I am hungry at night. Something wrong with my diet?

lapriya

I have been working out for last 5-6 months with goal of losing weight. Started with burning 200-300 cal per day just on cardio. Later got a personal trainer to help me move into strength training area. When I took a full body analysis in my Gym, it turned out that my muscle mass is low by 5kg and fat is high by 12kg. I upped my protein and lowered my carbs. I try to keep food intake at 1200-1300 cal daily and burn 700 cal 6 days a week. Im fine throughout the day but My problem is, I am hungry even after my dinner. This is causing me to break my diet.
My calorie breakdown throughout the day
Snack~ 50 cal
Breakfast ~ 300 cal
Snack ~ 100 cal
Lunch ~ 450 cal
Snack ~ 100 cal
Dinner ~ 200 cal

Any inputs or suggestions?

Timorous_Beastie

You're burning an extra 700 calories a day and only eating 1200-1300 calories? No wonder you're hungry.

By your stats, you don't have much weight to lose. Aim for one pound (half a kg) a week (for now, as you get closer to your goal, switch to a half pound a week) and eat at least half of your exercise calories. Then see how you're feeling.

rand486

You can lose fat, or gain muscle. You cannot (generally) do both.

Weight lifting is one of those things that left me feeling ravenous at all times - there's a reason lifters love to bulk!

But if your goal is to lose that 12 kg of bodyfat first, and you're still intending to work out that intensely, you're probably going to have a hard time with hunger (and your body may end up consuming even more of that muscle you're low on).

* What do your macros look like?
* Male/female (this will affect how much bodyfat you can reasonably expect to lose)?
* What's your current & goal weight?
* What's your current & goal bodyfat %?
* What are your current, and long term goals?

lapriya

Well as per my today's diet Protien~ 95, Carbs ~150, fat~ 30
I'm a female with current weight at 68kg and goal weight at 60 kg.
Current Fat % of 38, goal 25%
Current goal is to bring weight down to 60kg and later to 55kg and maintain at that weight

lapriya

Also yes my this month report do show that im losing on my muscle mass.

TheVirgoddess

If you're hungry at night, switch your calories around, so you eat more in the evening. I have a Quest bar for "dessert" every night. Keeps me nice and full.

Overall you're netting a really low amount - I'd definitely up your intake. With only 17 pounds to lose, your goal should be to lose .5 pounds a week or so. Anything else is too aggressive IMO.

rand486

lapriya wrote: »

Also yes my this month report do show that im losing on my muscle mass.

Yeah, not surprising - you're eating not a ton of protein for an athlete, so your body is basically consuming muscle to cope with the calorie deficit.

I'd suggest you up your protein, to deal with your strength training while on an aggressive cut. Fortunately, that also helps satiety - I find carbs never keep me full, I just keep going back for more. I try to eat at 40%/30%/30% (carb, fat, protein), and if anything, I sacrifice carbs in place of even more protein.

Also, seek out high fiber carb sources, rather than sugars. Broccoli, Cauliflower, carrots, etc are incredible snacks that are low calorie that you can eat a field of, and not worry about

ndj1979

what are you using to measure these 700 per day calorie burns??? that sound insanely high ....

lapriya

Can I add more protein in my dinner? I was told to lower protein intake after evening snack as it can affect digestion.

I don't have HRM to measure calories. for cardio my machine show abt 900cal.
cals for strength training is from what my trainer told.

jcim1ru

I followed an education I learned via the Naturally Slim program. I changed how and when I eat and found that it made the hunger issue cure itself.

I only eat 2 meals a day now. And if I struggle in between them I have tools that help me through that. I've not had any digestive issues for the year I've been following the program. I cut out the concept of snacking and I started choosing foods that weren't focused on decreasing/increasing certain types of foods but work more for a well-rounded diet of proteins, carbs, fats and sugars.

I use a glutamine supplement to squash my endless craving for sugar and I eat a lot slower enabling mind and body to synchronize on the eating experience.

I still have days where I feel like I could eat all day long but they are manageable.

You might try swapping out your larger protein intake from lunch to dinner and I'd choose to cut out the snacks in favor of an evening meal with more substance to it. I split my protein between my two meals. It takes longer for the body to process proteins and it keeps you feeling much fuller for longer periods of time.

Another suggestion is to work on ways to stabilize your blood sugar levels throughout your day. Many hunger signs are triggered by the fluctuation of insulin levels. When I found tools to balance mine out the hunger again took care of itself.

cwolfman13

why are you eating only 1200 calories if you're working out? I'd say that's probably a big part of your problem.

Shy_Yogi

Listen to your body - obviously you are not getting enough calories for the workout you do....eat back some of those exercise calories Your net calories are 500-600 a day (1200 to 1300 minus 700 cals burned). That is not enough to maintain even breathing. No wonder your body is screaming that its hungry!

KickboxDiva

Check out Eat to Perform. Lots of good info about feeding your athletic needs. MFP does not have good guidelines for daily calorie intake. Check your BMR and TDEE using online calculators and compare to what you are consuming. I increased my intake from 1200-1400 to 1600-2000 and have continued to lose weight by building muscle.

ndj1979

lapriya wrote: »

Can I add more protein in my dinner? I was told to lower protein intake after evening snack as it can affect digestion.

