Help with fueling, please

LandBsdotingchauffeur2

I'm a stay at home mom who now has school aged children (read:plenty of free time). I am working with a trainer two days a week, doing a progression swimming thing (laps) three days a week and a track workout one day a week. I'm finding that I'm constantly very hungry but I don't know how to fuel myself so that I'm not dragging. Please help me! I don't know if I should be eating protein or carbs or a combo of both. And if you have certain foods that you like, I'm open to suggestions. Thank you!

MsChewMe

What is your goal? To lose weight? Or are you trying to maintain? How many calories are you eating daily?

LandBsdotingchauffeur2

My goal is to lose weight, yes. I'm eating 1200ish calories plus I'm eating back exercise calories.

JeromeBarry1

Do you get any period of satiety from eating, either your regular meals or your earned exercise calories?

If not, give consideration to adjusting your macros to lower what you are doing without satiety to see if you can find something that does increase satiety. This process can be pleasant, so find that pleasant spot.

Cbean08

What is your carb intake like? If you have significantly cut your carb intake then you will feel tired. There is nothing wrong with eating carbs if you enjoy eating them.

Focus on eating balanced meals to see if this helps. Have each meal include a protein, a fat, a carb and a veggie. This helps keep my energy levels up and I'm a very active person.

sexy_shadow29

I noticed that peanut butter boost my energy levels, Some peanut butter on rice cakes is a good energy booster, Black coffee also helps and is calorie free with no added sugar.

LandBsdotingchauffeur2

I lowered the carb intake, per my trainer's suggestion and upped the protein goal but I'm always over on carbs and way under on protein.

kommodevaran

What's your height and weight? 1200 calories is the bare minimum and should only be picked if you are short, elderly and with just a few vainity pounds. You'll also have to eat back some of your exercise calories.

Your calorie goal is a number to hit, not to keep under. Macros are to help you eat better, not to make it harder. Set a calorie goal you can stick to and a macro split that feels more natural, then tighten up your logging and/or your eating. You'll need more carbs to fuel your exercise, and more fat for your hormones, skin etc. Sufficient protein is important for muscle repair, but you're not a bodybuilder - 100 grams is plenty and easier to hit and leaves you room for other nutrients that you also need. Nutrition and health and weight management is a lot more about balance than as much or as little as possible.

Orphia

LandBsdotingchauffeur2 wrote: »

I lowered the carb intake, per my trainer's suggestion and upped the protein goal but I'm always over on carbs and way under on protein.

Is your trainer a registered dietitian (not to be confused with a nutritionist)?

I lost 80 lbs in 12 months and have kept it off for 17 months and I eat 55% carbs, 30% fat, 15% protein.

sijomial

LandBsdotingchauffeur2 wrote: »

I lowered the carb intake, per my trainer's suggestion and upped the protein goal but I'm always over on carbs and way under on protein.

Without knowing what suggestions your trainer made for a protein goal what your diet is like that advice could be reasonable or misguided. But whatever the ambitions it does have to be personally sustainable.

IMHO it's better to set minimum goals for protein and fat in grams and then fill the remainder of your calorie allowance any way you like. More flexibility that way and allows you to increase carbs on heavy exercise days whilst still hitting those protein and fat minimums. Carbs are your primary fuel for strenuous exercise.

Worth a read - http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

But of course your overall calorie allowance is going to have a major impact on hunger and energy levels - what rate of loss did you select?