Question:
Force Feed Or Eat When Hungry?
Yes, I know I posted this in the main general Nutrition category, but I wanted to hear specifically from female bodybuilders as well, and I know most of them don't check the main (male?) sections. So, I'm posting it here as well:
There seems to be an ongoing debate on this and I just wanted to hear your views...
When trying to gain muscle, do you eat only when you're hungry or do you eat every three hours whether you're hungry or not?
The theory of only eating when you're hungry makes sense to me. It goes something like this: If you're not hungry, don't eat. Your body will tell you when it needs more food. If you're not hungry, that means that your body is still digesting the previous meal. It all comes down to: Listen to your body.
At any rate, it usually works out for me because I'm usually hungry every three hours ... but sometimes I'm not. Just wondering what you all do when it's time to eat but you're not really hungry?
And for those of you who DO force feed yourselves, could you please explain why you do it and the reasoning behind it, like I did above for the eat-when-hungry theory.
I always eat every three hours regardless of whether I am hungry or not. You shouldn't necessarily feel hunger pains after 3 hours anyway, but your stomach should be empty enough to take down food. The purpose of eating every 2-3 hours is to keep your metabolism fueled which will help with fat burning. It's still a good idea to eat every 3 hours even if you are bulking, you need all those calories to put on some muscle, and getting a larger amount of clean calories is pretty tough if you are only eating 3-4 times a day. Eating a balanced meal every 2-3 hours also keeps your blood sugar levels stable therefore keep you energized rather than tired.
If you wait until you feel hungry to eat that means you've waited too long. It's the same with drinking water - you don't wait until your throat is parched and you have a headache before drinking any water, you try to keep continually drinking water to avoid dehydration all together.
u could eat every 3 hours if like if ur meeting ur macros reguardless u will be ok
I kind of relate staving off hunger the same way I relate to staving off thirst...if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. If you're especially hungry, you're already running on empty. As an example, once you NEED carbs, it's too late to process them for that need. Certainly you'd plan your pre-workout meal better than this, but half way through your workout isn't the time to decide you're hungry. For day-to-day activities, since you never know when hunger may strike, it's better to keep a half-full tank, so to speak. :)
If you have certain nutrient requirements you are trying to meet, it's important to eat all the meals you planned to that add up to those requirements.
There are a lot of things that can keep you from being hungry besides a need for food. Heat makes me lose my appetite. Certain types of smells make me lose my appetite. Going past the point of hunger until I feel ill makes me lose my appetite. Being especially busy makes me lose my appetite. It doesn't mean I didn't need food at those times. Normally if I don't actually get hungry and am too busy to stop and eat anyway, by the end of the day I'm absolutely ravenous which goes to show that I DID need that fuel, even though my body didn't let me know about it in a way that I stopped and paid attention to...Dehydration, low blood sugar...you really need to eat and drink things at those times but for some reason your body doesn't leave you hungry or thirsty (just dizzy, headachy and nauseous).
Just as you can train yourself to be hungry every 3 hours (for the most part) you can also train yourself to only be hungry once a day (I used to skip breakfast all the time, and would normally skip lunch...in doing so, I was rarely hungry before 8 pm...granted, I'd probably consume 2,000 cals in that one meal, but...what was I going to do with it while I was sleeping?). We'd probably all agree eating once a day isn't a good idea...but what led to that was being busy and not being hungry.
Those are all the reasons I can think of for now. :)
I agree with Amanda76. You will probably hear some people say "you shouldn't eat if your not hungry," but I believe this mainly applies to people who aren't concerned with their diet (I.E. Emotional Eaters).
I eat every 2-3 hours whether hungry or not. If I do miss a meal then I tend to not get food in for the day or I end up overeating and feeling way full.
Just what works for me :)
If you were maintaining, you might get by with the eat when you're hungry approach, but in order to build muscle mass, you have to fuel your body regardless of whether or not you perceive yourself to be "hungry." You have to provide a surplus and a constant supply of nutrients and calories.
I agree with everyone above - protein every three hours...
Wow, greats post from everyone!
I eat roughly every 3 hours whether or not I'm hungry. Like Amanda said... there are a lot of things that cause me to lose my appetite but it doesn't mean that I don't need to eat. Also, by eating before I'm hungry it eliminates the urge to bing on the first thing I can find to shove down my throat. I'm not trying to gain right now, in fact I'm trying to lose some body fat. But I still force myself to eat when I'm not hungry. I know I'm in a calorie deficit already, and missing a meal would put me way too low and risk slowing my metabolism.
every 3 hrs whether i'm hungry or not because if i waited until i was actually hungry.. i know from experience i just end up eating so much more than i need coz it doesn't satisfy the craving. and sometimes if it's a day where i think urgh my body isn't changing at all.. my mind kinda blocks out hunger feelings subconsciously i guess. so i don't feel hungry even though i am. duno maybe thats just me lol.
