I thought I had passed the insatiable hunger phase, but at 31 weeks it is back. I literally am starving every two hours. Woke up at 2 a.m. so hungry, but managed to hold off until breakfast.
Here is my food for the day. If it was you, how would you change to be full longer? Feel free to share your struggles too.
Bfast: Scrambled eggs with avocado and a hunk of sharp cheddar cheese
AM snack: cantaloupe
Lunch: Salad, topped with chicken and pineapple
Snack: cottage cheese. Also currently munching on cookies....
Dinner: Likely chicken breast, stuffing, lima beans and tomatoes
Before bed snack: This week I've been munching on raisin bran
Re: Someone fix me!
Trying to watch my carbs/sugar intake so my weight doesn't balloon. No health issues, but doctor did encourage me to take steps now so it isn't a problem later.
You could save those egg yolks to make pudding later. I make a super easy vanilla pudding with bananas and cut the sugar. But I'm not really nervous about fat intake. I grew up with lots of whole milk and butter. Too much sugar gets to me but this ^^ is right up my alley for after dinner snack/dessert. Plus no having to throw out yolks (I have some waiting in my fridge right now)!
Edit: I should note that I'm also the person who would advocate combining the fiber and chocolate cake suggestion with whole wheat (sugar cut again; I hate things too sweet) brownies. So take my advice with a grain of salt.
Also, I'm going to copy this meal plan because it looks healthy and yummy!
My breakfast is a bowl of Special K Fruit & Yogurt cereal.
Morning snack is a fiber one "bar." Strawberry cheescake...yummm.
Lunch is usually either pasta, grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly or a roast beef sub.
Afternoon snack is ice cream.
Dinner varies greatly. Sometimes protein and veggies aaand sometimes pizza, a hot dog, hamburger, pasta etc.
Pre-pregnancy I was a health food nut. Since getting pregnant I just want carbs and I'm hardly ever actually hungry. 29 weeks, 3 days and only up 18 pounds. Not bad considering what I eat lol.
I have usually experienced good results with eating oatmeal and/or yogurt in the morning, or toast with peanut butter (I try to go with natural for no added sugar). Right now I am eating old fashioned oatmeal (I think it may have more protein in it than quick), with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and raisins. Seems to "stick" pretty well. I actually typically eat my breakfast in two segments. One around 9 am and another around 10:30. Then lunch around 12 noon.
According to the paleo book I read (for whatever that is worth), you actually don't need to avoid eating egg yolks to avoid cholesterol. 2-3 a day is fine if you aren't consuming a lot of cholesterol in other sources, and since you eat so healthy you probably are fine!
Your eating does look pretty good though, really! Just try to get protein and/or healthy fat in each snack as well as meal, and I think that may close the gap!
1T PB: 95 kcal, 8gF, 3gC, 3.5gP
1/4 avocado: 57kcal, 5-6gF, 3gC, ~1gP
3 eggs: 213kcal, 15gF, 0gC, 18gP
1oz cheddar cheese: 113g, 9gF, 0gC, 7gP
(This does not include a slice of bread.)
Macronutrient balance:
(Out of 478 calories)
Fat (9ckal/g): 70%
Protein (4ckal/g): 25%
Carbohydrate (4kcal/g): 5%
(Clearly, the slice of bread could be factored in, but with so much variation in bread, I wanted to illustrate the point without skewing the numbers too far from what it might be.)
So my impression is that balancing your macronutrients throughout the day can definitely help balance your hunger. It's more like a science and something you need to work with (there is not a single answer that can apply to everyone!). For instance, when I am not pregnant, my body really responds well to a total daily balance of 35% protein, 47% carbohydrate, and 18% fat. Others may do better with 25% protein, 50% carbohydrate, and 25% fat. The idea is that you work with the numbers to find what your body wants/needs for energy and health.
I've started having some edamame for a mid-day snack. Fiber and provides a ton of energy. Yum!
Thanks everyone for weighing in. I was trying really hard to watch the carbs/sugar and I think I've sacrificed fiber/grains in the meantime. I already eat full fat cottage cheese and drink 1% milk. So I'll try to add some healthy fats in with more veggies.
I was hoping to gain no more than 25 pounds and I'm already at 24, so I'm disappointed with myself, but recognize that I am doing well overall. I was overweight to start and didn't lose all the baby weight with #1 before becoming pregnant with #2. Baby is in the already pushing 4 pounds, so we're both doing well. I guess I should let my worries go and relax...every pregnancy is different!
I think you are doing really well! Don't be so hard on yourself! I definitely think fruit alone as a snack would leave me hungry within 30 minutes!