Always hungry, should I increase calorie intake?

nykismile
nykismile Posts: 198
in Health and Weight Loss
So, here's my situation.

I eat anywhere between 1,200 to 1,800 calories (depending on exercise) and for the past two weeks, I've been insatiably hungry no matter what.

My exercise routine has been pretty consistent lately. Every day, I walk 2-5 miles at a moderate pace, just outside and around my neighborhood. I don't know how many calories that burns. Then, later in the day, I go to the gym. On the elliptical, the machine tells me I burn around 300-500 calories, and then I do about thirty minutes of strength training.

I rarely take a rest day. I do this nearly every day.

And even though I've eaten exactly 1,600 calories today, I'm extremely hungry and I don't know what to do. My TDEE is 2,374 calories and I don't want to go over it at all. And if I upped my calories to around 2,000 calories a day, that's only a 300 calorie deficit...

Should I change anything? I currently weigh 115 lbs (last weighed in a week ago, it's my TOM week so I'm not weighing in this week due to water retention) and I'm 5'5.5". I don't want to gain any weight but I can't take this hunger :((

Replies

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  • chelseloveschris
    chelseloveschris Posts: 7
    My brother said eat lots of greens but don't count them towards your calories. I add a handful of spinach, 5 mint leaves, lemon juice (flavor) and cold mint tea into a blender, I then add liquid non-alcohol stevia to sweeten it. It gives it a fiber punch and the mint soothes digestion. It's been a great filler. Greens might help.
  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    TDEE of 2400+? How did you come up with that? My TDEE is not even that high.

    At 5'5" 115 lbs you're trying to lose weight??

    See, I'm not so sure, I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and entered 5-6 hours of exercise a week.
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  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    .
  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    My brother said eat lots of greens but don't count them towards your calories. I add a handful of spinach, 5 mint leaves, lemon juice (flavor) and cold mint tea into a blender, I then add liquid non-alcohol stevia to sweeten it. It gives it a fiber punch and the mint soothes digestion. It's been a great filler. Greens might help.
    Your brother is wrong. Everything counts. Look at the details behind the person posting before giving out random advice.
    TDEE of 2400+? How did you come up with that? My TDEE is not even that high.

    At 5'5" 115 lbs you're trying to lose weight??

    See, I'm not so sure, I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and entered 5-6 hours of exercise a week.
    I can assure you it's not that high

    At 115 lbs you are borderline underweight and could probably stand to gain a few lbs which could be a big reason or the reason you're so hungry.

    How can I accurately calculate my TDEE?
  • jjplato
    jjplato Posts: 155 Member
    I'm confused -- are you trying to lose weight? In your profile picture, you look pretty thin.

    It's hard to make any specific recommendations unless you open your diary, but you might try foods that have a high satiety score (meaning they make you feel full longer).

    In general, protein has a high satiety score, so chicken, fish, pork, etc will keep you feeling full. Also, potatoes, brown pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, lentils, apples, oranges, eggs, and popcorn. See the complete list in the link below. The higher the percentage, the higher the satiety score.

    http://www.diabetesnet.com/food-diabetes/satiety-index
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    Is 1600 net calolries? Or total calories?

    When I burn about 300-400 calories, I easily eat around 2000 (if not more) as a 5'5"ish (could be around 5'6", not sure tbh) female. At 115 lbs, I can't imagine you need to lose too much weight. If any. 2000-2300 is about right, after exercise. That's eating back the calories, of course. I've maintained successfully eating around 2000 if I burn 300-500 calories in one day.

