at our friends place who has hens and seems to always have way too many delicious eggs that need eating. really tasty ones with big yellow yolks.... (now if I could import that smilie from foodchat that licks its lips)...


 
And I've never had any problems with getting egg-bound, in fact with all this cycling I think I need eggs to bind my bowels!


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## Crankarm (19 Oct 2012)

Eggs are good. Too many lead to elevated levels of cholesterol and bad breath.

Dried fruit, nuts cashews and brazils are all good, bananas, wholemeal bread and marmalade, yoghurt and pains of chocolate are all good. Potatoes, chicken, ham, tomatoes, pasta, hard cheese, cucumber, salad, rhubarb and custard (Ambrosia). Water drink lots, make sure you are not dehydrated.


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## Saluki (19 Oct 2012)

This might sound a bit mad, but have you tried having the occasional (and I mean occasional) pig out. I used to get seriously, feeling like I was going to pass out hungry when eating very very healthily. I was advised to have a right pig out and it did the trick. It didn't seem to affect my weight loss either. I didn't go mad and eat everything on McDees menu but did have a big stew, dumplings lots of veg and possibly followed by jam roly poly and custard for tea. It seemed to do the trick.

I love seeds rather than nuts. I have also been known to roll some low fat dairylea/laughing cow triangles in some lean ham and eat a handful of sunflower seeds. It works a treat.


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## Andrew_Culture (19 Oct 2012)

Saluki said:


> This might sound a bit mad, but have you tried having the occasional (and I mean occasional) pig out. I used to get seriously, feeling like I was going to pass out hungry when eating very very healthily. I was advised to have a right pig out and it did the trick. It didn't seem to affect my weight loss either. I didn't go mad and eat everything on McDees menu but did have a big stew, dumplings lots of veg and possibly followed by jam roly poly and custard for tea. It seemed to do the trick.
> 
> I love seeds rather than nuts. I have also been known to roll some low fat dairylea/laughing cow triangles in some lean ham and eat a handful of sunflower seeds. It works a treat.


 
Yup! A proper huge 'eat till you split' feast does help out sometimes!


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## david k (22 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I eat an absolute minimum of processed food, eat a lot of veg and am not naturally a fan of red meat, I manage to attain my 2500 kcal intake most days (which is more than I used to eat), I seem to be taking every increasing amount of nuts, dried fruit and home made flapjacks (River Cottage breakfast bars) to work and yet by 3pm I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open and am ravenously hungry! I'm not just talking a little bit peckish, but actually almost nauseously hungry.
> 
> I try and leave a flapjack until about 3pm but it calls to me like Edgar Allen Poe's tell-tale heart!
> 
> ...


do you like fruit Andy? ive found it fantastic way of working through those spells of hunger, that and low fat yoghurts, oh and coffee ha ha
i eat bananas, apples and just love pineapple which is supposed to be a super fruit!!!!!!!1


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## Andrew_Culture (23 Oct 2012)

david k said:


> do you like fruit Andy? ive found it fantastic way of working through those spells of hunger, that and low fat yoghurts, oh and coffee ha ha
> i eat bananas, apples and just love pineapple which is supposed to be a super fruit!!!!!!!1


 
I ate tons of dried fruit for quite a while, but I don't think it helped my waistline. I was regular as clockwork though.


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## david k (23 Oct 2012)

ha, ha. Ive found fruit to be very helpful. I know it has quite a lot of sugar but its frucose which is a healthier type than sucrose and it does stop me from picking at biscuits and sweets etc


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## bicyclos (24 Oct 2012)

I used to suffer with dizzy spells in the late afternoons at work if it was a physically heavy day. I used to scoff and drink anything I had left in my bag to feel better(biscuits,sweets rubbish really). Now I make sure I have a sandwich either of chopped egg and spring onion or a chicken salad and a small bottle of fresh orange juice which I call my emergency pack. It has stopped the dizzy spells and late pangs.....


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## JoeyB (24 Oct 2012)

How much do you weigh and how tall are you?

I'm no nutrition expert but I've done a fair bit of reading on diets etc for when I've been trying to get hence at the gym lol.

