Why am I starving the day after weights?

GothyFaery
GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm very new to strength training (going on 3 weeks) so I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. Every time I do minimal strength training (20 min. lifting weights or body weight training like pushups and squats) I am starving the whole next day. I also end up feeling weak and tired. My legs shake under me while I walk. Is there something I can do to prevent this or to counteract it? I know the obvious answer is to eat but I ration my calories out very carefully and don't want to just stuff my face.

My diary is open so feel free to look. I don't log my strength training because it is so light and it doesn't burn a lot. I also don't log my water but I go through a full Brita pitcher at work and usually have another 24-32oz at home. I am aware that I have a lot of spare calories at the end of the day. I usually go hog wild on Saturdays so I eat light during the week to make up for it. If I don't do any strength training, that is normally more than enough food to keep me feeling full.

I would really appreciate any help you can give me. I want to get stronger (and generally be less squishy) but I feel so bad the day after that I'm considering just dropping strength training all together. Thanks!

Replies

  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
    Probably not enough food. I would think that at your goal weight that 1200 calories is far to aggressive - do you still have it set up to lose a lot of weight?

    Some people eat more on the days when they are lifting, particularly carbs & protein. I would say that even if you add an extra 200 calories it will help. Don't give up strength training...we need muscle even more when we get older than ever before, plus it's great for your bones.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    I'm actually set to maintain but I'm still trying for .5lb/week. I have to play mind games with myself. If I set my goals down that low, I know I will not eat enough so I set it at mainenance and try to stay 1750 under for the week. Yes, I know I'm crazy.

    I had a feeling it would all boil down to eat more. I was just hoping there was some magical combination of something that I could do and not have to eat more.

    I don't want to give up on strength training. I'm a squishy little weakling right now and I really, really want to change that! I just hate feeling like crap all day. Thanks for your advice!
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    Hi!
    I did my workout earlier, 50 min lifting heavy, and right about now, I'm ready to tear the fridge door off the hinges....lol
    What you are experiencing, is normal. Your body needs food around the time you exercise, in order to give you the strength to complete your workout with sufficient intensity, and it needs it after training to repair itself.
    I looked at your diary. If you absolutely have to save some calories for the weekend, at the very least, eat up your protein. Even better, if you eat more than your currently posted protein allowance. That's going to help you with the cravings. Also, go easy on the sodium. That's always high. If you can keep that in the 1500 mg range, it'll help a lot with getting rid of bloat.

    And keep drinking up your water! :drinker:

    Happy lifting!
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
    Eat more protein.
  • GatorDeb1
    GatorDeb1 Posts: 245 Member
    It revs up your metabolism. Completely normal and a sign it's working!
  • civilizedworm
    civilizedworm Posts: 796 Member
    Yep this happens to me. I just go with it give my body what it needs and I eat pretty high in the protein department. Usually my largest feeding days are on my rest days... I've been known to exceed 4,000. I eat around 3000 - 3300 a day.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    I'm trying on the protein department. I've actually gotten it up a bit compared to a week or two ago. Sodium is my weakness! I LOVE foods that are crazy high in sodium! I know I need to work on them both.

    Any tricks to working more protein in? Not a fan of nut butters or protein shakes (maybe I haven't found the right one yet?).
  • FatAsianNerd
    FatAsianNerd Posts: 600 Member
    Yep this happens to me. I just go with it give my body what it needs and I eat pretty high in the protein department. Usually my largest feeding days are on my rest days... I've been known to exceed 4,000. I eat around 3000 - 3300 a day.

    is 3000 - 3300 calories a day your maintenance target or is that for weight loss?
  • TheDingBat
    TheDingBat Posts: 6
    I'm trying on the protein department. I've actually gotten it up a bit compared to a week or two ago. Sodium is my weakness! I LOVE foods that are crazy high in sodium! I know I need to work on them both.

    Any tricks to working more protein in? Not a fan of nut butters or protein shakes (maybe I haven't found the right one yet?).

    Are you eating before your workout? Sometimes some carbs and protein a couple hours before the workout can help with the hungries. If you don't want to add a snack, you could try scheduling your workout a few hours after a normal meal. You also should be eating carbs and protein after a workout. An easy way to get both could be something like a black bean brownie. Chocolate Covered Katie does one that is surprisingly low-cal (153 calories for 1/9th the recipe): http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/
    I'm sure there are other good recipes out there. The black beans provide the protein and the sweeteners will get you your carbs. Another good source: chocolate milk.

