Randomly ravenous?

bathsheba_c
bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Here I thought I was a big calorie-counting know-it-all, but now I have something that has me stumped. All this week, I have been incredibly hungry for no apparent reason. I've been snacking constantly. The only thing I can possibly think of is that, in an attempt to overestimate, I massively underestimated my calorie burn for the weekend (I spent it sight-seeing, where sights included "wading 45 minutes through freezing, underground water in the dark").

Has anyone ever had this happen to them?

FWIW, I am 5'5", 145 lbs. MFP gives me 1,250 calories a day, but with exercise, I usually eat about 1700 a day.

Replies

  • freedski1
    freedski1 Posts: 65 Member
    Ohhh yes, I have had this happen. On weeks when I teach Zumba, I am RAVENOUS and need well over the extra 400 cals per day doing Zumba allows me. It makes me think that the estimate for Zumba is way low... I could wear a body bug or something to figure it out, but eh... I'm too lazy. This last week, we were on "break" from the studio, and my hunger was reduced by like 2/3.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    When that happens, do you eat more, or do you stay within your target?
  • AbiCusPeck
    AbiCusPeck Posts: 96 Member
    Ohhhh, I'm hungry now and have broken into the celery sticks - gonna have to work harder later!
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    This was happening to me after about the 3rd week doing 1200 cal + eating back most of my exercise. I determined that I was not given enough calories by the site. My BMR is closer to 1700 and TDEE a lot more. I am currently slowly increasing my calories every couple of weeks until I find a place that will work for me and won't leave me ravenous and exhausted from just walking to work and going for little bike rides. You should not need to starve to lose weight.

    Depending on your age, your BMR is probably closer to 1400 than 1200 FWIW.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    That happens to me every once in a while. Those are good days to eat the things you don't normally eat. But try to eat healthy stuff. I'd eat chicken tacos instead of fried chicken wings, have an apple instead of apple pie. I think the majority of obesity in america is because we are programmed to look at our watch and say "it's noon must be time to eat" regardless of whether or not we are hungry. There are some days I can barely consume 800 calories, and I've worked out hard. So my motto - eat when you're hungry. If you're not, don't eat.
  • TinaB_2012
    TinaB_2012 Posts: 9 Member
    This happened to me too (last night actually), though I'm not sure how random it was. I ate a snack around 5PM, and when I left work 45 minutes later I was STARVING! I figured it was one of three things:

    1. I'm used to stopping at the convenience store for M&M's or stopping at Wendy's on my way home so I was "triggered"
    2. I've drastically reduced my refined sugars in the past 3 days, and my stomach hasn't got with the program yet.
    3. I'm not eating enough calories (1300-1400 per day)

    Or maybe it's a combination of all three. All I know is that I was miserable. I made it home without stopping, but when I walked in the door I had TWO Sloppy Joe's and a pile of roasted potatoes. Yikes! I've got to figure out what to do when the evening cravings hit or I'm not going to make it.

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