Hit and miss calories

nikegrl688 · March 2013

So I use my MFP like its second nature now... I dont eat until I log it.

Some days, I go over my calories and still feel like I am hungry... Those are days I work out. I feel like I cannot get enough food.

Days I do not work out like today, I have not done anything but walking a little at work, I have 775 calories left and I dont feel like I am going to eat all of them... I am going to have to make an effort to eat them all when I am not hungry.

What gives?? Am I doing something wrong?

unchatenfrance · March 2013

Are you close to your goal? Try eating 15-20% under your TDEE rather than the MFP recommendation. Eat more fat and protein and less carbs - that will help with satiety, especially on workout days. If you still have a fair bit of weight to lose, then I can see your body not wanting you to eat much on off days since it's got fat it can burn off, and wanting more food post-workout since it has been burning fat. But bodies are weird sometimes. Especially female ones.

What do you do for your workouts? What is your pre- and post-workout food like? Maybe there is something that can be optimized there.

I'm the exact opposite though - on workout days I get to eat 2000+ calories and net 1700 (yipee!), which is awesome. But on rest days, eat only 1700 calories? Not happening.

entropicbeauty · March 2013

Your body may still be adjusting to your new routine...I'm actually the opposite - on days I work out I don't really have an appetite, but on my rest days I always seem to be hungrier than what my calories will allow me to eat for the day.

Listen to your body while also looking at your overall calorie intake each day. If you're consistently netting under 1200 or going over maintenance calorie levels that's not good and you'll want to take a closer look at the TYPES of foods you're eating (mabye the days you're eating over it's because you're not eating enough protein etc.)

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Thanks girls. I will look into my protein more.

On work out days, I have been walking, stretching, jump roping and doing ab work outs on my stability ball and this 10 minute work out video.
Non work out days, I will walk regardless cause the furbaby needs a walk but its nothing like work out days.

Pre work out, I have a bottle of water, a banana and a tbls of PB.
Post work out, I wait like an hour and have dinner with Fi... Its never more than one hour.

I start the gym tonight to see if I like it...

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Stage, For today I had mutil grain cherrios (1 cup) with 1 cup of 2% milk. I had a cheese stick at 10 and a 6in turkey sub with veggies, no condiments at 12... My afternoon snack is 1 rice cake and before my gym trip tonight, I will have a banana or a protein shake from the gym and after working out for dinner, I will have half a grilled chicken breast and 1 portion of brown rice.

It normally doesnt vary too much food wise...

unchatenfrance · March 2013

If you're used to a carb-heavy diet, your body gets used to running on digested carbs, not stored fat. Then if you don't feed it, the body starts going crazy because the glycogen has been depleted from the liver and there are no reinforcements coming. Do you need that pre-workout banana and peanut butter? I would suggest moving it to immediately post-workout.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Unchat, I work out after work at 5 ... about 3 hours after the last time I ate. Do I need to eat something before I work out?? I could skip it if I do not need it...

entropicbeauty · March 2013

@Nike - it sounds like you're not eating nearly enough on your workout days! If I ate what you described It wouldn't be enough for me even on a rest day.

unchatenfrance · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_hit-and-miss-calories?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dd565a92-f097-449c-95e8-2a6ecb1d5dfbPost:622db8e7-49a3-4a47-9987-39ba3cbbeb81">Re: Hit and miss calories</a>:
[QUOTE]Unchat, I work out after work at 5 ... about 3 hours after the last time I ate. Do I need to eat something before I work out?? I could skip it if I do not need it...
Posted by nikegrl688[/QUOTE]

<div>If you can work out on a relatively empty stomach, your body will burn fat as the liver will be fairly depleted of glycogen. If you eat that banana right before a workout, all you're doing is burning off the banana and then because your body is used to constant sugary refeeds, when it doesn't get it post-workout it gets cranky. I would try not eating anything 2 hours before a workout and then have the banana right after. That may help you with your hunger while keeping calories conservative.</div><div>
</div><div>That being said, it does sound like you're not eating enough, especially fat and protein. What are your typical macro ratios and grams like?</div>