I've learnt that lots of small meals throughout the day is good, and that you should aim for a 40 / 40 / 20 percent split on carbs, protein and fat (in that order). The lots of small meals is good because it keeps the hunger at bay amongst other things.

Id say 2500 calories a day for someone that rides to work possibly is a little on the low side? 

Have you got the MyFitnessPal app on your phone? Really handy for logging your nutritional intake and give you an idea on how many carbs, protein and fat you are taking in...


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## Andrew_Culture (25 Oct 2012)

JoeyB said:


> How much do you weigh and how tall are you?
> 
> I'm no nutrition expert but I've done a fair bit of reading on diets etc for when I've been trying to get hence at the gym lol.
> 
> ...


 
I'm somewhere between 6' and 6' 2" depending on the measure, I weigh about 15.5 and 15 stone (haven't weighed myself for a while).

I periodically use the Spark People app to track my nutrition, the results from the last tracking session (back in June) are on this forum HERE. I was just thinking I need to have another tracking session!


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## smokeysmoo (25 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I'm somewhere between 6' and 6' 2"


That'll be 6' 1" then 


Couldn't resist, coat already on and heading for door...................................


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## lulubel (25 Oct 2012)

I'm not sure if this has already been asked - I've just skimmed the thread - but what are you eating for lunch?

It it's mainly carbs, it can fill you up at first, but carbs are very easily digestible, so you'll start feeling hungry again within a couple of hours. Having more protein and fat in your meals (fat seems to make the most difference for me) slows down your digestion and will leave you feeling full for longer.

I'm vegetarian, by the way, and I don't suffer from constant hunger, but I am careful about what I eat. I don't eat low fat anything. The calories in most low fat alternatives are pretty much the same, and the fat that's been taken out has been replaced with sugar, which causes highs and lows in blood sugar levels and makes you more hungry. If you're going to have a yoghurt (for example) a full fat one will keep hunger at bay for a lot longer.

I probably eat more saturated fat than is recommended because I like dairy products, and that's where a big chunk of my fat and protein intake comes from. However, after some discussion with a couple of different doctors, I've concluded that cholesterol levels are less important if you're fit and active. The guidelines are set for sedentary people (the majority), and active people can sustain higher cholesterol levels and stay healthy. I do eat a lot of unsaturated fat as well, though, in the form of olive and nut oils, avocado, etc.

I noticed you mentioned in one of your posts that you don't eat a great deal of fat, so I'd say that's the first thing to look at.


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## Andrew_Culture (25 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> I'm not sure if this has already been asked - I've just skimmed the thread - but what are you eating for lunch?
> 
> It it's mainly carbs, it can fill you up at first, but carbs are very easily digestible, so you'll start feeling hungry again within a couple of hours. Having more protein and fat in your meals (fat seems to make the most difference for me) slows down your digestion and will leave you feeling full for longer.
> 
> ...


 

Today's lunch is fairly typical, I'm having five rice cakes with four laughing cow triangles and five slices of ham. I'm tracking my eating using SparkPeople for the next week so I'll post the results here.


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## lulubel (25 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Today's lunch is fairly typical, I'm having five rice cakes with four laughing cow triangles and five slices of ham. I'm tracking my eating using SparkPeople for the next week so I'll post the results here.


 
That doesn't sound like very much.

I had a big (about 100g) slice of toasted seeded/granary type bread, with half a tin of baked beans and a bit of cheddar on top.

It would keep me satisfied until tea time, but I'm still planning to have some fruit in a bit, and probably - scratch that, definitely - some chocolate with my cup of coffee later on.


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## Andrew_Culture (25 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> That doesn't sound like very much.
> 
> I had a big (about 100g) slice of toasted seeded/granary type bread, with half a tin of baked beans and a bit of cheddar on top.
> 
> It would keep me satisfied until tea time, but I'm still planning to have some fruit in a bit, and probably - scratch that, definitely - some chocolate with my cup of coffee later on.


 
Here's my day so far (which looks like a lot of food to me):




I'll have a decent evening meal tonight and probably a beer and a glass of wine. I don't normally have the chocolate bars but am quite comfortable with having them in my diet.


