Today has been weird and hard. I got up and ultimately after coffee, bathroom and re-qeighing I was up .6 from yesterday. I am pretty sure it is because I drank less than one bottle of water yesterday.

I exercised for 21 minutes this morning outside in my backyard and in 80 degrees. I felt really good afterwards. Then I had my breakfast which wasn't my usual....I ate only watermelon. Anyway, I have felt hungry all day long and have been craving salt. I made some of my homemade salsa with bounty from our garden and then over several hours weighed out and ate 4 oz. of sea salt organic tortilla chips with the salsa. Just now I ate a Weight Watchers Angel Hair Marinara hoping it could satisfy and I finally have a satisfied/full feeling! I am at 1152 calories though and it isn't even 3:00.

Should I have eaten before exercising? I don't like eating breakfast too early because then I am hungry for lunch and dinner "too early." I know I can have snacks, but I often forget when I get busy with my day.

I am going to the pool in about 30 minutes and swimming always makes me hungry too. I really want to stay under 1700 today and I think I can do it. I am going to just keep drinking water and if I have to go to bed early I will.

This is why exercise scares me - I always feel famished and in danger of overeating. How do I get over this?!?!?

I think you're hungry because the foods you are eating aren't very satiating. Pasta, tortilla chips, watermelon - no real nutrition, no real fiber, no staying power = hunger. These foods may give you a *full* feeling initially, but it's not lasting. Where's the veggies, wheres the protein??

Hi Mary,
I agree with rockinrobin that you just need to be more particular about what you're eating.
You're doing great with your exercise. Don't give it up.
I believe that you definitely should eat before exercising. It's important. It doesn't have to be alot. And you should have a plan of what you will eat after you work out. You want to eat within the 1/2 -1 hour after working out to replenish depleted muscles.
I used to not eat for much too long. I can't get away with it anymore now that I'm over 40. Plus, it never made me lose weight.

There are tons of resources for better, slow burning fuels, but just off the top of my head.... whole grains are great and even grains and protein together.

Watermelon is basically water. In fact, it's also a diuretic. It's great for a warm afternoon!

I'm just getting started again. I did great last fall and lost 30, but have been eating the wrong things and gained back over 20. I'm digging my heels in and am determined to reduce.

Good luck to you. You are on the right track. Remember to drink you water and eat small, frequent meals. Then aim for fewer empty calories- like chips and pasta.

take care,
teresa
www.gooddaytodiet.com

Everytime you step on the scale it is just one moment in time. That number is effected by many things: water, food you ate, energy expended the last few days, hormones, bodily functions, and other biological influences. It is data. You can't expect your weight to go down every time you get on the scale - it just won't. Especially if you weigh every day.

Plan to eat healthy food after exercising.

Use your weight as data. Don't let it take over your emotions. It's just information that can help guide you.

Carry on!

You're right, today the food has totally been what I was craving. As far as veggies, I used fresh veggies from the garden to make my salsa - banana peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and garlic.

I am about to have boneless, skinless chicken breast for dinner along with steamed brocolli with a light cheese sauce.

I do normally have a hard time keeping my protein % over 20 - I know I need to cut down the carbs, but normally I am not feeling hungry like today - only every once in a while.

I did go to the pool and I treaded water/ran/jogged/did water resistance exercises for exactly 60 minutes - basically continuous movement of the forementioned. I ate a few grapes afterward and I just had another round of watermelon - it does beat the heat here in Texas! Probably a protein snack would have been better I guess. I am still learning!

your problem is the swimming. i love to swim. But it DOES make you very hungry afterwards. Fuel up on high protein/low carb after swimming snacks.

i also tend to feel more even throughout the day if i start the day with protien. so maybe experimenting with that could be helpful. sounds like you're doing lots of really fun active things for exercise, which is very cool.

I am sorry you're struggling today, I agree that a lack of protein and fluids may be the culprit. I actually have noticed I have markedly less energy and pep without a good 15-20 grams of protein at all major meals. It's remarkable how different I feel! And especially if you are working out, your muscles need FUEL. Even a fruit smoothie with protein powder will give you more energy to complete your workout than just watermelon.

I hope the rest of the day treats you more kindly