Food!!! Glorious Food!!! ...help?

irridia

I'm not currently logging, but I'm probably going to start agian in May (its a mental thing, I need a break) I still try to watch portions and macros (for the most part).

Everything I've read says that if I'm going to go over cals, it should be on lifting day and try to stay under on non-lifting days. I'm generally not overly hungry on lift day and if I end up trying to mke certain I'll have enough cals for the day ahead of time and then end up skipping the lift (for whatever reason) then I'm not utilizing them like I intended.

Also I lift either just before dinner or just after on lifting days.

Herein lies the problem, or percieved provlem as the case maybe:

I wake up RAVENOUS! I also spend most of the rest of the day after craving carbs! I try to reach for protein instead, or for fruits, sometimes I'll dip into my deskside whey shake stash and have either a half or a whole scoop, but am hungry again in an hr or two! grrr.

I therefore pose this question to this group previously dubbed as BadAssedLadies: Any of you have this scenario? Any suggestions?

Oh and the current EFFING add on the side isn't helping: Low-fat clone of cinnabon, that's not bad enough they have a freakin picture of one... BASTARDI

_GlaDOS_

I also lift just before dinner, so I'm not really starving after, but like you, very hungry the next day. I usually have big breakfasts or more morning snacks and then just get in my protein later in the day. Often I'll get a good mocha and that helps with my appetite and sweet cravings. But for just craving carbs in general I'm not sure how to help...

Rae6503

I don't know that it matters. I just keep track of weekly numbers. Your body is pretty fluid it literally can store fat one day and burn fat the next (maybe even the same day). I think.

gemiwing

I routinely eat less on lifting day. Something about lifting makes me hungry right after but in a few hours- it's almost like my body is too busy repairing to bother with eating. I routinely come in around 500 under on lifting day.

The day after, recovery day, I make up for it and eat tons of food then. I usually don't crave carbs if I eat enough of them the day before my workout. I'm not on a low-carb plan so it's not like I'm running a huge deficit of them.. plus I've still got plenty of Silo Carbs (in my fat lol).

XFitMojoMom

do you eat prior to lifting and post?

Personally I'm not usually hungry on my lifting days, but my met-con days I'm frickin' ravenous! I also usually "eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper for dinner".

tameko2

Irridia - I think everyone is different - I find as long as I keep my overall fuel and hydration levels up I don't need to eat specifically before or after although I do try to have eaten something within a couple hours before or within an hour after (But that is also just plain how my day works out - probably most people's).

Err so the moral of hte story is - eat when you are hungry or to anticipate hunger not at some mythical 'Correct' time to eat. For now. When you are in the sub 25% bf area you can worry about nutrition timing but before then I think its not important to get overly complex with your meals.

(obviously the eat when you are hungry thing don't work if its making you blow your calories away so adjustfor that as needed)

irridia

Thanks ladies! that makes me feel better about it. I have blood sugar levels to maintain, so I have 0 energy for lifting if I"m hungry before I start so I usually have at least a protein shake prior, (if not then I do my workout 1st) then dinner after if its ready, or another shake if I'm still hungry when I'm done (sometimes I'm not) and dinner isn't ready. Often, like last night, my sched gets messed up and I end up having dinner first. Today, I've been craving less carbs, I had a shake before bed last night despite not being hungry, so I wouldn't get the insuiln push overnight. Ate my protien bar for breakfast and by the time I got to work was still hungry so added protein to my coffee. Then back to my normal routine for the rest of the day of having an oikos yogurt for morning snack, protein bar and apple for lunch. About to get hungry, (1.5 hrs post lunch) but I have a new snack source of a power crunch bar. It's protein and tastes like a dark chocolate cookie. Prolly only have half at a time cause its 210 cals. 13 g protein, 10g carbs. so not bad. I definately think the sherataki noodles have helped me keep my carb cravings down. yay!