WHY am I hungry?!

shella_bella

I started day one of P90X today (fat shredder phase: 1800 calories, 50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats)

For some reason I feel hungry even though I feel like I've ate adequate amounts of food so that I shouldn't be (I know sometimes hunger is confused with thirst so I'm drinking lots of water but it's not helping)

Breakfast: protein shake - made with skim milk

AM snack: protein bar

Lunch: I had a 6oz chicken breast baked in the oven with 2 carrots and half a red bell pepper, with a cup of red seedless grapes.

PM snack: 2 stalks celery, 4 thin plain rice cakes

Dinner is still 3 hours away and I feel like I need to eat something else but am being super cautious because I don't want to go over my calories or macro's.

Not really sure what I should eat or if I should even eat, to curb my appetite. Help?

MoreBean13

Sounds VERY low fat. I would swap out the skim milk in the AM with a higher fat one, and add a bit of fat at every meal. No reason to fear fat- fat doesn't make you fat and it's VERY satiating. Make room in your calories for it!

ETA: I'm all for higher protein diets, but I think 50% is a bit excessive. I would cut that down a little and add more fat. That's just my opinion.

shella_bella

Sounds VERY low fat. I would swap out the skim milk in the AM with a higher fat one, and add a bit of fat at every meal. No reason to fear fat- fat doesn't make you fat and it's VERY satiating. Make room in your calories for it!

ETA: I'm all for higher protein diets, but I think 50% is a bit excessive. I would cut that down a little and add more fat. That's just my opinion.

Yes, I thought it was excessive too, but I am trying to follow the p90x diet plan as closely as possible, and it is pretty strict

MoreBean13

Sounds VERY low fat. I would swap out the skim milk in the AM with a higher fat one, and add a bit of fat at every meal. No reason to fear fat- fat doesn't make you fat and it's VERY satiating. Make room in your calories for it!

ETA: I'm all for higher protein diets, but I think 50% is a bit excessive. I would cut that down a little and add more fat. That's just my opinion.

Yes, I thought it was excessive too, but I am trying to follow the p90x diet plan as closely as possible, and it is pretty strict

OK, regardless, I think the lack of fat is why you're hungry. tomorrow try dividing your fat throughout the day, a little olive oil with the chicken or higher fat milk, or a little PB with the celery might make all the difference.

Nerdy_Rose

I had this problem trying to stay under 1900 calories for a while.. just.. couldn't. So I figured out my TDEE and ate that for a while. For 2-3 days, eat until you don't feel hungry. Record it. See what happens. See what your body wants, and then go from there.

cmarreee

...moar vegetables! Full of fiber & vitamins & water, low in calories.
Blend some spinach in your AM shake.
Have your chicken and bell pepper alongside a big bowl of leafy greens, you can add some onions or red cabbage for crunch and cherry tomatoes and mushrooms and whatever you like really.
Sandwich a slice of deli chicken between two cucumber slices. Or have em with salsa, hummus, tuna, etc.
You can se a veggie peeler to peel slices off eggplant or zucchini and bake them into "chips" and have em with your rice cake/carrot snack... just some ideas.

shella_bella

...moar vegetables! Full of fiber & vitamins & water, low in calories.
Blend some spinach in your AM shake.
Have your chicken and bell pepper alongside a big bowl of leafy greens, you can add some onions or red cabbage for crunch and cherry tomatoes and mushrooms and whatever you like really.
Sandwich a slice of deli chicken between two cucumber slices. Or have em with salsa, hummus, tuna, etc.
You can se a veggie peeler to peel slices off eggplant or zucchini and bake them into "chips" and have em with your rice cake/carrot snack... just some ideas.

I love that veggie chips idea! I am only supposed to eat 2 servings of veggies a day (which is ridiculous to me so I will probably exceed that) ...I have to watch my carb intake though. Unfortunately. I love carbs. In all their forms.

shella_bella

...moar vegetables! Full of fiber & vitamins & water, low in calories.
Blend some spinach in your AM shake.
Have your chicken and bell pepper alongside a big bowl of leafy greens, you can add some onions or red cabbage for crunch and cherry tomatoes and mushrooms and whatever you like really.
Sandwich a slice of deli chicken between two cucumber slices. Or have em with salsa, hummus, tuna, etc.
You can se a veggie peeler to peel slices off eggplant or zucchini and bake them into "chips" and have em with your rice cake/carrot snack... just some ideas.

I love that veggie chips idea! I am only supposed to eat 2 servings of veggies a day (which is ridiculous to me so I will probably exceed that) ...I have to watch my carb intake though. Unfortunately. I love carbs. In all their forms.

How long do you plan to keep this up, and what will happen when you stop?

Phase 1 is 30 days
Phase 2 is 30 days, 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat
Phase 3 is 30 days, and the last phase, 20% protein, 60% carbs, 20% fat

I've seen nothing but success stories with p90x!

shella_bella

Good to know, thanks.

simonkurth

Hi Shella Bella,

The first few days are really hard. You shouldn't feel hungry. If you are listen to your body and eat a little more. If you need to add more spinach or green leafy vegetables to your serving of protein (chicken, fish etc) go for it.

Adding complex carbohydrates like brown rice can help as well. Shawn gave me some excellent advice about Steel cut oats as well. Very good source of complex slow release carbs that can help with the hunger.

The guy above is right, a ton of people don't finish the program. Those who stay disciplined but listen to their bodies and take care of themselves succeed. I've been very conscious of ensuring that I develop long term eating habits post p90x. Will I eat 50/30/20 forever? No. I think I 40/40/30 split is more realistic. And in my opinion the macros really do matter. You can't expect to eat diet full of saturated fats, sugar rich food and simple carbohydrates and stay in good health

I'm not completely sure of your current level of fitness. Some people who are pretty much at their goal weight don't have to stay on the fat shredder for too long. Hang in there. Let me know if its too difficult and we can figure something out..
By the way the p90x/ insanity group has had an outstanding success rate in my short time being involved. It's not so much to do with the Individuals participating, but the awesome, supportive and encouraging nature of everyone combined together. I know you will finish! Bring it

terracotti

are you sure it's not craving?