Increased my workout routine and I feel like I am starving

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m_shuman
m_shuman Posts: 179
in Food and Nutrition
This week I have been starving. I have added about 3 hours to my workout routine this week by substitute teaching 3 additional spin classes. I worked out for a total of 10 hours this week 7 diong spin and 3 doing weight training. I eat roughly 1700-1800 calories a day and I am eating about 125-150 grams of protein and drinking plenty of water and green tea and I still feel hungry. What can I do to curb this feeling? Has anyone else experienced this when they have increased their workout routine?
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  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    Sometimes. Usually it's because I haven't eaten enough protein.
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
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    Sometimes. Usually it's because I haven't eaten enough protein.

    I don't know if this is it because I eat tons of protein So far today I have had over 100 grams. After dinner I will have eaten 140 grams. I have used the custom settings and have my protein set for 25% is this to low? I have fat set for 35% and carbs set for 40%.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Maybe your calorie deficit is too large now with the added activity.
  • Car0lynnM
    Car0lynnM Posts: 332 Member
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    If you added more exercise, but didn't add more calories, I'm thinking you're just not getting enough calories.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Eat your exercise calories.
  • ForeverChasingTheSunsets
    ForeverChasingTheSunsets Posts: 91 Member
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    This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. When I increased my going to the gym 5x per week rather than 3x. I spread out my foods more throughout the day and found that helped solve the problem. I was starving for lunch so I would have an apple about a half hour before lunch, then have lunch, then have a yogourt a half hour to an hour after lunch. I drank more water too! My body adjusted this week though and I don't get the huge hunger pangs anymore. I guess it was just an adjustment phase.
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
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    Maybe your calorie deficit is too large now with the added activity.

    So should I up my calories? I always try to eat 200 under my total. For example with no exercise I should eat 1430 If I burn 800 in the gym I eat around 2000 calories for a daily deficite of 200.
  • Krisgren
    Krisgren Posts: 95
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    Me toooooo!!! I just posted questions about this too:

    "Ok so I've lost just over 20 pounds in 6 months and built a lot of muscle, I've gone from doing very minimum exercise to slowly working upto running 3 times a week, some crossfit and weight training 3 times a week, and on off days doing jillian or whatever I get the urge for. I've also cleaned up my eating big time, no junk, minimum to no processed foods, etc etc. overall I think I've become quite fit if I do say so myself, lol

    For the most part I am where I want to be weight wise maybe lose a bit more fat (no more then 5 or ten pounds) but of course gain more muscle thru the weight training and crossfit that I really enjoy.

    So here is my question......why am I soooooooo hungry now???!!! I am eating healthy stuff but am finding that I want to eat constant, not emotionally or anything like that but my stomach more often then not feels pretty empty. I drink my water, I do tons of veggies and fiber and protein, (sorry no diary to look into as I haven't been tracking very often lately but I can guarantee its 3 main meals a day plus plenty of healthy snacks). I think while trying to lose the weight I mostly stuck around 1350 calories a day give or take and my menus have not really changed much with the exception of getting a little cleaner in the past month, but now I feel like 2000 would barely fill me up lmao!!!!

    So do you think that its just because of the extra burning at the gym?? it's only been the past week and a half or so but I just can't seem to fill up, lol. Can I throw in more food?? Like veggie snacks and fiber and all that good stuff??

    (Here is an example of my diet today........protein shake at 430am on my way to work, oatmeal with peanut butter and pumpkin seeds and cranberries around 10am, a garden salad and ww pasta with tomatos and avocado's at 1130am, then a 5k run, and then I ate an orange, a v8 juice, a hardboiled egg, and a homemade protein bar at about 130. and yeah I'm ready to eat again soon lol.

    So I'm sorry I've rambled, I hope you can make sense of this, any thoughts would be appreciated."

    Im glad to know that I'm not the only one :)
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    If you added more exercise, but didn't add more calories, I'm thinking you're just not getting enough calories.

    yep!
  • SlimReggieBack
    SlimReggieBack Posts: 121 Member
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    No do not eat your exercise calories it will ruin the point you are exercising also I recommend eating more fiber. Trust me it will help.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Maybe your calorie deficit is too large now with the added activity.

    You think?? Hmmmmm YEAH I'D SAY!!
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Maybe your calorie deficit is too large now with the added activity.

    So should I up my calories? I always try to eat 200 under my total. For example with no exercise I should eat 1430 If I burn 800 in the gym I eat around 2000 calories for a daily deficite of 200.

    I'm assuming 1430 includes a 500 calorie deficit. If you burn 800 and eat 2000 then your deficit is 730. Why do you arbitarily leave 200 on the table? Maybe switching to a flat TDEE-based approach would be simpler for you.
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
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    No do not eat your exercise calories it will ruin the point you are exercising also I recommend eating more fiber. Trust me it will help.

