Does a growling stomach/hunger actually means you SHOULD still eat more??

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pumpkinpocalypse
pumpkinpocalypse Posts: 104 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I sometimes eat a huuuge meal, especially at dinner (like 500 calories, sometimes 600 in one sitting, super loaded with veggies and protein, taking up a lot of space in my bowl or plate because I tend to be too generous esp. with the vegs when i put them straight in the pan so I end up with a ogre sized plate...) and then feel extremely full afterwards. But like tonight, a hour or so after I started feeling really hungry, like i havent had eaten at all! I don't like late niht snacking, because I'm too used to the ''dinner over, kitchen closed for the day'' jazz. I mean, I only started trying to eat 1500 cals daily this week (I was on 1300 before for a loooong time and rarely needed anymore food than that at the end of the day), and tonight i was topping 1400 calories. Pretty much enough in my opinion, i didn't feel like giving in to a 100 cals dark chocolate mini bar ''just to reach my calorie goals'', it didn't seem smart to me. Would it have been? Is hunger really supposed to mean you can and should take in more food, whatever it is, because you need it? Would it have been good for me to eat the chocolate, or should I have tried to eat something else that isn't dessert (so like, another mini meal???), or is it normal to ignore hunger from time to time if you've already eaten plenty?
(I ate dinner after my workout but I doubt I burned 500 calories before then either)
Thanks, i'm kinda a freak about eating ''clean'' (i know people hate this trend on here but i don't believe in dessert all the time for no reason...actually it's just as confusing as it gets. When is it even the time to eat dessert/late night snacks???)
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Replies

  • Sydking
    Sydking Posts: 317 Member
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    eat enough to maintain, loose or gain weight depending on goals

    If you feel hungry have some water, wait a bit then eat food

  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    If you got in all your protein & veggies and have left over calories for chocolate that you'd like to eat go ahead and eat it. Dark chocolate is good for you anyway.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
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    If your goal is maintenance, which it seems like it is? Then you should not expect to feel hungry. That's your body telling you that it needs something. That's expected when losing weight, but when on maintenance, it shouldn't feel hungry. You might crave things to eat - like something sweet, that sort of thing - which is the not the same as hunger. But an actually growling stomach is typically a sign that you need more to eat.

    However, that said - hunger can be a sign that your body is in need of calories, but it can ALSO be a sign that your body needs something else, like vitamins, minerals, carbs, or protein. So it might be worth it to look over your daily intake and check what your nutrient levels are like. Could be there's something you're not getting enough of and that's what's triggering the hunger rather than calorie levels.
  • pumpkinpocalypse
    pumpkinpocalypse Posts: 104 Member
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    shaumom wrote: »
    However, that said - hunger can be a sign that your body is in need of calories, but it can ALSO be a sign that your body needs something else, like vitamins, minerals, carbs, or protein. So it might be worth it to look over your daily intake and check what your nutrient levels are like. Could be there's something you're not getting enough of and that's what's triggering the hunger rather than calorie levels.

    Ohh, that might be it. Thanks for the enlightenment.
    I thought about tracking my macros recently but appart from doing a very general average in my head at the end of the day, I can't really get myself to properly count them. Since I always cook for myself realyl complicated meals made up of a bunch of things it it just seems so obsessive and too much to track it down with precision...it's already quite a job to count calories I feel like if i start tracking macros, it will not only be noticeable by people around me (which became really annoyed whenever I simply look like i'm on a diet, even if im not, just because i'm a health nut and they think i'm anorexic and stuff), but the work it implies will make me give up after a short while. Does anyone have tips and tricks on how to make tracking easier, simpler and faster? So it can be intuitive enough and not require a constant access to a phone/notebook? I already write often enough in my food diary...
    OR in that case would it be fine to just track macros ''on average'' without being especially precise, while still improving the surprise hunger pans problem?
    Thanks a bunch!!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Well, if I listened to my body, I'd probably have gained back 20 pounds by now.

    My body is a lying PoS at least 2 weeks a month.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Honestly, if your stomach is actually rumbling from hunger, I don't think a macro imbalance is going to cause that.
    The sound is basically made by your stomach and intestines contracting and pushing your food around. It's louder when your stomach is empty because there's nothing to muffle the sound and so it echoes but it's happening all of the time. About two hours after you finish digesting your last meal, the brain starts signalling the digestive system to start working again for two reasons: one, to clean out any food that might have been missed and two, to make you realize you are hungry so you'll eat again.

