Teaching and weird eating

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Jen
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:44 pm
Location: Michigan

Teaching and weird eating

Post by Jen » Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:50 pm

Hi!

I'm new.

I get to school at 7:50, and we have lunch at 10:45. If I eat breakfast, I'm not hungry at lunch, so usually I have something very light for breakfast like fruit and yogurt, and I eat a regular lunch.

Here is my problem/question:

We are done with our day at 2:40, and I am extremely hungry by 4. I don't want to eat dinner at four because I will be hungry again before I go to bed.

How do I work the NO Snack situation with this type of schedule? I'm not allowed to eat in my classroom with kids.

Can I have a small snack so that I can prepare dinner and eat dinner at a regular hour instead of four o'clock???

Thank you?

Tortie
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:07 am

Post by Tortie » Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:28 pm

Hi Jen and welcome.

Working a similar schedule many years ago, I would have just a glass of milk before leaving the house, and breakfast at lunch break. If you did that, you could push your lunch and dinner later. Could that work for you?

Jen
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:44 pm
Location: Michigan

Post by Jen » Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:48 pm

Thank you for writing back; I was hoping that people were active in this forum.

OK...so it would be breakfast at 10:45...lunch at 4-ish...dinner at 8-ish?

oolala53
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Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:03 pm

Long-winded response alert!

I will whine for you: School starts at 8 but lunch starts before 11? That is one of the worst health-promoting eating schedules for adults and children alike I've ever heard of, unless everyone goes to bed after sunset. I can hear the shudders from France.

Ok, so on to dealing with what is. Actually, I like Tortie's suggestion, if you don't get up super early. In similar circumstances, I remind myself that the Nepalese peasants I saw in the Himalayas often worked in the fields for a few hours in the morning with only a hot tea starter. No food until later. (They kind of looked like they made up for it later, but I chalk that up to cultural values; peasants often value a chunkier look for the plenty it implies. Here it's pretty symptomatic of plenty of poor quality food.)

It does mean bringing two meals, but a half a sandwich with some greens, crudites and fruit would be pretty easy to assemble and munch on after the kids leave. More than half a sandwich and you won't be ready for dinner.

Alternately, have your light breakfast, a modest lunch, and your glass of milk around 4 and distract yourself for awhile. Milk has been shown to have similar satiety values to solid food, but it might take a bit of time to kick in. I've found that beverages don't lead to eating, but small snacks often lead to bigger ones. It's not that hard to find milk when you're out and about, if need be, though I'd probably opt for a coffee with milk.

Since this is not a temporary situation, I'd just encourage you to find a way to keep from relying on chewing more often than the foundational three times a day. I know people often say it's okay to have more as long as it's consistent, but the truth is the more times you eat, the less you can have at each event,if your goal is overall moderation, and then you're back to rarely having a really satisfying meal. A person could evolve to this rather naturally, but it usually backfires to impose it early on.

I'm a teacher, too, and am SO grateful we eat at 12:40. I know I would have had a harder time finishing lunch earlier. But I think I would have found a way. You will, too.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

Jen
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:44 pm
Location: Michigan

Post by Jen » Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:21 pm

I like long-winded!

I could have coffee around three with a splash of milk. I understand what you are saying...3 Meals, and that's it!!!

I agree with eating food makes me eat more food, which is why I usually shove food into my mouth at 3:30 and pretend it's dinner only to get hungry at 9:00 and snack on popcorn and cereal. As you can see, I have bad habits. I can easily do two mini-meals and be happy. I think...coffee in the am, half lunch at 10:45...rest of half lunch at 2:40...dinner at 7:00 ish...

Would this work? I'm still eating the three times a day?

Is it enough food?

loubelle1975
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:41 pm

Post by loubelle1975 » Sun Aug 27, 2017 6:05 pm

I had this problem but not with timings,but trying to exercise.
The only slot I had meant going starving hungry or full from lunch.
Eventually I plated up my lunch,ate the banana from it and then went to the gym. Can't usually eat straight after exercise so left it til I was hungry then ate the rest.
Could you do something similar ?

Jen
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:44 pm
Location: Michigan

Post by Jen » Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:04 pm

Yes. I can come up with something for sure. Thanks for all the great ideas and for responding. I'm looking forward to trying something new. I'm so sick of being consumed by how and what I should I eat.

r.jean
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Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by r.jean » Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:25 am

I have the same problem for different reasons so I split my meals on some days. I might have a banana or a yogurt only early in the morning followed by a mid morning meal that is the rest of what I would have had for breakfast. Lunch would be late and then a normal filling supper.

This is a mod, but I figure that if I have the same meal for breakfast in the morning that I usually have but break it into two meals to accommodate my schedule then it is ok.

My meal modifications happen because of exercise needs, but it does not matter what causes the schedule disruption.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:43 am

The point is to find habits that encourage enjoying food at pretty set intervals an in limited amounts but without a lot of accounting or restriction and let the shift in attitude and intake evolve. Given that Vanilla doesn't sound like it will cut it, try what you like and give it a good go; a week is good, a month is better.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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