Calorie reduced diet and at times I'm not hungry??

cmac388
cmac388 Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone experience going into a calorie deficit and some days having a hard time even hitting that lower number of calories? I'm excercising a lot and walking a ton. Maybe too much? My exercise gives calories back to me on the planner, and by the end of the day....at times, I am still below my reduced number. Appetite not as strong as I think it should be on some days...am I exercising too much? should I be worried? Anyone know?

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    Are you saying you're not able to eat all of your exercise calories, or that you're not even eating all of your base calories before adding in your exercise calories?

    Over an extended period, undereating can have serious health effects, but if it's only happening occasionally, you don't need to worry about it.

    Have you changed the kinds of food you eat? For example, moving from a high-fat diet to a low-fat, high-fiber diet? Are drinking massive amounts of water? Are you hungry the day after you're unable to hit your your calorie goals? If yes to the latter, there's no reason you can't "carry over" the uneaten calories to the next day. Some people find that some forms of exercise suppress appetite in the short term.
  • ehju0901
    ehju0901 Posts: 394 Member
    I had the same issue for a while where I just didn't have an appetite some days. I tend to try to listen to my body and I would just eat smaller "snack-size" meals. For example, sometimes I would just have a protein bar, an egg or a banana. Something small to make sure I was still fueling my body, even if I wasn't feeling hungry.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    Double check the exercise calories that MFP is giving you and be real about the exercise you are logging vs the activity level you put in. If you put "moderately active" and then log every walk, for instance, then you are double dipping. MFP wants to give me over 20 calories a minute for running 6mph LOL when most other calculators online give me ~10.5, but walking at 3mph was nearly spot on.

    Use a weight trend app like libra to see where your weight is going. If it's trending down at a safe pace after a couple of weeks, don't change anything. Make sure to give it some time and use the trend to make adjustments to diet, either by changing the exercise you count or your base numbers. If you are a woman, make sure that you take your monthly fluctuations into account.

    For calories and macros I HIGHLY suggest using the weekly report/average rather than daily. Some days are hungry days and some just aren't, some you can get more exercise, and some days you're more likely to want a treat/extra flexibility. If you are lower during the week, you can use the extra for wings/pizza/beer/?? on Friday for example. The flexibility really helps with satiety and compliance. Good luck!
  • curwhibbles
    curwhibbles Posts: 138 Member
    It won’t last. I also had this phase.
    Now I only have it if I eat over some days, which is never worth it!
  • cmac388
    cmac388 Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you all for your comments. I will take a bit from everyone. Much appreciated. Good luck!

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