Not really hungry...

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sunshinekind919
sunshinekind919 Posts: 51 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is it really not good to eat all of your calories even if you aren't hungry? I don't know if it's because I'm working out more or what, but my appetite is just not really there and I usually eat to prevent hunger later. I'm making good food choices when I do this, but because I usually keep it low-cal or small, at the end of the day after my workouts are logged and everything, I'll have about around 500 calories I should be eating. (My allowance is 1200 cals and my workouts usually gain me anywhere from 200-400.) I don't want to impede any progress by eating more and I don't want to hurt myself by not eating enough either. Any suggestions? Anyone have the same problem?

Replies

  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
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    1200 NET is the lowest one should be... and even that is far too low for many people.

    If you find you aren't hungry to eat more switch out some of the low calorie things to help get the calories up by the end of the day. It will help raise your NET calorie intake and won't make it where you are eating more.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    I agree with the previous poster, you should NET at leat 1200 calories. If that is hard, then on your workout days plan ahead and eat more calorie dense food - nuts, Greek yogurt and peanut butter are my top picks.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    have more calorie dense foods/meals--nuts, olive oil, hummus, fatty fish, seeds, avocado--all great choices to up the calories without fullness.
  • smsavoy
    smsavoy Posts: 103 Member
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    Thanks for posting this topic, I am in the same boat. Last week, I didn't lose any weight and thinks its because i was only neting about 700 calories. I am trying so hard this week to add the calories (or skip workouts), but it has been very hard.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    "Feeling hungry" is honestly not a good indicator to go by. Hunger is controlled by hormones, and any change in those hormones, due to overeating, under eating, overtraining, under training, illness, injury, etc. can all have an effect on whether you "feel hungry" or not. The thing is, proper nutrition and getting enough calories to properly fuel your body functions generally don't actually impact whether you feel hungry or not. There are numerous examples of people starving themselves, yet not feeling hungry. There are also numerous examples of people overeating, yet constantly feeling hungry.
  • sunshinekind919
    sunshinekind919 Posts: 51 Member
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    Thanks so much for the feedback guys. Especially tigersword, I think I really get what you mean now. I still need to rethink how I view food.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    "Feeling hungry" is honestly not a good indicator to go by. Hunger is controlled by hormones, and any change in those hormones, due to overeating, under eating, overtraining, under training, illness, injury, etc. can all have an effect on whether you "feel hungry" or not. The thing is, proper nutrition and getting enough calories to properly fuel your body functions generally don't actually impact whether you feel hungry or not. There are numerous examples of people starving themselves, yet not feeling hungry. There are also numerous examples of people overeating, yet constantly feeling hungry.

    Which is why it annoys me when people say "listen to your body" in this case.

    Yes. Eat
  • HeidiRene
    HeidiRene Posts: 335 Member
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    I am starving so I can't help.
  • keependuring
    keependuring Posts: 16 Member
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    I don't worry about being under calories 1-3 days during the week. I am never under calories during the weekend, so the deficit days will help the weekend days. As long as you are not under calories consistently for weeks, I think it could only be benefit to your overall goal. :)
  • kittenmitton
    kittenmitton Posts: 231 Member
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    I never eat when I'm not hungry. It just doesn't feel right. I rarely go over 1200, but I've cleared it with my doctor, so I don't want anyone yelling at me about it. I always say if you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. If you're really concerned about not getting enough nutrition, talk to your doctor about your diet (do NOT go to a nutritionist - anyone can be a nutritionist, therefore they're not qualified to give information on nutrition; go to a dietician instead) and see what would work for your lifestyle. Remember that no one on here is qualified to give medical advice - even if someone says they're a registered dietician or an MD, don't trust them and speak to someone who you can verify has medical training.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I "listened to my body" and ate whenbi was hungry for 43 years. The result: I was obese on the BMI scale.
    For the last year I've tried to eat regular, healthy (mostly!) meals even when I wasn't hungry and I'm thinner and healthier than ever.
    It's entirely your decision how much you eat - but in my opinion, cutting calories really low is not going to lead to long term health.

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