Appetite is roller-coastering: FRUSTRATED!

Stripeness
Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
in Motivation and Support
Okay, I'm about at the end of my rope. I've been exercising 3-5 days a week for months now. And still, when I wake up in the morning, I'm not hungry, and have to make myself eat b/c of how important breakfast is. After I work out, frequently not hungry. However, on a day like today where I do no particular exercise, I'm STARVING!

Don't know how to say it w/o sounding whiny, but I remember having an appetite that fluctuated pretty much according to how hard I was working out. WTH?

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there anything that helped?

Replies

  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
    I do. But it's because I'm diabetic. Exercise = blood sugar more equal.

    Also, when my hormones are raging due to menopause I'm starved and I don't feel like working out always.

    And I never force myself to eat. I eat if I'm hungry. If not, I let it go. I'll be hungry again soon enough. :bigsmile:
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Good points...I'm pre-diabetic (numbers have been creeping up the last few years), so I should keep that in mind. Not eating when not hungry isn't an option, as that's part of how I crashed my health to begin with - eating only once a day isn't healthy.

    Hormones? In my mid-forties? Yeahhhhhh, hadn't thought about that, but very likely.

    Thanks - good insights!
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
    Unfortunately some of us hit menopause or pre-menopause a little earlier than others...
  • amyhittheatmosphere
    amyhittheatmosphere Posts: 4 Member
    I take Shakeology which helps regulate my blood sugar and gives me enough dense nutrition to keep my appetite at bay, but also for the last month I've been flour/sugar abstinent which has made a HUGE difference in managing my cravings. I had 2 miscarriages in 2012 and put on 20 lbs that I could NOT lose to save my life (prob all those hormone changes triggered thyroid issues, just a guess, but also made me a more emotional eater than ever) and I'm only JUST starting to lose them now with the drastic change in my diet. I feel much better but wow, what a huge lifestyle change for me.
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Hmmm, the ingredients look pretty good. Might have to try that. On one hand, I hate the concept of meal replacements, on the other, I'm obviously not putting in the time & effort to eat a truly well-rounded nutritionally sound diet *wry grin*. So thanks for the rec!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    If you aren't hungry in the morning, wait until you are hungry to eat. Shakeology is very expensive IMO, and I dislike shakes as my meals. But some people love them.
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Waiting to eat is not an option - it's part of how I crashed my metabolism down to 1100 RMR. I will happily eat only once every 18-19 hours, and sleep only 2 hours at a time. That helped create a "comfortable" amount of stress for me. Got help with the PTSD, and now am fumbling towards sustainable eating & sleeping. It's just a little frustrating how decoupled I've become from my body. Yet...onward!

    And thank you for your suggestion, btw. It is logical in most situations :-)
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
    Waiting to eat is not an option - it's part of how I crashed my metabolism down to 1100 RMR. I will happily eat only once every 18-19 hours, and sleep only 2 hours at a time. That helped create a "comfortable" amount of stress for me. Got help with the PTSD, and now am fumbling towards sustainable eating & sleeping. It's just a little frustrating how decoupled I've become from my body. Yet...onward!

    And thank you for your suggestion, btw. It is logical in most situations :-)

    Do what is right for you. Seldom can I eat three meals a day (unless I'm actually having sugar issues - then I eat 6 tinies a day or I'm a mess) and not feel like crap. But (and it's a big but) - I used to be anorexic and my body doesn't do well with more than 1500 cals a day. That being said, shakes do not work for me. Not enough fiber and so I end up being hungry too soon. (same with "hi-fiber, hi-protein).