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## Rob3rt (25 Oct 2012)

Your lunch looks like what I used to take in my packed lunches in primary school, the good old days, except I would eat something tastier than rice cakes


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## Zofo (25 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> I eat an absolute minimum of processed food, eat a lot of veg and am not naturally a fan of red meat, I manage to attain my 2500 kcal intake most days (which is more than I used to eat), I seem to be taking every increasing amount of nuts, dried fruit and home made flapjacks (River Cottage breakfast bars) to work and yet by 3pm I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open and am ravenously hungry! I'm not just talking a little bit peckish, but actually almost nauseously hungry.
> 
> I try and leave a flapjack until about 3pm but it calls to me like Edgar Allen Poe's tell-tale heart!
> 
> ...


 
I was in the same place for around 4 years tthen I recently stumbled across intermittent fasting as a way of burning fat. I've lost 7 lbs in 6 weeks and I'm never hungry .check this out:

http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Intermittent Fasting Primer


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## Davidc (25 Oct 2012)

The eggs being unhealthy tale is a myth. Please see BHF website, among others.

The myth was so strong (relating the cholesterol content of food to blood cholesterol) that specific research was done to disprove it.

The BHF advice is that an unlimited number of eggs can be eaten as a part of a healthy diet. (boiled or poached, without added fats or salt)

What they do to the breath is not however discussed in the BHF documentation.


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## Archie_tect (25 Oct 2012)

There are sound reasons for not drinking too much water... you can overload your cells... there is a sensible daily limit which you can google to check.. just a quick check [depends on many variables] but 3 litres should be about the most ....unless you cycle across Nevada every day..


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## lulubel (25 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Here's my day so far (which looks like a lot of food to me):
> View attachment 14281
> 
> 
> I'll have a decent evening meal tonight and probably a beer and a glass of wine. I don't normally have the chocolate bars but am quite comfortable with having them in my diet.


 
Your lunch is a reasonable amount of calories, but doesn't look like much to fill you up. My beans on toast was around 500 cals, but was a much bigger volume of food.

I could say the same for breakfast. Similar cals - mine is around 400-450 - but I get a lot more food for my calories. My breakfast is loose bran, oats, chopped apples and pears, a sliced banana, some AllBran for a bit of crunch, and milk, and it's a "be careful you don't spill the milk" kind of bowl full.

Maybe you are getting enough protein (and possibly fat), but breakfast bars, snickers, mini roll, etc doesn't sound like keeping processed food to a minimum, which is what you said in your first post, and things like that aren't known for being filling. Compared to my diet, it sounds like a lot of processed food. (The most processed food I eat on a more than very occasional basis is 85% dark chocolate.)

The really big thing I noticed is the lack of fibre in today's menu. Does the website you use log fibre for you? I think the recommendation is a minimum of 18g a day, although I have around 50g most days. Fibre fills you up for no calories!

To be totally honest with you, there's absolutely NO WAY I could get through to dinner on what you've listed there. I'd probably be stuffing myself with things like bread and fruit to stave off the hunger pangs before I even got to lunch time.

(I'm not trying to be critical of your choices. I'm just saying I'm not at all surprised that you're hungry.)


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## Motozulu (25 Oct 2012)

I admit to being very 'old school' here (that's because that's what I am - I'm 50 FFS) but I've always been a fan of listening to your body. I may suddenly crave choccie, or salted peanuts or whatever - but there is a reason for that - so follow your cravings. As long as it is'nt for 14 donner kebabs. If you are putting the miles in then you are ok, your metabolism may go into overdrive (hence eating more) but again - that's for a reason too.

Relax, enjoy life, try not to obsess..


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## nathanicola (25 Oct 2012)

Do you have a high sugar intake, i used to eat a lot of sugary foods and used to get very tired and lose all my strength in the afternoons. If i ate something sugary i would be fine again but it was like a vicious circle.
Now ive cut out sugar completely apart from natural sugars like fruit, took a few weeks of cravings but i feel so much better now. I only eat natural food now, I dont eat any meat just loads of veg and fish, wholegrain bread and cerials ect. I don't get tired or weak any more and i feel full of energy i've also lost about a stone and dont get a bloated stomach any more.


