fluctuating hunger patterns and eating at a cut
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evilmonkee
Posts: 55 Member
I've been doing this EMTWL thing for couple months now, and so far I've been having small but consistent losses, so I'm pretty happy with it. The only problem is that in the past few weeks I have a really hard time trying to eat at a consistent level because my hunger patterns vary so much depending on my workout.
A bit of background: I am 5'1", 130, my cut is 1700-1800 based on averages from scooby and fat2fit.
I lift 3 times a week: 10 min kettle bell warm up (get ups, heavy swings, couple ladders), 20-40 min of New Rules of Lifting, 15-20 min HIIT.
I started training for a half marathon couple weeks ago, and I have two shorter runs and one long run.
When I started running more than 5 miles, my hunger level went way down because I run outside and I'm just not hungry after spending time in the sun. I usually end up forcing myself to eat nuts and sneak in oil in my evening snack to make sure I get close enough to my cut and net above my BMR. It actually takes effort to force myself to eat that much on those days.
On days when I lift, I feel like 1800 is not nearly enough. My calorie burn is much smaller on those days, but I am legitimately hungry, even when I skip the HIIT. I don't just feel snacky, and I'm not craving chips or junk. I am ravenous to the point where I feel dizzy unless I go 300-500 over my calories, and I find myself craving very specific foods- meat and eggs. Adding a lot of vegetables and low-calorie options to bulk up my meals works for 20-30 min, then I start craving meat, peanut butter, and eggs again.
Since I'm running the half with a friend, and we're raising money for charity that's near and dear to our hearts, I don't want to cut back on running until I finish the half. I just need to get trough the next two months until I can go back to my usual routine of more lifting and less cardio.
Would varying my intake so I eat more when I lift and less when I run be counterproductive and inconsistent with EMTWL?
If I eat until I'm satisfied on running days, I'd net just above my BMR. I ate until I was satisfied in the past week, and I ended up eating at my cut level on average, but I was 400 over on lifting days, and 400-500 under on running days.
My body is obviously trying to tell me that it wants more food on lifting day and less on running days. OTOH, I know that it's important to have a relatively consistent so I'm not sure if this is the right way to proceed.
A bit of background: I am 5'1", 130, my cut is 1700-1800 based on averages from scooby and fat2fit.
I lift 3 times a week: 10 min kettle bell warm up (get ups, heavy swings, couple ladders), 20-40 min of New Rules of Lifting, 15-20 min HIIT.
I started training for a half marathon couple weeks ago, and I have two shorter runs and one long run.
When I started running more than 5 miles, my hunger level went way down because I run outside and I'm just not hungry after spending time in the sun. I usually end up forcing myself to eat nuts and sneak in oil in my evening snack to make sure I get close enough to my cut and net above my BMR. It actually takes effort to force myself to eat that much on those days.
On days when I lift, I feel like 1800 is not nearly enough. My calorie burn is much smaller on those days, but I am legitimately hungry, even when I skip the HIIT. I don't just feel snacky, and I'm not craving chips or junk. I am ravenous to the point where I feel dizzy unless I go 300-500 over my calories, and I find myself craving very specific foods- meat and eggs. Adding a lot of vegetables and low-calorie options to bulk up my meals works for 20-30 min, then I start craving meat, peanut butter, and eggs again.
Since I'm running the half with a friend, and we're raising money for charity that's near and dear to our hearts, I don't want to cut back on running until I finish the half. I just need to get trough the next two months until I can go back to my usual routine of more lifting and less cardio.
Would varying my intake so I eat more when I lift and less when I run be counterproductive and inconsistent with EMTWL?
If I eat until I'm satisfied on running days, I'd net just above my BMR. I ate until I was satisfied in the past week, and I ended up eating at my cut level on average, but I was 400 over on lifting days, and 400-500 under on running days.
My body is obviously trying to tell me that it wants more food on lifting day and less on running days. OTOH, I know that it's important to have a relatively consistent so I'm not sure if this is the right way to proceed.
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Replies
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Can't really look at your diary to see what your eating.. but when you say your eating to your BMR is that eating your cut then eating back your exercise calories? Or are you just reaching your BMR and not eating any exercise calories?
Also on days when your outside running, you may need to hydrate alot more if your not hungry at all without eating much earlier.. as for zig zagging your calories everyday, you can take a weekly approach and try to have your cut number for your weekly calories instead of daily.. kind of like a cheat day idea, but in this case you wouldn't have that because you would just be eating more on lift days. Oh and one last thing, Protein to feel fuller on lift days.0 -
My diary is closed because I was getting unsolicited comments from the 1200 kcal/ day people. I usually eat pretty clean. 30-40-40, centered around lean protein. I can open it up when I get home and can post from a computer.
On high cardio days, I net very close to my BMR, usually 50-100 under, sometimes a tiny bit over, but it's pretty close to it.
Thanks for bring up hydration - I live in a hot and humid climate, and I got a heatstroke couple years ago, so I'm always very careful about staying hydrated. I drink about a gallon a day, and (TMI) I pee clear, so I know it's not dehydration. I also feel much less hungry when I do cardio inside in an air conditoned gym, or when I go on long hikes even in winter, so I think it's just cardio suppressing my hunger.
I average about 120 grams of protein a day, but I'll try to sneak in a little bit more on lift days.
I guess I'll just keep zig zagging, and consider the next few weeks a wash. If I lose, great. If not, I'll live. I just want to make sure I don't mess up my metabolism by having 600-800 swings between days.0 -
Just one thing to consider... if you're netting under BMR frequently, your body still thinks it's starving. You need to net well over your BMR on high cardio days. Your body needs to consistently know it's going to be well fueled or it will keep holding onto fat.
Personally, I always eat more on my lifting days as I know my body needs the extra protein. I always feel hungrier too so I listen to my body. I don't do a lot of cardio anymore, but if I did, I would be aiming to net, at the very least, a hundred above BMR.0 -
From what I have read consistency is very important because the body gets comfortable. So be a consistent zigg zagger! But don't do it randomly. Total your calls for the week and make sure you get them all in throughout the week. Just plan on higher calls when needed and lower when needed but make sure you are eating the same lower and higher levels on the same days consistently!0
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I'm kind of the same, the day after lifting, I could eat a horse. I make sure I net BMR, but then if I need to eat more when lifting, I do it. I figure my body knows what it needs and so long as I'm putting good stuff in and not rubbish, and not going crazy over calories, it's OK.0