    In any case. Good luck and happy holiday :glasses:
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    Okay, pay attention because I make a point or two here. First, eat when you're hungry, second eat for nutrition and to meet your MACROS, third eat for your bodies overall functioning. Breakfast is only important if you say it is; skip it or don't it doesn't matter. Eat healthy, train hard, have fun! Phew...I'm tired, I better go eat something.
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Okay, pay attention because I make a point or two here. First, eat when you're hungry, second eat for nutrition and to meet your MACROS, third eat for your bodies overall functioning. Breakfast is only important if you say it is; skip it or don't it doesn't matter. Eat healthy, train hard, have fun! Phew...I'm tired, I better go eat something.
    Waiting to eat is not an option - it's part of how I crashed my metabolism down to 1100 RMR. I will happily eat only once every 18-19 hours, and sleep only 2 hours at a time. That helped create a "comfortable" amount of stress for me. Got help with the PTSD, and now am fumbling towards sustainable eating & sleeping. It's just a little frustrating how decoupled I've become from my body. Yet...onward!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Okay, pay attention because I make a point or two here. First, eat when you're hungry, second eat for nutrition and to meet your MACROS, third eat for your bodies overall functioning. Breakfast is only important if you say it is; skip it or don't it doesn't matter. Eat healthy, train hard, have fun! Phew...I'm tired, I better go eat something.
    Waiting to eat is not an option - it's part of how I crashed my metabolism down to 1100 RMR. I will happily eat only once every 18-19 hours, and sleep only 2 hours at a time. That helped create a "comfortable" amount of stress for me. Got help with the PTSD, and now am fumbling towards sustainable eating & sleeping. It's just a little frustrating how decoupled I've become from my body. Yet...onward!

    So you're saying you have to eat on a set schedule or your metabolism will crash? Is a professional saying this? We aren't saying eat less cals, just wait a bit in the morning.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Okay, pay attention because I make a point or two here. First, eat when you're hungry, second eat for nutrition and to meet your MACROS, third eat for your bodies overall functioning. Breakfast is only important if you say it is; skip it or don't it doesn't matter. Eat healthy, train hard, have fun! Phew...I'm tired, I better go eat something.
    Waiting to eat is not an option - it's part of how I crashed my metabolism down to 1100 RMR.

    How did that happen?
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    Waiting to eat is not an option - it's part of how I crashed my metabolism down to 1100 RMR. I will happily eat only once every 18-19 hours, and sleep only 2 hours at a time. That helped create a "comfortable" amount of stress for me. Got help with the PTSD, and now am fumbling towards sustainable eating & sleeping. It's just a little frustrating how decoupled I've become from my body. Yet...onward!

    And thank you for your suggestion, btw. It is logical in most situations :-)

    Do what is right for you. Seldom can I eat three meals a day (unless I'm actually having sugar issues - then I eat 6 tinies a day or I'm a mess) and not feel like crap. But (and it's a big but) - I used to be anorexic and my body doesn't do well with more than 1500 cals a day. That being said, shakes do not work for me. Not enough fiber and so I end up being hungry too soon. (same with "hi-fiber, hi-protein).

    In any case. Good luck and happy holiday :glasses:

    How long ago were you anorexic and how did you go about recovering? This sounds like a textbook result of not eating enough when you were weight restored so your metabolism never rebounded. I'm sorry you struggled with this, I did as well but fortunately I read a lot about recovery and went about it in a way that allowed me to resume normal eating.
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    I'm saying my metabolism is already crashed - and yes, 1100 RMR was medically measured. There are further medical issues (acronym soup) IIH/PTC, PTSD, hypothyroid all playing a part in throwing off how I "feel", which is why listening to my appetite currently makes NO sense.

    Yes, I can wait a few hours before eating in the morning. It's not hard. But most days? I won't be hungry in 2-3 hours, either. Nor in 4-6. If I wait until I "feel" hungry, we're talking 18 hours or so.

    That's the frustrating part. And no, eating once a day isn't in my health's best interests.

    For now I've decided to ignore being hungry and manage food/sleep/exercise by schedule - not b/c 3, 4, or 6 meals/day is magical...just to reintroduce my body to the idea of calories, exercise, and sleep at regular intervals. Which is common sense to most folks, who can then make micro tweaks. I'm still in the macro phase :-)

    It's not fun, but is already beginning to pay off.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    Just wanted to say that I'm not suffering from any of those things but my appetite tends to follow a similar pattern with being EXTREMELY hungry on days when I'm basically inactive--that actually isn't unusual although it sucks. The best thing to do is to calculate your weekly calorie allotment, divide by 7 and eat the same amount on workout and non-workout days. I hope you're able to overcome the conditions that are making it more difficult for you to reach your goals!
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
    Thank you all for the support :-) Your comments got me thinking a bit about what is going on (even though originally I was just venting)...I'm just not used to even *feeling* hunger - ever! It's an exciting step forward on many fronts, as I just posted in my MFP blog.

    Gonna keep doing things by schedule (not too rigid) for now, and trust that over time things will keep getting even better!

    Happy Holidays to all :-)

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