I've been thinking about upping my kcal intake because I get hungry. I eat all the right foods - I think - at 1400 kcal/day there's no room left for sweets and treats anyway. Gotta get those nutrients in.
I know it's difficult to calculate just how many calories you should eat. My RMR is 1500, my BMR (activity level: sedentary) is about 1700, but of course I exercise, probably burn 200 or 300 in a day, but not every day.
Is hunger a good indicator to eat more, or are we just supposed to be hungry? Do you generally find yourself hungry inbetween meals and snacks, and after dinner?
The only time I ever get hungry is during TOM. I eat on an IF schedule though so my meals are bigger than for people who eat more often throughout the day. My average intake per day is probably around 1400, I give myself a range instead of a set amount of calories. When I used to eat the same calories but spread out over the whole day in 6 smaller meals I was hungry all the time. If you have problems with hunger you might be interested in IF (intermittent fasting).
Hunger can be true physical hunger or mind hunger so, no hunger is not a sign to dig in and eat more. Protein keeps you feeling satisfied the longest and you should have some with every meal and snack. Carbs satisfy the least and often give us a drop in insulin that we interpret as hunger.
what does TOM stand for?
I used to like fasting. But I'm trying to burn fat while ganing muscle; would IF get in the way of the muscle part?
I know mind hunger is tricky and evil, but usually when I'm just craving or boredom-eating I want chocolate or peanut butter or something. Right now I'd be happy with a glass of milk and some carrot sticks.
When I first started actually limiting myself to 1800 calories a day, I admit I was hungry a lot for about two weeks. I had anticipated this and I drank TONS of flavored carbonated water (lightly flavored but not the kind with the fake sweeteners in it) during my meals and in time between snacks and meals. I've also read that sometimes, we can mix up the signals of 'thirsty' and 'hungry' our body sends out and we'll actually eat when in fact we need something to drink. I think some of the hunger I experienced was from boredom or the habit of just having something to eat, but if it really continued on after a liter of seltzer I would have something small to eat.
How long have you been at 1400? It's possible that your body is still adjusting to the change, or as I said above you might want to try drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if you're thirsty instead of hungry.
How long have you been at 1400? It's possible that your body is still adjusting to the change, or as I said above you might want to try drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if you're thirsty instead of hungry.
since mid-May so...about 6 weeks. I was doing 1200 before that, so I think I'm past adjusting.
Drinking water does make me feel satisfied...for about 10 minutes. Perhaps I need more fiber.
what does TOM stand for?
I used to like fasting. But I'm trying to burn fat while ganing muscle; would IF get in the way of the muscle part?
Time of the Month
Also, at your weight, you are not likely to put on very much muscle while eating a caloric deficit. If your muscles are not very developed right now, you might be able to lose a bit of weight while building a bit of muscle burning more calories than you consume, but not for long.
Some days are better than others for me. I find that I stay full the longest if I have a meal that contains protein AND carbs AND some fat. So, actually, a turkey and cheese sandwich with a bit of mayo will satisfy me more than if I just eat a salad with chicken and blue cheese dressing (not enough real carbs there).
Another thing that helps me is having a "treat" that is very few calories. Fortunately, I like espresso, so at night, I have one after dinner and one later on during the night. It's a "gourmet" treat (I have a great espresso machine & I grind organic, whole beans for my espresso), so I feel as if I'm getting away with something, but it's barely any calories (I use a teaspoon of Sambucca to sweeten each cup). The best part about it is that it suppresses my appetite.
Sometimes, I just ride the hunger out. I say to myself, "I won't die if I don't get something to eat now."
Sometimes, I'll try to distract myself with an activity to take my mind off the hunger.
However, if I've tried my bag of tricks and I'm still hungry, I'll eat something. After all, I'm not that desperately hungry most days, so I'll have a decent calorie deficit for the week even if I go over my calorie count by a couple of hundred calories, one or two days a week. But I don't use my "permission" to myself to eat something as permission to pig out.
ETA: I've also set my goal weight to one that I know I can live with and still eat enough calories to eat well and have some treats. I'm 5 ft 3, and my goal weight is 140. I see that you're close to that now. If you're bound and determined to get to 125, you might have to deal with hunger until you get used to it since your calories for that goal weight will be somewhat low even to maintain (although not as low as what you're eating now).
Last edited by lin43; 06-30-2011 at 06:07 PM.
Reason: Added something
I also have a cup of black coffee or black tea every now and again because I enjoy the taste and find that it also suppresses hunger. And it is something hot or cold to sip when I want something but have eaten my calories for the day. I also need to make sure I get in enough fats to feel fuller. Without enough healthy fat and protein, I don't feel satisfied. One other thing I do is go for walks in the evening when I'm most likely to snack. It suppresses hunger for me and relaxes me before bed. I also want to add that I recently started calorie zig zagging again which naturally allows higher and lower days. I find I'm less hungry for a couple days after a higher one.
Yeah, it's normal to be hungry. But not for too long. If you ate, say an hour or two ago and your tummy is growling, chew on some STRONG flavored gum for a while. It lowers your hunger levels. I guess the flavor mixing in with the saliva tricks your digestive system into thinking it has gotten food. It works for me great.
Are you often hungry?
