jennifermaria
Cathlete
Hi everyone,
For those of you who don't count calories, how do you generally get a sense that you're eating enough/not too much? I know Tosca Reno talks about listening to the body's hunger cues, but sometimes those cues can be a bit misleading, particularly for people who are really, really active, which can create some unpredictability in how hunger manifests itself.
As I train for a marathon, for example, I can either be REALLY famished after a long run--so raging with hunger that I could eat a ginormous meal and STILL want to eat another one right after--I could easily (and, I'm ashamed to say, have sometimes) exceed my calorie requirement for the day if I just went off my hunger cues.
On the other hand, there are days when I'm not feeling too much hunger, and yet according to my calorie requirement, I need to be eating a certain amount and I haven't met that calorie count yet.
I want to be as consistent as possible in getting what I'm supposed to be getting--no more, no less--because it impacts my performance, not to mention, I could end up losing muscle if it's too little (not usually the problem--99% of the time it's the other way around LOL). I do count calories for that reason, but I do find that I get a little too anal about it, and I would love the freedom of just being able to be intuitive about how much I'm eating.
I should mention that I eat fairly cleanly. I'd say I'm 90% clean--I allow myself indulgences here and there, but for the most part, I try and stick to minimally processed foods, try to get at least (if not more than) the minimum daily requirement for fruits and vegetables, calcium/dairy products, whole grain, healthy fats, etc. But there are days when I eat the calories I'm supposed to and am still famished, and still others (albeit not so frequently) when I haven't even met the requirement yet, and I'm full/content.
How can I eat according to my hunger cues if my hunger cues aren't quite reliable yet? Are there other methods to try while those get in synch? Should I stick to calorie counting so I'm a little more accurate (realizing that nothing is 100% accurate, as they're all estimates)?
Thanks in advance!
Jennifer
For those of you who don't count calories, how do you generally get a sense that you're eating enough/not too much? I know Tosca Reno talks about listening to the body's hunger cues, but sometimes those cues can be a bit misleading, particularly for people who are really, really active, which can create some unpredictability in how hunger manifests itself.
As I train for a marathon, for example, I can either be REALLY famished after a long run--so raging with hunger that I could eat a ginormous meal and STILL want to eat another one right after--I could easily (and, I'm ashamed to say, have sometimes) exceed my calorie requirement for the day if I just went off my hunger cues.
On the other hand, there are days when I'm not feeling too much hunger, and yet according to my calorie requirement, I need to be eating a certain amount and I haven't met that calorie count yet.
I want to be as consistent as possible in getting what I'm supposed to be getting--no more, no less--because it impacts my performance, not to mention, I could end up losing muscle if it's too little (not usually the problem--99% of the time it's the other way around LOL). I do count calories for that reason, but I do find that I get a little too anal about it, and I would love the freedom of just being able to be intuitive about how much I'm eating.
I should mention that I eat fairly cleanly. I'd say I'm 90% clean--I allow myself indulgences here and there, but for the most part, I try and stick to minimally processed foods, try to get at least (if not more than) the minimum daily requirement for fruits and vegetables, calcium/dairy products, whole grain, healthy fats, etc. But there are days when I eat the calories I'm supposed to and am still famished, and still others (albeit not so frequently) when I haven't even met the requirement yet, and I'm full/content.
How can I eat according to my hunger cues if my hunger cues aren't quite reliable yet? Are there other methods to try while those get in synch? Should I stick to calorie counting so I'm a little more accurate (realizing that nothing is 100% accurate, as they're all estimates)?
Thanks in advance!
Jennifer
Maybe writing it all down has made me more aware & I would be better at gaging now. Hats off to thos eof you who have it all figured out w/o counting!! 
