Not getting hungry, and I should be! Help :)

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nategr
nategr Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've read the In Place of a Road Map 3 as well as a lot of other good literature on here and read through quite a few of the links in Taso's "Still think your 1200 calorie or less diet is a good idea?" I think I have a decent grasp on my diet and clearly, eating very little is extremely counter productive. So I need help!! Should I exercise less? Should I stuff my face with more food?!

Quick background: I don't have a scale so I haven't been able to track my weight loss over the past month but I'd say it's a few lbs, mainly just from changing my diet a little rather than trying to maintain a calorie deficit. Decided I wanted to step it up and really get in shape. Got a gym membership at 24 Hour Fitness last Thursday, WOOT!! I also do at least 4-5 20 mile bike rides a week now. MFP has said I need roughly 1450 calories daily.

Sunday: 20 mile bike ride. Calorie deficit after exercise and what I thought was a lottt of food? 1200 remaining calories!!

Monday: Expected I'd be hungry and wasn't. At all. Did another 20 mile bike ride. I decided to go to the store and bought nearly a lb of flank steak at 9pm (ate it all) because I knew I needed damn calories even though I wasn't hungry! Calorie deficit: ~900!

Today: Half hour of weight training at the gym. Short 8 mile bike ride. And after only a breakfast of mainly peppers onions and egg whites before that..... I...am...still...not...hungry.

Unless I am a medical miracle and my body is a power plant for turning adipose tissue into fuel, I don't know why I'm not feeling hungry even after such a caloric deficit the past 2-3 days.

Should I maybe just stop bike riding? I'd hate to do that because I love extremely tough and mentally challenging workouts and the rewarding feeling of a hot relaxing shower afterwards. But I know it's unhealthy and I'm about to start drinking a protein shake every hour to get to my day's worth of calories if I have to but any feedback or advice is helpful!

Thank you!

Replies

  • BlueObsidian
    BlueObsidian Posts: 297 Member
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    Today: Half hour of weight training at the gym. Short 8 mile bike ride. And after only a breakfast of mainly peppers onions and egg whites before that..... I...am...still...not...hungry.

    This line jumped out at me. While I can't speak to why you are not hungry, I am wondering why you are eating only the egg whites when you know you have been low on calories. Getting more calories doesn't have to be a function of eating a larger volume of food. Replace the whites with whole eggs. Replace any low-fat products with full fat ones. Add extra olive oil to what you cook. Have nuts as snacks. Things like these pack a lot of calories into a small container.

    I know that for me, a large egg white omelette with veggies is a very filling breakfast. But if I use whole eggs and toss in a little cheese, the calorie value goes up without leaving me much fuller.
  • kayaksara
    kayaksara Posts: 157 Member
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    When I am not hungry and need more calories I will eat almonds or add oil to whatever I eat that day. And yes, I agree with eating the whole egg. It's the most nutritious part. Dark chocolate is yummy and some good calories. A spoonful or 2 of natural peanut butter. None of these are hard to eat when I am not hungry.
  • nategr
    nategr Posts: 12
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    Today: Half hour of weight training at the gym. Short 8 mile bike ride. And after only a breakfast of mainly peppers onions and egg whites before that..... I...am...still...not...hungry.

    This line jumped out at me. While I can't speak to why you are not hungry, I am wondering why you are eating only the egg whites when you know you have been low on calories. Getting more calories doesn't have to be a function of eating a larger volume of food. Replace the whites with whole eggs. Replace any low-fat products with full fat ones. Add extra olive oil to what you cook. Have nuts as snacks. Things like these pack a lot of calories into a small container.

    I know that for me, a large egg white omelette with veggies is a very filling breakfast. But if I use whole eggs and toss in a little cheese, the calorie value goes up without leaving me much fuller.

    Thanks for your reply, I only ate that this morning because I didn't feel like I could stomach much more, I do add one whole egg to 3 eggs whites only so I get a little extra fat in there. I left a half lb of steak and veggies to make for a stir fry after my workout and I still haven't gotten hungry enough to want to make it!

