I am more hungry when I exercise- what to do??

mrshickey
mrshickey Posts: 239
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
I am planning to go back to the gym and actually use my cross trainer at home, however the lower calories are already a struggle sometimes and I always get more hungry when I exercise. Any ideas on what I can do about this or some REALLY REALLY low calorie snacks???
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Replies

  • sarah_ep
    sarah_ep Posts: 580 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
    Eat your exercise calories, if you aren't already! If you exercise later in the day and find yourself hungry, maybe have lighter breakfasts/lunches so you can save a few cals for after your workout.

    But really, eating your exercise calories is going to be the best thing!
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    Have you tried taking a Whey Protein Shake 30 mins before exercise?

    1 x 25g scoop of Whey Protein in 250ml of skimmed (fat free) milk... It's about 180 Kcals
  • lucasbenjani44
    lucasbenjani44 Posts: 12 Member
    Your brain has the same receptors for hunger as thirst, so possibly try drinking water when you get a little hungry, can supress your apetite for a little bit longer!

    Also a banana before training is highly recomended if you can allow it in your diet?

    I have just started using beef jerky as a 'nibble' - very high protein content, with low calorie and fat content!
  • jenniferpgh
    jenniferpgh Posts: 1
    How long have you been exercising? I think you get used to the hunger as you exercise regularly. As for really low calorie snacks, I recommend pickles! Just be sure to drink lots of water because of the sodium. You don't want to confuse thirst for hunger!
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    veggies :] best low cal snack out there an so filling!
  • icandothistrish85
    icandothistrish85 Posts: 116
    Have a banana or fat free Greek yogurt or another protein/potassium rich food BEFORE your workout and have 8oz of ice cold low-fat chocolate milk AFTER. Never exercise on an empty belly because it'll only exacerbate the burn pain and just make the "hunger pain" feel more intense. The chocolate milk is a GREAT source of low-fat protein, the lactic acid is amazing for muscle tissue repair and cell reproduction. If you need more thickness to it, blend it on ice. But don't stuff yourself, that'll lead to nausea, but don't starve yourself because the exercise pain will just intensify your hunger pain.
  • drogheda1
    drogheda1 Posts: 57
    Water and lots of it.Are you drinking enough? you maybe thirsty rather than hungry...
  • anamikadas
    anamikadas Posts: 2 Member
    Low cal snacks that work great for me are the Cliff Fruit Twists (70 Calories each) and FiberOne Brownies (90 Calories Each). Both taste really good, so I ate them even when I wasn't trying to lose weight.
  • ohnuts14
    ohnuts14 Posts: 197
    I personally don't believe you should be eating ALL of your exercise calories back, but if you're exercising you should be eating some of it back, about half. I usually eat a little less than that. But that's entirely up to how hungry you feel. Listen to your body, that's always the most important thing. Also, I know when I exercise I'm famished and sometimes make bad choices because the foods I'm eating aren't filling. You want to eat foods that will fill you; high in protein, and especially... high in fiber. Fiber has been my savior, foods high in fiber keep my satisfied, and fill me up, more than anything else does. Fiber is a major component of good dieting for weight loss.
  • mrshickey
    mrshickey Posts: 239
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?
  • ohnuts14
    ohnuts14 Posts: 197
    Water and lots of it.Are you drinking enough? you maybe thirsty rather than hungry...

    Very true. Definitely make sure you're drinking lots of water. Most people confuse thirst for hunger, because when people think "thirsty" they think parched throat, dry mouth. That's not what thirst is. Once you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Dehydration is an odd feeling, and truthfully, feels a lot like hunger. Most people can't tell the difference. That's why when you're hungry, and you know you shouldn't be, drink water. You shouldn't ever let yourself get to the point where your parched.
  • ohnuts14
    ohnuts14 Posts: 197
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    You definitely shouldn't be eating alllll of them back. Athletes are told to eat all of their calories back, because they have to MAINTAIN their weight, and they do maintain that way. If you're trying to loseee weight, you definitely should not be eating back all of your exercise calories. You should be eating SOME of it back, I would say around half (that's what I find works best for me), because otherwise you'll be starving, but if you're trying to lose weight, if you eat all of your exercise calories back you're kind of defeating the purpose.
  • vold94
    vold94 Posts: 256
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    I've always felt the same way! I think, why am I busting my hump burning all these calories if I'm just suppose to eat them all back, but the thing is, when your body is burning that much fuel, it does need more fuel to keep it running. Although I don't eat back all my exercise calories, I try to eat back some, I'm just not very good at doing it because I can't eat that much. But I also work out 2 hours a day and burn 1200-1500 calories! I'd be eating all day!

