i'm hungry but have no cals left, on my rest day?

BeautyFromPain

okay so i know it is good to have a rest day so have finally worked it into my week...
the only problem is, i am really hungry..
should i eat and then work them off or just eat and be over my cals for this one day?

TavistockToad

rest is important so i would go over.

Lozze

My advice? Have a glass of water and wait 15 min. If you're still hungry then eat. You're doing amazing and your body is trying to tell you something!

trud72

have a glass of water and go for a walk!

bossmodehan

I'm always more hungry on a rest day....sometimes it's boredom, sometimes it's genuine hunger!

If you've been having a lot of cals leftover for the last few days, try and eat a few of them back, even if it sends you over for one day. Just make sure they are as clean and satisfying as possible, and a good protein source will help with recovery from your recent workouts! Don't be using it as an excuse to eat empty cals though!

Most of all, relax and enjoy the day off - you've earned it!

ackeebee

eat if you are hungry....

jellybaby84

Rest is important and I actually think hunger is too.

Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to eat - teach your body a bit of discipline and ignore it!

MKPRN

If you are hungry, drink a glass of water, slice up a cucumber and some celery and eat that. Very filling for very few calories. If it doesn't sound good to you than you aren't really that hungry are you?

NikkiLynne911

Don't do it. Try drinking water first, and then if that doesn't work then eat. But try to find something healthy like fruit or vegetables

dad106

Rest is important and I actually think hunger is too.

Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to eat - teach your body a bit of discipline and ignore it!

Seriously.. teach your body discipline and ignore it.. Can't even begin to express how bad that advice is.

To Op:
Eat something small would be my advice. Peanut butter and toast or some sort of fruit.. something that is low in calories but satisfying. If you go over a little bit, it won't hurt you... If your hungry then you need to eat.. plain and simple.

BeautyFromPain

Rest is important and I actually think hunger is too.

Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to eat - teach your body a bit of discipline and ignore it!

ummm, you're kidding right? You gotta listen to your body! Just as pain tells as something is not right, hunger tells us our body needs nutrients.

1a1a

With the kinda surpluses I see you maintain through the week, I say eat. I feel ravenous on rest days too (but don't maintain such surpluses...I've been wondering if I ought to start saving some calories up for my rest days so I can still eat).

What MKPRN said :-)

Gigi_licious

If you're hungry, eat.

ratherbeskiing

I found 25 cal hot coco. (Swiss miss) I have that- it is chocolate yum and since it is a hot drink it fills me up.

reepobob

On a pure rest day, I try to eat a very little bit of something healthy about once an hour (small handful of nuts, a string cheese, etc.) and stretch out my eating all day...it has really helped me get through pure rest days...on most rest days, I end up mowing grass or doing something above sedentary and log the burn to get me a few extra calories...a walk, as previously mentiioned, can get you a handful more calories to get through the day as well...good luck.

jellybaby84

Rest is important and I actually think hunger is too.

Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to eat - teach your body a bit of discipline and ignore it!

ummm, you're kidding right? You gotta listen to your body! Just as pain tells as something is not right, hunger tells us our body needs nutrients.

No, not at all

If you were literally starving then of course you should eat.

But you've eaten 1200 calories - you're not genuinely hungry, you can't be.

When we are used to overeating then our body is not so good at knowing real hunger from what we are used to having and what we want.

Your body has enough, it doesn't need more.

psuLemon

Well by looking at your diary, you seem to be burning up to 1000 calories a day and are considerably under your calories most days. When you do a lot of training, your body is hungry because its trying to repair itself. So you should feed it, but make sure they are very heathy calories (piece of chicken, protein bars/shake or something) that has good protein in it so your muscles can grow and repair effectively.

I would like to ask, what do you do that burns that many calories?

ps- not eating will only increase the chance of losing muscle mass.

cufirst84

water and gum !!! keep yourself busy...

BeautyFromPain

Well by looking at your diary, you seem to be burning up to 1000 calories a day and are considerably under your calories most days. When you do a lot of training, your body is hungry because its trying to repair itself. So you should feed it, but make sure they are very heathy calories (piece of chicken, protein bars/shake or something) that has good protein in it so your muscles can grow and repair effectively.

I would like to ask, what do you do that burns that many calories?

ps- not eating will only increase the chance of losing muscle mass.

yeah i know i'm starting to eat back my exercise cals as of nov 1st i have decided!

it is generally 2 hours or so at the gym, quite heavy weights, bike, elliptical, running on the treadmill, stepper, rower, etc.
I just love exercise okay I can't help it :P

BeautyFromPain

Rest is important and I actually think hunger is too.

Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to eat - teach your body a bit of discipline and ignore it!

ummm, you're kidding right? You gotta listen to your body! Just as pain tells as something is not right, hunger tells us our body needs nutrients.

No, not at all

If you were literally starving then of course you should eat.

But you've eaten 1200 calories - you're not genuinely hungry, you can't be.

When we are used to overeating then our body is not so good at knowing real hunger from what we are used to having and what we want.

Your body has enough, it doesn't need more.

Can't be hungry at 1200? really? Most FEMALES need AT LEAST 1500 cals per day and i was stupid and decided not to eat my exercise cals for awhile and see what it would do... pretty much nothing, except make me hungry, stalled my weight loss and now i have to pay for it! I dunno about you but I see food as something that I use to fuel my body not eat a certain amount and tell it to stop.

