If I'm hungry, does it mean I'm not eating enough?

[RottenWillow]

So I've plugged my "clean" diet into fitday....my calories are generally around 1600-1700, my macros are right where I want them (protein around 40%, 30 and 30 for fat and carbs). I weigh 120 currently and I'm 5'6". Not trying to lose weight or drop fat, just maintain. I'm in the gym about four days a week, but I'm shitty about having a regular routine right now...it sort of ends up being what I feel like doing that day. But i am usually working out with moderate or high intensity for about 45-1hr while I'm there.

Given that information, when I really keep to a clean diet with those percentages and that activity level, I find that i am ALWAYS hungry. Is this normal? Does it go away? Or should I assume I am not eating enough for my BMR+calories burned? I've always had kind of a brain block on what my particular intake should be and I usually end up short changing it I think. I want to get my gym routine more regular (and once I change jobs that should be possible), but if I do that, I want to make sure I am feeding my body the right way.

Nef, ultimately this BMR stuff is all a guess anyway, but I suspect this is something you already know. The complex interaction of so many discrete factors would make accurate calculation of your daily caloric requirement really challenging even under controlled conditions.

I'd just experiment a bit with the fat and total kcals daily to see what happens with your body composition and your appetite. Just remember to do only one at at time.

 

[greentree]

I'm just curious, but are you pretty good about doing the "many small meals" thing? I know when I get lazy about that I end up starving...

 

[nefertiti]

I eat probably every three hours, greentree.

RW, I've been adding some more fats to my diet and I've found that this is helping a lot with the hunger pains. I'm sort of taking a wait and see on what it does to my body but nothing seems to be softening up for now.

 

[slat1]

I used to eat 6 to 8 times a day. I was 240 and lean as hell. My calories were around 5k. My body was so efficient I was starving after an hour and 45 minutes. I just sucked up everything I ate. File this under TMI but I only had one BM a day. My body was just using every little bit of food I put in it.
I eat way less now and I am not nearly as lean at 260. I will take being hungry and lean over not being hungry and being 260 any day!