Hitting that first wall

Options
ellewfr0st
ellewfr0st Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm in the process of getting back in shape after being inactive for about 2 years. So I'm about 2 weeks in now of going back to the gym regularly and gosh did I feel fantastic at first. In fact, I was struggling to hit my calorie goals each day because running and working out so much had suppressed my desire to eat.

Anyway. Fast forward to today. Guess it all caught up with me because all I want to do is sleep, lie on the ground, and eat. My apetite came back with such a wicked vengeance I don't know what to do. I've never felt this out of touch with my cravings before and I'm so so tired. Do I take an extra rest day? Give my body more calories/fuel even if I go over the mfp recommendation? (my smartwatch is connected so it accounts for exercise). I don't really know. I just know that I feel awful.

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited January 2020
    Options
    ellewfr0st wrote: »
    I'm in the process of getting back in shape after being inactive for about 2 years. So I'm about 2 weeks in now of going back to the gym regularly and gosh did I feel fantastic at first. In fact, I was struggling to hit my calorie goals each day because running and working out so much had suppressed my desire to eat.

    Anyway. Fast forward to today. Guess it all caught up with me because all I want to do is sleep, lie on the ground, and eat. My apetite came back with such a wicked vengeance I don't know what to do. I've never felt this out of touch with my cravings before and I'm so so tired. Do I take an extra rest day? Give my body more calories/fuel even if I go over the mfp recommendation? (my smartwatch is connected so it accounts for exercise). I don't really know. I just know that I feel awful.

    Usually this happens to me when my activity is higher than I realize and I am not eating enough. My experience is if I don't immediately decide to eat maintenance when I feel that way (assuming it is the same) then I go overboard. If you have not been meeting your calorie goal you should consider the remainder amounts as banked calories which are yours to eat whenever you want.

    That may be enough to get you back in the green tomorrow. It is hard to know.

    ETA: Obviously if this is a cycle issue or a pregnancy issue I have no experience with it.

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Options
    How aggressive is your calorie deficit, and is it appropriate to the amount of weight you need to lose?

    Are you in late luteal phase (week before period)? RMR actually increases during this phase for many women. It's variable, but estimates put it at 100-300 cals a day.

    And agreeing with @NovusDies that a maintenance day is probably in order rather than trying to tough it out and potentially ending up way over eating. One day at maintenance will have very little effect on your weight loss for the week.

    61en61bkg1fi.png
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Options
    Forgot: are you eating your exercise calories, or at least some of them (50-75%)?
  • jeagogo
    jeagogo Posts: 179 Member
    Options
    Womona wrote: »
    On the other hand, it could be related to your cycle!!! I know I have times of the month where I can feed at the trough and it’s not enough, and I just want to sleep.

    I definitely get this too. There are days where I feel so off, so hungry, and then I look at my cycle calendar and go, "Oooh, yeah."

    If you are finding that you are hungry with your current calories, instead of increasing the number of calories right away, maybe take a look at what you are eating to see if you can make replacements to consume more foods that help reduce your hunger and cravings. Look for foods with a high satiety rating, simply meaning they help you feel full. These can be high protein foods, high fiber foods, or high volume/low calorie foods. There are lots of lists out on the web of recommended high satiety foods.

    Also make sure you are eating at least some of your exercise calories back if you aren't already. The MFP calorie target is designed for you to lose at your target weight loss rate when you are eating those exercise calories. If you're active your body does need that extra fuel.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,867 Member
    Options
    Before everybody goes around in tangents, how much food in and how many calories out are we talking?
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,711 Member
    Options
    This happens to me after a hardcore workout day if I don't eat calories back. I started making sure I eat back half and I'm no longer wiped out plus I've made a lot of gains in the gym.

Categories