Eating when hungry and meeting nutritional needs page

[calexander82]

Let me start off with a brief history and current specs:

Male, 30 y.o.
5' 10"
175lbs

Workout
3 lifting sessions a week. Short, intense, and never longer than 45 minutes.
3 cardio interval sessions ranging from 12 to 30 minutes on non-lifting days.

Several years ago I was 315lbs and started my weight loss journey. Now I am down to 175lbs. I still have some fat on me that I want to lose (although it may just be loose skin). About four to five months ago I completely switched from SAD to being about 85% to 95% Paleo. I do enjoy the occasional Starbucks coffee with my wife on the weekend.

Here's my question, I have read from everyone that you should eat when you are hungry. Then I read that you need to meet your bodies caloric requirements. So which is it? If I eat when I am hungry it is quite possible that I will only get about 700 to 1200 calories in a given day. If I eat 3 meals and a snack on a day I will hit my caloric needs, but I may not even be hungry.

What is the best option especially for fat loss? i have also read that not meeting your bodies caloric needs will cause your body to store fat rather than burn it; which ultimately causes fat gain.

[MeatSleepRepeat]

My situation is opposite. If I only eat when I'm hungry, I'll eat 6000 calories a day, which I cannot justify with my activity level. I have to consciously eat less and less often. I'm not very good at that though...

Congrats on the weight loss! That's fantastic!

[calexander82]

If I went back to eating every three hours and lifting every single day like a bodybuilding I could easily ingest a ton of calories. I'm just wondering what is the best route. Do you just eat when you are hungry or do you need to eat the calories your bodies needs to function in a day?

[magicmerl]

Here's my question, I have read from everyone that you should eat when you are hungry. Then I read that you need to meet your bodies caloric requirements. So which is it? If I eat when I am hungry it is quite possible that I will only get about 700 to 1200 calories in a given day. If I eat 3 meals and a snack on a day I will hit my caloric needs, but I may not even be hungry.

What is the best option especially for fat loss? i have also read that not meeting your bodies caloric needs will cause your body to store fat rather than burn it; which ultimately causes fat gain.

When I first started primal I realised that I had never actually known what it meant to be hungry. Once I started to experiment with IF I got it more, but there were side effects with cold hands and mild depression. I'm currently reintroducing breakfast (I feel SO FULL in the mornings, but it's great to be warm again).

Find what works for you.

[Knifegill]

It's different for everyone. I choose to fully nourish my body and eat "massive" amounts of food, hitting most of my micronutrient needs on a regular basis. Sometimes it's 3000 calories, sometimes it's only 2500. I'm 5'9" and go from 170 to 180 depending on salt, etc. I can always see my abs now, though. So that makes my way of eating "maintenance" for the most part. For most active people, overeating (by some standards) is going to be a lot better than undereating. When in doubt, I stuff my face with fat.

Note that I usually fast at least 18-23 hours every day, and eat my 3000 calories in one cooking time every day before work. That makes a HUGE difference. And nothing worked until I increased my protein to about a pound a day, on average. But that's me. You're you. Try stuff until it works!

[otzi]

Let me guess, everybody says you look great, some even say you look too skinny. You constantly grab your belly and think "why can't I get rid of this flab?"

Be very glad you undertook this journey at 30 and didn't wait 10 years! You are doing great. At 5'10 and 175 for an active guy, you are fine from a height/weight perspective. How long have you been at 175? If you've been there for a year or so, you are probably ready to try some advanced fat-busting techniques, but if it is your lowest weight ever and you just got there, you should probably just 'keep on keepin' on' for a year or so.

I had a journey a lot like yours. I evolved into just eating when hungry and haven't counted calories in a long time. I eat lots of high nutrient foods like oysters, sardines, eggs, liver, bone broth, blue berries, etc... I tend not to snack ever, and just eat twice a day.

I think the body likes to account for nutrients and if it isn't seeing enough, it keeps you hungry and eating until it gets them--or in the case of cookies, cake, and soda pop--it keeps you eating until you are 315lbs and nearly dead.

You have done awesome, but loose skin is the danger of losing a lot of weight. You may need surgery to get rid of the loose skin, not that I would recommend it. Otherwise you just have to learn to live with it, and in time it will shrink.

[calexander82]

The only person that tells me I am "too skinny" is my mother. But you are right, I do look at my belly and wonder why I can't get rid of the flab. I have been at 172-175 for about a year now. Previously, I was doing about 30 minutes of cardio upon waking and another 30 after work each day and 4 lifting sessions a week. I started eating more paleo with the exception of oatmeal for breakfast and brown rice/whole wheat pasta/quinoa or sweet potatoes at several of the other meals. Eating essentially 6 to 8 times a day. I gave up sodas a long time ago. It's all water, some green tea and the occasional Starbucks coffee for a cheat.

Is it better to wait until you are hungry and eat a higher amount of calories at that meal? Do I need more fat in my diet? It's currently making up about 60 to 65% (ranging from 100g to 140g) of my calories. Should the protein go down? I'm taking in as low as 120g to as high as 225g depending on the day. The carbs are usually around 35 to 55g on non lifting days and about 85 to 100 on lifting days.

I do notice that I am hungry at breakfast, but not again until sometimes close to 2pm. There are days when I wake up and don't get hungry for a couple of hours.

[Knifegill]

Hard to say. I get 80% of my calories from fat many days, but not every day. And, yeah, I wait until I'm really hungry and then eat a solid day's worth of food. Usually.

[calexander82]

What are you eating to give you that much fat in your day to day meal(s)?

[Knifegill]

Who, me? Well, my coffee has 420 calories of coconut milk (Aroy-D), I often drink my tallow, and I also eat about three pounds of bacon per week. So on a bacon day where I drink the oil and have coffee, plus a few eggs and avocados, it's pretty easy to get up in the 80% range. More often, thanks to the high-protein portions of my food, I end up at more like 65% to 75% fat. It also helps (to nudge the fat percentage up) that I regularly incorporate a few zero carb days into my week, usually on bacon days.