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Entro
I normally exceed my cals oin work out days... I will add a snack in there at some point and I will have a little more with dinner maybe a carb veggies.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Unchat,
I do not know the ratios... sometimes I have to do quick adds because I like to do wheat qusidalls for dinner with cheese and fresh salsa too. I am not sure the ratios but I will pay more attention this week and see what it says on MFP

unchatenfrance · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_hit-and-miss-calories?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dd565a92-f097-449c-95e8-2a6ecb1d5dfbPost:ff57874f-1ce6-45a1-bdcb-166e259e9338">Re: Hit and miss calories</a>:
[QUOTE]Unchat, I do not know the ratios... sometimes I have to do quick adds because I like to do wheat qusidalls for dinner with cheese and fresh salsa too. I am not sure the ratios but I will pay more attention this week and see what it says on MFP
Posted by nikegrl688[/QUOTE]

<div>MFP should give you the ratio if you have the phone app. Try to balance out your macros as much as possible - get a fairly even amount of fat, protein, and carbs. It seems that you're eating a lot of quick-digesting carbs and those are just going through you on workout days. As you get closer to your goal, what you eat becomes just as important as how much you eat.</div>

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Kwith,
The days I work out, I go over in cals because I am hungry. I try drinking water, I weigh out the dicision based on what I am eating before I eat it and I try to fight the hunger... At some point normally, I will give in a have something healthy to feed my body but nothing too bad and nothing I shouldnt have. The other day, I had a half of a wheat tortilla with one serving of cheese after my dinner because I was hungry. It put me over 210 cals... But my stomach was growling and I had a headache.
Days I dont work out and I dont have enough cals, I will try to eat the cals I have been but thats when I make crappy decisions... Itstead of eating fruit and yogurt or veggies, I will have a slice of pizza or wine. Not because I am hungry but because I think I should be eating those cals and want to get rid of them with the least amount of food.

Yes, it is a terrible thing... I just dont get it.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Stage,

MFP gives me 1200 because I sit at a desk all day so im sedentary then if I work out, it will give me more.

As far as weight loss, I dont weigh myself... Number really messes with my head. I measure myself every two or three weeks and I have been losing inches...

unchatenfrance · March 2013

Don't force-feed yourself calories on your off days if you're not hungry. Also, is it possible that you are underestimating the calories you're burning from your workouts, therefore underestimating how much you need to eat on workout days? You shouldn't be constantly ravenous, even while eating to lose. If your dinner really is half a chicken breast and a portion of rice, no wonder you're starving. I think you need a) more calories, b) more fat and protein, and c) more nutritious sources of carbs - less grains and more fruits and vegetables.Rice is nutritionally neutral - not the worst thing you could eat, but there's also absolutely nothing in it to recommend it as a nutritious food. It's just a plain starch and there are not nutrients to benefit from by eating it. It's important to ask "why should I eat this?" as much as it's important to ask, "why shouldn't I eat this?" Avoid bad stuff, that's a no brainer. But don't eat empty "not bad" stuff, either.

unchatenfrance · March 2013

Also, use this calculator rather than MFP to calculate your calorie needs:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Eat a bit under your total daily expenditure. Don't aim to net around your BMR.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Kwith, I feel good for the most part... I like what I eat and I like the exercises. I am over all happy. I miss my coffee but that is something I am personally doing. Maybe when I get bored with this, I will try to move food around and up the cals when I hit the gym everyday.

Unchat, I get what you are saying. I added rice as a filler. My Fi will not eat veggies period end of conversation and I dont like to make it just for me... There is always too much and warmed up broccoli just does not taste good to me. I love it fresh, steamed but the next day, it does not taste good.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

No he doesnt eat them, I eat them. The just for ones are too much for me and I normally buy just raw instead of cooked ones but I dont like them as much.

unchatenfrance · March 2013

Stage took the words right out of my mouth. Buy a big bag of frozen no-brand broccoli and defrost and steam only one serving at a time. Or steam a bit more and reuse the leftover in tomorrow night's stirfry or something. Or find a vegetable that you are fine eating the next day.There are a million vegetables besides broccoli out there.

No wonder you're starving. Your body is sending you hunger signals for nutrients.