    And when I exercise heavily and try to eat less than 1900ish.. yes, I get ravenous. Then again, I've recovered from an ED. So, I'm not entirely sure if that's physical or psychological or both.
  • mayfrayy
    mayfrayy Posts: 198 Member
    you are probably more around 2000-2100. tops

    bmr 1350
    2-5miles tops 300cals
    elliptical is generous but lets say 400
    weight training probably around 50
    = 2100

    for more accurate readings you'd use a pedometer when walking, and an HRM on elliptical. strength training burns barely anything.

    eat more protein, and have more caffeine. less carbs curb my appetite.

    also, i dont see how much weight you can stand to lose, if you want to look fitter do more strength training and eat a little more.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    My brother said eat lots of greens but don't count them towards your calories. I add a handful of spinach, 5 mint leaves, lemon juice (flavor) and cold mint tea into a blender, I then add liquid non-alcohol stevia to sweeten it. It gives it a fiber punch and the mint soothes digestion. It's been a great filler. Greens might help.
    Your brother is wrong. Everything counts. Look at the details behind the person posting before giving out random advice.
    TDEE of 2400+? How did you come up with that? My TDEE is not even that high.

    At 5'5" 115 lbs you're trying to lose weight??

    See, I'm not so sure, I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and entered 5-6 hours of exercise a week.
    I can assure you it's not that high

    At 115 lbs you are borderline underweight and could probably stand to gain a few lbs which could be a big reason or the reason you're so hungry.

    How can I accurately calculate my TDEE?

    When I plug your numbers into Scooby, I get 2225 TDEE, and that's with 5-6 hours of STRENUOUS exercise. Is that an accurate portrayal of your activity?

    Regardless, I'm 2 inches shorter and I often hit around 2200 calories burned per day, as measured by my BodyMedia, so that could be accurate.
  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    My brother said eat lots of greens but don't count them towards your calories. I add a handful of spinach, 5 mint leaves, lemon juice (flavor) and cold mint tea into a blender, I then add liquid non-alcohol stevia to sweeten it. It gives it a fiber punch and the mint soothes digestion. It's been a great filler. Greens might help.
    Your brother is wrong. Everything counts. Look at the details behind the person posting before giving out random advice.
    TDEE of 2400+? How did you come up with that? My TDEE is not even that high.

    At 5'5" 115 lbs you're trying to lose weight??

    See, I'm not so sure, I used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and entered 5-6 hours of exercise a week.
    I can assure you it's not that high

    At 115 lbs you are borderline underweight and could probably stand to gain a few lbs which could be a big reason or the reason you're so hungry.

    How can I accurately calculate my TDEE?

    When I plug your numbers into Scooby, I get 2225 TDEE, and that's with 5-6 hours of STRENUOUS exercise. Is that an accurate portrayal of your activity?

    Regardless, I'm 2 inches shorter and I often hit around 2200 calories burned per day, as measured by my BodyMedia, so that could be accurate.

    That's exactly what I typed in, the 5-6 hours of exercise. I always thought that was accurate but now I'm not so sure.
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  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    Yes, only 5 lbs.
  • queenierz
    queenierz Posts: 210 Member
    Sounds like you need to eat more. Eat something fulfulling , like almond milk, at night (i usually get hungry at night until i realized i ate too less during the day). You want to lose weight, but you dont want to go to the extreme and torture yourself. Baby steps is better than crashing.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Yes, only 5 lbs.
    You don't have 5 lbs. to lose. You're underweight now.

    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.pdf
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  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    Sometimes it helps to take a break, if you're doing this everyday and not taking breaks, maybe you're body is just crying out for a break. Take a day off and eat at your TDEE or just slightly above.

    I've had great experience with Scooby's calculator as long as your activity level is accurate, you should be fine. If you're concerned about the reliability you could eat at maintenance for a few weeks- if you lose weight, you're not eating enough, if you gain (upward trend, not normal fluctuations) either way you adjust in small increments until you find your "sweet spot" where you are actually pretty close to equilibrium, then you take a tiny deficient away from that(since you only want to lose five pounds it should probably only be 250 for .5 lb a week.


    A larger deficit could also explain the hunger, closer you are to goal and the leaner you are, the less your body has to give.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    TDEE of 2400+? How did you come up with that? My TDEE is not even that high.

    At 5'5" 115 lbs you're trying to lose weight??