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## Motozulu (25 Oct 2012)

You might be on to something there - when I'm at home I don't do sugar and feel chipper- when I'm on nights at work I have sugary coffee to keep me going...next day -ie today - I go out on the trails and feel poo...hmmmmmm


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## Andrew_Culture (25 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Your lunch is a reasonable amount of calories, but doesn't look like much to fill you up. My beans on toast was around 500 cals, but was a much bigger volume of food.
> 
> I could say the same for breakfast. Similar cals - mine is around 400-450 - but I get a lot more food for my calories. My breakfast is loose bran, oats, chopped apples and pears, a sliced banana, some AllBran for a bit of crunch, and milk, and it's a "be careful you don't spill the milk" kind of bowl full.
> 
> ...



The breakfast bars are homemade, the mini rolls and snickers are quite a freak occurrence 

More fibre sounds appealing.


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## JoeyB (25 Oct 2012)

Load up at breakfast. It should be the largest meal of the day!


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (26 Oct 2012)

No dinner listed???????


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Oct 2012)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> No dinner listed???????


 
I hadn't got to dinner by the time I posted that rundown


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## MattHB (26 Oct 2012)

I've had the same problem Andy. I've increased breakfast a lot. Porridge a banana and 2 toast. Then I've bulked out my bean salad I make for lunch with cashew nuts to increase the calorie count. It's helping certainly but I still need a 500cal flapjack mid afternoon. Fridays are 'eat as much as I can' days where I have literally no conscience, it fuels me nicely for the Saturday club ride.

I'm very guilty though of not drinking enough which is a big problem!


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Oct 2012)

Well I reached my calorie target yesterday, not sure it was in the best possible way though! To be honest the maddening hunger appears to have subsided, so little bits of advice that I've received on here must have done some good!


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Oct 2012)

MattHB said:


> I'm very guilty though of not drinking enough which is a big problem!


 
I was drinking about four litres a day and I think it was messing with my belly; I know that too much fluid can have a diuretic effect.

I'm doing well on the one glass of red wine a day thing, but some days I skip so have to make up for it (like last night). I jest of course...


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## MattHB (26 Oct 2012)

All the calories from all that booze may be making you think you're eating more than you are. That was 578 calories you could have put into carbs etc

In addition, you need a way bigger breakfast!


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Oct 2012)

MattHB said:


> All the calories from all that booze may be making you think you're eating more than you are. That was 578 calories you could have put into carbs etc
> 
> In addition, you need a way bigger breakfast!


 
My Thursday nights aren't usually so boozy


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## lulubel (26 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> The breakfast bars are homemade, the mini rolls and snickers are quite a freak occurrence
> 
> More fibre sounds appealing.


 
Sorry, didn't notice the breakfast bars were obviously homemade.

If you want to increase fibre in your diet, you need to be looking at switching to wholegrain versions of bread, pasta, etc. These also have the advantage of containing more protein than the white equivalents, so they fill you up initially and slow down the digestive process to keep you full for longer.

Most fruits and veggies contain loads of fibre and very few calories.

And the big one is bran. A portion of my homemade "muesli" that I have for breakfast contains 17.4g of fibre, and most of that comes from the bran. There are obviously lots of different cereals that contain large quantities of bran, but it's also really useful in its natural form. It's easy to include in recipes for cereal bars, but can also sneak into cakes, biscuits and even savoury recipes without you noticing it's there. In my opinion, it's a wonder food for anyone who wants to make their daily calories go further.


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Sorry, didn't notice the breakfast bars were obviously homemade.
> 
> If you want to increase fibre in your diet, you need to be looking at switching to wholegrain versions of bread, pasta, etc. These also have the advantage of containing more protein than the white equivalents, so they fill you up initially and slow down the digestive process to keep you full for longer.
> 
> ...


 
Cheers! We've been Wholgrain since Wham, although I only eat bread at the weekends, but that was a weightloss habit that I could probably do with losing now.


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## ttcycle (26 Oct 2012)

From looking at that chart you posted you aren't eating enough for the amount you cycle. 

You eat healthily but there really isn't enough healthy fats in there. As has been pointed out your breakfast is miniscule - for a cyclist it's not enough, your lunch again is carb heavy and not balanced.

