OK so let’s assume myfitnesspal told me that my net caloric intake for the day should be 2000 (nice round number used as an example) in order for me to achieve a specific (and realistic) weight loss goal.
Let’s say that in the first two weeks fitting into that caloric intake number was hard and I would go to bed each day slightly hungry. On days when I went for a run I absolutely HAD to eat back the calories burned or else I would feel lightheaded and ravenous
Then three weeks passed and I lost 3lbs and now I find that on days when I run I don’t feel as ravenous and I am OK if I don’t eat back half of the calories burned. Should I be eating these calories back anyway? Goal is a healthy and steady weight loss (to drive down body fat %) and to increase muscle strength.
For me, if i don’t go to bed hungry and wake up hungry (at least a little), then I am not losing.
For me, if i don’t go to bed hungry and wake up hungry (at least a little), then I am not losing.
X2 Bingo …that’s the secret to weight loss success
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But what if you eat ALL your calories and meals by 5pm then you have hit your daily intake but still may feel hungry if you go to bed at midnight…what I am saying is that hunger before bed is not indicative of a caloric deficit, is it?
But what if you eat ALL your calories and meals by 5pm then you have hit your daily intake but still may feel hungry if you go to bed at midnight…what I am saying is that hunger before bed is not indicative of a caloric deficit, is it?
Yes and no… some food (vegetables, nuts) will promote a sense of fullness, while other (mostly sugar) will tend to make you hungrier. Calories for calories, you will feel more full by eating a vegetable than a cookie.
I usually have a few almonds or other nuts in the evening to calm the hunger, if any.
Yes and no… some food (vegetables, nuts) will promote a sense of fullness, while other (mostly sugar) will tend to make you hungrier. Calories for calories, you will feel more full by eating a vegetable than a cookie.
I usually have a few almonds or other nuts in the evening to calm the hunger, if any.
You’d have to eat a shit ton of veggies to reach a 200 cal cookie
You’d have to eat a shit ton of veggies to reach a 200 cal cookie
My trick when starving is egg whites salsa and ton of veggies. You could eat a mountain of that and barely make it to 400 or 500 calories. I think I would have to vomit to reach 500 cals.
Helps, but i can still eat all that and crave a snickers afterward.
OK so let’s assume myfitnesspal told me that my net caloric intake for the day should be 2000 (nice round number used as an example) in order for me to achieve a specific (and realistic) weight loss goal.
Let’s say that in the first two weeks fitting into that caloric intake number was hard and I would go to bed each day slightly hungry. On days when I went for a run I absolutely HAD to eat back the calories burned or else I would feel lightheaded and ravenous
Then three weeks passed and I lost 3lbs and now I find that on days when I run I don’t feel as ravenous and I am OK if I don’t eat back half of the calories burned. Should I be eating these calories back anyway? Goal is a healthy and steady weight loss (to drive down body fat %) and to increase muscle strength.
Your goal of healthy and steady weight loss while building strength is perfect. You have the right frame of mind. You do not want to drop too low on your overall kilocalories or you sacrifice performance during training. 3 lbs in three weeks is steady weight loss in the safe and sustainable range. However, it sounds as if you are not adequately spacing out your calorie intake. See more below
But what if you eat ALL your calories and meals by 5pm then you have hit your daily intake but still may feel hungry if you go to bed at midnight…what I am saying is that hunger before bed is not indicative of a caloric deficit, is it?
Hunger is not necessarily indicative of a kilocalorie deficit. As I mentioned above, it sounds like you are not adequately portioning out your meals and snacks if you are out of kilocalories by 5pm and you are not going to bed until midnight. When discussing nutrition with clients or other athletes the first place I always look is vegetable and fruit intake. I do this because vegetables and fruits are nutrient dense foods (meaning they provide large amounts of vitamins, minerals with little kilocalories). Whenever you have a meal (Ideally with a protein, fat, and carbohydrate source) make sure half the meal is vegetables/fruits on the plate. Similarly, whenever you are having a snack, have some vegetables/fruit with the snack as well. Doing so will help to trigger satiation (innate signal to stop the meal) due to amount eaten and give you more vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Plus the protein and fat will help with satiety (the feeling of fullness between meals)
Contrary to popular belief, satiation and satiety are not linked to kilocalorie intake. Satiation is linked to amount of food consumed. People tend to eat the same amount of food (I say tend because things like social situations, lighting, inebriation, etc. can affect amount eaten if not conscious of this). That is why in todays culture of low nutrient dense foods (high in kilocalories, low in vitamins, minerals) people gain so much weight. They eat the same amount they would eating portions of high nutrient dense foods and end up consuming more kilocalories less vitamins, minerals, etc. don’t exercise, and end up gaining weight.
So make sure to add fruits and vegetables to your diet if you don’t already. If you do consume them already more than likely, as with most people, you should add more. Also try to better portion out calories for the day.
Yes and no… some food (vegetables, nuts) will promote a sense of fullness, while other (mostly sugar) will tend to make you hungrier. Calories for calories, you will feel more full by eating a vegetable than a cookie.
I usually have a few almonds or other nuts in the evening to calm the hunger, if any.
You’d have to eat a shit ton of veggies to reach a 200 cal cookie
That was an example… I just meant that you might eat the same amount of calories in two different ways, but have a much different feeling of fullness at the end of the day.
Yes and no… some food (vegetables, nuts) will promote a sense of fullness, while other (mostly sugar) will tend to make you hungrier. Calories for calories, you will feel more full by eating a vegetable than a cookie.
