Can't make it 5 hours!!!!

[krawford13]

Hi, I am new to this program and boards and am having a really hard time making it between lunch and dinner. I walk 45 minutes to an hour every morning (well 5 days a week) and I really don't want to stuff myself at each meal just to make it to the next. Does my body get used to 3 meals a day. Did your bodies adjust. I am hoping this happens, because I really like this program. I have been using the "punch cards" and they have really been helping me get a lot of work done, because I want that "gold star" at the end of the day. Very motivating. Any advice would be helpful

[oolala53]

Yes, you get more used to the gaps between meals. Don't be afraid to take advantage of liquids. I often had to have coffee with milk either in the morning or afternoon at first. Sometimes I still have it just for fun, but I'm trying to cut that out. but I've gone 6 hours in the morning sometimes, and that long or longer in the afternoon, though neither is typical in my case.

I also know what you mean about not wanting to stuff yourself. That changes, too. I used to feel that if I didn't have my piece of fruit with lunch that I couldn't make it. Now I sometimes don't even finish my lunch. But I would recommend that you make sure you have some fat at each meal-- some walnuts, olives, cheese, etc. Fats are dense so they don't make you feel as bloated, but they do, for me, just seem to add the right touch for satiation. And protein is famous for that, but I've been eating that for years.

You won't get this all figured out in a few weeks, most likely. More like 6 months to a year.

[DaveMc]

First of all: yes, you *can*.

Does my body get used to 3 meals a day. Did your bodies adjust.

Most people do find that they get used to it, yes: I now have no problem with seven hours between lunch and dinner, or even longer, though I try to arrange for it to be more like six hours (breakfast around 6, lunch around noon, and dinner around 6 splits up the day neatly, if schedules allow it).

But at the same time, a lot of people (probably even *most* people) do have trouble at first, so don't worry that you're unusual! If you hang in there for a few weeks, it will get easier! If you find that you really can't make it, you can try drinking a glass of milk or juice in the afternoon -- it's not recommended as something to do every day, long term, but if it makes it possible to get the hang of the three-meals-a-day habit, it's worth it.

The other possibility is to add a *planned* mini-meal at a specific time, at first: the number of meals doesn't need to be three, that's just the usual number. You could start with four, with the fourth being a small meal in the mid-afternoon, if that helps you get into the swing. The key thing is make this a planned event, so that you're not just eating at any old time: the hardest habit to break is eating at random, so you want this mini-meal to be as deliberate as possible, so you don't feel like you're just grabbing something whenever you feel like it. After a while, you'll probably find that you can dispense with the fourth meal and just make it from lunch to dinner. (Or you may just be able to learn to do that, without the fourth meal.)

Welcome, and good luck!

[Nicest of the Damned]

I find it's easier to get through the time between lunch and dinner when I've got something to do that keeps me and my thoughts away from food.

[exdieter]

I like a decaf latte to keep me going if I get hungry (caffeine makes me feel hungrier). Also, if I am going to work out between lunch/dinner, I will always plan a mini-meal (which is either a banana or an apple), so I don't bonk during my workout.

[deadweight]

One thing I learned when trying to lose weight is that while hunger is partly physical, your reaction to it is predominantly mental.

My advice is this (and you're not going to like it): Go on a water-fast for two days. Not for the sake of losing weight (although you will -- at least temporarily). But if you prove to yourself that you can go a day or two without eating, then you will begin to see three meals as perfectly adequate if not extravagant.

A two day water-fast will be a little hard, but millions of people do them all the time for health reasons, pseudo-health reasons, religious reasons, or economic reasons. You'll be fine.

[Sharpie]

Yes, you get more used to the gaps between meals. Don't be afraid to take advantage of liquids. I often had to have coffee with milk either in the morning or afternoon at first. Sometimes I still have it just for fun, but I'm trying to cut that out. but I've gone 6 hours in the morning sometimes, and that long or longer in the afternoon, though neither is typical in my case.

I also know what you mean about not wanting to stuff yourself. That changes, too. I used to feel that if I didn't have my piece of fruit with lunch that I couldn't make it. Now I sometimes don't even finish my lunch. But I would recommend that you make sure you have some fat at each meal-- some walnuts, olives, cheese, etc. Fats are dense so they don't make you feel as bloated, but they do, for me, just seem to add the right touch for satiation. And protein is famous for that, but I've been eating that for years.

I agree very strongly with what was said here. I am not a NoS pro, I have only been at it for two months, but I have noticed some HUGE changes even in that short time.

I started off as a person who ate every 2-3 hours, without fail. Sometimes 'healthy' stuff, sometimes not, but I ate regularly because every 2-3 hours I would feel my stomach growl or I would get shaky. If you go to my check in thread, you'll see that the first few days I had planned to do 4 meals a day, because I just didn't think 3 would ever work for me. I had been a frequent eater my whole live and my stomach hurt if I didn't!

Early on, I definitely relied on glasses of milk, coffee or juice between meals to get me through. Sometimes I still do on any given day, though even that is getting more rare. But now, I can easily go 5-6 hours or more between meals without feeling faint, weak, or like my stomach is trying to dissolve itself. Despite this, I am also more easily satisfied and don't always eat all my food, though I certainly stuffed myself a few times because I was worried about getting to my next meal.

More recently, in the past couple of weeks, I've found that I could even just do two meals a day on days that circumstances dictated. I would never have thought that possible eight weeks ago, but that's what wound up happening today. Hang in there, after a few weeks you will find out that you can do much more than you thought you could!

[wosnes]

I agree with what everyone else has said: you will adjust to this over time. Like others, I routinely go 5-6 hours or longer between meals without difficulty. In fact, many days I only have two meals.

