Eatting enough....can't sleep because starved?

zekerella
zekerella Posts: 58 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone else have this problem?? I am an ironman triathlete who is trying to lose the last 10lbs to get down to race weight! But recently I've been waking up every night at 2:30am for HOURS and my body won't let me go back to sleep because its STARVING. I mean noticeable blood sugar low hungry.

My net calories (I eat back my exercise) is usually 1500! I'm afraid if I eat more I won't lose these last stubborn lbs!

I ate a banana...whole grain piece of bread...and a piece of cheese just to get myself to sleep tonight but I don't want this to be regular? Ugh. (250 cals)
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Replies

  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    My opinion: you aren't eating enough to support the training.

    It is one thing to be hungry while regular dieting, that is to be expected. But if your training suffers because of your lack of energy and nutrition, that is just going to be counterproductive in the long run.

    How big is your deficit? You're eating only 1500 calories on a training day? How many miles do you run/bike/swim on average per day? Do you eat more on those days? How long until the race?

    Also I would strive to eat more protein and fats.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    I've seen discussions of sleep issues on intermittent fasting websites. Apparently, one of the metabolic responses to famine conditions is to crank up hormones so that you sleep less so you can spend more time out looking for food. It sounds like its pretty common as a response to way undereating.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    Anyone else have this problem?? I am an ironman triathlete who is trying to lose the last 10lbs to get down to race weight! But recently I've been waking up every night at 2:30am for HOURS and my body won't let me go back to sleep because its STARVING. I mean noticeable blood sugar low hungry.

    My net calories (I eat back my exercise) is usually 1500! I'm afraid if I eat more I won't lose these last stubborn lbs!

    I ate a banana...whole grain piece of bread...and a piece of cheese just to get myself to sleep tonight but I don't want this to be regular? Ugh. (250 cals)

    Did you know that the brain will wake the body up if it is starving hungry and will NOT let it go back to sleep because it worries it will not be able to wake up again.

    That is true and in a way, cute really.

    Perhaps have a milky drink before bed, that will give you calcium, protein and will not leave you starving hungry.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Anyone else have this problem?? I am an ironman triathlete who is trying to lose the last 10lbs to get down to race weight! But recently I've been waking up every night at 2:30am for HOURS and my body won't let me go back to sleep because its STARVING. I mean noticeable blood sugar low hungry.

    My net calories (I eat back my exercise) is usually 1500! I'm afraid if I eat more I won't lose these last stubborn lbs!

    I ate a banana...whole grain piece of bread...and a piece of cheese just to get myself to sleep tonight but I don't want this to be regular? Ugh. (250 cals)

    Did you know that the brain will wake the body up if it is starving hungry and will NOT let it go back to sleep because it worries it will not be able to wake up again.

    That is true and in a way, cute really.

    Perhaps have a milky drink before bed, that will give you calcium, protein and will not leave you starving hungry.

    Lol que?
  • HeinzPrincess
    HeinzPrincess Posts: 92
    My boyfriend and I had this conversation. He has no problem going to bed hungry, whereas I cannot sleep if hungry and it mentally puts me in a weird place.

    Eat more! What's more important to you--10 pounds or competing?

    Also, have you checked out In Place of a Roadmap and helloitsdan?

    A quick search here on MFP should point you to the program of eating more to lose weight.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    A protein shake a hour or so before bed, would probably be a good idea!
  • muayqis
    muayqis Posts: 72
    How are you determining your 'race weight'?
    If you're so hungry you can;t sleep tehn my guess is that either you're not eating enough, or you're missing some key nutrient....
  • libertygirlfla
    libertygirlfla Posts: 184 Member
    I'm not a triathlete, but I experienced this exact thing recently. After posting the same question, I got the same answers you see above. I increased my cals by 300 and IMMEDIATELY slept like a baby and started losing weight like crazy. (I only have 10 to go) Most days, I only use an extra 200 cals rather than the full 300, but wow, what a difference!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I'm in the boat that you probably aren't eating enough but it is hard to say without seeing how much you are actually eating. (I understand you say you are netting 1500 but that doesn't really tell us how much you actually eat or what your burns are like). It would be helpful if you opened your diary so we could see and possibly give ideas on how to keep fuller.
    What is your weight loss goal per week? If you only have 10lbs it should be along the lines of .5lbs per week.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    :huh: I eat 300 calories a day more than you and I'm not training for a triathlon. No wonder you're starving!!! I strongly suspect you're being way too restrictive with your intake. This will likely hamper your training/progress. Do you have any idea what your TDEE is, with all the exercise you're doing included? Aim for no more than -10% of that/day. 10 lbs is not a lot to lose and it's better for it to come off slowly.
  • zekerella
    zekerella Posts: 58 Member
    I made my diary public! Scrutinize away!!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    That's a lot easier.
    I just had a quick look because I am on my phone but you seem to be eating a decent amount of calories (the whole net 1500 looks like you eat less). My first thought is maybe add some more protein with your last meal.
    Ill check back when I get home and see if there is anything else.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    I'm eating 1500 and I'm not even close to an athelete. I'd say you need to up your calories. Your body is telling you something if it is so hungry it's waking you up out of a dead sleep.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    Even though you are eating your exercise, 1500 is pretty low for an endurance athlete. Especially for an Ironman. During marathon training I maintain on 2700 a day, so i would suggest eating more. I have one friend who made it to Kona, and when I asked her what she ate, her reply was 'everything'.
  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
    Here's the question no one else has asked: what time are you last eating?

