What do you do when you're not hungry??

cassienoe

Not an eating disorder type of post, but there are some days where I get extremely full yet I still have calories left over. For example last night after dinner I was so stuffed I couldn't manage to eat anything more. I did end up over my BMR yesteday, but I worked out and I don't know if I ate enough based on the activity level. Is it okay if I don't eat all the calories or will that put me into the category of underfeeding myself? If I eat everything I have planned for tonight I will not even reach my BMR, but I don't know what to do if I decide I am no longer hungry? I also believe in listening to your body and stopping when you're satisfied. So I'm just not sure what to do. Opinions??

acollis1

Listen to your body..... if you're truly not hungry do not eat!! Some days I have big deficits and every so often I go over! It all evnems out I actually try and keep 200 calories "in my pocket"

Lizzy622

I am only set to lose one pound a week so if I'm within 250 calories of my goal I really don't worry about it. If I still have around 500 or more I try to eat something. If I don't, I am starving the next day and tend to go way over.

dreamingdaughter

I'd like to see what people reply to this post with because I have the same issue! Some days I just don't want to eat much! And because I burn a lot of calories at work (about 500) I'm sometimes netting under 800
Some people have said that you should eat more calorie dense food (in order to stop plateauing from not eating enough) such as Trail Mix etc
Hope this has somewhat helped a little bit

celadontea

I was just going to ask this. All I ate was a small piece of chocolate and a snack today and I am just not feeling it! I packed 3 different meals, too all with luscious fresh fruits and veggies. hmm

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6Amandaf6

Funny, I was talking about this with my hubby last night, as we've found the same thing. I dont want to just eat for the sake of eating. Ive had a few days where I do a decent workout and it pretty much clears half my daily calorie consumption. I think just listen to your body. Im not feeling starving, and Im losing weight (yay!!) so somethings working Plus it means I can have a few treats as a reward I guess!

shannashannabobana

Not an eating disorder type of post, but there are some days where I get extremely full yet I still have calories left over. For example last night after dinner I was so stuffed I couldn't manage to eat anything more. I did end up over my BMR yesteday, but I worked out and I don't know if I ate enough based on the activity level. Is it okay if I don't eat all the calories or will that put me into the category of underfeeding myself? If I eat everything I have planned for tonight I will not even reach my BMR, but I don't know what to do if I decide I am no longer hungry? I also believe in listening to your body and stopping when you're satisfied. So I'm just not sure what to do. Opinions??

I don't worry about this. Some days I go over, some days under. The only problem is if you are never eating your calories. I think a little IF'ing is helpful in losing weight and reseting hunger cues, personally.

Obviously, that's all different if you have an ED, but for normal people it's fine to skip dinner/breakfast on occasion.

MissAubreyA

I look at things a little bigger picture. If I'm a little under, I don't force myself to eat. And I go easy on myself if I go over a different day. I just try to keep my weekly deficit where it would be if I hit my goal every day.

tracieangeletti

If it happens every once in a while there is really not much of a problem but if it starts to happen a lot you may want to introduce maybe a few more calorie dense type of foods such as nut butters, nuts, avocados, etc... They will give you the calories, and more importantly the protein and fat, you need without having to force a lot food if you're not hungry.

thefragile7393

I drink flavored water...like water with lemon or lime squeezed into it. That seems to help.

SoDamnHungry

You'll be fine if it happens once in a while.

...wish I had this problem.

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ILoveBreakfast671

A tablespoon of pb is like 100 calories.

JoRocka

Bigger picture

the average for the week is important- so some days you will be over- some days you will be under.

Just accept it and move on.

in other news- I want your problem- I'm increasing my deficit again.. I'm going to die of starvation. Seriously- I would love to not be hungry.

megalin9

It depends on what I have planned. If I am full come dessert time, ooohhh, I will be aallll over that, stuffing muh full belleh! :drinker: You don't just "skip" ice cream!!!! :noway:

CollieFit

I don't eat when I'm not hungry.

For me the whole point of this is to get in touch with my body again, to get away from huge portion sizes and re-discover my "I'm full" feeling, knowing when I'm hungry and when I'm not.

I see little point in spooning my way through a peanut butter jar just to make up calories.

JenSD6

A glass of wine takes care of those pesky unused calories. hehe

ItsCasey

In general, I do not agree with the "listen to your body" theory. Your feeling of hunger, or lack thereof, isn't just about your body's need for fuel. Your hormones have a lot to do with it. So don't just assume that because you don't feel hungry that your body doesn't need food.

That being said, whether or not I will force myself to eat when I'm not hungry depends on a few things. How long has it been since I last ate? How many calories have I had today? And most importantly, do I have to train tomorrow? If I'm lifting the next day, I'm going to get reasonably close to my calorie and macro targets because I do not want the fact that I didn't eat enough to interfere with my training. If the next day is a rest day, and I'm just not interested in eating at all, then I won't force myself to finish off my calories.

megalin9

In general, I do not agree with the "listen to your body" theory. Your feeling of hunger, or lack thereof, isn't just about your body's need for fuel. Your hormones have a lot to do with it. So don't just assume that because you don't feel hungry that your body doesn't need food.

That being said, whether or not I will force myself to eat when I'm not hungry depends on a few things. How long has it been since I last ate? How many calories have I had today? And most importantly, do I have to train tomorrow? If I'm lifting the next day, I'm going to get reasonably close to my calorie and macro targets because I do not want the fact that I didn't eat enough to interfere with my training. If the next day is a rest day, and I'm just not interested in eating at all, then I won't force myself to finish off my calories.

Oh yeah. That^^ too!

tracieangeletti

Bigger picture

the average for the week is important- so some days you will be over- some days you will be under.

Just accept it and move on.

in other news- I want your problem- I'm increasing my deficit again.. I'm going to die of starvation. Seriously- I would love to not be hungry.

I just reduced my calories by about two hundred. I miss EACH and EVERY one of them!!! lol

sheleen302

I hear you. On days I lift weight I have a terrible time hitting my caloric goal. On days I don't lift, it is far too easy! I tend to look at the overall vs daily--look at the week hit your calories and macros for the week.

stephaniemejia1671

I drink water. The liquid water enhancer MIO has become my new best friend.

ILoveBreakfast671

Sigh... She can't meet her calories. She's not purposely avoiding calories.

laylaness

Peanut butter, avocado, cheese... stuff that you can eat a little of, but still pack in nutrients.

cassienoe

Thanks everyone. Ok, balance over time that makes sense!

HeidiCooksSupper

Calories every day matter less than average calories over the course of a week. You can balance days over with days under.