Not going to touch your FI's aversion to vegetables, but using his silliness to justify you not taking responsibility for your own health is not right.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Yes Kwith, your right. I find it harder to eat the veggies but I do eat veggies. I have salads all the time, I eat veggies like carrots and green peppers, cucumbers. I eat veggies... just not with dinner. I dont like cold food and hot food together so for dinner, I use rice instead or veggies because I dont like to cook the veggies just for me. I eat the raw stuff at work and sometimes in eggs for bfast. I will not ignore the hunger... Just trying to make sure I am not doing something that I should be doing.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

stage, I did mis write that.
I do eat veggies and I apologize for not writing that... I get them in there. Not as much as I should but I do eat them.

unchatenfrance · March 2013

I apologize for the misread too, but I still don't understand. You don't like hot and cold food together. Fine. Then why not saute or bake a few days' worth of vegetables and reheat those? I chop and saute a bunch of veggies and then toss them in the oven to let the juices reduce and the end result is almost a casserole-type dish, but it's just vegetables. It seems like you're unnecessarily restricting yourself to raw vegetables only, when in fact the bioavailability of nutrients in many vegetables - spinach, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. - improves with cooking. Not to mention it makes them easier to digest.

Also, things taste a million times better when reheated on the stovetop or in the oven than in the microwave.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

I do not like re heated veggies... I will buy a bag of steam fresh broccoli for example and I eat a portion of it and save it for the next day but it comes out soggy and I do not like the taste. I could buy other types but I like broccoli... I dont like a lot of veggies but I do eat them

Jessa617 · March 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_hit-and-miss-calories?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:dd565a92-f097-449c-95e8-2a6ecb1d5dfbPost:b927cd44-a088-4e3d-87d3-a05758812d35">Re: Hit and miss calories</a>:
[QUOTE]Stage, For today I had mutil grain cherrios (1 cup) with 1 cup of 2% milk. I had a cheese stick at 10 and a 6in turkey sub with veggies, no condiments at 12... My afternoon snack is 1 rice cake and before my gym trip tonight, I will have a banana or a protein shake from the gym and after working out for dinner, I will have half a grilled chicken breast and 1 portion of brown rice. It normally doesnt vary too much food wise...
Posted by nikegrl688[/QUOTE]

Sometimes your body gets used to what you are eating. Switch up your diet a little bit. If you are eating the same things everyday weight loss will be that much harder. Also, I wouldn't go more than 2 hours prior to a workout without some kind of snack and you should eat within 45 minutes post workout (whether it's another snack or dinner).

manjermj · March 2013

Instead of eating cereal for breakfast try eating some eggs - the whole egg, not just the whites. Just about every morning, I eat 3 whole eggs fried or scrambled with some olive oil and that keeps me full until lunch time. And mix it up, sometimes I sautee a bunch of veggies and throw in 1 egg and it's just as good.

J&K10910 · March 2013

They make single serving steamer veggies. You can also get the big bags and just steam a portion at a time.

I also think you need to look at your protein and fat. It doesn't sound like you're getting nearly enough.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

Jess, Thanks for the advice. I will look into maybe switching up a few meals a week and find some other alternatives.
Manj, I will try some eggs in the morning. I love eggs with veggies so I will make that and see it if gets me till lunch! Thanks.. .Sounds delicious.
J & K, I have never seen the single serve of veggie steamers that did not have butter sauce of cheese all over it which I will not eat. I will look again this weekend because I know I need to be eating more veggies. I have been tracking everything to the best of my ability to I can look at fat and protein ratios.

Thank you all for the help

J&K10910 · March 2013

Ugh, I feel your pain with the ones with butter sauce or cheese all over them. I wish they'd cut that crap out. Birdseye does super sweet corn without sauce and peas as well (I don't normally care for peas, but I actually like these).

Also, in my grocery aisle, there are bags of fresh, cut veggies that you can steam in the bag. There are a few different blends (I Like the carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower blend). It's about two servings worth for me, but you can totally open the bag, take half the veggies for a lunch, and then steam the other half for dinner that day or the next.

nikegrl688 · March 2013

J & K, I will check this weekend. I do not like cailiflower or cooked carrots but I will look again. If I can split the bag up, I think that would work for me. I only ever bought the stream fresh were is steams in the the bag so I do not get to portion it out. I get a whole bag or nothing.

Good suggestion. Thank you

J&K10910 · March 2013

Mine has all sorts: snow peas, broccoli, the ones I mentioned, edamame ( guess that's not really a veggie, but it's there), and some other stuff. I think the brand is Fresh Express and it's by the bagged salad and precut fresh fruit and salsa and such. Good luck!

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