    If you are eating dinner at 5 and going until 2 AM without eating, I'm not surprised. Your Gu packs at 7PM barely count as food.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Just to clarify she is netting 1500 calories. She eats between 2300 and 2700 from a quick look. Depending on her height and weight that may not be a bad place to be
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Here's the question no one else has asked: what time are you last eating?

    If you are eating dinner at 5 and going until 2 AM without eating, I'm not surprised. Your Gu packs at 7PM barely count as food.

    I also thought of that as well after I posted.
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
    Figure out your BMR and TDEE. To lose weight, cut your TDEE by 20%.

    This is a great place to start: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    But bottomline, why would you train your body to expect less and SLOW down your metabolism?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    On a side note, can I have your recipe for quinoa and avocado salad?

    ETA-
    You can also check out this group. There might be a few more answers.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/105-triathletes-duathletes
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    I have had this same problem when I started dieting. You have to find your balance.

    I think you understand total and net calories enough that I don't need to explain it, and if your net calories are at 1500 after working out you're in a good place. I mean, if you're eating back your excercise you're probably taking in a couple thousand calories a day.

    So that aside, for me, it was a question of meal timing. I found that actually planning to have a small snack right before bed was perfect. For me, it was a handful of almonds (2.5 oz to be exact). It's not always enough i mean my appetite changes from day to day, but it does the trick and I certainly never felt starved or incredibly hungry after that. Find what works for you, but a snack before bed does the trick. (read: don't make it a full meal lol, that will just disrupt your sleep).
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    Given what I've seen here, I'm also going to mention meal timing. I find that on nights when I have supper at 5:30, I'm starving later. My body seems to like to eat a little later (because I'm a night owl). I typically eat supper around 6:30, and have a snack with protein in it sometime around 10pm.

    I'm not saying that this is what you need to do, just putting it out there as an example of what made a difference for me (because I'd already made sure I was eating enough - it turned out to be timing for me)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Just to throw something else out there, I usually take problems with sleeping as an indication that I'm reaching an overtrained state. And if I'm training hard while cutting, I reach my overtrained state a helluva lot quicker than when I'm eating normally. So I'll suggest that you look at both your training schedule (which you may not be able to adjust with an event coming up) and your eating schedule. Like everyone else suggests, you probably need to eat more.
  • zekerella
    zekerella Posts: 58 Member
    Hahahaha this made me laugh. You're right....7pm gu is hard key a snack. I think I'll plan to eat 200-300 calories more the next couple days and plan a good snack before bed full of protein.
  • zekerella
    zekerella Posts: 58 Member
    On a side note, can I have your recipe for quinoa and avocado salad?

    ETA-
    You can also check out this group. There might be a few more answers.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/105-triathletes-duathletes

    I will check out that group!! Thank you!! Also-you can find my recipie (I also add 4oz of grilled chicken breast to the salad) on my blog findingtheskinnygirlwithin.tumblr.com in the things I eat page at the top of the page! I make 4 servings at once which comes to about 400 calories.
  • redcase
    redcase Posts: 69 Member
    Casein protein is supposed to be good right before bed as it is digested slowly, so that might help. Just a thought.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    On a side note, can I have your recipe for quinoa and avocado salad?

    ETA-
    You can also check out this group. There might be a few more answers.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/105-triathletes-duathletes

    I will check out that group!! Thank you!! Also-you can find my recipie (I also add 4oz of grilled chicken breast to the salad) on my blog findingtheskinnygirlwithin.tumblr.com in the things I eat page at the top of the page! I make 4 servings at once which comes to about 400 calories.

    Thanks!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I have just had a look at the last 7 days of your diary.... You burnt at least 700 calories EVERY day... You REALLY REALLY need to add a rest day into your training programme!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    sounds pretty obvious
  • BL_Coleman
    BL_Coleman Posts: 324 Member
    Do you like milk? I used to have a glass of 2% milk before bed when i worked out like crazy otherwise i woudl wake up starving in the middle of the night. If i forgot i would walk downstairs grab said milk, drink it quickly and go back to bed..problem abated...
  • __RANDY__
    __RANDY__ Posts: 1,036 Member
    Anyone else have this problem?? I am an ironman triathlete

    I stopped reading here, you should know better

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