What to do if I am too full to eat enough?

opheliawow

I do have a problem. I feel so full, I don't want to eat anymore, I feel like I would really feel sick if I eat more now. But I haven't reached my netto goal yet because I burned like 400kcal when jogging. Now I still have 500kcal left that I should eat but I am really so not hungry. Do I have to force myself to at least nearly reach my goal or is it no problem if sometimes I am under my netto goal?! Thank you!

JesterMFP

If it's one day, it's no big deal. You might feel hungrier on another day and want to eat 500 over your goal. It's fine to look at your weekly intake rather than trying to get the same every day.

If it's happening on a regular basis though, you might want to:

-plan better so that you get your calories in through the day and don't get to the evening faced with hundreds of calories left and feeling too full to eat.

-aim for more calorie dense foods. You don't have to "stuff yourself" with large volumes of food to meet your goal. Instead, go for foods like cheese, eggs, nuts, peanut (or other nut) butter, seeds, olive oil (on salads, or in cooking) etc. Some people find it easier to drink their calories in the form of juice, whole milk, protein shakes or smoothies. If you are eating anything labelled "low fat" or "lite" or "diet", then switch to the regular versions. Often, people get into this situation because they go low fat, and think they have to only eat things that are low in calories. Then, the situation gets worse because drastically cutting calories can lead to a reduced appetite, and it becomes a vicious circle. On the other hand, once you manage to eat a bit more, your appetite should improve.

Iwishyouwell

Clue: Wait until you're hungry to eat again.

I know, revolutionary.

farway

Also where did you get the 400 cals for jogging from? If from MFP it is infamous for overestimating exercise calories

As others have said or implied, if not hungry, don't eat, it will all work out over a week or so

JesterMFP

Clue: Wait until you're hungry to eat again.

I know, revolutionary.

So people whose appetites disappear because they're not eating enough - they should just continue not eating enough? Because people regularly post here saying they can't manage to get anywhere near their calorie goal because they're not hungry. Similarly, people who are overeating often still feel ravenous. Hunger is not actually the best indication of how much your body needs.

Mr_Bad_Example

If you are too full to eat, then you shouldn't eat. You may also want to look at whether or not you are weighing and measuring your foods accurately... it can be easy to underestimate the amount of calories you consume if you don't.

Mr_Knight

You're full, don't eat, there's no problem with it.

Good luck!

rockmama72

I certainly don't when I'm in that position. Save it for tomorrow when you might need a cookie.

hesn92

If it's one day, then don't worry about it. Save them for tomorrow and eat some dessert or something.
if it's an every day thing, plan better. Eat higher calorie food items.

mxmkenney

Don't eat if you aren't hungry. It's just a number, and the next day you may be hungrier and eat more calories anyway. It will all even out in the end. Never force yourself to eat if/when you are not hungry.

CattOfTheGarage

Could it be the jogging? I lose my appetite after exercising hard, and only start regaining it a few hours later or even longer. Eg yesterday I did a big cycle and then struggled to hit my calorie target. Today I could eat a horse.

Maybe it's the same for you. If this happens I try to eat something small and healthy even if I'm not hungry (otherwise I get a headache) but let the calories sort themselves out the next day.

Hope that helps

mccindy72

I do have a problem. I feel so full, I don't want to eat anymore, I feel like I would really feel sick if I eat more now. But I haven't reached my netto goal yet because I burned like 400kcal when jogging. Now I still have 500kcal left that I should eat but I am really so not hungry. Do I have to force myself to at least nearly reach my goal or is it no problem if sometimes I am under my netto goal?! Thank you!

First, make sure you are accurately weight all your solid foods and measuring all your liquids so that your calorie counts are accurate. Then, use a good quality heart rate monitor to get as close as possible to accurate on your calorie burns (MFP and treadmills and other gym machines are notorious for calculating too high). then, if you are still under your calorie goal for the day by a large deficit, try to add more calorie-dense foods into your diet to fill the calorie gap.

Hunger isn't a very good indicator of whether you are eating enough, by the way.

kingscrown

I found once exercise became a regular activity the "I'm too full to eat" thing stopped as well. It doesn't happen once and a while, but generally I'm begging for more to eat.

ell_v131

If it's one day, it's no big deal. You might feel hungrier on another day and want to eat 500 over your goal. It's fine to look at your weekly intake rather than trying to get the same every day.

If it's happening on a regular basis though, you might want to:

-plan better so that you get your calories in through the day and don't get to the evening faced with hundreds of calories left and feeling too full to eat.

-aim for more calorie dense foods. You don't have to "stuff yourself" with large volumes of food to meet your goal. Instead, go for foods like cheese, eggs, nuts, peanut (or other nut) butter, seeds, olive oil (on salads, or in cooking) etc. Some people find it easier to drink their calories in the form of juice, whole milk, protein shakes or smoothies. If you are eating anything labelled "low fat" or "lite" or "diet", then switch to the regular versions. Often, people get into this situation because they go low fat, and think they have to only eat things that are low in calories. Then, the situation gets worse because drastically cutting calories can lead to a reduced appetite, and it becomes a vicious circle. On the other hand, once you manage to eat a bit more, your appetite should improve.

I second this! Planning has been key for me

knra_grl

I went through this yesterday - I was coming off night shifts and I couldn't meet my net calories - this was due to having breakfast at 3:00 pm (an hour after I woke up) - I gave it a good effort though lol

kellyspei

I had that problem for years and it was daily. I tried to change the food I got so it was higher in calories. I later found out that it was because of problems that I have with gluten. When I cut it out of my diet, I became functional again and I did not always feel stuffed.