Appetite/Portion question
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| Tue, 02-01-2005 - 4:06pm |
Okay, this is going to sound strange, but I am having a hard time eating enough! For example, today for lunch I portioned out 2 cups veggies (1 cup zucchini/yellow squash, 1 cup salad - containing lettuce, tomato cucumber) and I measured out 3 oz chicken leftover from dinner. That is A LOT of food! I couldn't eat it all, I ate almost all the salad, about half of the chicken and a little over 1/2 the zucchini. I am mostly worried about getting my 4 1/2 cups veggies a day - I just don't have that big an appetite! I have no problems eating 2 cups veggies plus my protien at dinner, but at lunch I just can't do it. I thought about saving the rest of my veggies for an afternoon snack, but if I do that then I will be skipping either my yogurt (which I need to complete my 2 diary servings) or I would be skipping my fruit.
So my question is, if I'm just not that hungry, should I skip other things (like yogurt, fruit, protien) in order to get in my 4 1/2 cup veggies? Or is it okay to eat just a little smaller portions of everything to still keep the same "balance" in my foods. I just don't have the appetite to eat all my diary, all my veggies, all my fruits, all my protein in one day! The only way I could see to get it in is if I skip my "sweet treat" (basically either a fudgscicle or jello for desert) and had either a veggie or fruit then instead. But I would REALLY miss my sweet treat if I had to do that! Looking forward to it kind of keeps me going. I didn't have as much problem with this in the beginning, my appetite is really declining lately (I"m not sick or anything) Or I am just learning to better recognize when I am full and not just eating everything on my plate like I used to.
Any thoughts?
MichaelAnn

Interesting query! My best guess would be that proportionally, you should be eating more vegetables than anything else, but don't let the other things slide. You really do need the dairy and the protein, so don't give up yogurt for the sake of more lettuce. I think part of the reason we are required to eat so many veggies is that it helps fill you up so you're not hungry.
I think my strategy might be to cut back on some of the bulkier but less nutrient-rich vegetables (like lettuce and cucumber). For example, instead of 2 cups of lettuce w/ a bunch of sliced and diced veggies on top, cut it back to 1 cup (or none) lettuce and eat just the other vegetables (zuchinni, tomato, mushrooms) and the protein.
I'll be interested to see what our resident experts say!
~Leslie
Hi,
I'm certainly not an expert - but I'll try to help.
"I would NEVER suggest that you give up your sweet treats. Those fudgesicles keep a lot of us on program. Enjoy!"
LOL! Isn't that the truth??!!?? Last time I was at the store I two 20-packs to make sure I don't run out anytime soon! Dh thought I was nuts!
I like the idea of leaving the veggies out to snack on! Even though I fill up at my meals really quick, I still get hungry inbetween. I think my stomach just prefers eating a little bit all throughout the day, so I think I will try that.
I usually don't eat very much lettuce, salad is actually my least favorite "veggie", I usually only have about 1/2 cup a day of lettuce. For dinner I make two "real" vegetables, but for lunch I get lazy and its easier to grab some bagged salad to fill up my 2 cup measure!
Thanks for the ideas!
MichaelAnn
spring06sig2
Cathy......please tell me about your "shake"........
Thanks, Andrea
Andrea,
Here you go: