Awake more hours than before but have the same daily calories D:

EllieElla2015
EllieElla2015 Posts: 67 Member
edited December 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!

This be might silly but it really just hit me that whether I wake up at 5 am or 11 am, as long as I’m maintaining the same activity level, my daily calories are the same even though my hunger levels aren’t! My schedule recently changed- before I used to have class and mostly an evening work schedule. So, I’d wake up for class around 10 or 11 and finish my day around 11/11:30. I’ve been used to this schedule for 3 years now and allocated my calories in a way that worked for me.

Now, I graduated and started a big girl job lol and I’m awake 5 am to 11:30- even though my activity level hasn’t changed. I have to leave for work around 9:20 am and before that I get in a couple hours of studying for the GRE (since I never have the discipline to do it after when I’m home after work at 7pm lol).

Anywho, I’ve gotten pretty good at maintaining and losing when I need to without logging into MFP. When I lose my way I hope back on and find out where my estimations were off and hop back off. With this new schedule, I’m really having a hard time feeling satisfied. I know I’m going to have to play with my macros but I guess I was wondering if anybody else had similar experiences, how you dealt with it, and what your preferred macro break up is to feel full on the same calories throughout a longer day.

Oh and, I already have a relatively small deficit- maybe less than a deficit of 200 calories a day (on non-exercise days) since I don’t have much to lose and I’m technically ‘normal’ weight according to BMI so bumping up my calories a little I’m afraid will stall my weight loss too much!

Thanks!

Replies

  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited December 2017
    Your activity level must have changed if you're working now and wasn't before.
    You can be awake 12 hours sat down all day and burn less calories than being awake for 5 hours and working them 5 hours. It's nothing to do with the time you're awake, it's to do with moving around, burning calories.
  • EllieElla2015
    EllieElla2015 Posts: 67 Member
    fr33sia12 wrote: »
    Your activity level must have changed if you're working now and wasn't before.
    You can be awake 12 hours sat down all day and burn less calories than being awake for 5 hours and working them 5 hours. It's nothing to do with the time you're awake, it's to do with moving around, burning calories.

    I was working before- if anything I became less active because I went from babysitting & working at a club to now being at a desk! Earlier my babysitting would be after class and involve me moving around, going to the playground, etc, and my weekend is work was definitely a lot of movement! Now I really just have a sedentary job and studying is obviously sedentary so not only am I hungry more from having more hours in the day I’m also less active.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    If you're awake 5am-11:30 you aren't getting enough sleep and this could also be a large contributor to the excess hunger levels. Ideally 7-8 hrs of sleep (9 pm/10pm-5am) is recommended for health. Your blood sugar and heart, brain, body all suffer from less sleep. I understand you work and are studying now but if you can find any way to get to bed earlier or shorten your morning routine prior to work so you can sleep a little longer, it will help the hunger.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Can you go to bed earlier to compensate?
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Consider restricting your eating window even though you are awake. some people find they stay more satisfied if they put off eating first thing in the morning and wait a bit.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    Can you go to bed earlier to compensate?
    charlenekapf wrote: »
    If you're awake 5am-11:30 you aren't getting enough sleep and this could also be a large contributor to the excess hunger levels. Ideally 7-8 hrs of sleep (9 pm/10pm-5am) is recommended for health. Your blood sugar and heart, brain, body all suffer from less sleep. I understand you work and are studying now but if you can find any way to get to bed earlier or shorten your morning routine prior to work so you can sleep a little longer, it will help the hunger.

    Second this. Sleep is important for Weight loss and general health.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,931 Member
    I think I get what you're saying. I can tell you that on days I sit a lot, I have more hunger. Agree with the sleep thing, also new stress with a new job/new people/new tasks. Raised stress equals eating more.

    Are you getting some exercise on those work days? That might help.

    Also, the desk job is going to catch up to you at some point. Try to be active on breaks, walk around the building or up and down stairs.

  • EllieElla2015
    EllieElla2015 Posts: 67 Member
    charlenekapf wrote: »
    If you're awake 5am-11:30 you aren't getting enough sleep and this could also be a large contributor to the excess hunger levels. Ideally 7-8 hrs of sleep (9 pm/10pm-5am) is recommended for health. Your blood sugar and heart, brain, body all suffer from less sleep. I understand you work and are studying now but if you can find any way to get to bed earlier or shorten your morning routine prior to work so you can sleep a little longer, it will help the hunger.

    Thank you! This is insightful. I can probably wake up at 6 to get my studying in if I’m productive in the morning :-). I tend to wake up and need 30 min to think straight so I need to be a little more disciplined to not waste as much time. I’ll try it :)
  • EllieElla2015
    EllieElla2015 Posts: 67 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    I think I get what you're saying. I can tell you that on days I sit a lot, I have more hunger. Agree with the sleep thing, also new stress with a new job/new people/new tasks. Raised stress equals eating more.

    Are you getting some exercise on those work days? That might help.

    Also, the desk job is going to catch up to you at some point. Try to be active on breaks, walk around the building or up and down stairs.

    Yes, being on a desk all day scares me! I walk to and from work so that’s a 1.8 mike walk per day so I’m hoping that helps. I don’t take account for it though because i feel like it just puts me in the same activity level as when I was babysitting / free to come and go and run errands before I stared this job. I think it just balances as opposed to adding extra calorie cushion.

    I just started Orange Theory- my plan is do it (or other exercise) 3x a week but 2 of those 3 days will be weekends. I’m a big group fitness person and my current work schedule can make those classes a little tricky. You did just give the idea to save my weekend exercise calories for the week- so if I earn 500 calories Saturday and Sunday that’s an extra 100 calories Monday-Friday which can definitely go a long way with my small deficit!
  • EllieElla2015
    EllieElla2015 Posts: 67 Member
    4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
    Consider restricting your eating window even though you are awake. some people find they stay more satisfied if they put off eating first thing in the morning and wait a bit.

    Thanks, I’ll try that as well! I usually end up having two breakfasts- one around 6 am and another around 9 am which is unnecessary. I’ll try to hold out till 9 to save the calories!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Whenever I am not getting enough sleep I feel hungrier. In the past I ate more and gained weight because of this.
    Now I know that if I get 6 hours of sleep or less that is going to be a problem. I try to get 8 hours of sleep and don't feel as hungry.
    If you are getting a lot less sleep than you used to and feeling hungrier it is likely you just need more sleep.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC535424/
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sleep-deprivation-tied-to/
    https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201310/the-connection-between-sleep-and-appetite

Categories