Up the protein, up the healthy fats (avcocado, nut butters, nuts, seeds etc, olive oil, pumpkin oil etc) and just eat a bit more. No wonder you're hungry!


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## Andrew_Culture (26 Oct 2012)

Wa-hoo! Cashews FTW! Shame they're so blimmin' expensive!


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## ttcycle (26 Oct 2012)

I know the costs of nuts have gotten crazy haven't they?

Not a lot of fruit and veg in there either, maybe throw some more in - the vitamins will do you good.


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## ttcycle (26 Oct 2012)

If you wanted to be really good, you could take out more of the less healthy snacks (high calorie no nutrition) and replace them with good fats and fruit and veg.


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## david k (28 Oct 2012)

i have a large bowl of all bran every morning, is this a good source of fibre? I know its supposed to be but with all foods in the modern era they can use marketing to let you think something is healthy, just thought it worth checking


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## lulubel (28 Oct 2012)

david k said:


> i have a large bowl of all bran every morning, is this a good source of fibre? I know its supposed to be but with all foods in the modern era they can use marketing to let you think something is healthy, just thought it worth checking


 
Yes, it is, but if you're eating Kellogg's, you might want to look at supermarkets' own brand alternatives. From my experience here in Spain, Kellogg's All Bran is relatively low in fibre and high in calories compared to the alternatives.


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## david k (28 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Yes, it is, but if you're eating Kellogg's, you might want to look at supermarkets' own brand alternatives. From my experience here in Spain, Kellogg's All Bran is relatively low in fibre and high in calories compared to the alternatives.


i usually buy the supermarkets own brand, i buy the biggest box they have, i find its really good value


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (28 Oct 2012)

Anyone remember where that link was that allowed you to put in your weight, your bikes weight, luggage weight and the distance you were planning on cycling and it would tell you how many calories you needed. I used to have it, but have missed laid it. think it might be useful (though I can't even remember what it was called to google it). I might give our OP an idea on the calories he needs to take it for what he is cycling.


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## Andrew_Culture (28 Oct 2012)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> Anyone remember where that link was that allowed you to put in your weight, your bikes weight, luggage weight and the distance you were planning on cycling and it would tell you how many calories you needed. I used to have it, but have missed laid it. think it might be useful (though I can't even remember what it was called to google it). I might give our OP an idea on the calories he needs to take it for what he is cycling.



Yes please!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (28 Oct 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> Yes please!


 
this is not the one I saw originally, but does have some interesting features http://bikecalculator.com/


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## Monsieur Remings (30 Oct 2012)

Someone else may have mentioned it Andrew and you may have considered it before, but it's too late to trawl through, so here goes...

Is there any correlation with mileage completed the day before? I never used to worry too much about recovery but since realising that after my usual 60-80 (summer miles) on a Sunday, I'd be a calorie hunting monster the next day, I took it much more seriously. I'd often eat enough after a ride but still feel ravenous the next day and sometimes wanting fry-ups, subway sarnies and all the things my brain associates with cheap, cheerful protein and carb fixes whilst I'm not at home.

Since using a good recovery formula - 50-65g of whey protein, 2 x teaspoonfuls of spirulina in a pint of rice or oat milk being my own preference, I fare a lot better BUT...I do eat a fair amount of red meat too...? During the summer I was averaging around 200 miles a week and whilst the mileage is lower now (50 on the road and another 50 on the turbo during winter) if the sessions indoors on the turbo are intense enough, I sometimes take a half of the amounts above so I don't wake up and go the next day feeling I need to pile on the calories.

It would appear to me that your body is telling you that it needs more of something given the excess work it does for you on the bike...it's just a matter of finding what might fix the problem.


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## Andrew_Culture (1 Jan 2015)

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but I'm now heavier than I was when I started this thread so am about to try and shift the flab again! I work from home so don't have a commute any more, which is probably half the reason I've larded up again.


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## jcoomber (1 Jan 2015)

Riding around is so much more enjoyable than commuting. What I do when I work from home is to sometimes get up at the same time as I would and just do a circuit instead. Intervals, its all about interval training!!


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