I don't have HRM to measure calories. for cardio my machine show abt 900cal.
cals for strength training is from what my trainer told.

machine estimates are wayyyyy overrated ...so you should be taking only half of those..

however, given that fact if you are eating 1200 - 450 burned = a net of 750, which is insanely low.
-
You need to make sure that you NET the number you are eating to. So in my above example you would eat 1650 - 450 burned = 1200 net ..

the reason that you are hungry is because your net calories are too low.

lapriya

I guess I have no option but to up my intake. I am kind of worried here bcz its getting harder to lose weight and I feel so guilty for that extra bite of food.

Also,Is it true that I cannot lose weight and build muscle at the same time? My strength and stamina is definitely increasing which I can make out from the weights I can take now.
Doesn't that indicate building muscle?

cwolfman13

lapriya wrote: »

I guess I have no option but to up my intake. I am kind of worried here bcz its getting harder to lose weight and I feel so guilty for that extra bite of food.

Also,Is it true that I cannot lose weight and build muscle at the same time? My strength and stamina is definitely increasing which I can make out from the weights I can take now.
Doesn't that indicate building muscle?

You can build substantial strength without building mass...a lot of strength development, particularly in the beginning is simply neural adaptation. Your body is learning to use what is already has.

Look at it this way...if you're dieting you are in a catabolic state to lose fat yes? So how could you build anything in a catabolic state...you can't build mass in a catabolic state, regardless of whether you are talking about fat mass or lean mass...you can't build something from nothing. There are some noob gains, but generally speaking the energy that is being taped into from your fat reserves are going to fuel other, more important functions than mass building.

DavPul

I dunno, maybe try eating some food? It sounds crazy, I know, but it's been known to work, and sometimes it's even worked for people that are netting 500 calories too

ndj1979

lapriya wrote: »

I guess I have no option but to up my intake. I am kind of worried here bcz its getting harder to lose weight and I feel so guilty for that extra bite of food.

Also,Is it true that I cannot lose weight and build muscle at the same time? My strength and stamina is definitely increasing which I can make out from the weights I can take now.
Doesn't that indicate building muscle?

1. if you are scared to eat then you may have an issue with food or be bordering on an eating disorder. You may want to consider getting help.
2. you can get newbie gains when eating in a deficit and lifting progressively. However, with a net calorie intake of 500 to 700 I highly doubt that is happening...
3. strength gains do not equal muscle gains. you can train your muscles to lift more weight but that does not mean you are adding muscle, it just means your muscles are now more efficient.
4. final point on adding muscle and losing fat, you can do a recomp = lifting heavy with progressive overload and eating at maintenance level, but that is a very slow process and can take over a year to see any appreciable gains.
5. what devpul said...EAT MORE FOOD..seriously ...there is nothing wrong with consuming 1500 calories a day or more...

krokador

I've had issues with waking up hungry in the middle of the night (2am or so) to the point i couldn't go back to sleep for a while now. Last week I switched back to eating only 3 meals a day. And even with pretty low cals since I'm currently cutting, i'm fine throughout the night.

Turns out for some people, eating snacks throughout the day messes with hormones and your body expects more food every few hours even when you're sleeping or something along those lines. Heck, maybe in my case it's only psychological but if it works, why the hell not?

MountainMaggie

If you're hungry, eat.

You're setting yourself up to ruin your metabolism and gain everything back as soon as you reach your goal weight. Sounds like you are on a crash diet, bordering on an eating disorder. You cannot diet and expect results. It must be a lifestyle change. You can't get by on 1200-1300 calories a day for the rest of your life. I'm 5'2" and if I don't work out, still need at least 1500. If I'm working out intensely, I can eat as much as 2000 a day or more.

tcmay72

It seems like you are not eating enough. However I get most hungry when im tired. Go to bed.

Codilee87

Not enough food to sustain that level of exercise - also, try to organize your calorie intake so that you have a few to spare around 8-9pm, that way you can have a snack to keep you satisfied until morning.

lapriya

well I don't have eating disorder bcz I do end up eating if im hungry but then pin all blame on that extra food for me not losing weight as easily as I want.
I will add 40g of protien approx. 250 cal more and a see how it goes. And may be a fruit more...

And on muscle mass I had no clue I am not building muscles yet. Every month when I draw my report I keep looking for a gain there!!! from comments i got here it looks its that's a different game altogether. phew!

rand486

lapriya wrote: »

Also yes my this month report do show that im losing on my muscle mass.

lapriya wrote: »

Is it true that I cannot lose weight and build muscle at the same time? My strength and stamina is definitely increasing which I can make out from the weights I can take now.
Doesn't that indicate building muscle?

You have specific metrics/reports from your personal trainer showing you've lost muscle mass.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

Increase your calories, at least on strength training days, and make it as protein-heavy as possible. This will help with satiety and muscle retention.

lapriya

I am increasing my intake from today. will come back with an update after 3 weeks.
thanks all

lapriya

My body weight increased by 1 kg in 3 weeks.
Today my PT told to take off non veg which I was having everyday(mostly chicken for lunch, added chicken for dinner as well for last 3weeks). Will continue 2 egg whites after work out.

malibu927

Are you weighing/measuring your food and logging everything?

lapriya

I was not weighing every food. More of estimation.Yesterday I got myself a weighing m/c. But its turning out to be tough. We have so many ingredients in a curry, I don't know if I have to weigh all the spices as well.