Please help. I really don’t know what to do.

I tried again this morning to exercise and yes I feel great!! But I’m absolutely STARVING. Yes I ate back my exercise calories all of them but it is not near what I need. I’m eating plenty of protein veggies and some carbs. I don’t overdue starch. I just don’t know how to help myself. I had one banana for preworkout energy. And two eggs with one slice of cheese and oatmeal after my workout. This meal will usually last me 6 hours until my next meal, not exercising. When I do exercise this same meal only last me 3 hours. I can’t eat all day. I only get 1310 and if I exercise 1510. I stopped exercising a few months ago for this very reason. Please help

Replies

  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    A few questions/ thoughts:
    What is your rate of loss set to? Can you up it by half a pound and see if that gives you enough calories to not be starving? (Go from 1lb a week to.5lbs a week)

    How are you counting your calories? Are you weighing everything? Guessing? Using measuring cups? I found it very important to weigh everything. In some instances I found I was actally over-counting before getting my scale. Causing me to under-eat.

    You say you get "enough" protien. But have you tried upping it a bit more? What about your fat? Fiber? Try playing around with your macros a bit more. For me, I find protien and fat last me longer than a low fat protien or even fiber. But it's different for everyone.

    A few other thoughts: It sounds like you are trying to eat back your excersise calories, but it isn't enough to keep from being hungry. You could use your calories as a weekly budget as opposed to daily. This would give you the flexability to eat a bit more on hungry/ excersise days, and eat a little less on less hungry non-excersise days. ( 1610 on excersise day, 1210 on rest day, for example).

    Check out the volume eater's thread. Lots of good ideas for high volume low calorie foods to add to your diet. Might be good inspiration for snacks, and meals to help you feel full without going over on calories.

  • dlrumer
    dlrumer Posts: 19 Member
    I have the same problem on heavy workout days (brain saying must eat ALL the food) and found that increased water helped more than earing more. Also for me i found that protien shake like Level 1 or Shackology with their other benefits help a lot often more than food even another protein. Also after very strenuous workouts non meal replacement protein shakes like Phormula 1 to help keep muscles happy also help with my over NEED/starving for food later in the day.
  • Smacfit_
    Smacfit_ Posts: 101 Member
    I have this problem too. My cals are higher than yours (1650) so I dont know of this is helpful but I eat about 600 cals after my workout and this has helped me immensely. Typically something like 3 boiled eggs, half an avocado, whole wheat bread, peanut butter fruit etc. I honestly find having a bigger breakfast with lots of fat / protien (ie egg, avo) to compliment my carbs fixed my ravenous post workout hunger. Personal preference! Also coffee/plain sparking water helps too I slug a bunch with my big breakfast. :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,907 Member
    OP posts a thread and then never comes back to answer questions.

    It's a bit frustrating, jenniferanderson.

    If you truly want suggestions, how about opening your food diary so we can actually see what's going on with your food and exericise.

    Go to FOOD > Settings, scroll down, click Public and Save

    My thoughts are that you are choosing the wrong type of foods and not getting a well balanced food plan that includes your goal protein, a good amount of fat and some vegetables.

    Please open your food diary.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,718 Member
    Larissa_NY wrote: »
    Are you doing cardio? Maybe don't do cardio. It seems to make a lot of people really hungry. Try circuit or strength training instead.

    That's interesting . . . it's strength training that makes me hungry. Maybe this varies by person?

    OP, if you tough it out tor a couple of weeks, does the problem persist? Sometimes an adjustment period happens, when changing routine.

    Beyond that, I'd echo cmriverside.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    What kind of exercise are you doing that you only get 200 extra calories? I just did a 6-mile hike and estimate close to 500.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
    I tried again this morning to exercise and yes I feel great!! But I’m absolutely STARVING. Yes I ate back my exercise calories all of them but it is not near what I need. I’m eating plenty of protein veggies and some carbs. I don’t overdue starch. I just don’t know how to help myself. I had one banana for preworkout energy. And two eggs with one slice of cheese and oatmeal after my workout. This meal will usually last me 6 hours until my next meal, not exercising. When I do exercise this same meal only last me 3 hours. I can’t eat all day. I only get 1310 and if I exercise 1510. I stopped exercising a few months ago for this very reason. Please help

    Why not add more protein?
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    What kind of exercise are you doing that you only get 200 extra calories? I just did a 6-mile hike and estimate close to 500.

    She's eating back HALF her exercise cals, so she's prob getting 400 which is reasonable, depending on what she's doing.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    edited May 2019
    Where does it say she’s eating back half her exercise calories? She said in her original post that on days she exercises she only gets 1510 calories, up from 1310. So my take is that she’s only eating back 200 calories regardless of what exercise she is doing.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited May 2019
    whmscll wrote: »
    Where does it say she’s eating back half her exercise calories? She said in her original post that on days she exercises she only gets 1510 calories, up from 1310. So my take is that she’s only eating back 200 calories regardless of what exercise she is doing.

    I could be wrong but I think she said that in another thread.

    Edit:
    Okay she doesn’t say she is eating half, but she feels that MFP numbers are way too high.

    here it is (looks like the OP posted it the day after she posted this thread):
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10742572/why-are-the-calories-burned-on-mfp-so-off#latest
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    Where does it say she’s eating back half her exercise calories? She said in her original post that on days she exercises she only gets 1510 calories, up from 1310. So my take is that she’s only eating back 200 calories regardless of what exercise she is doing.

    Ooops, I misread. She actually says she eats back all of them, in which case I agree 200 seems questionable. But we don't know what she's doing to earn these calories.