Should I eat when I'm not hungry?

Options
zealey77
zealey77 Posts: 104
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, some days I am ravenously hungry, other days not at all. I try to keep within my daily calorie goal on days when I've got a hunger, but conversely do you think I should 'force' myself to eat up to my calorie goal on days when I'm NOT hungry?

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Options
    you are going to get yes answers and no answers...

    I try to stay in my goals...mainly to keep my energy levels up...and to fuel my next workout...

    I did on one occassion eat to little one day (Sunday) and not on purpose..

    I ate breakfast...late...and got busy and didn't snack in the afternoon but made nom nom homemade pizza for supper and ate a piece of that....I was full but only at 995 calories...:noway:

    My goal is 1600 a day so instead of not eating anything else I grabbed some yogurt (2 acutally) and ate those later and some chocolate to get my calories up ....I paid for 3 days...being weak, lethargic, dizzy and my workouts suffered.

    I personally will in the future eat up to my limit even if I don't feel hungry and if I am extra hungry I am willing to go over my limits...

    ETA: I guess my point is this...hunger is not the best indicator of what your body needs...if you go too low you will pay...even one day for me...
  • krennie8
    krennie8 Posts: 301 Member
    Options
    personally, no, i don't think so. However there's a difference to me between, "i ate a large lunch and i don't want dinner/want a small one" and "i'm not hungry for breakfast, but i know i won't be able to make it to lunch if i don't eat".

    If it's boat 2, yes, eat. Boat 1, don't.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Options
    Erm, dunno. Maybe some days and then on other days maybe not.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Options
    I always try to net my BMR, even on days when I'm not very hungry. There are plenty of small, calorie-dense foods out there that you can eat to up calories without feeling like you are stuffing yourself.
  • kmglennie
    kmglennie Posts: 40
    Options
    For me I try to stick close to my calorie allotment even if I'm not super hungry, because my fear is that if I do get to the genuinely super hungry level, I am much, much more likely to binge, and I don't want to take that risk.
  • Twinkie2530
    Twinkie2530 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    I have days like this. I say, listen to your body. For example, yesterday I went a little over my calorie allotment.. but I ran. The next day I was being super lazy laying around and I only ate 1000 calories all day. I felt fine both days.
  • RebeccaChemmy
    RebeccaChemmy Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    I've had to do this today. I find it easier to just not eat chocolate, etc so I'd feel really guilty if I just relied on that to bump up my calories. I really should be finding something to get me to my goal though because it's happening too frequently now...
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    Options
    Yeah, I do. If I'm like 100 calories under, I'll eat a tablespoon of almond butter. I find that when I go under, I wake up the next morning feeling more blah than usual.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    Options
    If you don't eat up to your calorie goal on those days you are not hungry, do you later suffer the ill-effects people are describing here?

    You seem to be quite near your goal weight from your ticker. Seems that if your goals now are mainly fitness and body composition related I'd say do whatever lets you meet your fitness goals.

    Going under a day at a time every once and a while in and of itself is not going to harm you.
  • zenner22
    zenner22 Posts: 33 Member
    Options
    I've tried calorie counting for weight loss and failed so many times. This time I'm looking at it as a weekly goal, rather than daily. If I overeat one day I eat fewer calories the next few days (or exercise more.) I've gone 1000 over on a day and 600 below on another day. I never felt dizzy (if I had I would have listened to my body and eaten.) I think it's good to respect your hunger cues when you can. Personally, I'm very overweight and had lost my hunger cues. I had gotten into the habit of just eating at certain times of the day because it was scheduled. Now I feel free when it's breakfast time and I realize I'm not hungry. Then, I don't eat until I am hungry.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Options
    You have to do what is best for you.

    The idea of force-feeding myself on Monday, then starving on Wednesday is just insane, IMO. I'm not going to shove food I don't want down my throat and then go hungry another day just because I have to eat up or down to some computer-generated number.

    Maybe some people are equally hungry all days. I'm not. I'm more hungry before periods and less during/after. I'm less hungry after big workouts, then extra hungry the next day. Some days, there is no explanation for my less-or-more hunger. But all days are not equal for me.

    If eating up and down to the number works for you, great! If it doesn't, try following your hunger and watch it for a week. See how it goes.

    Good luck with whatever you choose!

  • chicacherry666
    chicacherry666 Posts: 24
    Options
    I'd say no listen to what your body needs if it's not hungry then don't eat wait until you are hungry. :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    This post is from march- he probably got hungry and ate by now.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Options
    Oh, hell.

    Must. Check. Dates.

    Why do people bump things like this?
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
    Options
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    This post is from march- he probably got hungry and ate by now.

    :D

Categories