calories

[kariev34]

how many cals do you all eat to lean out a bit? i've been trying to eat about 1500-1600cals but have been so darn hungry that i have been getting up in the middle of the night to eat something. Do you think you could lose weight on 1800? I workout 6 days per week, 3 lifting 3 cardio. I'm 5'3 and weight 120 but would love to get down to about 115. I HATE being hungry. Also, do you think that meal frequency is as important as the so called "experts" say?

[twinnett]

Your maitenance is around 1800, so you could lean out on slightly less than that, especially if you're active.

To be honest, I don't think that eating every 3.2458 hrs ;) is quite as necessary as others say..there have been studies that show that 4 meals can be just as effective than 6..whatever works for you!! Some people even do the intermittant fasting

[ms_proteinshake]

If your really starving all the time, you are probably eating way to little for your needs. I think those calculators are a 'guideline' Everyones metabolism is different. If I were you, I would eat until satisfied, but not full. Make your last 2 meals more protein/veggies. Write it all down, but don't calorie count for a week....listen to your body and your hunger. Fill yourself up with more veggies/greens. Then hit the scale after a week and see what happens. You can still lose weight and not be starving!

As for meal frequency---YES, very important. Eating every 3 hours or so.

[freebirdmac]

Are you getting good fats in your diet? Whole food sources of protein? Complex carbs?

I agree, hunger sucks. But you shouldn't be hungry all the time and having it wake you up.

[Tiffany_P]

Meal frequency is not important, no. And yes, I bet you could lose weight on 1800 if your workouts are intense and you're not just sitting on your butt the rest of the time. You certainly wouldn't gain weight anyway. Why not give it a try for a week and see what happens?

[kimm4]

how many cals do you all eat to lean out a bit? i've been trying to eat about 1500-1600cals but have been so darn hungry that i have been getting up in the middle of the night to eat something. Do you think you could lose weight on 1800? I workout 6 days per week, 3 lifting 3 cardio. I'm 5'3 and weight 120 but would love to get down to about 115. I HATE being hungry. Also, do you think that meal frequency is as important as the so called "experts" say?

Honestly based on your stats maintenance for you is around 1900 calories...so no 1800 will not work for you. 1500 calories is where you should be at to lose those last few lbs. When on a deficit you will feel hungry, but the feeling should pass. If a person is starving all the time and feels like death...then you need to take a closer look at your diet. I'm guessing your healthy fats are too low and need to be increased...this is usually where the problem lies...

Post your daily eating plan and maybe we can find the problem.

[kariev34]

this is what i typically eat during the day:

meal 1: 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup egg whites, 2 kashi waffles (i make it into an egg sandwich)

meal 2: 1 container of fat free ***e yogurt (100cals), 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter

meal 3: large green salad with 4 oz grilled chicken, 1 Tbsp slivered almonds, vinegar, 1 medium apple

meal 4: same as meal 2

meal 5: same as meal 3 but i use a different protein (lean beef, pork, fish) and don't eat the apple i put in 1/2 hass avocado

meal 6: 1 cup fat free cottage cheese with 1/2 Tbsp natural peanut butter

I drink about a gallon of water through the day. My salads contain romaine lettuce, spinach, yellow peppers, onion, cucumber, celery, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, and brocholi
I like all the foods i eat and think that my fats and proteins look ok. What do you think?

[kimm4]

Looks like you're getting enough carbs in the waffles, yogurt, apple, cottage cheese, even the pb and avocado...could be the sugars in these which can cause more cravings.

What's the breakdown in grams of protein, carbs and fats?

Meal #2 and #4 don't have enough protein...

How long are your cardio sessions?

[kariev34]

Looks like you're getting enough carbs in the waffles, yogurt, apple, cottage cheese, even the pb and avocado...could be the sugars in these which can cause more cravings.

What's the breakdown in grams of protein, carbs and fats?

Meal #2 and #4 don't have enough protein...

How long are your cardio sessions?

Comes out to roughly 1456cals, 140grams of carbs, 150grams of protein, 45 grams of fat and 28 grams of fiber. Though i don't enter in all the veggies as i only have like a couple of slices of things when i make my salads. As far as meal 2 and 4, the ***e yogurt contains 20 grams of protein. This isn't enough? I mix up my cardio sessions, sometimes its steady state for 45 minutes, sometimes its 20-30 minutes of intense intervals.

[freebirdmac]

I'd do oatmeal instead of the Kashi waffles, sub sweet potatoes for the salads, and swap a banana for the apple. I'd also drop the yogurt and eat 6oz of protein in meal 5.

[kariev34]

thanks ladies for the suggestions. one last one, how do you ladies handle hunger?

[kimm4]

Comes out to roughly 1456cals, 140grams of carbs, 150grams of protein, 45 grams of fat and 28 grams of fiber. Though i don't enter in all the veggies as i only have like a couple of slices of things when i make my salads. As far as meal 2 and 4, the ***e yogurt contains 20 grams of protein. This isn't enough? I mix up my cardio sessions, sometimes its steady state for 45 minutes, sometimes its 20-30 minutes of intense intervals.

I think the hunger is being caused by the types/amount of carbs...which is causing you to crave more. Your body doesn't need that many. I would switch up my numbers to 168 g protein, 112 g carbs and 41 g healthy fats.

[Amanda76]

I agree that you need to get rid of as many carbs from sugar as possible. Getting rid of the things Kimm mentioned (especially the waffles, yogurt and fruit) and replacing the carb calories with simple complex carbs (oats, brown rice or sweet potato) will likely help. Everyone will be different but I personally start having problems getting by without three 1/2 cup servings (or so...can be split into 1/4 cup servings most of the day if I eat a larger 1/2 cup serving pre-workout) throughout the day. Those are the first carbs I make room for in my diet. If I have room beyond that, that's when I can decide to expand upon my fruit and veggie selection (at least have a fibrous green veggie with EVERY meal...that will also help with satiety).

With your cals needing to remain low, remember you have the option of getting your fats from a variety of oils to get rid of some of the carbs that come with the fats you are currently consuming (again, making more room for complex carbs). Doesn't mean you can ONLY use oil, but it might be easier to have room for complex carbs if you replace your peanut servings with walnut oil or something.

Like Freebird said, replace the protein in your greek yogurt by eating something a bit more difficult to break down. Chicken or tuna would be great.