    I've heard alot of good things about that drinking chocolate milk after workouts, I never have done it, but it's suppose to work! I use to the be the same way, but once my body got use to all the workouts, the hunger pains have substained! I drink 20+ glasses of water a day too!

    Good luck!
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
    This website already builds in a deficit for you to lose weight WITHOUT exercising. If you exercise, you need to eat those calories back to fuel your body. You will still be at the deficit to lose your 2 pounds or whatever you have your goals set to (assuming you have your activity level set to sedentary).

    However, MFP does overestimate the calorie burn (at least for me, other people say it is accurate at least for things like walking and running). But I would definitely suggest you eat your exercise calories (or most of them).

    And of course you are hungry after exercising, you have just lost nutrients that need to be replaced.

    I eat all of my exercise calories (but I do use a heart rate monitor) and have lost 52 lbs since Jan 3rd.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Eat!!! MFP is set up so that you have a calorie deficit without exercise. This calorie deficit will allow you to lose weight without exercise.
    When you exercise you make that calorie deficit is substantially larger. If you have lots of weight to lose you may get away with this, but over a longer period of time your body may not respond well to such a large calorie deficit.
    If you get hungry after exercising, this is your body telling you need to eat more. Add in some extra (healthy) food calories and you will feel better and lose weight.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    You definitely shouldn't be. Athletes are told to eat all of their calories back, because they have to MAINTAIN their weight. If you're trying to loseee weight, you definitely should not be eating back all of your exercise calories. You should be eating SOME of it back, because otherwise you'll be starving, but if you're trying to lose weight, if you eat all of your exercise calories back you're kind of defeating the purpose.

    Incorrect - the reason MFP tells you to eat your exercise calories is because it has ALREADY calculated the deficit for you to lose "x" number of pounds each week. So if you don't eat them, you are creating an even BIGGER deficit. (Sure, this might *sound* better, but really what you are doing is depriving your body of energy it needs. Think of it this way - by exercising you are using fuel - and you need to refuel (eat) in order for your body to continue running smoothly.) You want to stay above 1,200 NET calories a day, at the very, very least.

    Agreed that the MFP calculations for exercises are often wrong - I input whatever the machine tells me I do, or even better, if you have an HRM, go with what that says.

    When I lost weight the first time around, I lost 50 pounds, and had never heard of MFP OR exercise calories. Yes, I lost weight quickly... but I also put it all back on just as quickly. This time around, it's taking a little longer, but I'm doing it in a much more healthy way.
  • Samerah12
    Samerah12 Posts: 610 Member
    This website already builds in a deficit for you to lose weight WITHOUT exercising. If you exercise, you need to eat those calories back to fuel your body. You will still be at the deficit to lose your 2 pounds or whatever you have your goals set to (assuming you have your activity level set to sedentary).

    However, MFP does overestimate the calorie burn (at least for me, other people say it is accurate at least for things like walking and running). But I would definitely suggest you eat your exercise calories (or most of them).

    And of course you are hungry after exercising, you have just lost nutrients that need to be replaced.

    I eat all of my exercise calories (but I do use a heart rate monitor) and have lost 52 lbs since Jan 3rd.



    ditto. I eat back every exercise calorie and I'm steadily losing.
  • sarah_ep
    sarah_ep Posts: 580 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    I typically eat back 50% of my exercise calories back and I will eat all of them back if I am still hungry. It would not have the same effect because MFP already includes a 500 calorie deficit, that is why when you add your exercise if gives you a higher calorie allowance.

    Edit * would just like to add that I am set at losing one pound a week not two. If I were set at two I would probably eat all of them back.
  • mrshickey
    mrshickey Posts: 239
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    I typically eat back 50% of my exercise calories back and I will eat all of them back if I am still hungry. It would not have the same effect because MFP already includes a 500 calorie deficit, that is why when you add your exercise if gives you a higher calorie allowance.

    Edit * would just like to add that I am set at losing one pound a week not two. If I were set at two I would probably eat all of them back.

    I would like to lose 2 pounds a week, so do u mean that you would eat ALL of ure exercise calories if you were wishing to lose two pounds a week? If I exercise I get to eat more???? Hahaha I struggle to exercise but eating a little more has got to be the best motivation yet
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Built-in deficit. /thread
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Also, to the whole "athlete argument", they are also given a caloric allowance for maintenance not a deficit!
  • sarah_ep
    sarah_ep Posts: 580 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    I typically eat back 50% of my exercise calories back and I will eat all of them back if I am still hungry. It would not have the same effect because MFP already includes a 500 calorie deficit, that is why when you add your exercise if gives you a higher calorie allowance.