I understand not wanting to stuff yourself, but make sure you're eating enough at meals. If you're used to snacking, you may be eating less than you need because you know you're going to have something else in 2-3 hours. I also agree about having something with fat, it does help keep hunger at bay.

Eating as frequently as most Americans do is rare around the world. With just a few exceptions, there's no physiological reason to eat as frequently as we do.

[~reneew]

I have been using the "punch cards" and they have really been helping me get a lot of work done, because I want that "gold star" at the end of the day.

What is this? I haven't heard this, can you fill me in?

[Nichole]

Hi, I am new to this program and boards and am having a really hard time making it between lunch and dinner. I walk 45 minutes to an hour every morning (well 5 days a week) and I really don't want to stuff myself at each meal just to make it to the next. Does my body get used to 3 meals a day. Did your bodies adjust. I am hoping this happens, because I really like this program. I have been using the "punch cards" and they have really been helping me get a lot of work done, because I want that "gold star" at the end of the day. Very motivating. Any advice would be helpful

Welllll, I've tried Strict No S and could never do without snacks. I have two planned snacks a day. I won't sit in front of the tv with chips, but I will have a cheese stick between breakfast and lunch and another cheese stick and all-natural apple sauce between lunch and dinner. I do, however, try to eat no seconds and no sweets.

[kccc]

I have been using the "punch cards" and they have really been helping me get a lot of work done, because I want that "gold star" at the end of the day.

What is this? I haven't heard this, can you fill me in?

~reneew - it's one of R's other Everyday Systems, for time management. For a good description, see
http://everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=19

[Nicest of the Damned]

You can go 5 or 6 hours without eating. In fact, I'd bet you do it every night (or at least some nights), when you are asleep. If you can do it then, you can do it between lunch and dinner.

My advice is this (and you're not going to like it): Go on a water-fast for two days. Not for the sake of losing weight (although you will -- at least temporarily). But if you prove to yourself that you can go a day or two without eating, then you will begin to see three meals as perfectly adequate if not extravagant.

A two day water-fast will be a little hard, but millions of people do them all the time for health reasons, pseudo-health reasons, religious reasons, or economic reasons. You'll be fine.

I'll second this. Knowing that I can fast through Yom Kippur has been helpful to me when I'm hungry between lunch and dinner. If I can fast for 24 hours on Yom Kippur, I must be able to make it between lunch and dinner without a snack.

If you're Western Christian, try fasting this Ash Wednesday, March 9. If you're Jewish, try fasting on Thursday, March 17, for the pre-Purim Fast of Esther. If you're something other than those, find a day from your own tradition that's coming up (fasts are common in several traditions this time of year, because historically this was a time when food was scarce), or just pick a day. Don't eat anything on that day. Decide in advance if you're going to allow yourself to drink water or not (Jews generally don't on Yom Kippur, it won't kill you), and when exactly you're going to start and end your fast. If you manage to do that, then you will know you can, in fact, make it from lunchtime to dinner without eating. As deadweight said, millions of people do this for spiritual or economic reasons. You can even donate the money you would have spent on food that day to a hunger-related charity, if you like. There's probably a food bank serving your community that needs the money.

Some tips: It helps to eat a sizeable meal beforehand, with protein and complex carbohydrates (meat and beans works well). It also helps to avoid looking at or smelling food during your fast, if possible. Not watching TV during it is helpful, because of all the food-related content on TV, and you probably don't want to be paging through cookbooks and planning your next week's menu while you're fasting. I don't recommend vigorous exercise while fasting, either.

Important Note: All of this assumes you don't have some sort of metabolic disorder like diabetes, but have a normal metabolism. If you do have a condition like that, talk to your doctor before trying any fasting, and talk to your doctor about whether not eating between lunch and dinner is a good idea for you. Self-diagnosed metabolic problems do not count. This is only for people who have been diagnosed with a metabolic disorder by someone who is licensed to practice medicine.

[NoelFigart]

Yes, you CAN learn go to four or five hours between meals.

I found it unpleasantly difficult at first and was eating some pretty large meals to ward off hunger.

However, I had breakfast at about four thirty this morning and lunch around one. No, this is not what I usually do, or even what I prefer to do, but my working day had me out of the house by five with no chance at all to eat until one in the afternoon. No, I didn't pig out, either. Breakfast was a bowl of yogurt (I've been on a yogurt kick lately), and lunch was a cheese sandwich with a handful of cherry tomatoes. Dinner will be around 6:30, and I doubt I'll want to pig out then, either.

Part of what got me over it was some enlightened self-mockery, and remembering a YA book I'd read over the summer in which the characters could not always count on dinner every night. (Self-talk: "Yeah, I know you're hungry. And in a couple of hours, you'll be eating a whole plate full of whatever food you want. You've already had two meals with enough food. Go get a cup of tea and stop being silly. Think of how delicious the plainest dinner is going to taste!")

And I'd keep telling myself that. Sometimes gently, sometimes... well, not. I don't necessarily recommend mean self-talk, but this is more "Stick of grandmotherly kindness" self butt-kicking on the order of "You can TOO do it. Don't be a wimp."

[DaveMc]

Part of what got me over it was some enlightened self-mockery, and remembering a YA book I'd read over the summer in which the characters could not always count on dinner every night.

*The Hunger Games*, by any chance? I enjoyed that series!

[NoelFigart]

Yeah, Hunger Games. (Don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear...)

[~reneew]

I have been using the "punch cards" and they have really been helping me get a lot of work done, because I want that "gold star" at the end of the day.

What is this? I haven't heard this, can you fill me in?

~reneew - it's one of R's other Everyday Systems, for time management. For a good description, see
http://everydaysystems.com/podcast/episode.php?id=19

Thank you! I can be quite unobservant.