Posted in: Nutrition / Nutrition Talk

Undereating?

Hello folks.

If I’m ending the day hungry, is that an indication that I’m not eating enough? I haven’t tracked my calories for years - I found it a faff and too time-consuming, and as a former anorexic I try not to encourage myself to get too obsessive - and I’ve just sort of assumed that I’m eating the right amount, but I’m wondering if I’m actually under eating, overtraining or both.

I’ve looked at a few online calculators and it seems that I should be consuming at least 2000 calories a day (125 pounds/57kg, 5 feet 3/1.6m, working out 5-6 times a week for 45-60 minutes, plus 5-6 hours brisk walks a week).

As I say, I don’t track but a bit of back-of-an-envelope estimating suggests that I’m probably at 1500-1800.

Should I be eating more? I’m reasonably lean but I have a bit of stubborn fat on the side of my waist that I would love to shift for a really sleek physique, and I’m starting to feel that my workouts are getting harder- and not just because I’m using more weight. I’ve read that overtraining can cause your body to produce cortisol, which encourages weight gain round the middle, which makes me think that might be going on. And yes, I’m hungry every night.

Sorry for the waffly post.

Edited