Help with feeling FULL!
JasmineAntoinette
Posts: 13
Hey Everyone!
This week marks my second week with EM2WL, and I am definitely going through the mental challenges that Prvrbs31 so graciously warned us about! I had been doing low cal for a while, so I am pretty sure my body is reacting negatively to the "eat more" (I've gained about 3 pounds) because it probably thinks I will starve it again soon. So, I'll just keep hanging in there -- I know i'll have positive results to share soon!
I am having one problem though: Now that I am eating more, I ALWAYS feel STUFFED! I never would have thought that I (the ULTIMATE lover of food) would actually feel anxiety about eating because I have to get all of my calories in. To make matters worse (or better, depending upon how you look at it), I workout -- alot. This means that I not only have to worry about getting my BMR, but all of my exercise calories back as well (I use a HRM for accuracy)!! Yesterday, I ate about 2200 calories (after burning about 800 in workout) and I STILL feel stuffed this morning!! Also, I am not at a maintenance weight at all (I still have at least 20, if not 30, pounds to go) so all of this food coupled with this full feeling is freaking me out!
So the questions are, should I keep eating this much to fufill the caloric needs of my BMR and TDEE, or should I "listen to my body" when it tells me I am full? Do I need to eat back every single workout calorie? My portions can be pretty large, so maybe I should just eat more times a day (I already eat about 5 times a day), and finally, does anyone have suggestions on foods that have alot of calories, but aren't so heavy?
Thanks in advance for any help that you all can provide!! I really want to treat my body right; I just don't want to have to literally stuff my face to do it :-)
This week marks my second week with EM2WL, and I am definitely going through the mental challenges that Prvrbs31 so graciously warned us about! I had been doing low cal for a while, so I am pretty sure my body is reacting negatively to the "eat more" (I've gained about 3 pounds) because it probably thinks I will starve it again soon. So, I'll just keep hanging in there -- I know i'll have positive results to share soon!
I am having one problem though: Now that I am eating more, I ALWAYS feel STUFFED! I never would have thought that I (the ULTIMATE lover of food) would actually feel anxiety about eating because I have to get all of my calories in. To make matters worse (or better, depending upon how you look at it), I workout -- alot. This means that I not only have to worry about getting my BMR, but all of my exercise calories back as well (I use a HRM for accuracy)!! Yesterday, I ate about 2200 calories (after burning about 800 in workout) and I STILL feel stuffed this morning!! Also, I am not at a maintenance weight at all (I still have at least 20, if not 30, pounds to go) so all of this food coupled with this full feeling is freaking me out!
So the questions are, should I keep eating this much to fufill the caloric needs of my BMR and TDEE, or should I "listen to my body" when it tells me I am full? Do I need to eat back every single workout calorie? My portions can be pretty large, so maybe I should just eat more times a day (I already eat about 5 times a day), and finally, does anyone have suggestions on foods that have alot of calories, but aren't so heavy?
Thanks in advance for any help that you all can provide!! I really want to treat my body right; I just don't want to have to literally stuff my face to do it :-)
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Replies
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Hi Jasmine,
What kinds of things are you eating? I know I spent the first couple of days feeling very full as I was sticking to all my low cal stuff and having to eat way more of it.
So I swapped things a round a bit and now have Olive Oil rather than low cal spray, higher fat yoghurt rather than the diet variety, more oily fish - that sort of thing. I'm still within my macros, though keeping the fat right is challenging so I am measuring saturated fat as well as fat and keeping an eye of the saturated stuff!
Also on a work out day I tend to eat Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Post Workout Snack, Dinner and if necessary Dessert so upto 7 "meals" a day.
Alison0 -
I think you should try eating different things that have a higher calorie count but won/t make you feel full. For example, a 1/4 cup of almonds is a good snack, high in healthy fats and calories.0
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Almonds are great. Full fat greek yogurt is awesome. I now eat the Fage full fat at 190 a serving. Peanut butter is a good friend. For dessert I might have half a cup of gelato. 240 calories in HALF a cup. It can add up FAST!0
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Hi Jasmine,
What kinds of things are you eating? I know I spent the first couple of days feeling very full as I was sticking to all my low cal stuff and having to eat way more of it.