    Since you just ate what you described as a huge dinner it doesn't seem possible that you're actually hungry one hour later. More than likely, it's just your digestive system happily gurgling away as it digests your dinner.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Well, if I listened to my body, I'd probably have gained back 20 pounds by now.

    My body is a lying PoS at least 2 weeks a month.

    Truth
  • pumpkinpocalypse
    pumpkinpocalypse Posts: 104 Member
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    Since you just ate what you described as a huge dinner it doesn't seem possible that you're actually hungry one hour later. More than likely, it's just your digestive system happily gurgling away as it digests your dinner.
    Well it wasn't making any noise, but I had that stomach pain you get when you're almost starving you know. Im not sure if it's normal for the digestive system to cause that just because it's digesting, but perhaps? I guess that's why i asked on here...
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited June 2015
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    pumpkinpocalypse wrote: »
    SueInAz wrote: »
    Since you just ate what you described as a huge dinner it doesn't seem possible that you're actually hungry one hour later. More than likely, it's just your digestive system happily gurgling away as it digests your dinner.
    Well it wasn't making any noise, but I had that stomach pain you get when you're almost starving you know. Im not sure if it's normal for the digestive system to cause that just because it's digesting, but perhaps? I guess that's why i asked on here...
    Ah, pain. Gas? You know, air pockets in your digestive tract.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    When my stomach is growling, it's telling me "You got an hour to get the food train rolling or I tell the spinal cord to start the stabbing back pains." It's different for everyone, so just because I'm hungry when it happens doesn't mean you are. You can try drinking water/coffee/tea and see if that helps.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    Well, just because you loaded your plate doesn't mean you have to eat it in one sitting. If this is a nightly occurrence, I would eat half the amount and then come back. Or else save calories for a snack. Unless you have sleep issues, heartburn/reflux, or a close relative who had esophageal cancer, there isn't a reason why you can't eat post-dinner.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Do you actually know how many calories you should be eating daily?
  • spoonyspork
    spoonyspork Posts: 238 Member
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    Pfft. Eat a 100 calorie chocolate bar. I've been eating a 190 calorie chocolate bar every night, because I'm usually stuffed but need more fats and at least 200 more calories. I'm trying to maintain, but still losing a little because I'm so stuffed and can't manage more calories.

    It's really funny actually -- never thought I'd roll my eyes and grudgingly eat a whole chocolate bar! XD

    There is not however anything wrong with eating a whole chocolate bar, if it fits in your goals. Or maybe a spoon full of something even more dense, like a nut or seed butter.

    And, if you're hungry but usually under your goals? Nothing wrong with eating a bit more that day, especially if you remain mindful. Our bodies are liars, yes... but if you're legit still hungry and still have calories, eat them!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,870 Member
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    Does a growling stomach/hunger actually means you SHOULD still eat more??


    No. Not necessarily. If you haven't eaten in hours it might be, but if it is happening shortly after you eat a big meal, then no.

    You might try things like ... tea, a mint, or perhaps visiting the Dr just to make sure everything is OK, especially if there is pain involved.

    But chances are it is just digestion.
  • thenewkayla
    thenewkayla Posts: 313 Member
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    Mine only does this when I haven't eaten in a few hours from being hungry
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    Divide your dinner in two. Overeating can make me digest things faster. :) Eat until you're comfortable. When you're hungry again, finish up the rest.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Well, if I listened to my body, I'd probably have gained back 20 pounds by now.

    My body is a lying PoS at least 2 weeks a month.

    pretty much this.

    I'm hungry constantly- I could eat all day. My body is also a lying POS who would have me eat way more than I should.

    No- hunger pains are not really a good basis for eating. It's a chemical reaction based on conditioning not on reality.

    Case in point- I never/rarely eat breakfast- last week- I had breakfast 2 days in a row- 3rd day - by 830 AM I was ready to stab someone b/c I was so hungry. I ignored- and pressed on- back on my normal schedule now- no problems.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    500 calories is a lot of volume, but its not really a lot of food as such so I'm not overly surprised you were hungry an hour later, i would be too
  • shiftynj
    shiftynj Posts: 103 Member
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    My long-time trainer told me "never wait til you feel hungry to eat, and never wait til you feel stuffed to stop". He believed in steady but moderate consumption all day. By the time you feel it, you've waited/eaten too long.

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