    Granted I'm 5'8.5", but when I'm playing super push, (or helping my dad in his yard) my TDEE is around 3200, activity makes a world of difference, tracked that TDEE to my weight loss for multiple months so I'm fairly certain that mine was accurate.
  • peachynoir
    peachynoir Posts: 14
    Sometimes you need to look at HOW you're getting your calories. Pay attention to your body after each meal, was one more satisfying than the other?

    I find including healthy fats keep me satiated a lot longer than a serving of brown rice or something, so I'll swap the grains out for an avocado. Or swap out a lean chicken breast for a piece of salmon. Tossing my hericot vert in olive oil. Adding in a wedge of brie or almonds. Anything.
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  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    Ditch the cardio, do more strength training. Eat at maintenance, it's called re-comping. You most likely don't really want to lose 5 more pounds just so you can see a certain number on the scale, you want to look better, lift you will get the look you want and unless you plan on wearing the scale around your neck no one but you will know what the number is. They will only know you look great!
  • my_2_cents
    my_2_cents Posts: 109 Member
    Ditch the cardio, do more strength training. Eat at maintenance, it's called re-comping. You most likely don't really want to lose 5 more pounds just so you can see a certain number on the scale, you want to look better, lift you will get the look you want and unless you plan on wearing the scale around your neck no one but you will know what the number is. They will only know you look great!

    Don't ditch the cardio, cardio is good for your body. Definitely eat at maintenance though.

    Get a good quality activity monitor like a fitbit if you can afford one, its more accurate than estimating your exercise.

    I agree with the poster though that you shouldn't lose 5 lbs to look good, you should gain a bit of muscle. Gaining muscle requires calories, so you need to eat.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    for the past two weeks, I've been insatiably hungry no matter what ...
    I currently weigh 115 lbs and I'm 5'5.5". I don't want to gain any weight but I can't take this hunger
    Check out my post on setting goals; it discusses both goal weight & goal calories.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/setting-goals-667045

    For the short explanation, here's a BMI chart: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
    At 5'5" and 115 lb, you are at the very _bottom_ of a healthy weight range. [115 - 145]
    Apparently your body doesn't like that, so try gaining a little.
    I think you're over-exercising and under-eating, both of them quite severely.
    I eat anywhere between 1,200 to 1,800 calories
    Every day, I walk 2-5 miles at a moderate pace {OK, there's 200-500 calories burned}
    later in the day, I go to the gym. On the elliptical, the machine tells me I burn around 300-500 calories {so 500-1000 total}
    and then I do about thirty minutes of strength training {maybe another 100, for a total of 600-1100}
    I rarely take a rest day. I do this nearly every day.
    So you need 1200 cal just to maintain your current weight, but you're burning half to nearly all of that in exercise.
    You're starving yourself. No wonder you've been hungry!!
    BTW, don't do weightlifting every day. Leave at least 1 day in between for the muscles to heal. That's what grows tissue & makes them stronger & larger.
    And do either the walking or the elliptical, because you're doing too much now.
    My TDEE is 2,374 calories and I don't want to go over it at all.
    And if I upped my calories to around 2,000 calories a day, that's only a 300 calorie deficit.
    Why do you think you need a deficit?
    You're at a very low weight to begin with; you don't want to lose any, in fact you should gain maybe 15 lb.
    If you've calculated that you need 2374 cal to do what you do every day, WHY would you be eating half of that?!
    Even if you needed to lose weight, which you don't, you'd only eat 500 cal less per day (1800).
    Are you trying to lose weight?
    Yes, only 5 lbs.
    No. No, you do not want to lose weight.
    (And the ticker on your profile is set for 15 lb, not 5.)
    You are at the very bottom end of a healthy weight range and your body is rebelling against what you're doing to it!
    Print out what you've told us here & go see your doctor.
    Sounds like you do not have a realistic or healthy understanding.
    Your profile picture shows you being very thin.
    Maybe s/he can refer you to a counselor who specializes in eating disorders.
    Or try this place: http://eatingdisorderscleveland.org/

    If you up your calories so you're gaining weight,
    increase your protein percentage,
    and do some sensible weight training,
    I'm betting all 15 lb you gain could be muscle and you'd look & feel fantastic, plus not being hungry.
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  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    So, here's my situation.

