For those who EAT when HUNGRY

[Ness]

I eat when hungry, as Phil has pounded in my head to do so. As simple as it sounds, it has taken some re-wiring for me because for years Ive always let the clock (and the fear of losing muscle) tell me when to eat.

However, now that Im free to eat whenever Im hungry I have learned some interesting things about my body:

1. My hunger is never predictable or the same from day to day. Sometimes I'll wake up in the morning starving. Before noon, I will have eaten 3 meals....then I wont eat again until 5-6pm...where I'll eat another 3-4 meals before bed. Other days, I'll eat one or two meals before noon.

2. My cravings always change. Some days all I want is meat and more meat. I could care less about eating any carbs...other days, all I can think about is eating carbs.

3. I am getting hungrier and hungrier everyday. Its hard to not let your mind play tricks on you as this happens. I want to grow but I dont want to get fat. This mind game is silly, but it can hinder you if you let it.

4. Some days I eat 3 meals, others I'll eat 8...wtf? lol. One of the strangest things I noticed was on leg day sometimes my appetite will be low to moderate, then on my rest day I cant eat enough!

What Ive learned the most: RELAX and ENJOY life. I dont let food dictate how I spend my day. Missing a meal will not kill me or set me back...whereas eating by the clock and/or when Im not hungry has set me back.

So, what strange things have you learned about yourself?

 

[PHIL HERNON]

Exactly

I am STARVING on my day off.......on leg day I feel nausious and do not digest well.

 

[musicmann89]

once you get the whole meal timing out of your head your good to go, like you said no day is the same, some days ill only eat 3 to 4 meals other maybe 6 depending if im hungry

 

[musicmann89]

I am STARVING on my day off.......on leg day I feel nausious and do not digest well.

ive noticed that as well, i did legs yesterday only had 3 meals

 

[RexHead]

That's really interesting. How have the results been from eating when your hungry as far as gaining muscle and keeping fat off?

I'm a "eat by the clock" person. Hell, I even have a reoccurring alarm set on my cell phone/email to remind me. When I was eating "when hungry" I seemed to gain less fat but I also wasn't gaining strength and muscle like I do when I schedule my meals. I am the first to admit that my diet isn't tuned in and never has been.

I do remember that my hunger would go away if I didn't eat right away when I was "eating when hungery". If I didn't feed myself right away I would end up missing a meal. My job doesn't always lend itself to eating whenever I feel like. I can schedule times to eat in my calendar and no one can touch those. So for me it's also a lifestyle challenge.

I really need to hire a trainer/nutritionist. I'm spinning my wheels trying to discover things that people already know. If I was going to build a house I wouldn't try to do it myself over & over again until I hopefully got it right. That would be a waste of time and money and be unsafe.

 

[nsb1215]

I also train under phil. A couple things I've found out
1. I had a hard time distinguishing hunger form thirst. Sounds silly but for me I sometimess am so parched
It feels like hunger.
2. I don't want to be a slave to the clock. I use to eat every 3hrs now believe it or not I seem to eat morew like every
1 1/2 to 2 without paying any attention to time...my girl brought this to my attention.
3. After leg day I feel that I'm never satisfied and am always hungry...all day constantly..
4. Its taken some patience to retrain my body/brain this way and am still improving....like when I don't eat for 5 hrs some days
I make it a point to remember not to worry about the time and listen to my body..

I also work a labor intensive job ( carpenter) and in the heat( summer) my appetite goes down bigtime,
This bothers me somewhat...

 

[Ness]

My best answer...

That's really interesting. How have the results been from eating when your hungry as far as gaining muscle and keeping fat off?

I'm a "eat by the clock" person. Hell, I even have a reoccurring alarm set on my cell phone/email to remind me. When I was eating "when hungry" I seemed to gain less fat but I also wasn't gaining strength and muscle like I do when I schedule my meals. I am the first to admit that my diet isn't tuned in and never has been.

I do remember that my hunger would go away if I didn't eat right away when I was "eating when hungery". If I didn't feed myself right away I would end up missing a meal. My job doesn't always lend itself to eating whenever I feel like. I can schedule times to eat in my calendar and no one can touch those. So for me it's also a lifestyle challenge.

I really need to hire a trainer/nutritionist. I'm spinning my wheels trying to discover things that people already know. If I was going to build a house I wouldn't try to do it myself over & over again until I hopefully got it right. That would be a waste of time and money and be unsafe.

Eat when hungry + Eating the right macros + Hire Phil = More muscle and less fat.

 

[hilly2008]

i havew been workig with phil around 4 weeks now and still working on getting this right.

I am averaging 4 meals per day and 2 portions of lba's and making good progress.

I have found when i feel hungry i will take a big drink of water and settle back down. if the hunger comes back then i will eat if it doesnt then i dont. this has worked pretty well for me.

I find my meals per day stay roughly the same but the time always changes. sometimes ill go 2 hours and have a meal other times it will be 3 or 4 or 5.

funnily enough like phil i find i am hungrier on rest days.

