Ways to curb appetite?

[Pigheaded]

Howdy folks,

I workout 3 to 4 times a week, but I am getting no where on weight. I can't seem to get food under control. Last year, I skipped meals, I replaced breakfast with a protein shake. This year I am hitting a wall. I was wondering if adding a protein shake before lunch and dinner might help curb appetite and keep me out of the peanut butter jar at midnight? Maybe someone else has a good idea on how to help with those hunger pains. Thanks for any help.

[Boss Man]

Hi Pigheaded, good to talk to you.

What times do you eat at and what foods do you eat at those times?

[Pigheaded]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

Breakfast during the week is at 5:00am. Consists of 2 cups of coffee and a 10oz shacker cup of protein shake mixed in a zero fat milk.

Breakfast during weekends consists of egg whites, coffee and a low cal English muffin no butter. Time is around 9:00am

Lunch during the week is at 11:30am. It is 1 can of tuna in water on a low call wrap. 6 trisket crackers. A 100 cal bag of almonds and an apple

I don't normally eat lunch on weekends

For dinner it can be any number of items. I try to go for multi day meals such as beans and cornbread. Or something heavier such as meatloaf, enchiladas or tacos. I try to do more low cal meals when I can, such as fish tacos or chicken breasts with a veggie side. I usually eat around 7:00pm. I usually have a drink before dinner. By 10:30 I have a jar of peanut butter and a tube of crackers in hand. After half the crackers are gone, I wonder why Im eating them. Dinner and after is where I have issues. I try to keep calories low during the day to counter the potential excess calories at night. I was looking to add something that might limit calorie intake or keep hunger in check.

[Boss Man]

Breakfast during the week is at 5:00am. Consists of 2 cups of coffee and a 10oz shacker cup of protein shake mixed in a zero fat milk.

(Bin the Coffee off, as you don't need it)

Breakfast during weekends consists of egg whites, coffee and a low cal English muffin no butter. Time is around 9:00am

(Same here and I'd probably have two muffins as your calories look low here.)

Lunch during the week is at 11:30am. It is 1 can of tuna in water on a low call wrap. 6 trisket crackers. A 100 cal bag of almonds and an apple

(Tuna contains metal content so I'd switch it 3-4 times a week for other protein sources, like turkey, chicken, beef, ham or pork from a packet, or chicken breast from an oven.)

I don't normally eat lunch on weekends

(I'd get into the habit with this)

For dinner it can be any number of items. I try to go for multi day meals such as beans and cornbread. Or something heavier such as meatloaf, enchiladas or tacos. I try to do more low cal meals when I can, such as fish tacos or chicken breasts with a veggie side. I usually eat around 7:00pm. I usually have a drink before dinner. By 10:30 I have a jar of peanut butter and a tube of crackers in hand. After half the crackers are gone, I wonder why Im eating them. Dinner and after is where I have issues. I try to keep calories low during the day to counter the potential excess calories at night. I was looking to add something that might limit calorie intake or keep hunger in check.

(I'd not go for the low cal meals with dinner, get bare minimum 300 calories and and if you're eating at 10:30, then having lunch 1hr later is a bit too soon, and then it looks like you're not having anything else for about 7 hours after your lunch, so I'd eat you're lunch around 1:00 and then eat something else around 3:30 - 4:00)

[Pigheaded]

Thanks for the reply. Just to be clear, the 10:30 and jar of peanut butter is pm not am. I will see about moving lunch a bit later.

[Boss Man]

No it's the same as you said it was.

[Fitafter50]

Something else you could try is to save your carbs for your evening meal, which can help keep your blood sugar steadier during the day, and add some healthy fat to your breakfast and lunch. Restricting calories during the day makes it more likely you are going to hit the pb and crackers at night.

You could do something like:

Breakfast: 2 or 3 egg omelette (eat the yolks--they are good for you!) with spinach, onion and cheese

Lunch: big bowl of mixed greens with a chicken breast or some other type of protein and avocado, with an olive oil dressing; berries or melon for dessert

Supper: beef, fish or chicken with a sweet potato and brussels sprouts (or other green vegetable) followed by a sliced banana drizzled with melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with unsweetened coconut flakes

After supper, have a cup of mint tea and then brush your teeth and stay out of the kitchen.

[Boss Man]

There is a train of thought thought that the best time to have more carbs would be first thing and after workouts, when blood sugar is lowered, or keep the higher levels of carbs for the first 2-3 meals of the day when the metabolism is more peaked and you might burn more carbs, then have a more reduced portion of carbs in later meals.