Fat Loss I - eating question

[Eternal Beginner]

Currently in the middle of Fat Loss I. I love the workouts.

On my off days, I eat well .... but on days I work out I find that abour 3-5 hours after my workouts I feel ravenous. No matter what I eat, I'm still hungry.

Any suggestions ??

[Spartan300Man]

Are you eating right after your workout? If not, you should, it is a good time to replace the carbs and proteins and get reloaded for the next time. Also, a good tip for Fat Loss is to eat every 3 hours or so, about 5-6 meal a day (smaller meals) instead of 2-3 big meals. Plenty of studies that show that the 5-6 meal plan keeps your metabolism up and keeps the energy consistent. What are you eating? I have found that eating lots of veggies help keep me full, as does eating seeds and nuts like almonds.
You need to get a clear idea of what your calorie intake should be, and then use one of those online tools that help you determine how many calories you are actually eating. A vast majority of people don't really know, their guesses are way off. Without knowing your stats, it is hard to say what is going on.

[Peaches6311]

I have struggled with this for years. What Spartan300Man said is a good start. Make sure you are eating throughout the day small healthy meals with a protein and a veggie/fruit in all of them. Take something with you to the gym (I do protein shake) so that you don't have to wait until you get home.

What I ultimately had to do is to lower my food on non-lifting days to make up for the extra calories that I can't stop myself from consuming on lifting days. So instead of a daily amount of calories, I look at it as a weekly average.

I am no expert on weight loss (I suck at it) but this does help me to deal with the desire to chew my arm off because I am so hungry after lifting. I just recognize it as a reality and try to make up for it in other ways.

[elemnopee]

If you are ravenous, then you calorie deficit may be too high. Can you give use your stats?

Height/Weight/BMR

Tell us how many calories you eat. Are you using fitday or another site to track your calorie consumpiton?

How many of your calories are from protein? fat? carbs?

[Spartan300Man]

good points, there are smart people on this forum!
I forgot to mention, at least for guys, this is my opinion, that a 500 calorie deficit is about as low as you should go. If you exercise above and beyond to get a higher spread in calories in/calories out, that is OK, but don't go so low on calories in that you are not supplying your body with what it needs to properly function and maintain muscle and sanity.
In other words, some people try to cut their calories down to almost nothing, which is plain dumb. Then they have no energy, they starve their organs, muscles and brain. Instead, find out what a healthy calorie intake would be for a person of your size/sex/etc, and then consume a deficit of no more than 500 of that recommended minimum. You can then expend more calories to make the gap larger between in/out.

[jbb]

Lifting doesn't make me that ravenous, but adding running does. For me, some milk helps satisfy my hunger and cravings. A handful of nuts also works pretty well. Try some different foods to see what works for you. It may be milk or nuts or v8 juice or veggies and hummus or low-fat cheese or whatever works for you without adding too many calories to derail your fat loss goals.

Also, as someone said, eating a good amount of protein and some carbs right after a workout is a good idea. There is a short window right after a workout when your body will process the nutrients and replenish your glycogen stores efficiently. It will also help you gain, or at least maintain, muscle mass. Most folks recommend something within 30 minutes and then again after about 2 hours. When I do a lifting workout at lunchtime I follow it with a protein shake and a healthy lunch. The protein shake adds calories, but it adds them at the right time. Fat loss is really about a calorie deficit, but I personally think that the timing of the calories also matters.

For me, cutting most sugar out of my diet also reduced mid-afternoon and evening cravings, and when I do get those cravings for carbs or chocolate some milk usually satisfies me. I'm guessing it's the lactose in the milk that satisfies the craving.

[Eternal Beginner]

Thanks for the responses.

I'm 5'6, 168. I don't actually mind my weight at the moment, but would just like to shift 10-15 lbs. from around the midsection to thighs, shoulders, chest etc.

I don't count my calories, but have been stable at this weight for about a year now, with some excercise, but generally sporadic.

I almost aways eat or drink a protein shake within 45 minutes of a workout.

One of my other challenges is my unusual work schedule that can throw eating habits a bit out of whack:

Easiest way to describe the schedule is a quick example:

Mon - 5am - 5pm
Tue - 5am - 5pm
Wed - off
Thur - off
Fri - 5pm - 5am
Sat - 5pm - 5am
Sun - 5pm - 5am
Mon - off
Tue - off
Wed - 5am - 5pm
Thurs- 5am - 5pm
Fri - off
Sat - off
Sun - off

etc.
etc.

[LisaS]

Do you match your workouts with your work schedule (e.g. always workout on a working day or always workout on a non-working day)?

[Eternal Beginner]

Ideally I workout of days that I have off, but that"s not always the case.

As I get further into it, my cravings on workout days have begun to drop slightly, so that's a plus.