    I teach group exercise and spin classes. If I do not eat my exercise calories back I will not be able to function or have the strength or endurance to teach. I am not exercising to lose weigh but if I was myfitnesspal already sets a deficit for you based on your weight loss goal. Right now I have my goal set to .5 LB per week but I have not been losing and I am fine with that because I can tell I am gaining muscle.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    No do not eat your exercise calories it will ruin the point you are exercising also I recommend eating more fiber. Trust me it will help.

    I think you need to repeat the MFP 101 class.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    The way MFP is set up is it already factors in a deficit so if MFP gave you 1450 based on your stats then you will already have a deficit built in. In that case you should be eating back your exercise cals. If the deficit is too large you will stop losing or slow the loss right down. It happened to me.

    Probably a good idea to have a read of link below this if you haven't already

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • SlimReggieBack
    SlimReggieBack Posts: 121 Member
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    No do not eat your exercise calories it will ruin the point you are exercising also I recommend eating more fiber. Trust me it will help.

    I think you need to repeat the MFP 101 class.

    I dont need any of that I've been losing 10 pounds a month not losing any muscle because I'm stacked on protein and never starving because I go over fiber mostly everyday I'm just putting in what I have done so far to help that might can help him.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
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    No do not eat your exercise calories it will ruin the point you are exercising.

    This statement is patently absurd and wrong. You want to lose weight you eat at a calorie deficit. It doesn't matter how much you exercise if you eat more calories than you burn, you will not be losing weight. EXERCISE IS FOR FITNESS, CALORIE DEFICIT IS FOR WEIGHT LOSS!

    Provided you have set up your MFP profile the way it's intended (ie. an activity level based off your everyday activity, without specific exercise assumed) your net calorie goal will include the deficit to lose weight at your defined goal...with only your average everyday activity. Specific bouts of exercise (gym, bike ride, run, etc.) are extra. That extra exercise raises your total calorie burn for the day. Now you have a choice, eat some or all of those exercise calories back and get to your net calorie goal (maintaining your planned weight loss goal) or you can refuse to eat back those calories and go for a much bigger deficit. If you are legitimately hungry, your body is crying out for fuel....food. You need to fuel the machine that is your body, so eat. Especially if you are trying to not eat back your exercise calories, your body is stressing and needing fuel.
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
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    No do not eat your exercise calories it will ruin the point you are exercising.

    This statement is patently absurd and wrong. You want to lose weight you eat at a calorie deficit. It doesn't matter how much you exercise if you eat more calories than you burn, you will not be losing weight. EXERCISE IS FOR FITNESS, CALORIE DEFICIT IS FOR WEIGHT LOSS!

    Provided you have set up your MFP profile the way it's intended (ie. an activity level based off your everyday activity, without specific exercise assumed) your net calorie goal will include the deficit to lose weight at your defined goal...with only your average everyday activity. Specific bouts of exercise (gym, bike ride, run, etc.) are extra. That extra exercise raises your total calorie burn for the day. Now you have a choice, eat some or all of those exercise calories back and get to your net calorie goal (maintaining your planned weight loss goal) or you can refuse to eat back those calories and go for a much bigger deficit. If you are legitimately hungry, your body is crying out for fuel....food. You need to fuel the machine that is your body, so eat. Especially if you are trying to not eat back your exercise calories, your body is stressing and needing fuel.

    I don't want this to be a debate about eating back exercise calories because I eat them and I am still hungry. I am not trying to lose weight simply maintain and build muscle. I have very little excess fat left on my body only a little pudge in my belly that I really could care less about losing because I like pizza and beer to much and I realize abs are mostly made in the kitchen. I weigh 124# and am 5' 4". I just need to know if my macros need to be ajusted or if this is normal and my metabolism has kicked into hight gear again because of the exercise.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Just go to a site like this: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    Put in your data, and look at the number. That's your TDEE. Subtract about 500.

    How does THAT number compare to what you're taking in at the end of a typical day, with typical exercise?
  • LadyRhodes01
    LadyRhodes01 Posts: 88 Member
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    You may need to eat your excercise calories. I may not eat them all all the time, which is not correct. We are suppose to. Listen to your body if you are still hungry that means you are not intaking enough caloris. When replenishing workout calories, I'm sure you know you have to make healthy choices most of the time so you won't feel like you wasted a workout. I use to workout 6 days a week for 2 hrs or more. I was starving afterward, even after a meal, and first thing in the morning. Your metalbolism needs feul to burn on those calories are a neccessity.

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