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Do you force yourself to eat the minimum required/ recommended calories when you're not hungry?

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NoNo7736
NoNo7736 Posts: 2 Member
in Debate Club

Do you force yourself to eat the minimum required calories when you're not hungry?

If you're not hungry due to hot weather, being too tired, if you're feeling unwell or for any other reason, do you force yourself to eat or do you just eat when you actually feel hungry?

Answers

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,786 Member

    Personally, I only eat when I'm hungry. If I don't feel like eating for whatever reason, I never force myself. I'd only feel worse.

    However, if it goes on for a while due to stress or illness, etc., I always make sure I have protein drinks in my fridge because proper nutrition is required in order to recover from whatever I may be dealing with at the time. And I always stay hydrated. For me, that's imperative regardless of whether I eat or not.

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 7,202 Member

    A single day: no. If it's more structural/ regular, then yes.

  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 1,010 Member

    I don't normally have this 'problem'. But I'm also not certain what you mean by the minimum calories.

    To my mind the minimum calories are 1200 for women and 1500 for men. MFP may give you a higher number based on your starting point and activity level.

    I would never eat less than 1200 calories in a day. I mean, even if I wasn't logging, I find 1200 calories insufficient.

    Based on my goals, MFP gives me 1770 calories per day. I have had days where I'm below that and I do not force myself to get to it. I have far too many more days when I go over. I need to reverse that equation!

  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 4,924 Member
    edited July 1

    My answer. I try to balance them out. Not hungry one day because I exercised 2 hours, then did yardwork? I try to eat some nutritious food. I try to stay hydrated and maybe have some electrolytes. The next day I may stay cool and rest. I will probably eat over my calorie goal. But not enough so that my 2 day total calories eaten is over my 2 day calorie goal.

    As lietchi said, if it stretches out for a week or more, that's a different situation.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,491 Member

    A single day or so in isolation - no. if you are unwell for a day or so or fasting for some reason or go to bed early and miss dinner - doesn't matter.

    if you are consistently under eating and have no appetite and are losing weight unintentionally or way more than you expect - see a doctor.

  • kmp9881
    kmp9881 Posts: 11 Member

    Depends on what kind of training I'm doing. If I'm putting my body through the wringer with marathon training or something equally grueling, then yes, I absolutely make myself eat at least the base amount of calories because my body needs it for recovery. If I'm in a normal maintenance training schedule, no, I won't necessarily make myself hit that number and just eat when I'm hungry.

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