hangry- should I be eating more?

Sallybally55
Sallybally55 Posts: 97 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there- long time lurker, first time OP. Wondering if I should be eating more? I get hangry in the afternoon (and often blow it) and I'm starting to think that I'm not eating enough.

I'm 6'0" tall and 31F 245lbs :s and mfp gives me 1450 a day. I work out 5 days a week at a cross-fit type gym (circuit training, 3 days strength, 2 days cardio) and my polar hrm tells me I burn between 400-600 calories per workout (depending on the day). I usually don't eat back any workout calories. I know that my hunger feelings are out of whack or else I wouldn't have gotten to this weight.

I have done my best to stay at 1450 calories (but when I go over, I really go over) and have lost roughly 10 pounds in 6 weeks.

Do I just need to suck it up and stop eating or is this really too low?

Replies

  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    What did you tell MFP you wanted lose per week? If it's 2lbs/week, it may be too aggressive FOR YOU. You could be losing weight slower, on more food and get less hangry.

    I'm 5'11, 38 years old, currently at 154, trying to get to 148, and can lose 1/2lb a week on 1600 calories. I tend to eat lower than that, because I've experimented and know how to keep full on less calories, but if I wanted lose a bit slower I could eat up to 1600/daily without exercise and still lose weight.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    You're OK to eat more. Assuming that your exercise burns are reasonable you can eat at least half of those back. If 1450 doesn't include exercise calories, then you're actually well below where you need to be on a net basis.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Your calorie goal is pretty low considering your weight. I would considering eating back at least a portion if your exercise calories. If your goal was generated by MFP, it's based on the assumption you would be eating those back. I would start with a portion because it's possible that your Polar is overestimating your burn (it's designed to track steady-state cardio, not things like Crossfit).

    Your rate of loss is pretty fast, that's why you are so hungry. You're undereating.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    First off, you're doing great losing 10 pounds in 6 weeks, way to go. If you're really hungry all the time at 1450 calories, sure try eating a little more, see what happens. You're in control.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,188 Member
    Mfp is designed for you to eat back the exercise calories. So you should definitely be eating some of them back if you are feeling that hungry. You might also look at what you are eating earlier in the day. For me having plenty of protien in the morning helps me stay full longer. Some people feel more full on fats or carbs. You might find that on days you eat eggs instead of oatmeal for breakfast (or whatever) you don't feel as hangry later in the day.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    MFP is set up for you to eat back your exercise calories. If you're hungry, you definitely should eat some of them! Also, play with your macros and see if a different way of eating is more satisfying for you. Personally I need some fats with breakfast, plus carbs after working out, or I am very uncomfortable.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I'm usually hangry the first week or two of counting, but then it becomes the new normal. If you are still hangry at 6 weeks I'd add a 200 calorie snack in the afternoon before you get hangry.

    I'm losing 2lbs a week eating about 1300 calories and I'm 38, 210lbs and only 5'3. I also do no exercise right now.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,307 Member
    edited August 2017
    You may want to consider that what matter is your AVERAGE intake and if you "really go over" in response to over-restricting then you are only succeeding in making yourself miserable.

    There is a reason why 20% deficits (25% while obese) are considered by many to be the maximum you should be attempting.

    Unless you're burning way more than 3K calories a day your 833 Cal a day average deficit is too much.

    Try "targeting" a 750 Cal deficit and eating back most of your exercise calories that are above your sedentary level.

    I would start in the 70% range for steady state exercise.

    Your weight loss will slow down, yes, but it just may become more sustainable.

    Hangry is not good.
    Sustainable will get you to your goal!

    *Targeting 750... to accomplish ~500-600 which I am estimating to be an approximately 25% deficit off of your TDEE.
  • dani_1977
    dani_1977 Posts: 557 Member
    Sallybally55 wrote: »
    Hi there- long time lurker, first time OP. Wondering if I should be eating more? I get hangry in the afternoon (and often blow it) and I'm starting to think that I'm not eating enough.

    I'm 6'0" tall and 31F 245lbs :s and mfp gives me 1450 a day.


