Gnawing and Ravening

[Palanan]

Last week in the kayak I pushed myself much further than I've gone before, and ended up paddling 10 miles and change. Apart from the usual aftereffects, I spent the entire next day either ravenous or gnawingly hungry. Clearly my body needed more than I was giving it.

Trouble is, I'm doing this partly because I need to lose weight (a lot of it) and I want to be careful what I shovel in. High-calorie snacks like peanuts probably won't help (to say nothing of peanut M&Ms) and man cannot live on Muscle Milk alone.

So, what can I rely on to feed myself in between meals on kayak-recovery days? I'm not used to this kind of gnawing hunger, and I could use suggestions for healthy and sustaining snacks--or maybe even small meals.

[Brother Oni]

...and man cannot live on Muscle Milk alone.

Want to bet?

I know exactly how you feel - my normal trick is to eat something that will pad out your stomach, which means vegetables (alas), so lettuce, carrots and other such rabbit food. You'll want to lay off any dressings or seasonings though, so munch on them while you're doing something else to take your mind off the (lack of) taste.

Have you tried upping your protein intake a bit more with something other than Muscle Milk?

I'm sure Crow and others will be able to help more.

[Crow]

Stay away from starchy foods, and rice/grains. Replace those with lots of vegetables. Like a crap-load of them. A good measure is 1/3 of the plate meat, 2/3 with vegetables of all different colors.

A crap-load. Like more than you think you can possibly eat. I cannot stress this enough. Or else you will still be hungry. If you don't have enough, do more meat.

If you're out and about, and can't make veggies, keep a whole avocado around. Cut the pit out, and eat the whole damn thing.

[Jay R]

Focus on peas and beans, which are sources of protein without fat.

[Crow]

Focus on peas and beans, which are sources of protein without fat.

This is a terrible idea. With his issue, fat is exactly what he needs. Fat absorbs slowly and helps to keep you satiated. Beans and peas metabolize way too quickly.

And beans are only a good source of protein if you cant eat dairy or meat. To get comparable amounts of protein, those beans and peas are going to give you loads of carbs in the process.

[Palanan]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I appreciate it.

Sadly for my health, however, I can't stand most vegetables. I do love fruit, especially bananas, so maybe that's an option? A banana healthshake is something I could chug.

Also, how do people feel about chickpeas? Because I love my chickpea products, in particular channa masala and hummus.

--And yogurt. I am a madman for yogurt. I've backed off that lately out of concerns for the calories, but yogurt is one of my top dairy choices.

[Brother Oni]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I appreciate it.

Sadly for my health, however, I can't stand most vegetables. I do love fruit, especially bananas, so maybe that's an option? A banana healthshake is something I could chug.

Also, how do people feel about chickpeas? Because I love my chickpea products, in particular channa masala and hummus.

--And yogurt. I am a madman for yogurt. I've backed off that lately out of concerns for the calories, but yogurt is one of my top dairy choices.

Fruit isn't ideal as the sugar content will up your calorie intake, which isn't what you want.

Chickpeas also aren't great for the reasons that Crow stated.

I'll defer to others on the yogurt as I can't eat that stuff anyway.