Ravenous

HilTri

I typically eat 1800 cal per day. I am 5’”6 129 lbs. I work out a lot (typically burn 1000-1500 cals per workout day. Last week I was asked to sub teach several spin classes. It was tough. Of course I kept up with my personal workouts despite the additional sub classes. I just wanted it to be over. I was soooooo exhausted and so hungry by the time the week was over. I ate well to replenish the caloric deficit. I took Saturday and Sunday off with the exception of a long walk and yoga and I had a massage today. The thing is I am still unbelievably hungry. Is the after effects of over doing it?

apullum

When you say that you're eating 1800 calories, does that include exercise calories? If you're eating 1800 and burning 1000--assuming your food calories and exercise calories are all accurate--then you've only given your body 800 calories that day. And if that's the case, no wonder you're hungry.

pierinifitness

Ravenous hunger is your body talking to you that it needs to be fed. It’s different than clock or habit hunger better described as a strong desire to eat.

Obey your body and feed it. It’ll tell you when it has had enough. Listen carefully.

HilTri

I have upped the calories this weekend. I have never felt like this before and I don’t like the feeling or always thinking about what to eat next.

Cahgetsfit

Ravenous = you need more food. Eat.

psuLemon

Extreme calorie suppression and over exercise can cause these things. And consider how lean you are, it may benefit you to incorporate refeeds fairly frequently.

AnnPT77

At 5'5", 135, age 63, I lose weight at my 1850 net calorie goal. Are you losing, gaining, maintaining?

1800 seems really low for someone super active, your size, age, even if net. I admit I'm a good li'l ol' calorie burner . . . but still.

HilTri

Thank you. I am maintaining.

kshama2001

What % of your exercise calories do you eat back?

lin_be

I find I am extra ravenous near my period. Could be a combination? (I can’t quite tell if you’re female)

TavistockToad

HilTri wrote: »

Thank you. I am maintaining.

I was maintaining on 1900 cals... Turns out by slowly increasing my calories I am also maintaining on 2100 cals. And I'm not constantly hungry.

HilTri

I know thi may not be the best method but I generally use exercise calories to absorb whatever discrepancies there were in my logging. I don’t get a cycle anymore woohoo so it isn’t that. I will continue to increase my calories by a couple hundred.

kshama2001

HilTri wrote: »

I know thi may not be the best method but I generally use exercise calories to absorb whatever discrepancies there were in my logging. I don’t get a cycle anymore woohoo so it isn’t that. I will continue to increase my calories by a couple hundred.

I'm confused. Do I understand correctly that you burn 1000-1500 cals per workout day, don't eat those back, and are wondering why you are ravenous?

Why not tighten up your logging and eat those calories back, as this is how MFP is designed to be used?

sijomial

HilTri wrote: »

I know thi may not be the best method but I generally use exercise calories to absorb whatever discrepancies there were in my logging. I don’t get a cycle anymore woohoo so it isn’t that. I will continue to increase my calories by a couple hundred.

That's a downfall of a same everyday eating allowance when your exercise routine is very varied.
If those unusually high days are rare you could simply eat a bit more that particular day, make your calorie counting work for you and not against you.

Really worth experimenting with increasing your calories so see if you can maintain on a higher allowance than you are currently. Feeling ravenous has a good chance of resulting in suppressed NEAT and poorer exercise performance (lower burns).

Think how long it would take to add any significant weight even if that increase turns out to be a surplus.

TavistockToad

HilTri wrote: »

I know thi may not be the best method but I generally use exercise calories to absorb whatever discrepancies there were in my logging. I don’t get a cycle anymore woohoo so it isn’t that. I will continue to increase my calories by a couple hundred.

You think you're often 1000 cals out on your logging?

apullum

HilTri wrote: »

I know thi may not be the best method but I generally use exercise calories to absorb whatever discrepancies there were in my logging. I don’t get a cycle anymore woohoo so it isn’t that. I will continue to increase my calories by a couple hundred.

It would be a lot safer to just get a food scale and weigh your food, which will reduce errors in logging dramatically. You probably don't have 1000 calories worth of errors in your logging on a regular basis unless you have a lot of estimates that are *way* off, plus your body is responding in a way that indicates undereating. Burning 1000 calories that you don't eat back is potentially unsafe. You're going to pass out eventually from lack of food. Feeling ravenous is a warning sign.

Additionally, I hope that when you say you don't get a cycle, there's a clear medical reason for that, like medication or menopause. If there's no apparent reason, that's another reason to be concerned that you may be eating too little.

HoneyBadger302

How often do you workout? Since you say "on workout days" I'm assuming it's not a daily thing - if that's only once or twice a week, then it may be less of a big deal, if that's 5 days a week, it's definitely a problem.

A couple hundred calories to allow for errors is one thing, but at your height and size, 1800 might be about right for maintenance with light activity - not for someone who's burning 1000+ calories in regular workouts.

Since you say you're maintaining, I'm going to hazard a guess that either a) your actual burn is FAR less than you say, or b) your tracking is WAY off - or you don't track much/consistently/accurately. Or both.

As for the extra workouts - yes, eat that back. Cardio tends to hit me (in the hunger department) 24-48 hours after, so generally the next day I'll be extra hungry. Since I know this, I just adjust when I eat the calories back to when I know I'll be hungry. Overall, though, still eating them back (if you're fairly certain on the burn amount anyways, otherwise a lot of people will only eat back half).

HilTri

Sorry I didn’t check the boards for a couple of days. I don’t get a cycle because I have hit menopause. I work out six days per week. I don’t think I have 1000 calories in erroneous logging, it is just a big buffer. I like my size and shape. I don’t want to gain weight but clearly, I need more food. It has taken a long time to feel the effects. I had a realization that I needed to eat more and I felt so good not being hungry anymore. The thing that baffles me is that the amount of calories it takes to satiate me seems to keep increasing. In the past, I would have written my hunger off as a mental thing but now I KNOW I need to eat more. Today I burned 1023 cals and consumed 2100. I feel much better but I am still amazed. It is a little sad that I am 49 and just learning just how much I need to eat. Thanks guys for all your feedback.