how do you know if you're not eating enough?

[fa_jing]

So when I get hungry between meals, or having skipped a meal, what is a good snack? I hear of people eating beef jerky and such, but I won't touch the stuff. My body is craving carbs, but should I be eating 100% protein snacks instead? Such as a piece of chicken breast or some nuts? or is eating a small amount of carbs better to stave off the starvation effect? Once I ate my doritos I felt fine for the next couple hours.

[abobo]

I snack on fruit, nuts, and peanut butter sammiches. Pretty good for you and it's stuff you can carry around without needing refrigeration. Cut up a sandwich and eat it in a two part miniseries if you want.

I stick with whole grains and natural peanut butter.

Also, if you are a juice drinker, it might help to just drink water and eat fruit instead.

Having both protein and carbs in a snack is fine. Carbs won't hurt by themselves. Crappy food and slamming things down late at night is another story.

Since you have already lost most of the weight you want to lose, and you want to maintain muscle mass, you don't need to go too far under your maintenance level of calories. So you don't have to be living hungry.

[Becca]

Second abodo on that. I like to cut my PBJs into three sections, but agree with all the rest.

[Ish]

If you have time you should try to make your own burgers or pizzas then they can still be healthy

[Becca]

Second TonyM. Your body metabolizes carbs very quikly. That's why alot of experts say 6 small meals every 2-3 hours. If you follow that plan, your energy levels remain constant. Also, try not to eat just carbs. Adding protien to a carb snack makes your work harder to motaboliz the food, so it gets released into your blood stream evenly instead of all at once.