What am I doing wrong when it comes to exercising?

[ironpony]

I've been exercising a more lately to be healthier and loose weight.  However, I find that the more I exercise, I keep getting hungrier, and it's hard to keep going without a little snack every hour or so if I exercise for say 2 or more hours in the day.  But I feel like this defeats the purpose, cause I am trying to loose weight, and not eat more in a day.  Unless this is normal?

[Angelle]

You're burning more calories (what you've had to eat and drink), so it sounds normal to me. When I was working out regularly, I would wake up feeling hungry. I would also run to get something to eat, when I was doing my own workouts starting with cardio, followed by weight work. As soon as I finished cardio, I'd be starving. 

[Ellener]

It's not how often you eat but what you eat and how much. And how it's served, for example salad can be super-healthy or heavy in calories all depending on the dressing and added ingredients.

I don't eat processed foods because they seem to mess up my body's awareness of whether I'm hungry or not.

Drink plenty of water too.

[Alpacalia]

I'm no expert but I think it's fairly normal.  Exercise stimulates appetite and your body goes through a complex process following a long workout and dehydrates your body.

I find when I am in a calorie deficit and eat the right foods I am less hungry regardless of how much I work out.

What is your diet like overall?  Because that is equally, if not, most important.

What do you eat pre-work out?  Following a 2 hour work out you should be incorporating a recovery snack of some sort anyway (i.e. complex carb, proteins, etc.).

Eating high-fiber foods will also make you feel fuller for longer.

As long as you are within a calorie deficit based on your weight goals you should be fine.

[Fletch Lives]

Exercising burns calories so your body wants to eat to replace them. 

If you are trying to lose weight, going hungry once in a while is what you may have to do.

I control my weight by skipping lunch most days. I feel hungry on and off for awhile before dinner. No pain, no gain.

[ironpony]

5 hours ago, Fletch Lives said:

Exercising burns calories so your body wants to eat to replace them. 

If you are trying to lose weight, going hungry once in a while is what you may have to do.

I control my weight by skipping lunch most days. I feel hungry on and off for awhile before dinner. No pain, no gain.

Oh okay  Lately I have been skipping breakfast instead of lunch, as when I get too lunch I just find it tougher then.  But so far I get hungry after doing cardio exercises, even though it's only been like an hour after my last meal.

[basil67]

And I bet you're hungry for carbs.   Eat a banana.  Or make some protein balls for the post workout snack.

[Ruby Slippers]

It's natural to feel hungrier when you're working out more, especially when you first begin increasing the exercise. Weight loss is all about creating a calorie deficit consistently over time.

Download the free MyFitnessPal app, put in your info and goals, and it'll tell you exactly how many calories you should be consuming to reach your goal. So if your daily calorie goal is 1,800, you can eat 1,800 calories and do no exercise, or you can eat 2,200 calories and burn off 300 calories for a net result of 1,800 calories, or whatever works for you. Log everything you eat and your workouts and the app tracks all this.

I've lost 15 pounds this year by slightly decreasing my calorie intake and increasing my calorie burn through exercise. The one thing I have to do consistently to keep losing weight is track everything I eat and burn through exercise. As soon as I stop doing this, I start mindlessly snacking more and the weight loss stops. 

I aim for 1,200 calories a day, eat only between 12:00 and 7:00, I eat healthy and light, I'm satisfied, getting plenty of nutrients, and never hungry. As a guy, you'll certainly be able to eat more calories than this and lose weight.

[ironpony]

Oh okay thanks.  But the thing is is that I am starving at work if I do not eat breakfast, for the first six hours of my shift.  Is there a way to do that no eating before 12 and not be hungry at work for the first six hours of my shift?

[Happy Lemming]

Do you like lentils??

Make a small bowl of lentil soup when you get hungry.  See if that makes a difference in your weight loss goal...

[Ruby Slippers]

You don't have to do intermittent fasting. It's just one approach. Or if you want to try it, there are lots of ways to get started. For example, if you normally eat between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm, you might try reducing that from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm. Read about it or watch some YouTube videos to get ideas for different approaches.

The most important thing is to track how many calories you're eating and burning every day. It's normal to feel some amount of hunger for a few weeks as you reduce your calorie intake. But you shouldn't be starving, and your body should gradually adjust to the new setpoint.

[ironpony]

Oh okay thanks, I can try that!  Also, my job recently lost business and people were laid off including me, so I don't have to worry about breakfast to get me going for the day for now I guess.

[Happy Lemming]

1 hour ago, ironpony said:

,,,people were laid off including me...

Sorry to hear about the lay off...  Have they told you if the "lay-off" is temporary?? Do you have a "return to work" date??

[d0nnivain]

Food is fuel.  If you are working harder you need more fuel. 

Think of it like a car.  If you get 20 miles to the gallon, assuming you have a tank that holds 15 gallons but you are going to take a 500 mile road trip.  Your tank will only get you 300 miles so you will need to refill.  

Your body works the same way.  

[ironpony]

Oh okay, well as long I still loose weight, even though I am eating more as a result of the exercise.  I've also been going to the bathroom more as a result.  But would this be normal because of burning calories as well?

[Johnjohnson2017]

Drink more water. The water will help reduce your hunger.

Take long walks, or stay out of the house longer. That will take away the impulse eating, at least for a few hours. Your body will get used to your newly reduced daily calorie intake. After a few days, you will feel less and less hungry.

[d0nnivain]

On 12/16/2020 at 9:05 PM, ironpony said:

Oh okay, well as long I still loose weight, even though I am eating more as a result of the exercise.  I've also been going to the bathroom more as a result.  But would this be normal because of burning calories as well?

Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out.  (CICO) Nothing else matters.  As long as you expend more energy then you consume, you will lose weight. 

For example, if you eat 2,000 calories per day but are sedentary, & only expend 1,600 calories, that extra 400 becomes fat.  So if you want to lose, you have to eat less.  But if you eat 2,000 calories but work out & expend 3,000 calories you will be starving.  In part your body will go to its reserves -- those 400 fat calories from before -- but you will eat more because your body needs the fuel to work.  

While a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, some keep you feeling fuller longer & your body has to work harder to convert them.  Protein & vegetable rather than carbs & sugars.   So eat the good stuff to feel fuller.  

Drinking more water helps you to feel sated while not adding calories but it does result in increased voiding.  Eating better healthier foods also leads to increased bowel movements which is expected & good.  

 

[ironpony]

Oh okay, thanks.  Another thing about exercising is, when I hop on the treadmill, I can only run for about four minutes and then I am tired and need a break.  I then have to take a break and get on again.  But this makes exercise very long and I have to do it around my schedule as a result.  Is there anyway to get all the exercise done in one go, or do I have to take breaks spread out through the day and this is normal?

For example, I was thinking of joining a jim, but I don't want to be there for three hours a day and take breaks in between, unless that's normal to?

[Alpacalia]

16 hours ago, ironpony said:

Oh okay, thanks.  Another thing about exercising is, when I hop on the treadmill, I can only run for about four minutes and then I am tired and need a break.  I then have to take a break and get on again.  But this makes exercise very long and I have to do it around my schedule as a result.  Is there anyway to get all the exercise done in one go, or do I have to take breaks spread out through the day and this is normal?

For example, I was thinking of joining a jim, but I don't want to be there for three hours a day and take breaks in between, unless that's normal to?

It's normal if you recently started a new exercise routine because your body is not accustomed to it so it will take some time to build up your endurance.  Maybe a better approach would be to start off with shorter sessions and build from there until you reach your desired length in minutes and you'll find you need less rest breaks.  Unless you've been an avid runner for a good length of time, you can't expect to go into long runs at the beginning because your body is just not at that level yet.

[ironpony]

10 hours ago, Alpaca said:

It's normal if you recently started a new exercise routine because your body is not accustomed to it so it will take some time to build up your endurance.  Maybe a better approach would be to start off with shorter sessions and build from there until you reach your desired length in minutes and you'll find you need less rest breaks.  Unless you've been an avid runner for a good length of time, you can't expect to go into long runs at the beginning because your body is just not at that level yet.

I could do that and start of slower, but how do other people make time in their days to exercise, if they need more breaks in between, to the point where it could take three hours to get a good work out?

Edited December 20, 2020 by ironpony

[Ruby Slippers]

You can jog on the treadmill at any pace. If you're so tired after 4 minutes that you need to stop, the pace is too fast. Slow it down to just past a brisk walking pace, a light shuffling jog, and try to get to 10 or 20 minutes. If you can't do that yet, jog for a few minutes, walk for a few minutes, and keep alternating jogging then walking, jogging then walking, till you've done at least 20 or 30 minutes. Keep building up from there. Getting initial momentum going is the hardest part. Once you get the ball rolling, it's easier to keep it rolling.

[Alpacalia]

6 hours ago, ironpony said:

I could do that and start of slower, but how do other people make time in their days to exercise, if they need more breaks in between, to the point where it could take three hours to get a good work out?

Well I suppose you could fit in a three hour work out if you get up earlier?  Or, spread your workout sessions throughout the week or mini sessions throughout the day.  See if that helps!

[ironpony]

Oh okay, but the problem with getting up earlier, is then you have to go to bed earlier in order to get enough sleep.  So that's not really making more time, it's just shifting the time I already have.

Spreading it through the week though means that I am working out less per week, because I am spreading it all out.  I think the only solution is to work out harder and faster.  Like is there a way to get a much harder work out in a faster amount of time, if running on the treadmill takes too long and requires to many breaks?

Edited December 23, 2020 by ironpony

[ironpony]

On 12/20/2020 at 5:29 PM, Ruby Slippers said:

You can jog on the treadmill at any pace. If you're so tired after 4 minutes that you need to stop, the pace is too fast. Slow it down to just past a brisk walking pace, a light shuffling jog, and try to get to 10 or 20 minutes. If you can't do that yet, jog for a few minutes, walk for a few minutes, and keep alternating jogging then walking, jogging then walking, till you've done at least 20 or 30 minutes. Keep building up from there. Getting initial momentum going is the hardest part. Once you get the ball rolling, it's easier to keep it rolling.

But if I slow it down though, then the work out takes longer because it takes much for my heart to feel like it's actually being worked out.  Can I work out the heart faster somehow, without getting tired after four minutes?  A light shuffle jog is not going to be a vigorous work out, is it?  Then it's just too light, isn't it?

[Alpacalia]

On 12/20/2020 at 2:27 PM, ironpony said:

I could do that and start of slower, but how do other people make time in their days to exercise, if they need more breaks in between, to the point where it could take three hours to get a good work out?

Have you tried HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)?  It might be worth looking into because it should fit nicely into your schedule and it doesn't involve going at a high intensity for a prolonged period of time. Plus, it's highly effective for weight loss. Otherwise, you can try adding more resistance to your treadmill workouts while shortening the length of your workouts (but you may still find that you need breaks, at least in the beginning until your body builds up to the higher intensity workouts).