    Also, if you are at only 1200 calories a day, you should definitely be making up any calories burned during a workout. Too much of a calorie deficit plus any kind of muscle work (including cardio and light strength training) can cause your body to start using muscle rather than fat or carbs for energy, which is just counterproductive.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    I just looked at your diary and for the last four days you are at least 400 under your mfp allowance in calories. Do you have it set up correctly? Because you should be eating to your target which should already have the defecit included. Especially if you are exercising!
  • civilizedworm
    civilizedworm Posts: 796 Member
    Yep this happens to me. I just go with it give my body what it needs and I eat pretty high in the protein department. Usually my largest feeding days are on my rest days... I've been known to exceed 4,000. I eat around 3000 - 3300 a day.

    is 3000 - 3300 calories a day your maintenance target or is that for weight loss?
    Maintenance sorta. .. It's a little bit higher over my TDEE so it's somewhat an extra bulk. I took 4.5 or so years off and when I returned back to training in March I ate around 1900 to 2300 a day. Cut 10 put about 5 pounds muscle back on and cut from 18% bf to 13.5%.
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    I'm trying on the protein department. I've actually gotten it up a bit compared to a week or two ago. Sodium is my weakness! I LOVE foods that are crazy high in sodium! I know I need to work on them both.

    Any tricks to working more protein in? Not a fan of nut butters or protein shakes (maybe I haven't found the right one yet?).

    Hahaha....you'd be surprised, how much taste buds can really change. There are some foods that I used to like, and now, I can't even stand the salty taste anymore!

    You're not always missing your protein goal by much. Nut butters don't have as much of it, and they will kill your calorie goal. Try a cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt before bed. Add some sweetener that you can tolerate, throw some blueberries on top, and you're good to go for the night. That's only about 120 calories plus fruit, and 23 gr. of protein right there. I often add some vanilla protein powder and a dash of cinnamon to my Greek yogurt. Chocolate flavor is good, too... like pudding without the guilt...

    Enjoy!
  • burtonvdp
    burtonvdp Posts: 19 Member
    Calories may be too low but I'd suggest looking into protein absorption and digestion (Plus increasing protein intake). I wish I knew more on the subject myself tbh but the little I do know is you want to eat the protein all day and not in big chunks because you can only absorb so much protein per hour. What I started doing and it has helped me since I'm working out 5 days a week is to get protein in everything I eat. Which for me is, breakfast (Cereal, Milk and 1 egg), morning snack (Almonds, Kind Bars, Cottage Cheese, or Greek yogurt), Lunch (Insert some sort of sandwich with meat, etc.), afternoon snack (Almonds, Kind Bars, Cottage Cheese, or Greek yogurt), Dinner (You get the idea), and sometimes a night snack depending on calories for the day and if I'm really hungry. Sometimes I go over my calories a bit at night if I know Im hungry for a reason and its not just a craving for something.

    I used to horde my calories for dinner when I was just dieting but that didn't work for me while exercising. In fact I tend to have a lighter dinner which is usually 1/4ish of my total daily calories. This helped me tremendously for hunger after working out.
  • YouHadMyCuriosity
    YouHadMyCuriosity Posts: 218 Member
    PPs have already covered it, but I am also STARVING the day after my heavy lifting sessions. Protein really does go a long way to curb my appetite. When I don't feel like eating meat or protein shakes, I like some yummy greek yogurt, cheese sticks, or Zone Fudge Graham bars (I like them more then candy bars, no joke!).
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    So last night after I did a little lifting, I tried to get more protein in so I had a glass of milk (with cookies of course) and some turkey pepperoni and I feel so much better today! Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

    I'm still trying to figure out a way to get more protein on a daily basis. Greek yogurt is a no go for me. I've tried so many times but it's a texture thing and I just can't force it down. I wish I could make it work but it's just not going to happen.
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
    So last night after I did a little lifting, I tried to get more protein in so I had a glass of milk (with cookies of course) and some turkey pepperoni and I feel so much better today! Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

    I'm still trying to figure out a way to get more protein on a daily basis. Greek yogurt is a no go for me. I've tried so many times but it's a texture thing and I just can't force it down. I wish I could make it work but it's just not going to happen.

    Just pick one...

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ultimate-list-40-high-protein-foods.html

    You could have had maybe a Luna protein bar with your milk....probably less calories than the cookies, too. I live in the US, they are often on sale at Kroger's or Walmart, and much cheaper than the infamous Quest bars. Maybe you can get them in CA, too.

    :flowerforyou:
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    Probably not enough food. I would think that at your goal weight that 1200 calories is far to aggressive - do you still have it set up to lose a lot of weight?

    Some people eat more on the days when they are lifting, particularly carbs & protein. I would say that even if you add an extra 200 calories it will help. Don't give up strength training...we need muscle even more when we get older than ever before, plus it's great for your bones.

    This. Your body is asking for calories to repair the muscle you damaged (this is a good, intentional thing) to make you stronger and you aren't providing them. So it's asking even LOUDER! :)

    I also agree that adding calories is a good idea. Add 200 for a week, see how you feel. Are you still hungry but not quite so much? If so add another 200.

    Weight loss is a great goal, and certainly one of mine, but I don't want to sacrifice muscle to do it. If you stay the same weight but your body is leaner and stronger that can't possibly be a bad thing.

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