Balancing hunger and goals

[jmac66]

I'm still pretty new to the bodybuilding lifestyle, and love the changes I see and feel with my body. But I'm having a problem that, in the past when I did primarily aerobic exercise, I've not had before.

I'm always hungry. I mean, always. I'm doing well keeping to a healthy nutrition plan with no more than one cheat meal / snack per week, and what I do eat I eat alot of. Like today: I woke up at 4 as usual, got on the computer to talk to my wife back home and had a shake with one scoop of Lean Mass and NO Vapor pre-w/o. Worked out at 5:45, then immediately had a meal replacement shake. An hour later I had a 6 egg white omlet with turkey sausage, lots of veggies, some cheese, a cup of oatmeal with about a half a cup of strawberries mixed in. It's about 90 minutes later and I'm starving!

So, I guess I'm asking if this is common. I'm wanting to add lean mass, though in the short term I want to drop one more inch from my waist in the next 6-8 weeks before I come home from deployment to see my wife (I've dropped 4 1/2 inches since the last time she saw me in November). But as hard as I'm working at adding lean mass, I don't want to resort to tons of cardio for one goal and possibly hinder the other.

Any ideas?

[PopeGregorius]

Hunger is often caused by fluctuating blood sugar eg low blood sugar, which gets worse as you age. "Rebound hunger" occurs 1-2 hours after a big meal & can make you sleepy. Solution - eat smaller meals more often.

[thruxton]

so you are starting the day with 62g of carbs and have yet to eat any real food. that's a lot of insulin release to take into the gym with you and i think you are asking for belly trouble.

meal replacement PWO is not ideal either as it is not targeted with carbs and protein to refuel.

but then, at last, you follow up with real food except you toss out the protein and vitamins of 6 perfectly good eggs?? it's an amazing myth that goes on but eggs are one of the 150 perfect foods and you should eat the whole thing.

so, what i would do different: how about you just eat all those eggs and enjoy some strawberries when you wake up. do your workout and have some raisins and 2 scoops of a whey shake PWO.

follow that up, as you do, with food that contains about 20g of protein; i've had good luck following the idea of doing this every 3 hours. 3/4 cup cottage cheese with carrrot sticks for example.

drop all oats and bread. get your carbs from veggies and allow some fruit.

you won't need to do a ton of cardio. following each lifting session, hit the treadmill for 10 minutes @ 70%. or HIIT of choice, say 15/45 x 10.

transformation does not require hunger. in other words, dropping BF% but if i am reading your post correctly, it sounds like you want to drop mass and that will require a caloric deficit and some hunger. eating enough protein, though, will not only help maintain muscle mass but also help with satiety.

my .02

good luck! i know you can do it!!

[Marius_Ursus]

Hunger is just an electrical signal triggered by hormones.

Control your brain, control hunger.

[BuckSpin]

Is it "my stomach is growling" hunger or "my body is screaming to be fed" hunger? If the 1st, ignore it or appease it with some water or some almonds, etc. If the 2nd, EAT!!!!!!!!!

[jmac66]

Thanks for the input. To clear a couple things up: I'm deployed in Afghanistan and, though the chow hall (DFAC) is good, they don't have fresh food available 24/7. The pre w/o meal is only one scoop of the True Mass, not one serving which would be three scoops, plus the NO Vapor. So it's much less than 62 grams of carbs pre w/o...more like around 30. The rationale behind the meal replacement post w/o was to take advantage of the anabolic window immediately post w/o with some simple carbs and about 40 grams of protein.

I eat the whites instead of the whole egg because I have a family history of hypercholestrolemia and, as a medical provider, I want to respect that family history and limit my cholestrol intake as much as is reasonable.

Throughout the day I eat every 2-3 hours, to include a protein only snack at bedtime...either some turkey or a scoop of whey in water.

I'm getting stronger every week and, though I have no way to reliably measure bf% here, I believe I'm putting on some lean mass while losing bf. I know this is a very long term project...that's kind of the idea, right? Lifestyle, not just "getting in shape".

Thanks again for the input!

[thruxton]

...

