Insatiable appetite since I started lifting

[dawn16]

Why would you not eat eggs every day?

 

[dawn16]

Yea good point, that part doesn’t matter. I was originally thinking cholesterol but that was debunked a good while back.

 

[grace14]

@dawn16 Thanks for sharing, an interesting read and it makes a lot of sense! I love nerding out on this stuff

 

[jacksoncris]

@grace14 Out of interest, what does a typical day of eating look like for you to be getting in 135g of protein?

 

[grace14]

@jacksoncris Happy to help! Increasing protein made such a big difference for me and it took me awhile to figure out how to get to 135 g consistently. I will say that I am not bothered by dairy so my diet does have a lot of it and I also am low carb due to PCOS, but my usual day of eating follows roughly this:

First meal: 3 egg omelette with veggies and 1 oz cheddar cheese (23 g total). Sometimes I’ll add meat to this if I have any leftovers.

Second meal: arugula or spinach salad with avocado, 4 oz chicken breast, olive oil, and sunflower seeds (40 g total).

Third meal: whatever type of protein we have for dinner with veggies, portion size to total around 25 g of protein or more. Usually this is a bunless burger, chicken sausage, pork loin, or fish with veggies and my bf adds whatever carb he’s feeling and I stare longingly at it

Snacks:
Post lifting protein shake (25g)
1 tbs almond butter and celery (4g)
One serving Greek yogurt with berries for dessert (15g)

Other things that have really helped me on days I can’t get enough protein in are canned tuna, protein pancakes, and cottage cheese. The low carb lifting life can be rough and I would not do it if I didn’t need to so eat ya carbs if you can : )

 

[jacksoncris]

@grace14 That is impressive. I’ve saved your post so I can use it as meal planning inspiration next week. Damn though, it seems like hard work to get in all that protein.

 

[graemehoodless]

@jacksoncris lol right? My biggest challenge with lifting is getting in the protein. Sigh!

 

[grace14]

@jacksoncris I’ll be honest, I don’t think I could do it like this if I wasn’t working from home which I know is a huge privilege. Being home makes it possible for me to do this m-f, and then I relax in the weekends and eat more intuitively.

 

[pastornigel]

@grace14 I'll add to that, as someone who also works from home, if you have the money, go ahead and bulk buy some ready to eat or frozen meals. The packaging is the most criminal part of them. Otherwise they're genuinely quite macro-friendly for their price. For example, a nice chicken salad with extra chicken from a cafe might run me $15-$18 Australian dollars, and you can have a frozen meal near as good for about $10-12. Or even just protein bars (ACTUAL ones with at least 20g-- musashi bars are 347kcal and 45g of protein, so basically two portions in one bar).

It's not great to get too much of your nutrition this way obviously, but it saves me so much worry and time to just be able to grab something and run out the door when I've overslept or something.

 

[jacksoncris]

@grace14 I’m also working from home and it really is a huge privilege. Not to mention working from home means that I can work out in the middle of the day. Health is a privilege on so many levels.

 

[grace14]

@jacksoncris So true! Silver lining of the pandemic life for sure. I do still meal prep and cook in bulk to make things faster, but it’s pretty awesome to be able to cook/eat throughout the day and workout without needing to look presentable after…fingers crossed WFH is here to stay.

 

[icequeen27]

@grace14 Sunflower seeds have a mild, nutty flavor and a firm but tender texture. They’re often roasted to enhance the flavor, though you can also buy them raw.

 

[thebucketwoman]

@icequeen27 interesting bot

 

[nerissa1969]

@thebucketwoman I find it so cute!

 

[jacksoncris]

@grace14 You know what, you’re so right! I ate (what I thought was) super protein-focused today and didn’t even get to 80g. Wow. Thank you for giving such a detailed response

 

[anassearching]

@jacksoncris Protein makes a hell of a difference. The other thing my PT recommended was that I pay close attention to my carbs! She said to have a little snack of a couple of small sushi rolls or something directly after a heavy gym session because I was a little carb light. Between that and sufficient protein, it actually felt like enough food and was a physically small amount. I went from ravenous to satiety quite quickly.

 

[customflags]

@anassearching Adding to this that protein will also help you feel full once you’ve eaten enough. If you’re wanting to build muscle you must eat in a surplus and some people talk about never being hungry in a bulk, but that’s something you’ll need to work with and adjust as you need.

 

[concettacarpenter]

@jacksoncris When I first started weight lifting I was hungry a lot as well. I gained 5lbs or so but went down in clothing sizes. Now, my hunger has leveled off but if I start lifting heavy I get really hungry again. I just go with it. As long as my diet is balanced (I eat nutritious and satisfying foods) I'm fine with it. Oh, and for what it's worth I'm 5'11" and 195lbs

 

[jacksoncris]

@concettacarpenter Do you remember how long it took for you to gain 5lbs and go down a clothing size? I’ve always heard that body recomposition is a slow slow process, but I know I can definitely gain 5lbs pretty quickly!

 

[concettacarpenter]

@jacksoncris I would say I gained weight and went down in size at the same time. I actually noticed a difference after 6 months of weight lifting 3 days a week as a first time lifter. For context, prior to weight lifting I did barre and cardio classes and weighed about 185lbs at a size 12. When I started weightlifting I went up to about 190lbs and went down to an 8/10. Then I gained about 5 lbs over the past year due to lockdown and a couple injuries BUT I'm still not up to the size 12 I was prior to weight lifting.