Since April I have had a strict diet of raw fruits and vegetables, skinless chicken, and beef. It was also in April that I started an intense exercise program, I have cerebral palsy.I was never hungry in the beginning. Now I am always able to eat no matter what time of day it is. Therefore I load up on fruits and vegetables. Mom thinks I eat to much.( I also drink plenty of water and nothing else)Is it really possible to eat too much fruits and vegetables? I can't remember the last time I actually felt full. I suppose this is a good thing because I always have energy because of it. So should I eat when I'm hungry, or wait it out till the next meal time?
I don't think hunger is a good indicator when you should eat, because it can change so much. Like you could be not hungry at all while you're starving yourself, while usually when you eat too much you're always hungry. This is why I rely on calorie-counting..
I agree! I wouldnt rely totally on your body to decide if your hungry or not because sometimes you could always be hungry, even when you eat a lot. An example is when you go out for chineese food. You CANT just eat a small ammount. Its so good you just haveto finish off your plate. Right after I am still hungry. Its not becuase the food is light and it goes through you quicker. I dont even know what it is, but just like JUSTME said, rely on calorie counting. If its 7Pm and you havent eaten since 2 PM and your hungry. Then your body is telling the truth!
You should eat about six meals a day. Eat a normal breakfast, some type of snack between breakfast and lunch. Then eat lunch at whatever time is normal for you, then a snack between lunch and dinner. Then eat a good dinner and have another snack if you get hungry again after dinner. Make the snacks healthy ones, no junk.
Yes, you should eat when your body tells you you're hungry!! Hunger is your body's way of telling you when you need more fuel.
Listen to your what your body wants to eat, also. If you're craving sweets, your body needs fruit. If you're craving something cunchy, like chips or cracker, your body needs grains.
I agree with Katie...eat when your body tells you to! Your body knows what it needs so trust it. Calorie counting isn't the best thing to rely on in my opinion. For me it became an obsession and I became anorexic. Calorie counting and worrying constantly about what you eat is no way to live! Believe me...it can become a nightmare! The BEST thing you can do is to learn to love your body and take good care of it. Feed it healthy foods, exercise, and listen to what it tells you.
I don't think you should rely on calories counting, but if you are trying to lose weight then hunger signals can be misleading at times. What you have to do is learn to listen to your bosy properly. This mean that for the time being, portion size your meals. This means that for meals, meat/protein should be the size of a card deck, veggies should take up about half your plate, and starches should take up 1/4 of the plate. Try to drink lots of water and cut down of sugary drinks and foods (you don't have to completely cut them out, just cut DOWN). Eat lots of fruits and veggies, especially when snacking. Try to limit your snack servings- for ex. if you're having frozen yogurt, scoop some into a bowl, eat it and that's it..don't go back for more. Also, try to get variety into your diet- make dinners and breakfast and lunches different from day to day! I don't believe you need to get into calorie counting if it is not necessary. If you are able to eat according to appropriate portions (also, look at what the nutritional info on the pacakge of the food says a 'serving' is) then you should be fine.
I definitely agree to always eat when your hungry. There is a difference between eating greasy foods(which i'm sure you don't) and good "choices." Your body isn't responding to the signal of "hunger" for no apparent reason. And like gilry said,(she gives good advice) choose healthy options.
I really appreciate all these replies. All of you make a lot of sense, even katie b who has a very different yet interesting approach. I think calorie counting is a good idea also,how do I figure out how many calories my body can handle? Last I checked I was 4'8 and weighed 90 lbs. Any ideas?
Resting metabolic rate RMR or Basal Metobolic rate BMR is 1 cal x 1kg. lean body mass x 1 hr. or 24 cal/kg. lean body mass/day. A very lean male would be < 10% body fat so if you are a lean male 90 lbs minus 9lbs fat equals 81 lbs. or 36.8 kg lean body mass ... 24cal/kg/day.x36.8 = 883 cal. This would be the number of calories your body would use at rest without eating per day. The 883 number would be multiplied by a number such as 1.55 for minimum optimal exercise and digestive expenditures. Numbers near 2.0 or even higher might be the multiple for highly conditioned athletes or growing adolescents. So you can have caloric intakes that are quite high based on your particular situation. If you are still growing your needs may be even greater than stated so unless you are becoming noticably fatter eat and grow well. You don't need to count calories per say if you just watch body fat.
So you are 18, female, 4 feet 8 in. and weigh 90 lbs. Is that correct? You are a small person that may still grow some but remember it is now known that your brain continues to develop until your mid twentys so optimal nutrition at this time is very important. That includes healthy fats (no not vegetable oils) that are found in meats and some supplements (purifed fish oils for example). Eat fresh foods that spoil but eat them before they do. What are you doing about the CP? And how is it affecting you? Respond to this last only if you are comfortable with it.
My CP has gotten better over time. I used to be really stiff and lacked good balance.I didn't do anything about my disability for a long time, but finally got tired of being weak. Now the only problem is muscle strength, and my gait is still a little off, though I am improving them everyday with 2-3 hrs exercise everyday. I've achieved 45 minutes on the treadmill and am shooting for an hour. Then I get on this cardio machine and pump its two large pedals with my legs for 30 minutes, then I do other stomach, ab, leg machines. Sometimes I do squats by holding on to a bar attached to the wall, or do modified situps on a workout board(I can't do a real one yet). I figure all this activity is the reason I always have an appetite.(An empty pit feeling in my stomach)But does it explain why I didn't have much of one when I first started my progam?Is this healthy?