    Edit * would just like to add that I am set at losing one pound a week not two. If I were set at two I would probably eat all of them back.

    I would like to lose 2 pounds a week, so do u mean that you would eat ALL of ure exercise calories if you were wishing to lose two pounds a week? If I exercise I get to eat more???? Hahaha I struggle to exercise but eating a little more has got to be the best motivation yet

    haha! Exactly! I EARN my glass of wine when I want one... It is a great motivation. Just try it and see how it works for you. You are more likely to fail if you are hungry all the time. Also try to eat foods that are high in protein as they keep fuller longer.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    I typically eat back 50% of my exercise calories back and I will eat all of them back if I am still hungry. It would not have the same effect because MFP already includes a 500 calorie deficit, that is why when you add your exercise if gives you a higher calorie allowance.

    Edit * would just like to add that I am set at losing one pound a week not two. If I were set at two I would probably eat all of them back.

    I would like to lose 2 pounds a week, so do u mean that you would eat ALL of ure exercise calories if you were wishing to lose two pounds a week? If I exercise I get to eat more???? Hahaha I struggle to exercise but eating a little more has got to be the best motivation yet

    Not my response, but I'll answer! YES, if you exercise more you get to eat more! Just be aware that MFP inflates some calorie counts in the exercise database. If you are using those counts and don't edit what the database says - I would maybe leave 100 calories as a "buffer." I wouldn't get obsessed with meeting them exactly, but for the most part, I tend to get as close to my recommended calories as I can. But, if I'm under a couple hundred one day and over a hundred the next... I really don't worry about it too much. As long as you are tending to NET more than 1,200 a day, you'll be fine!
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
    I usually eat most of my exercise calories back.. If I set my goals to 2lb loss each week, MFP already sets me a deficit WITHOUT using what I burn.. It makes NO sense not to eat them back.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    The sensation of thirst is not a always a symptom of dehydration. Thirst can be a craving, the same as a hunger craving. Also, drinking excessive amount of water will only exaggerate hunger later on.

    Consider a higher calorie snack, maybe a protein shake. Low cal snacks only mean you will have to eat higher volume to meet your daily requirements.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Are you eating your exercise calories?

    I thought that eating my exercise calories would mean the exercise wouldnt have the same effect, for example, I wouldnt lose as much weight. Am I really wrong on this?

    You definitely shouldn't be eating alllll of them back. Athletes are told to eat all of their calories back, because they have to MAINTAIN their weight, and they do maintain that way. If you're trying to loseee weight, you definitely should not be eating back all of your exercise calories. You should be eating SOME of it back, I would say around half (that's what I find works best for me), because otherwise you'll be starving, but if you're trying to lose weight, if you eat all of your exercise calories back you're kind of defeating the purpose.

    I'm sorry, bit this simply isn't correct. A calorie deficit is already built into the mfp program.
  • mrshickey
    mrshickey Posts: 239
    I think I understand.... I have set my goal to lose 2lb per week but MFP is only showing that I will lose 1.4lb per week, (not sure why), so I wondered if not eating my exercise calories would get me to my goal! I get so hungry when I exercise I wasnt sure how I'd cope!!
  • kellyrorie
    kellyrorie Posts: 47 Member
    If you're hungry, EAT...otherwise you make your metabolism slow down. Just keep it small and balanced. example: protien (about the size of your fist or 4-6 oz.. I do lunch meat. lol) with a peice of fruit and some almonds. I garuntee that wont kill your calories AND it will definately fill you up. Concentrate on the protien. Your body needs that to make muscles out of your excercise. Good luck!
  • Ninja_Knitty
    Ninja_Knitty Posts: 67
    This website already builds in a deficit for you to lose weight WITHOUT exercising. If you exercise, you need to eat those calories back to fuel your body. You will still be at the deficit to lose your 2 pounds or whatever you have your goals set to (assuming you have your activity level set to sedentary).

    However, MFP does overestimate the calorie burn (at least for me, other people say it is accurate at least for things like walking and running). But I would definitely suggest you eat your exercise calories (or most of them).

    And of course you are hungry after exercising, you have just lost nutrients that need to be replaced.

    I eat all of my exercise calories (but I do use a heart rate monitor) and have lost 52 lbs since Jan 3rd.


    You explained this very well! Congrats on your weight loss! AMAZING!
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