When is it time to listen to my body?
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kcmsmith0405
Posts: 259 Member
So I have been eating the EM2WL plan for over a month now with 35/35/30 macro setting and increasing my calories weekly. I am pretty close to eating at (possibly a little over) TDEE. So up until yesterday I felt like I was doing great, my appetite has been back for a couple of weeks now, I know when its time to eat and so I do, and I eat enough. I wanted every calorie I was allotted and enjoyed it all, without binges or going too much off the junk food deep end. I would call myself a solid 80/20 eater.
Yesterday I ate my usual breakfast and lunch with snacks, except when it came to my afternoon snack - I really just did not want it. So I skipped it - even though it left me with 1000ish calories to eat for/after dinner, that has not been a problem for me before. I didn't want sugar or anything, I made brownies right after work and I didn't want even a piece of one, though they smelled and looked great, I was just plain ole not hungry. Then I left for Karate class and felt great while working out. However, when I got home from working out - I still did not want to eat. Because I had over 1000 calories left - I made myself eat enough to get me close to my 2650 daily goal, but I didn't enjoy it and I didn't really want it.
Today I find that I am still less hungry, a smaller breakfast and average sized lunch has really made me feel satisfied and happy, and I have plenty of energy and am drinking my usual water amount.
As a reference to my metabolic health, I have never really been on a diet where I wasn't eating at least my BMR, and in the three months before I discovered EM2WL - I was eating plenty of calories (so many that I never logged at night when I was chowing down) and I was not in a metabolism lowering state. I had been maintaining my weight and eating plenty of calories just not in healthy macros or amounts, so my body did not necessarily need a full metabolism reset. I just wanted to find my TDEE, and be able to eat as much as possible and still slowly lose weight, and at the same time have more endurance and strength for my workouts.
At what point do I listen to my body not wanting to eat and trust that it knows what it needs? And barring that should I set a minimum calorie intake for the day so I do not have to force myself to eat excessively (like last night) when I really am just not at all hungry. My TDEE is somewhere between 2600 and 2700. Should I always eat at least 2250 per day which is my 15% cut level? I know this operates more on a weekly average, and my daily intake fluctuates naturally between 2300 and 2800, but I keep my weekly average intake right around 26-2700 per day. However not being hungry for two days in a row puts this average at risk, so I want a daily "never go below this" number or just a "feel free to listen to your body and not eat if you are not hungry". And by not hungry - I mean even candy/cookies/icecream doesn't sound good (hehe), and my stomach/body feels satisfied. Maybe this is a sign that I have gone over my TDEE? I am not eating or taking any appetite suppressants of any sort.
Yesterday I ate my usual breakfast and lunch with snacks, except when it came to my afternoon snack - I really just did not want it. So I skipped it - even though it left me with 1000ish calories to eat for/after dinner, that has not been a problem for me before. I didn't want sugar or anything, I made brownies right after work and I didn't want even a piece of one, though they smelled and looked great, I was just plain ole not hungry. Then I left for Karate class and felt great while working out. However, when I got home from working out - I still did not want to eat. Because I had over 1000 calories left - I made myself eat enough to get me close to my 2650 daily goal, but I didn't enjoy it and I didn't really want it.
Today I find that I am still less hungry, a smaller breakfast and average sized lunch has really made me feel satisfied and happy, and I have plenty of energy and am drinking my usual water amount.
As a reference to my metabolic health, I have never really been on a diet where I wasn't eating at least my BMR, and in the three months before I discovered EM2WL - I was eating plenty of calories (so many that I never logged at night when I was chowing down) and I was not in a metabolism lowering state. I had been maintaining my weight and eating plenty of calories just not in healthy macros or amounts, so my body did not necessarily need a full metabolism reset. I just wanted to find my TDEE, and be able to eat as much as possible and still slowly lose weight, and at the same time have more endurance and strength for my workouts.
At what point do I listen to my body not wanting to eat and trust that it knows what it needs? And barring that should I set a minimum calorie intake for the day so I do not have to force myself to eat excessively (like last night) when I really am just not at all hungry. My TDEE is somewhere between 2600 and 2700. Should I always eat at least 2250 per day which is my 15% cut level? I know this operates more on a weekly average, and my daily intake fluctuates naturally between 2300 and 2800, but I keep my weekly average intake right around 26-2700 per day. However not being hungry for two days in a row puts this average at risk, so I want a daily "never go below this" number or just a "feel free to listen to your body and not eat if you are not hungry". And by not hungry - I mean even candy/cookies/icecream doesn't sound good (hehe), and my stomach/body feels satisfied. Maybe this is a sign that I have gone over my TDEE? I am not eating or taking any appetite suppressants of any sort.
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Replies
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I wouldn't worry too much about having a couple of days where you don't feel so hungry but make sure it doesn't turn into a week, into 2 weeks or you will start to reverse all the work you have been doing to build up to TDEE.
A month at your TDEE level is not very long. The habits of eating more and eating more protein are starting to be laid down.
It sounds like you are saying when you eat intuitively you don't eat enough? Keep logging, keep planning, keep eating at your estimated TDEE.
And when you do start cutting, start with 5%. 15% is the absolute max we recommend, that doesn't mean jump straight to this!
I'm not really sure what your question is?!
But no, it's not ok to continually eat under your target. If you kept feeling not hungry, use high caloric density foods like nuts, seeds, avocado, peanut butter etc. That way you still get in the calories without the volume.
You have to check if after a month the diet mentality voice is not telling you ," ok. Done the eating more thing. Let's eat less and get this weight off. You know you're not really hungry and eating when you're not really hungry is stupid, right?"
Wrong! Not here! Sometimes we have to force ourselves or it's a downward spiral.
Ichel
Team EM2WL1 -
I do tend to eat high caloric foods usually, but maybe I haven't been doing that enough for the past couple of days. I will make sure I do that more again.
I for sure feel like this is not a diet mentality thing, maybe more of a thing where my body realizes its going to get fed better food at a level and regularity it likes and some of the starving feeling is going away LOL. I do know that sugar is not nearly as appealing to me as it used to be so that might explain not wanting the brownies.
I will keep the calorie level up
Thanks for the response! 1 -
Sometimes you just don't want a sweet. Nothing wrong with that. What matters, in the grand scheme of things, are your averages. I know that my appetite varies wildly depending on where I am in my cycle. So, if I'm not all that hungry the week after TOM, I don't force myself to eat extra. I know I'm going to be extra hungry during ovulation and PMS. As long as I'm happy with my monthly averages, that's all I care about.
(Within reason. The only time my body ever wants a *really* low day is if I'm sick. So, this type of thing is mostly a few hundred calories below "normal".)0 -
It's actually gotten to the point where I am nauseated when I force myself to eat the full amount of calories for the day. I didn't think about the cycle thing... but this should be ovulation and PMS time for me so, yeah I should be wanting more but I am not
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You might be coming down with something. (Some things make you hungry; some make you not hungry.) Don't worry about it unless it continues longterm.1
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As I was coughing this morning I was thinking, of hey I think I am fighting off a cold, so I bet that is what it is!0
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For sure was fighting off something this weekend. Found myself able to eat more last night. So hopefully back to normal today!2
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@SusanMFindlay
Good point on the cycle thing!
Week before TOM I tend to eat at maintenance and lock up your chocolate is all I can say!
@Naturalnut Hope your gold disappears fast! Glad to hear your appetite is returning.
Ichel
Team EM2WL0