Uhh sorry but I have not overeaten in quite awhile, have not actually ever been over my calories since I started MFP in april so...uhh what does that say?!
Just cos you want to malnourish your body does not mean I want to do that to mine...

kapeluza

Don't eat and drink water! Lots!

LorinaLynn

Since June, when I hit my initial goal, I stopped logging food at all on weekends and holidays. Those are also usually my rest days, unless I have a race or something, so I'm sure I went over my trying-to-lose weight calories, and a lot of times, I'm sure I went over my maintenance calories. And I lost 10 more pounds since then.

Eating a little more one day a week isn't going to make any more of a difference than eating a little less one day a week would make.

psuLemon

Well by looking at your diary, you seem to be burning up to 1000 calories a day and are considerably under your calories most days. When you do a lot of training, your body is hungry because its trying to repair itself. So you should feed it, but make sure they are very heathy calories (piece of chicken, protein bars/shake or something) that has good protein in it so your muscles can grow and repair effectively.

I would like to ask, what do you do that burns that many calories?

ps- not eating will only increase the chance of losing muscle mass.

Well since you spend that much time at the gym, you might want to consider looking into using the Katch McArdle formula to figure out daily caloric needs. Because if you truely are burning over 1000K, you still need to eat more. My friend does the same thing and he has to eat 5000 calories to maintain muscle mass (not saying you would have to eat that much) but even then you should be eating high 2000's or low 3000 calories.
yeah i know i'm starting to eat back my exercise cals as of nov 1st i have decided!

it is generally 2 hours or so at the gym, quite heavy weights, bike, elliptical, running on the treadmill, stepper, rower, etc.
I just love exercise okay I can't help it :P

1a1a

Uhh sorry but I have not overeaten in quite awhile, have not actually ever been over my calories since I started MFP in april so...uhh what does that say?!
Just cos you want to malnourish your body does not mean I want to do that to mine...

Easy Beauty, she's trying to help and has only her own experiences to base advice on. Although I'm with you, let's eat, let's eat more, food/fuel for muscles and energy (whilst maintaining the slightest of deficits), the lower cals thing may work for her (and if she is suitably short of stature and sedate in activity, 1200 or so may be enough).

....or at least, 1200 is an arbitrary number but accurately assessing hunger has its merits....in your case though I maintain my thoughts that you should eat :-)

PPS Pleased to hear you say you've come around to eating exercise calories :-D

Sidesteal

Just cos you want to malnourish your body does not mean I want to do that to mine...

You are asking for help/feedback. You don't have to take it but perhaps being a little more courteous to people wouldn't be a bad idea.

BeautyFromPain

Uhh sorry but I have not overeaten in quite awhile, have not actually ever been over my calories since I started MFP in april so...uhh what does that say?!
Just cos you want to malnourish your body does not mean I want to do that to mine...

Easy Beauty, she's trying to help and has only her own experiences to base advice on. Although I'm with you, let's eat, let's eat more, food/fuel for muscles and energy (whilst maintaining the slightest of deficits), the lower cals thing may work for her (and if she is suitably short of stature and sedate in activity, 1200 or so may be enough).

....or at least, 1200 is an arbitrary number but accurately assessing hunger has its merits....in your case though I maintain my thoughts that you should eat :-)

lol yeah sorry it's just with my history of AN someone saying something like that could lead me back to bad thoughts that food is bad and I really don't want that to happen

bcattoes

I try to eat lighter foods on days I don't exercise. But if I get hungry I eat, whether it means going over on calories or not. As long as you aren't bingeing it's not going to stall your overall weight loss.

BeautyFromPain

Just cos you want to malnourish your body does not mean I want to do that to mine...

You are asking for help/feedback. You don't have to take it but perhaps being a little more courteous to people wouldn't be a bad idea.

Cause she was courteous to me and all? Not to mention the question was should I exercise after eating not am I hungry :S I know when I am hungry..We all have different caloric needs?

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Just cos you want to malnourish your body does not mean I want to do that to mine...

You are asking for help/feedback. You don't have to take it but perhaps being a little more courteous to people wouldn't be a bad idea.

Cause she was courteous to me and all? Not to mention the question was should I exercise after eating not am I hungry :S I know when I am hungry..We all have different caloric needs?

Actually your question was whether you should go over for the day or exercise on your planned rest day so that you don't go over. She suggested that you shouldn't be hungry anyway because of your caloric intake (which I disagree with btw) and doesn't see your issue to begin with. She was giving advice based on your question and her situation, which was be content with not eating and take the rest day.

This is your planned rest day, take it in rest. I find I am especially hungry the day after a big workout day as my body repairs, so I've started zigzagging days (sort of) to allow me to eat when I'm hungry and not just on the days that I have that exertion. If I don't do this my ED's kick in and I start binging compulsively. My body knows when it needs the additional caloric intake, so I listen to it and try to be smart about it.

1a1a

lol yeah sorry it's just with my history of AN someone saying something like that could lead me back to bad thoughts that food is bad and I really don't want that to happen

Very articulate, looks like she prodded a sore spot/good to put your response in context :-)