Can't eat below maintenance

That's what happens when you exercise, at least with women. All I know to tell you is to stop eating. That's what I do.

Exercise definitely made me more hungry as well. I try to make my calories "count" and eat high protein, sometimes high fat foods that satiate for longer. Definitely makes me think twice about snacking on things like chips that keep me satisfied for all of 4 seconds

I wouldn't say that Tim was necessarily wrong. I know that exercise suppresses my appetite but that may not be true for everyone. It's an individual experience and should not be generalized.

TimothyFish wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

That's what happens when you exercise, at least with women. All I know to tell you is to stop eating. That's what I do.

What men don't get hungry when they exercise???? I have a humungo friends list that will tell you you're wrong!
OP, can you open your diary?

What I read in a magazine article recently, and my own experience has been, is that men tend to feel like eating less after exercise.

Don't believe everything you read.

Blanket statements are silly. Some people are hungrier with exercise, some are not.

Just incase you aren't, don't forget to eat back exercise calories! If you're eating at a deficit and have added working out without eating more to compensate you'd definitely be hungrier.
If that doesn't work, try sticking with filling low calories foods. Candy bars and the like taste nice, but a few bites can make up a lot of your days intake. Veg, meat fish and fruit can be filling for not too many calories, but it changes person to person - I know people that could eat veg without it filling them up at all, but if I have a plate I'm done for the next few hours. Just find what fills you up and stick with it, and if you've eaten all you can today but are still hungry try drinking something - hunger and thirst often get confused

Can you open your diary so I can make some specific suggestions?

You say you're exercising and that's making you hungrier, but when is it making you hungrier. Planning out when to eat/exercise can really help control the hunger issues. I know I get super hungry about half an hour after working out, regardless of how much I've eaten the rest of the day. When that happens, it's really hard to resist gorging even though I know I don't need the food.

There are ways to combat this though. Option 1 is to eat right before a meal (and I mean right, because if I even just shower then I'm ready to eat everything). Option 2 is to eat something small and carb-heavy right before I work out. Usually I'll have an orange or maybe a 100-calorie granola bar. Then by the time I'm done, my body has some quick-use energy it can draw on.

So, if being hungry right after exercising is the problem, then give one of those two things a try. If you've just got the general problem of you're hungrier throughout the day when you exercise, then you probably need more fat/protein in your diet.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Are you sure your maintenance is calculated correctly? If you're exercising, your maintenance will be higher than if you're not exercising...but for whatever reason, *kitten* loads of people on MFP don't understand that concept.

Also, this. Eat back at least some of your exercise calories, if not all, if you're using MFP the way it was designed. You already have a deficit built in, and don't need to work for more of a deficit. Exercise is for general health and being able to eat more.

littlelatina19 wrote: »

fruit does fill me up, but it makes me so bloated, so I avoid eating more than a couple pieces a day usually. I'd rather loose weight and be bloated for a few days though to be honest.

don't do that , that's actually dieting , but if you do get bloated , tip from my local pharmacist : yogurt , regular is great at decreasing bloat-ness . mix and match whatever you eat and I eat so often , way more than 5 times a day and have lost weight before this way, increase salad intake.

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

That's what happens when you exercise, at least with women. All I know to tell you is to stop eating. That's what I do.

What men don't get hungry when they exercise???? I have a humungo friends list that will tell you you're wrong!
OP, can you open your diary?

What I read in a magazine article recently, and my own experience has been, is that men tend to feel like eating less after exercise.

But what you said was "That's what happens when you exercise, at least with women". What a broad brush you use to paint this picture. Women who exercise a lot CAN become hungry, because we are wired to preserve body fat for childbearing. This does NOT mean men don't get hungry after exercise. As a matter of fact, there are men at my gym who exercise 5 days a week and they are busting it on the cardio and weights, yet remain very overweight. Is that because they're not eating????? ahhh science says they are!

SLLRunner wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

That's what happens when you exercise, at least with women. All I know to tell you is to stop eating. That's what I do.

What men don't get hungry when they exercise???? I have a humungo friends list that will tell you you're wrong!
OP, can you open your diary?

What I read in a magazine article recently, and my own experience has been, is that men tend to feel like eating less after exercise.

Don't believe everything you read.

Blanket statements are silly. Some people are hungrier with exercise, some are not.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/5/1230.long
"Some sex differences seem to pertain to the ability to tolerate a considerable negative energy balance. Exercise does not suppress hunger the same way for women as for men, and in women it increases the sensory attractiveness of food"

Men have an easier time tolerating a high deficit after exercising than women. That doesn't mean they chose to. There are other articles that go into this relationship if you are interested.

This is absolutely not true for everyone. I'm female, and I find I'm not interested at all in eating while I exercise or immediately after. My hunger and cravings are lower for the rest of the day. Cravings come back when I don't do intense exercise every day. I eat back less than half my exercise calories and I'm not hungry most days.

OP, you don't have a lot to lose, right? A smaller deficit and taking longer to lose the weight might work better for you. Either that, or easing into it, going down just 100 calories a day until you reach your deficit. Some people are hungrier after starting a new exercise program, but that tends to diminish as you become an experienced exerciser. After a few days to a week of eating at a deficit, your hunger should come in line. You should not be hungry the whole time you diet.

I find getting enough protein (.8 g/kg of bodyweight or 1 g/lb lean mass), water, and fiber (25 grams a day minimum) really helps with hunger. I'm diabetic, so eating some protein whenever I have carbs helps the carb to digest slower, and keeps me fuller longer. I'm also one of those who gets increased cravings when eating more added sugars. Some dieters are better off limiting added sugars. Other dieters do not have this issue.

Exercise really helps me with my hunger. It might work for you, it might not.

Sometimes you just have to live with the hunger for a bit. I was hungriest in my first week of dieting, and it comes back after a "cheat" day, like a family birthday celebration. After a few days of consistent deficit, my hunger levels go back down again.

When cravings come, have a glass of water, wait 15 minutes, go for a walk or do chores, distract yourself, talk to a friend, and just try to delay eating until your next planned meal. If you eat at regular times, your hunger will start showing up at about the time you are going to eat again. Sometimes saying "Yes, but later" works. I find leaving high-sugar treats (like fruit) until the end of the day works best for me.

If I give in to my hunger, I try to eat high water/high fiber/low calorie foods like soup, or fresh veggies. Alternatively you could try calorie-dense foods in small amounts i.e. nuts, dairy.

Lots of people have dealt with this issue. You can get through the hunger and diet successfully. Try just one strategy, keep it for a few weeks if it works so it sticks, and then add something else. Good luck