I am looking for others opinions on this topic. What do you think--- Should you eat when you are hungry or be sure to eat enough calories? Different sites and doctors say differently. If I eat cuz it's mealtime I eat about 1200-1400 cal/day naturally. IF I eat cuz I'm hungry its like every 10hours and only 600-700 cal/day.
I for calories unless I'm not hungery. That means if I've reached my daily maximum and I'm starved, I don't eat because I'm at calorie limit. Now if I still have 500 caloires to go for the day but I'm not hungery I don't eat an extra 500 calories just so I reach the calorie number.
If I eat when I'm hungry, I would eat an apple at 10 and then be hungry for like a small salad or half a sandwich at 3. Then maybe the other half at 6, but that's like 500cal. AAHH sometimes this frustrates me. On weekends I am hungry much less.
For me I try not to eat less then 1200 calories a day. I also try not to eat over 2000 calories. I usually stay within 1500-1800 a day, plus I workout 6 days a week. I most of the time eat when Im hungry it could be a banana, grapes, yogurt. I love having a big dinner so having all those extra calories left over is great. I also do a hour of cardio before dinner.
I think eating very low calories like under 1100 calories a day will work in the short term but eventually it will catch up with you and make your appetite come back with a vengeance. If you need to get in more calories try eating whole fat foods like whole milk, cheese, the whole egg etc.
I used eat only when i was hungry, but that didn't really work for me. I would get so hungry, then make unwise, unhealthy food choices just to get something in me. I try to eat at the same time everyday, and calorie count.
I eat every 2-3 hours even if it's a little snack, but it seems to keep me from eating over my calories. Also I have heard that it keeps up your metabolism. I would try both paths for you and see which one works for YOU.
I think you should definitely plan on eating at least 1200 calories a day. Any less than that and your body goes into starvation mode and you'll never lose any weight long-term. At 500 calories a day i think you would be considered anorexic.
My mom is exactly like you. She barely ever eats, but she's still overweight. She is now trying to eat healthy foods at least 3 times a day for about 1200 calories. It's really important to eat enough, or else your metabolism is going to slow way down and make it even harder for you to lose weight!
I don't get really hungry anymore, because I eat 3 meals a day with 2 small snacks in between. I've found that if I don't let myself get really hungry, I can eat a lot healthier and stick to about 1200 calories/day.
I eat every 2-3 hours, even if I'm not hungry, but I've found on days when I don't eat every 3 hours I am STARVING. For me its all about keeping my metabolism going.
I don't think there's a simple, or single answer to this one. I think reason has to take precedence.
For me, it depends on WHAT I'm eating and WHEN. When eating a higher proportion of carbohydrates (especially starches and sugars with less than optimal fiber) - or during PMS/TOM, If I ate according to hunger I'd gain weight. I'm very hungry, nearly constantly in those situations.
If I'm eating very low-carb (Atkins induction level or lower), I don't get hungry until I get TOO hungry. By the time I notice that I'm hungry, I'm tired, irritable or even angry, and soon after - nauseous, light-headed and dizzy (and have even passed out).
It is important for me to listen to hunger cues - but that doesn't mean that I
give in to every one.
I think it is important for most dieters to have a minimum AND a maximum calorie goal (or some other food counting method - like WW points or food exchanges) - to deal with the times that hunger isn't a reliable cue.
Hunger vs Calories