So I swapped things a round a bit and now have Olive Oil rather than low cal spray, higher fat yoghurt rather than the diet variety, more oily fish - that sort of thing. I'm still within my macros, though keeping the fat right is challenging so I am measuring saturated fat as well as fat and keeping an eye of the saturated stuff!
Also on a work out day I tend to eat Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Post Workout Snack, Dinner and if necessary Dessert so upto 7 "meals" a day.
Alison
I guess I have been eating mostly lean meats, fruits, and veggies all day. I am doing something with my church the involves only eating these things, but it will only last a week so next week, I can start eating the higher calorie options. Thanks so much; it's such a simple solution, but I (who over-analyzes just about everything), would never have gotten it!
Thanks again!0 -
Thanks so much for your input and food suggestions ladies! I will try higher calorie (but still healthy) foods next week and let you know how it works :-).0
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Well, the key to this process is consistency, you have to eat the calories and though it stinks in the beginning because you always feel full...trust me, you get used to it and at times I have had to spike because I just wasn't satisfied. Your body adjusts...in the beginning you just have to get away from the low fat, low cal everything mentality. Amazing, the body needs the fat!!!! The low fat fad is a huge contributer to getting us where we are today....
So, yes eat, just find the denser things that has less volume...lol.0 -
Jasmine,
I'm in the same boat. I just started EM2WL (TDEE minus 20%) last week and P90 two weeks ago. I have gained weight (4.4lb) and feel quite a bit bigger in my abdomen. I've done as these ladies suggest and have shifted to more calorie dense foods. We shall see how it goes after a few weeks. I just hope I'm not the exception to the rule and that I just end up gaining lots of weight! That's usually how my body does things. :-p0 -
Jasmine,
I'm in the same boat. I just started EM2WL (TDEE minus 20%) last week and P90 two weeks ago. I have gained weight (4.4lb) and feel quite a bit bigger in my abdomen. I've done as these ladies suggest and have shifted to more calorie dense foods. We shall see how it goes after a few weeks. I just hope I'm not the exception to the rule and that I just end up gaining lots of weight! That's usually how my body does things. :-p
I'm hoping that we could be gaining muscle (i've just upped my strength training and weight amouts since I have been reading New Rules of Lifting for Women), and that our bodies are also just reacting to previously eating too little. I think that this way is far better than what MFP proposes, so we will see what happens. I am expecting great results; hang in there!0 -
What about adding some extra olive oil to your meals? It is also calorie dense, it's a healthy fat and will help the calories add up without making you feel over full.0
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Jasmine,
I'm in the same boat. I just started EM2WL (TDEE minus 20%) last week and P90 two weeks ago. I have gained weight (4.4lb) and feel quite a bit bigger in my abdomen. I've done as these ladies suggest and have shifted to more calorie dense foods. We shall see how it goes after a few weeks. I just hope I'm not the exception to the rule and that I just end up gaining lots of weight! That's usually how my body does things. :-p
I'm hoping that we could be gaining muscle (i've just upped my strength training and weight amouts since I have been reading New Rules of Lifting for Women), and that our bodies are also just reacting to previously eating too little. I think that this way is far better than what MFP proposes, so we will see what happens. I am expecting great results; hang in there!
I'm right there with you two ladies....started 3 weeks ago and am still pretty miserably full, I was bummed last night when I logged a large dinner and still had 400 calories left to meet my BMR (who would have thought - ha). I'm also incredibly bloated and KNOW my measurements have gone up, cause I can feel it in my jeans. Glad to know I'm not alone! And thanks for all the great input from others who have been at it longer!0 -
UPDATE: As of today, I have lost all but .4 lbs of the weight I've gained since starting EM2WL....I guess my body is finally starting to believe that I am not going to starve it LOL!!! Also, yesterday (a non-workout day) I followed you ladies' advice and found something high cal (chicken salad) to eat during the day, and I was actually really hungry by the end of the night (I had breast, thigh, leg AND wing of baked chicken with some veggies!! Lol). I also ate smaller portion sizes more frequently throughout the day, so I think that might have revved up my metabolism and ,subsequently, my hunger. As of now, I am focusing on simply netting my BMR everyday and never exceeding my TDEE (even on "cheat days"), so we will see what the scale does -- and if I have to up my cals later, I will certainly do it!!! Thanks so much for your advice, ladies, and for those who are still struggling -- keep at it; the results are soon to come :-)0