    Hi-
    Im a 40F/230lbs/5'9

    I have selected the sedentary, to lose 1lb a week. And I'm allotted 1750 cals per day . If you have chosen to lose more than 1lb a week, then you should change that. Its a journey to lifetime of being healthy, not a race to temporary weight loss. You want this to tolerable, and something you can maintain. You don't want to be hungry, and frustrated all the time.

  • creatureofchaos
    creatureofchaos Posts: 65 Member
    You are doing great. One thing that helps me when I'm technically eating enough calories but I feel off is to look at what I'm eating. When I focus on eating protein and fat, and avoid sugars, I feel much much better and don't need to eat as much. For you, another system may work better. What you eat *does* matter, for how you feel.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I'm 5'8" 150lbs, 45. I put my calories down to 1460 last week because I was in an impatient mood! That whole week i was hungry, had no energy and my exercise suffered greatly, i eventually crashed and burned on Saturday and ate the house down, i just couldn't get enough food in me, i was like a starving animal :weary:

    So, after that catastrophe i upped my calories back to 1660, plus eating back some exercise calories. I've only just started feeling normal again in the past couple of days.

    If you're feeling anything like i did, lower your weight loss rate which will up your calories, and please don't forget to eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories, this last part is trial and error., depending on your losses you may be able to eat 100% back.

    Yup. Anything under 1700 for me and the dog and husband hide under the bed. And any morsel of food in the house -- watch out. I still lose at a decent clip if I stick with 1700.
  • melissaulmen
    melissaulmen Posts: 123 Member
    5'11" 215lbs 39
    Try eating different foods that will fill you up. If you eat the house LOG IT!! That way you can go back and see what happened. Did you eat way under your calories the day before, or did you have an unhealthy breakfast, did you workout really hard the day before and not eat back any calories. Learn from it.
    If you are hungry, eat more. Drink water.
    I have broccoli, pickles, carrots, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, Smart Pop, and triscuits always around so when I am hungry I eat those first. Then I drink a glass of water.

    It sounds like you are doing good with your losses, you just have to make sure that you can sustain the way you are working out and eating. If you are going crazy working out and feeling deprived you might end up worse off than where you started. I know I did.

    Best of luck - adding friends is also very helpful. I have done that recently and there are some great people on here who are very encouraging. Add me if you like and you can see the comments everyone makes.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Sallybally55 wrote: »
    Hi there- long time lurker, first time OP. Wondering if I should be eating more? I get hangry in the afternoon (and often blow it) and I'm starting to think that I'm not eating enough.

    I'm 6'0" tall and 31F 245lbs :s and mfp gives me 1450 a day. I work out 5 days a week at a cross-fit type gym (circuit training, 3 days strength, 2 days cardio) and my polar hrm tells me I burn between 400-600 calories per workout (depending on the day). I usually don't eat back any workout calories. I know that my hunger feelings are out of whack or else I wouldn't have gotten to this weight.

    I have done my best to stay at 1450 calories (but when I go over, I really go over) and have lost roughly 10 pounds in 6 weeks.

    Do I just need to suck it up and stop eating or is this really too low?

    That's way too few calories for your height, weight, and exercise level. MFP gives you your calorie goal assuming you do not exercise, so when you exercise, you need to eat them back.

    MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    My FitBit One is far less generous with calories than the MFP database and I comfortably eat 100% of the calories I earn from it back.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • Coco_Camm
    Coco_Camm Posts: 46 Member
    To echo some previous posters, EAT! You're clearly losing weight so you have some room to play. Bump down your lbs per week weight loss goal, or eat back your exercise calories.

    In 5, 10, 15 years it isnt going to matter how quickly you lost the weight, all thats going to matter is that you were able to achieve a lifetstye the enabled you to keep it off.
  • LeLoupVit
    LeLoupVit Posts: 18 Member
    It helps to have nutritious, filling snacks for those hangry afternoons. I'd try something like a snack-pack of a handful of almonds with strawberries and blueberries, which is a modest 300-Calorie snack that leaves you feeling satisfied.
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