Dude...i'm hungry!

saynay18
saynay18 Posts: 25 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I totally enjoy my workout days because I feel like I get to eat so much! (I've been burning 750 cals/workout between weights and Zumba). But on non workout days (4 days a week)...I am f'n starving. MFP recommends 1270 calories for me and I really struggle to stay under. I did choose sedentary, I have a desk job, but have two small children at home. I'm typically not laying around on the couch all night, but I am sitting on my butt all day.

Anyway..I'm hungry! Should I just eat? As long as it's healthy? It's real hunger...not emotional or habitual eating. I am HUNGRY!

Replies

  • ohaston
    ohaston Posts: 218 Member
    I say EAT !!!! and quickly before the hunger turns in to a full onset BINGE! but you should have this by now, you've lost quite a bit of weight (congrats, btw) ... Is this the first time you've experienced hunger pangs/pains?
  • saynay18
    saynay18 Posts: 25 Member
    Well, no but this week has been super duper tough. I'm crazy hungry. I'm in a serious push this month for big results. So, I'm trying to resist some of these hungry urges. So I'm chewing gum and drinking water...but it only lasts for so long....then I'm hungry again and stressing about it.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Why don't you change your activity to lightly active. Working out and having two small children, you probably aren't sedentary.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    That's why I use TDEE-20%... set amount of food to eat every day so no starving on days when I don't work out (which is... never, lol!). Or eat 100 less calories when you workout and eat those on days off.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I would eat a little more. Something with protein, to help you feel full longer.
  • numinousnymph
    numinousnymph Posts: 249 Member
    so eat a bit more. if you eat an extra ~150, maybe even 200 calories, i'm betting you're still going to lose weight. i'm the same height and also put it at sedentary so i know what our calorie range is to lose weight. feeling hungry makes me grumpy, resentful, and frustrated. if i feel i'm not denying myself too much and know i'm still in a calorie deficit, then i have more motivation and less stress. also, your body is hungry (if it is *truly* hungry) for a reason -- it's telling you it needs a bit more food! snacking on fruits and vegetables is great because they can make you feel fuller and they're relatively low in calories (strawberries actually have very little calories. you can have about 25 medium strawberries for 100 calories!!!) all the water in the strawberries will for sure make you feel fuller. i also like to have steamed green beans (or raw if you like that), or steamed zucchini. both of these are also really low calorie especially the zuchinni. anything with lots of water content, fiber, and/or protein will help satiate the hunger.
  • JaimieAG
    JaimieAG Posts: 48
    Yes, you are probably legitimately hungry.

    You're already working out. That's usually my suggestion. A workout is a great binge stopper.

    More suggestions:

    Try swapping it. I know this sounds crazy but up your cals to 1500 on off days (especially morning after a big workout day) and back down to 1280-1300 on workout days. Do this because it's easier and will feel more natural. Once you get to a point where you don't need to do it anymore, go back to eating more on workout days. I strongly recommend considering the calories you burn doing zumba as "freebies" and you will lose weight fast.

    Work a lot of nutrient dense, low cal foods into your diet. Try to incorporate a variety. Trust me when I say there's no judgement here. They're a pain in the rear because you can't scan them and they're not an exact science (... is this orange a medium naval orange or a small one? How many ounces is this carrot? haha). Plus there's a lot of chopping and washing involved and unless you prep & calculate in advance it's not going to be convenient. I PROMISE it will help. Sweet potatoes can be microwaved for 10mins and they're ready to eat. It's my craving stopper & nature's 100cal pack. I also use coffee. But when I'm legitimately hungry I drink half of a water bottle while I'm waiting for the sweet potato to cook and the other half with the potato. If I'm still hungry after that it's a good indicator that I've gone too many days without working out and/or something is wrong with my diet. Frozen grapes or an apple are also good go-tos.

    Now onto my corny advice. Please don't judge. When I first started minding my weight I searched online for "online weightloss hypnosis" lmao. That did yield good results too but you can also just go search youtube for weightloss meditation... it's the same thing. I really love how focused I feel after some guided meditation. If you can move yourself to a quiet room where you can sit for a second, put some headphones in, and really relax your brain and focus, it is a reset button. Don't feel like you have to listen to the whole thing. I wasn't able to sit still that long the first dozen or so times. If you end up enjoying it, you can increase your ability to focus and you'll make it through the whole thing easily. The great thing about meditation is that it engages your imagination and you begin thinking the thoughts you were thinking during that time period all day. Good thoughts too. Instead of the usual "oh my gosh, I'm starving" that everyone goes through when they change their diet. There was one in particular I remember where the guide was saying to visualize myself sitting in a theater watching myself on the screen happy, in a healthy body, dancing. Not sure why but that mental picture stuck with me for years and got me through rough patches. You'll feel like a dork. But it's great. Even if you're not emotionally eating having your mind straight can help. Buddhist monks & people of all sorts of meditating religions go for long periods of fasting without food altogether so it's a proven antidote to block the mental effects of deprivation and the experience will make you a stronger person mentally.

    Best of luck always. It's a journey you will be on your whole life so don't rush it and be kind to your body always.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    I would eat if you're legitimately hungry. What is your loss rate? An extra 120 calories/day will only slow you down by 1lb/month. If you're losing at a good clip, it might be worth it, to feel more comfortable. I often go over my target my 200 calories. I don't stress it, because I know that's still well below maintenance. And besides, slowing down on the final stretch may mean less loose skin. :)
  • love8383
    love8383 Posts: 169
    no wonder your hungry 1270 is quite low
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Decrease your goal to 0.75 pound a week or something.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    It is o.k. to be hungry. That is the point. That is how we know that our body is freeing us of weight.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    Dude.......just eat
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    That's why I use TDEE-20%... set amount of food to eat every day so no starving on days when I don't work out (which is... never, lol!). Or eat 100 less calories when you workout and eat those on days off.

    ^^^ This! http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ this calculator allows for the number of hours per week you work out. So a bit different than the Sedentary vs. Lightly Active that MFP gives you. I think the description and wording of Sedentary is confusing.

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