Hungrier on lifting rest days?

IAmCorStar

The same is definitely true for me. Today is my rest day and I've already eaten almost has much as I do in an entire workout day. The body's not stupid. It's asking for food because ineeds it. My feeling is that as long as I'm eating more in response to actual hunger cues and not social or emotional ones (though that's cool from time to time to), that that "extra" food is being put to work. I'm not trying to lose however (trying to gain if anything), so I actually use my rest days to compensate for any severe deficits I created during the week when the opposite happens and intense workouts kill my appetite and/or are really long and leave less time for eating.

Unless your an elite athlete, nutrient timing is really not that important, especially if you're trying to lose weight. A 140 pound woman with 20% body fat has nearly 50,000 calories worth of fuel stored as fat to use when you're in a daily deficit. (Actually closer to 100,000, but assuming that 10% of that fat is "essential" and should not be used for fuel) Very lean athletes, whose body fat% is much closer to that "essential" point, need to worry mpre about making sure the body doesn't feel the need to dip into that, or to burn muscle, and so pre and post exercise nutrition, rest and work days become an important factor. You're body has

Anyways, I digress. Eat when you're hungry, not just because some number on MFP says you "can" or "can't" eat more on any particular day. Aim for a total weekly caloric deficit if your trying to lose. Or for a change of pace, try setting your calories at maintenance level (I would even suggest using a number that you think is your maintenance from experience, probably higher than than what MFP comes up with) and just aim for going under (being in the green) whenever you can, rest days, workout days, birthdays, whenever.