 

[fatguy]

I am hungry 24/7 and can eat an unlimited amount of food at any time of any day.

It takes a huge amount of will power to make myself stop.

It is the one thing I hate about myself, is my ability to eat non stop and never ever feel full. Truth be told, I have never actually had that feeling of satiety a day in my life.

I guess that's why I can get up to 325lbs rather easily.

I find it odd when the food switch in my body turns off, and then all of a sudden I have control over what and when I eat. Thought, that does not last forever. For this, I am now down to 298 in about a month and a half.

I hate food... it is evil... that being said, we still have a love/hate relationship.

 

[BigJB]

if its not too much to ask

I do wonder one thing here. How does your calorie intake change when your meal count varies? Are you guys still eating above maintenance when you're only eating three meals? Just honest curiosity here.

 

[Ness]

I do wonder one thing here. How does your calorie intake change when your meal count varies? Are you guys still eating above maintenance when you're only eating three meals? Just honest curiosity here.

Well, honestly...how do you know exactly how many calories your body needs from one day to the next? No formula out there is good enough to determine your individual needs.

It really comes down to your macro ratios per meal. Find the right ratios that fit your body's constitution and you'll hit the jackpot...then you just sit back and let your body tell you when its hungry....simple as that...forget carb cycling or calorie cycling...just relax and grow. Spend more time living your life.

 

[BigJB]

Not trying to say there's a formula for cals, and I spend maybe an hour a day cooking and less than that eating. I just know there IS a minimum number of macros you have to eat in a day that consists of lean meat, fruits, veggies, grains, fats, etc. Im just wondering how you can get all that in by only eating 3 or 4 meals a day.

 

[T TOTAL]

I am STARVING on my day off.......on leg day I feel nausious and do not digest well.

Phew, i thought that was just me. I kind of had been expecting that since my expenditure is high from legs ( i train usually after meal 1 ) that i would want/need to eat more....doh...I find i don't.

 

[ericraven2003]

If I don't eat on schedule, I cant control my cravings and I give in and eat bad. Once the hunger has kicked in, all bets are off.So for me it the only option if I want to stay lean.

 

[bigguns078]

It is easier for me to eat clean on training days.. I have no urge for sweets or junk food.. On non training days.. By 5PM.. I consistently train around 530-630PM.. I start getting extremely hungry and i really crave junk food.. I try my best to eat fat free carbs and stay away from the fatty junk foods like pizza, burgers, and ice cream...

 

[arnoldismyhero]

If I don't eat on schedule, I cant control my cravings and I give in and eat bad. Once the hunger has kicked in, all bets are off.So for me it the only option if I want to stay lean.

EXACTLY how i am.

 

[w8tlifterty]

Worked with Phil for alittle over 2 yrs....

Learning your body is the hardest part of the program...at least 4 me anyway. I was so set in my 6 meals a day routine several years ago it took time for me to figure out when I was even hungry. Now, after a year or so of practice I got it down fairly well. I am the opposite on leg day tho than alot of you, man I can pound at least 7 meals down on leg day, my body just seems to ask for it... crazy. I average 4-5 meals a day with lba's in between.

I must thank Phil over and over again for some of the things he taught me. Not working with him at the moment (just following what he prescribes) but will when it's time to get into contest shape again, natty this time around.

 

[Pathfinding77]

I..

pay attention to the tastes and sensations in my mouth and stomach...if my mouth or tongue feel or taste a certain way,or my stomach is super tight feeling with an ache...i might eat,or i might suffer...i think phil mentioned where exactly or what exactly your body craves in a previous post...

 

[Ness]

Well today was LEG day and...

Learning your body is the hardest part of the program...at least 4 me anyway. I was so set in my 6 meals a day routine several years ago it took time for me to figure out when I was even hungry. Now, after a year or so of practice I got it down fairly well. I am the opposite on leg day tho than alot of you, man I can pound at least 7 meals down on leg day, my body just seems to ask for it... crazy. I average 4-5 meals a day with lba's in between.

I must thank Phil over and over again for some of the things he taught me. Not working with him at the moment (just following what he prescribes) but will when it's time to get into contest shape again, natty this time around.

and Ive been pounding the food down my throat...so its not always that I have a lesser apatite...thats what makes this so strange. The body is an incredible machine and you have to be ready to make changes on a daily if not hourly basis.

I agree with what you said too about learning to listen to your body. If you dont start off that way, it can be a very hard process to learn, but so worth it in the end. Honestly, who wants to be a slave to anything? Phil's philosophy allows those who want a life to have one.

 

[Stylz]

I'm definately going to give this diet a shot.....................

Question, I just got over a month long stretch of personal family problems and stress where I never felt hungry and based on this philosophy the diet wouldn't work ..............so basically what I'm asking is what do you guys do when you don't feel hungry for long periods of time whether it be illness or various other personal reasons?