I eat the whites instead of the whole egg because I have a family history of hypercholestrolemia and, as a medical provider, I want to respect that family history and limit my cholestrol intake as much as is reasonable....

Throughout the day I eat every 2-3 hours, to include a protein only snack at bedtime...either some turkey or a scoop of whey in water.

that's perhaps quite valid (most people who get into egg whites have no clue what they are throwing out and that the egg whites by themselves actually spike your sugar and then can cause a crash) but have you actually measured YOUR numbers?

from your response, it seems like you are doing all the smart things and yet you are always hungry. do you think you are getting enough fat? or just under-eating in general?

[jmac66]

My cholestrol is thankfully quite low.

Total chol: 145
HDL: 45
LDL: 82
Triglycerides: 82

As for your comment as to if I'm getting enough fat, I'd have to say yes, though not always the right kinds. I'm kind of a captive audience when it comes to the food selection offered here on deployment. Luckily our DFAC serves some pretty healthy meals, but there are times then there's no healthy choices offered.

Thanks

[sallythatgirl]

This is a really big myth from studies conducted in the 60's and 70's...please eat your yolks!

(Here I copied this for you...there is plenty of reputable sources that will debunk this common myth.)


Just how healthy are eggs?It's time to break a few misconceptions about eggs, say scientists at the University of Surrey. Many people think they're responsible for causing high cholesterol and consequently heart disease, but the evidence doesn't bear that out.



Why do people think eggs are bad for them?
A high level of "bad" cholesterol is linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Bad cholesterol is involved in forming atheroma, the fatty deposit that builds up inside arteries when people have heart disease. Millions of people are trying to reduce their cholesterol level and may be avoiding eggs because they know that they contain dietary cholesterol. Eggs, along with liver, kidneys and prawns, are higher in dietary cholesterol than other foods.



But isn't it a good thing to cut out eggs if they contain cholesterol?
No - it's not necessary, and by cutting out or severely limiting egg consumption, we are missing out on lots of quality nutrients.


How do we know all this?
A research team from the University of Surrey analysed several studies of egg nutrition and found that limiting egg consumption actually had little effect on blood cholesterol levels. They also found that the misconception that you should limit egg intake to three a week was widespread.

Professor Bruce Griffin of Surrey University says: "The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat - indeed, they can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature's most nutritionally dense foods."



But how can this be the case if they are high in dietary cholesterol?
It's all to do with what causes high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a fat made by the liver from the saturated fat that we eat. So most cholesterol comes from the fat we eat, not in ready-made form from other foods. Professor Griffin says: "The amount of saturated fat in our diet exerts an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of dietary cholesterol."

Scottish registered dietician Lorraine McCreary, who has worked with many cardiac patients, is keen to dispel the myth. She says: "Eggs are good, eaten in reasonable quantities - even for cardiac patients."



So if you want to cut down on cholesterol, what should you do?
You should reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat. This could be in meat and processed meat products such as sausages and pies, but it also comes from dairy products such as full-fat milk, butter and hard cheese, and baked goods such as biscuits and cakes. The Food Standards Agency also advises that it is wise to up your intake of fresh fruit, veg and fibre-rich foods like oats and pulses. Remember, too, that not all cholesterol is the same. Some is transported around the body as LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or "bad" cholesterol, which contributes to atheroma build-up. The rest is HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or "good" cholesterol, which helps prevent those fatty build-ups. Having a total cholesterol level that's too high increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, as does having a high level of LDL. Being overweight and lack of exercise may increase LDL and decrease HDL; family history, age and sex also influence cholesterol levels.



So what makes eggs so good for us?
They're not only a source of quality protein, but they provide iodine (which helps make thyroid hormones) and vitamins such as D and B2. Obviously, they're less good if you go frying them in lard.

[chodan9]

with those numbers you sound like your in good shape as far as your lipids ( although you would know that much more than I.
I would consider not taking an all or nothing approach to egg yolks.
Sure you might not want to eat all 6 yolks but you coould keep one or 2 in.
The little bit of added fat my help keep you satiated a bit longer, plus a little is good for you.