    I eat anywhere between 1,200 to 1,800 calories (depending on exercise) and for the past two weeks, I've been insatiably hungry no matter what.

    My exercise routine has been pretty consistent lately. Every day, I walk 2-5 miles at a moderate pace, just outside and around my neighborhood. I don't know how many calories that burns. Then, later in the day, I go to the gym. On the elliptical, the machine tells me I burn around 300-500 calories, and then I do about thirty minutes of strength training.

    I rarely take a rest day. I do this nearly every day.

    And even though I've eaten exactly 1,600 calories today, I'm extremely hungry and I don't know what to do. My TDEE is 2,374 calories and I don't want to go over it at all. And if I upped my calories to around 2,000 calories a day, that's only a 300 calorie deficit...

    Should I change anything? I currently weigh 115 lbs (last weighed in a week ago, it's my TOM week so I'm not weighing in this week due to water retention) and I'm 5'5.5". I don't want to gain any weight but I can't take this hunger :((

    You are already VERY skinny, why the hell would you want a bigger deficit than 300 cals a day, anyway? If you are unhappy with the way you look and want to drop body fat, a huge daily deficit is not the answer. Start lifting heavy weights at a small deficit, and that will give you the results you're most likely looking for.
  • my_2_cents
    my_2_cents Posts: 109 Member
    [having someone who is looking to gain weight and doing cardio can be counterproductive if it takes your surplus into a deficit.

    Don't undervalue the level of benefits on the heart and overall body that weight training provides.

    If she calculates the calories burned in cardio and then eats them, it should take her into deficit at all. I definitely agree that weight training should be a main focus for toning up for her, but cardio is extremely important to being healthy, and cardio doesn't have to lead to weight loss if you're eating the calories you burn.

    I do think finding a balance will be far easier with a good quality activity monitor, fitbit etc.
  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    Yes, only 5 lbs.

    You goal is to be even more underweight? Why?
    Why do that to yourself?

    You do realize your body will not want you to do that?
    Haven't you thought about the fact that you are always hungry because you are?

    I understand, which is why I am considering upping my caloric intake, hence the topic. But usually if I give into what my body "wants", I end up way over where I should be and thus on the path of weight gain again.
  • nykismile
    nykismile Posts: 198
    So, here's my situation.

    I eat anywhere between 1,200 to 1,800 calories (depending on exercise) and for the past two weeks, I've been insatiably hungry no matter what.

    My exercise routine has been pretty consistent lately. Every day, I walk 2-5 miles at a moderate pace, just outside and around my neighborhood. I don't know how many calories that burns. Then, later in the day, I go to the gym. On the elliptical, the machine tells me I burn around 300-500 calories, and then I do about thirty minutes of strength training.

    I rarely take a rest day. I do this nearly every day.

    And even though I've eaten exactly 1,600 calories today, I'm extremely hungry and I don't know what to do. My TDEE is 2,374 calories and I don't want to go over it at all. And if I upped my calories to around 2,000 calories a day, that's only a 300 calorie deficit...

    Should I change anything? I currently weigh 115 lbs (last weighed in a week ago, it's my TOM week so I'm not weighing in this week due to water retention) and I'm 5'5.5". I don't want to gain any weight but I can't take this hunger :((

    You are already VERY skinny, why the hell would you want a bigger deficit than 300 cals a day, anyway? If you are unhappy with the way you look and want to drop body fat, a huge daily deficit is not the answer. Start lifting heavy weights at a small deficit, and that will give you the results you're most likely looking for.

    This actually may be the advice I was looking for. So I should up my calories, but still keep a deficit? How large of a deficit should I subtract from my TDEE since I shouldn't have a huge one?

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