I usually have a few almonds or other nuts in the evening to calm the hunger, if any.
You’d have to eat a shit ton of veggies to reach a 200 cal cookie
This, I often hear that a snickers bar fills me up better than veggies……you know those boxes of spinach (the big ones) You need two of those to equal a snickers bar in terms of Calories….I’ve thrown the challenge out there….to see how “full” you would feel after two boxes of spinach.
No takers yet 
Maurice
This, I often hear that a snickers bar fills me up better than veggies……you know those boxes of spinach (the big ones) You need two of those to equal a snickers bar in terms of Calories….I’ve thrown the challenge out there….to see how “full” you would feel after two boxes of spinach.
No takers yet
Maurice
It is probably because they have an appetite vs hunger. Appetite is a psychological craving for a particular food stuff. Hunger is the physiological need for food. Many people do not know the difference or even how to listen to their body’s internal signals of hunger, satiation, and satiety. Appetite tends to rule for many people.
Satiation and satiety have nothing to do with kilocalories. In the case of snickers vs. spinach, both have low satiety values (feeling of fullness between meals). That said, when it comes to satiation (trigger to stop a meal) two boxes of spinach would trigger satiation while a snickers bar would not. Satiation has to do with the volume of food that you eat. Nothing to do with kilocalories. Satiety depends on the macronutrient distribution of the food source. Fats, proteins and fibrous foods have a higher satiety value than simple carbohydrates.
For me, if i don’t go to bed hungry and wake up hungry (at least a little), then I am not losing.
X2 Bingo …that’s the secret to weight loss success
X3
Sweat twice a day, try to eat more plants(with some exceptions, I don’t count starchy things or flour products), try to eat a little ‘cleaner’/‘more raw’, go to bed a bit hungry. ~100+ lbs lost this year.
For myself and a lot of my fit, lean friends, not eating before bed is important. I usually set an eating deadline for the day. Say, nothing caloric past 6 or 7 pm.
This is really hard for a few days – kind of like going through withdrawl (and that’s sort of what’s actually happening on some level). Then it gets easier and easier. I begin to feel tired more naturally, fall asleep more easily, and wake up feeling awake (not groggy) and hungry. Overall I feel healthier.
If I am trying to cut weight, I couple this with a morning workout before eating calories. I have a black coffee or two and water, and then run for 30-60 minutes before breakfast. Forget the idea of “jumpstarting your metabolism” with breakfast – that’s a myth. A fasted run with black coffee gets the metabolism going just fine.
The pounds melt off quickly with this plan, especially when combined with healthy eating, or with the occasional double workout. If I am hungry between my eating deadline and midnight, I drink water or calorie free juice (not soda). This late night hunger goes away after a few days – you just have to push yourself through it.
A challenge??? I like challenges! I will do it!!!
Have a look at you expenditure during an ultra http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/1/209
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Well, personally I feel most well “satiated” by a couple of cheeseburgers, bratwursts, and/or chili cheese dogs. And i would never go to bed hungry but rather save some portion of my daily caloric intake for a meal a few hrs before going to bed.
Yes and no… some food (vegetables, nuts) will promote a sense of fullness, while other (mostly sugar) will tend to make you hungrier. Calories for calories, you will feel more full by eating a vegetable than a cookie.
I usually have a few almonds or other nuts in the evening to calm the hunger, if any.
You’d have to eat a shit ton of veggies to reach a 200 cal cookie
This, I often hear that a snickers bar fills me up better than veggies……you know those boxes of spinach (the big ones) You need two of those to equal a snickers bar in terms of Calories….I’ve thrown the challenge out there….to see how “full” you would feel after two boxes of spinach.
No takers yet
Maurice
That’s b/c most people could not stand to eat even one big box of spinach unless it is well cooked, chopped up, and mixed with a good cheese sauce:)
I’ve kept the same type of nutrition/meal schedule as I used in my days of competitive lifting and bodybuilding when I had to lean out to make my weight class, which was common to break down the main meals into small frequent meals. When I competed I ate 8 times a day and now out of competition I eat at least 6 times a day. What was common to many of that had to lean out for bodybuilding and to be able to sleep a bit better through the night was to eat a cup of low fat cottage cheese or in current day I eat a low carb Greek yogurt at 9 pm and I get in bed at 10. My dinner is at 7 pm just after doing intervals on the bike. Being that I finish training at 7 I am already feeling a little empty by the time I get in bed and yet the cup of yogurt will help me sleep through the night. I am a hungry when I wake, but go to the gym without eating. Lately I’ve been mixing Benefiber into my bottle. It mixes without any grit and I can tell it satisfies that hunger pang until I get to my first morning meal.
As others stated you can take your allowed calories and just spread them out evenly through the day and reserve a little room to have a snack before bed.
The type of exercise that you’ve done is also worthy of consideration. You should only really aim to replace the calories that were burned as a result of using carbs as fuel. Any that were burned using fats don’t necessarily need to be replaced.
After a fast session with a larger anaerobic element (hard hour on the turbo trainer for example) I tend to re-eat ~75% of the calories burned (extra to what I would have eaten anyway. After a long steady ride I re-eat less than half as extras.
Should I be eating these calories back anyway?
My preference is to eat the calories back before/during the workout (therefore fueling my workout better).
And if I’m at a huge deficit at the end of the day, I’ll eat some food closer to bedtime that will help to promote better sleep (eg a bowl of oatmeal). I know it’s not fashionable to eat carbs at night, but it really helps you sleep better, and better sleep help with weight loss.