What is a bigger factor for you in your decision to eat? hun...

What is a bigger factor for you in your decision to eat? hunger or calories? Do you eat only when you are hungry, or also because you have a certain amount of calories to eat a day, and if you eat by calories, what do you do if you finish your allotted cal's before the day is up, and you are still hungry?

Welcome to the board! I used to count calories religiously when I first started getting in shape. Over the years, you start to learn how your body reacts to the things you eat in relation to your fitness schedule and other aspects of your life. I've gotten to the point where I'm pretty much between 1500 and 2000 without really trying because I've been doing it for so long. Something I've come across is people eating because they enjoy eating. That's going to be more detrimental to your lifestyle than going a little bit over your allotted calorie limit. So, to answer your question, I eat for hunger and if you are counting calories to lose weight, I would recommend you drink more water and don't go over your allotted calorie limit.

Good Luck on your journey, wherever it takes you and we're here for you!

Hope that helps,
RB

I've been at this a very long time and i no longer am a stickler on the exact number of calories that I eat. However, I'm such a creature of habit that I know about how many calories I eat on a daily basis.

I don't necessarily eat because I'm hungry either. I eat because I know I need to. Sometimes I get so busy that I will forget to eat for hours and hours. Terrible for your metabolism - so i actually set the alarm on my watch to go off every 3 hours. I eat at 6 (or 7),9,12,3,6 and a snack at 9. It's pretty much like clockwork. My largest meals are 6,12 and 6pm (I wake up at 5 O'clock daily to run boot camp so on boot camp days it's a 7am breakfast)

Just find what effective plan works with your current lifestyle and that you'll follow. None of it is any good if you don't make the commitment to do it right.

I have found that with most people, especially those just starting out, eating when you are hungry is no good. Most people are brainwashed and don't get "hungry" when they normally would because their minds are enslaved by the "cut out calories to lose weight" myth. The majority of people that I have actually had great success with have actually complained that they think I have them eating too much food.

... then the weight starts dropping off.

I have heard about the 6 meal plan and did it for a couple of days, but I felt that I was eating more than I usually do, and felt really guilty and indulging, so I stopped and just started counting calories. Its interesting what you say about other people feeling like that as well. makes you think.

You HAVE to retrain your mind and trust the science. Unless you have a thyroid problem that is not being treated or unless you are on some type of medication that causes you to gain weight. This eating plan works without fail.