    I guess I should simply just up the calories I'm taking in then and try to eat high calorie meals when I do get hungry?
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    I have found that after really high cardio burns my appetite drops. I'm not sure why, but it does. It might do some good to get in a big chunk of your calories in BEFORE you exercise.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    How are you calculating your calorie burns?

    When you chronically under-eat it messes up your hunger signals so you stop feeling hungry. That doesn't mean you don't need more food. Personally I rarely get hungry because I eat on a schedule. It works well for me. But first make sure you are logging accurately and not over-estimating your calorie burns. Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Also you're a man with only 10 lbs to lose? How on earth did you get a goal of 1450?
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
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    It will come and go in spurts. As you build muscle over time, you will definitely feel it. Enjoy the weeks where you don't feel hungry because I imagine it will find you.
  • nategr
    nategr Posts: 12
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    My calorie goal is from MFP but I plan on buying some calipers and an electronic scale soon to better calculate my TDEE and have a more personalized calorie goal. I'm calculating the calories burned from the exercises on MFP but I time my bike rides and have also mapped the entire route on google maps for distance. I even err on the side of caution though! I input 70 minutes instead of the 90 minutes it takes and I input less time for weight training than I'm at the gym to account for times I sit around a bit.

    I'm trying to lose about 20 lbs of fat and after about ten lbs lost I want to maintain and then build muscle while ever so slowly losing the last ten. You may be correct on the hunger just being suppressed because of a few days of high deficits. I might just make myself a very very big 1500 calorie pot of pasta tonight and see if I'm hungry in the a.m. That does make sense because I noticed a similar problem when I was working out heavily last year in that if I ate large meals I would always be starving come dinner time and I'd be less hungry if I wasn't eating as much.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    What's your height/weight if you don't mind my asking? 1450 is what MFP gets me as a goal when I set it to lose 1 lb per week and I'm a pretty small woman.

    Since muscle building is in your future you want to make sure you're getting enough protein now. Aim for 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. That will keep you from losing as much muscle while you're eating at a deficit.

    I'd follow Quirky's advice and spread your calories out over the course of the day, so you don't feel like you're eating a ton more. Add peanut butter, nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc. for more calories.
  • cherioh
    cherioh Posts: 6
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    Cycling...you may need to get those calories in 90 to 120 minutes before a ride that is more than fifteen miles especially if you are averaging over 15 mph. I ride and am never hungry after my ride, but I do slowly nibble on a peanut protein bar, almonds, or other high nutrient, higher calorie food that gives me the carbs and proteins my body needs for recovery. Unlike other cyclists, I cannot wolf down a full steak and potatoes dinner.
  • nategr
    nategr Posts: 12
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    What's your height/weight if you don't mind my asking? 1450 is what MFP gets me as a goal when I set it to lose 1 lb per week and I'm a pretty small woman.

    Since muscle building is in your future you want to make sure you're getting enough protein now. Aim for 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. That will keep you from losing as much muscle while you're eating at a deficit.

    I'd follow Quirky's advice and spread your calories out over the course of the day, so you don't feel like you're eating a ton more. Add peanut butter, nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc. for more calories.

    No not at all, I'm 6'0" and 200 lbs, plus or minus, most likely minus a few. I did err on the side of caution with those settings as well when I selected sedentary instead of light activity which is probably more accurate. I did also set it to a 2 lb per week goal when its more realistic that I aim to lose a lb or lb and a half weekly since I'm not severely overweight and I'd like to lose as little muscle as possible. I changed the settings to light activity as well as 1.5lbs/week and now my daily calorie goal is 1660 which seems even harder to do to get those calories but I'm sure I can manage. I just struggle with the idea of needing to eat more when I'm not hungry to expedite my weight loss! lol

    And Cherioh thanks for the advice, have you been cycling as a part of your weight loss program or do you do it for fun?

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