Yes, I know I posted this in the main general Nutrition category, but I wanted to hear specifically from female bodybuilders as well, and I know most of them don't check the main (male?) sections. So, I'm posting it here as well:
There seems to be an ongoing debate on this and I just wanted to hear your views...
When trying to gain muscle, do you eat only when you're hungry or do you eat every three hours whether you're hungry or not?
The theory of only eating when you're hungry makes sense to me. It goes something like this: If you're not hungry, don't eat. Your body will tell you when it needs more food. If you're not hungry, that means that your body is still digesting the previous meal. It all comes down to: Listen to your body.
At any rate, it usually works out for me because I'm usually hungry every three hours ... but sometimes I'm not. Just wondering what you all do when it's time to eat but you're not really hungry?
And for those of you who DO force feed yourselves, could you please explain why you do it and the reasoning behind it, like I did above for the eat-when-hungry theory.
Answer:
I always eat every three hours regardless of whether I am hungry or not. You shouldn't necessarily feel hunger pains after 3 hours anyway, but your stomach should be empty enough to take down food. The purpose of eating every 2-3 hours is to keep your metabolism fueled which will help with fat burning. It's still a good idea to eat every 3 hours even if you are bulking, you need all those calories to put on some muscle, and getting a larger amount of clean calories is pretty tough if you are only eating 3-4 times a day. Eating a balanced meal every 2-3 hours also keeps your blood sugar levels stable therefore keep you energized rather than tired.
If you wait until you feel hungry to eat that means you've waited too long. It's the same with drinking water - you don't wait until your throat is parched and you have a headache before drinking any water, you try to keep continually drinking water to avoid dehydration all together.
Answer:
u could eat every 3 hours if like if ur meeting ur macros reguardless u will be ok
Answer:
I kind of relate staving off hunger the same way I relate to staving off thirst...if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. If you're especially hungry, you're already running on empty. As an example, once you NEED carbs, it's too late to process them for that need. Certainly you'd plan your pre-workout meal better than this, but half way through your workout isn't the time to decide you're hungry. For day-to-day activities, since you never know when hunger may strike, it's better to keep a half-full tank, so to speak. :)
If you have certain nutrient requirements you are trying to meet, it's important to eat all the meals you planned to that add up to those requirements.
There are a lot of things that can keep you from being hungry besides a need for food. Heat makes me lose my appetite. Certain types of smells make me lose my appetite. Going past the point of hunger until I feel ill makes me lose my appetite. Being especially busy makes me lose my appetite. It doesn't mean I didn't need food at those times. Normally if I don't actually get hungry and am too busy to stop and eat anyway, by the end of the day I'm absolutely ravenous which goes to show that I DID need that fuel, even though my body didn't let me know about it in a way that I stopped and paid attention to...Dehydration, low blood sugar...you really need to eat and drink things at those times but for some reason your body doesn't leave you hungry or thirsty (just dizzy, headachy and nauseous).
Just as you can train yourself to be hungry every 3 hours (for the most part) you can also train yourself to only be hungry once a day (I used to skip breakfast all the time, and would normally skip lunch...in doing so, I was rarely hungry before 8 pm...granted, I'd probably consume 2,000 cals in that one meal, but...what was I going to do with it while I was sleeping?). We'd probably all agree eating once a day isn't a good idea...but what led to that was being busy and not being hungry.
Those are all the reasons I can think of for now. :)
Answer:
I agree with Amanda76. You will probably hear some people say "you shouldn't eat if your not hungry," but I believe this mainly applies to people who aren't concerned with their diet (I.E. Emotional Eaters).
Answer:
I eat every 2-3 hours whether hungry or not. If I do miss a meal then I tend to not get food in for the day or I end up overeating and feeling way full.
Just what works for me :)
Answer:
If you were maintaining, you might get by with the eat when you're hungry approach, but in order to build muscle mass, you have to fuel your body regardless of whether or not you perceive yourself to be "hungry." You have to provide a surplus and a constant supply of nutrients and calories.
Answer:
I agree with everyone above - protein every three hours...
Answer:
Wow, greats post from everyone!
I eat roughly every 3 hours whether or not I'm hungry. Like Amanda said... there are a lot of things that cause me to lose my appetite but it doesn't mean that I don't need to eat. Also, by eating before I'm hungry it eliminates the urge to bing on the first thing I can find to shove down my throat. I'm not trying to gain right now, in fact I'm trying to lose some body fat. But I still force myself to eat when I'm not hungry. I know I'm in a calorie deficit already, and missing a meal would put me way too low and risk slowing my metabolism.
Answer:
every 3 hrs whether i'm hungry or not because if i waited until i was actually hungry.. i know from experience i just end up eating so much more than i need coz it doesn't satisfy the craving. and sometimes if it's a day where i think urgh my body isn't changing at all.. my mind kinda blocks out hunger feelings subconsciously i guess. so i don't feel hungry even though i am. duno maybe thats just me lol.