Eat when hungry vs calories

[Gorawnow]

So for the past week I've been eating only when hungry while still counting calories. I drink about a gallon of water a day. 5ft2in 105 pounds and aim to eat 1500 calories a day. So Livestrong and many other sites say I need about 1400-1800 calories per day. I couldn't find any sites that agreed. I'm sendentry and recovering from injury so I do no real physical activity but I find that when I eat only when hungry I get in about 1800 calories a day. I don't want to gain weight. Are calorie calculators accurate in your experience?

[MysticTree]

calorie calculators cannot be accurate. We are each so different from each other. They can be used as a guide but they are set to work with cooked food generally and for whatever reason, raw and cooked calories are not quite equal. The TRUE test would be see whether you gain weight. If you do then adjust down somehow. Everyday is different with different needs.

[cara4art]

I agree with this, MysticTree(great username BTW). I was over on MyFitnessPal for the last couple of months, "counting calories" and averaged around 1400-1500 a day, but didn't really feel like I was getting anywhere. I know the more raw food one gets in, one will lose weight if one needs to, and depending on the balance within a raw, or high-raw diet, stabilize or gain needed weight if one is including some of the denser raw foods. I found that with the counting calories on cooked food, it was a lot more restrictive and all, and the discussion boards got to me. It was a learning experience as far as what's out there with people's beliefs about food that they have been brainwashed into accepting as gospel truth. I'm feeling the breath of fresh air being back here, seriously!

[walnutty]

I personally eat when I am hungry!

[MysticTree]

I eat when I eat. Not sure if I eat when hungry but I don't count cals.

[Queen Bean]

I find when I 'eat when hungry' I get too skinny. The other day I wasn't hungry until three pm. Another disadvantage of EWH is when I have a small snack like say a banana, because I'm not near any other food, and so I eat that, and soon after I eat something else. It doesn't seem great for my digestion. So I've gone back to four meals a day. I don't like to be eating all the time, but four meals makes me feel balanced. They are approximately 7am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. Obviously if I sleep in at the weekend and get up later I may not eat the first meal until 10am or whatever. After a few days of EWH I get really skinny and feel fragile...I don't look anorexic, but definitely underweight... Not a good look.

That said, I've realised after years of being high raw, that everyone is different. What resonates with one person, may not resonate with another.

[robh]

Queen Bean,

I do not think your banana example has anything to do with EWH. Personally, fruit causes me to eat more fruit shortly afterward (about 30 min later). It does not matter if I was hungry when I started eating the fruit.

If I want to get back to feeling satisfied, I have to consume some fat.

I may not get hungry until around noon. Then, I will eat 400-500 calories in fruit. After my last piece of fruit, I wait 30 minutes. After that, I may have 300 calories of tahini and honey. Alternately, I may have 300 calories of chia seed pudding and agave. If I have an avocado on hand, I'll eat that (another 300 calories of raw fat).

The fruit-fat combo typically keeps me full for 6 hours afterward. For dinner, I get a salad in with the fats.

I eat when I am hungry. Most days, I eat two meals a day.

[MysticTree]

I eat fruit for most of the day. I start with half a melon and graze through until about 5-6pm when I have a savoury meal with greens, avos and salady stuff. If you spread the fruit calories out rather than eating them all at once I don't think you'd feel hungry. For example, today I had my half honeydew melon then 2 small punnets cherries (I bought 4 but still have 2 left), 10 or 12 smallish tomatoes and 2 medium bananas. That took me through to my large evening meal which included fats. I do keep some raw choc coated raisins in my desk in case of the munchies striking!

[fastfreedom]

Gorawnow - as per your post....I really don't know if calorie calculators are accurate. I only find that calorie calculators are a good tool to help one figure out what and how much they are eating. One thing is for sure, your body is gonna store fat if you consume more food than your body burns. I don't know what kind of injury you have but it's quite possible that there's some type of exercises out there that will help keep you active is you so choose.

as per your topic......
I'm with Queen Bean, I needed to start counting calories to figure out how much and what to eat. Eating when hungry made me skinny and I felt euphoric at times doing it, "because I was under-eating, also known to happen while fasting", but once I realised that I was eating too little in general and too much of some stuff that made me feel not so good, I started counting calories to figure out what I require to function.

robh - eat 12 bananas and then see if you want something to eat in 30 minutes. LOL "I know, I know.....tired of fruit." Just joking with ya......sorta.... ;-)

[Queen Bean]

robh

I think my banana example is totally indicative of how EWH doesn't work in terms of my lifestyle.

Not everyone can coordinate two big meals a day, when they are hungry.

For instance, what if I get hungry at 10am while I'm at work? Maybe I can have a banana, but not a big meal. So then an hour later I have another little meal. And so on. Lots of little meals means you are beginning to eat something before the last thing has digested.

Not everyone has the time to eat until satiation when they are hungry.

I don't feel compelled to eat more fruit thirty minutes after eating fruit. I've tested legitimately EWH (ie I am very conscious that I am hungry before each meal) and it doesn't work for me.

[robh]

Queen Bean,

I did not mean to get you upset. I hope you did not see it as an attack. I am a firm believer that everyone is different and we all have different bodies. Therefore, what I experience and what works well for me may not be applicable to everyone. Beyond that, I think everyone has a right to think and believe whatever he likes.

I was simply sharing my belief that EWH has different results depending on the type of food that is eaten. Gauging by my body and my experiences, I believe that some foods can actually cause me to be hungry instead of causing me to be full. When this occurs, 'eat when hungry' turns into a circle, for me. I ate because I was hungry; but, now, I want to eat again because the first thing I ate made me hungry instead of full.

EWH does not work for me if I eat the foods that cause me to be hungry. Bananas are one of those foods.

I know these are just my personal beliefs drawn from my personal experiences. I shared them only because I have a hunch that others may have a body similar to mine and may benefit from my experiences.

Maybe you have a different experience because your body works differently.

To each his own. Best of luck finding what works for you.

[Queen Bean]

Sorry robh for seeming upset. It was more of a case of me writing at work when I shouldn't really be on the net ;) so it was a little rushed, but with no ill intent. Yes, we are all different...there is no 'perfect diet' as such. I'm glad you've found something that works for you. How do you handle your water consumption? Do you drink water upon arising? How much? Do you avoid water around mealtimes? Do you drink a certain amount each day, or just when you're thirsty?