Now That I Can Eat...Always Hungry

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DoreenaV1975
DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Basically what my title says....
I'm at maintenance, new to it...just started a few days ago, and now that I can eat more I'm always hungry!
The sad thing is my maintenance calories aren't much more than my deficit calories since I'm only 5'1" 107ish pounds.
(deficit = 1200 maintenance= 1370 per MFP)

Anyway...anyone else experiencing this?
If you aren't now but have before, how long did it take for it to go away?

I'm still staying w/in my calories/slightly below so weight gain is not really a concern (I worked way too hard to go back!) but the hunger is driving me crazy! Ugh!

TIA for your responses!
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Replies

  • Tremellas
    Tremellas Posts: 999 Member
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    Yes I have this problem, best way to get calories back is through excercize, even at 5'1" you can get 500 to 1000 more calories with a long run! Like a 10K gives me about 500 and I'm 5'2" Good luck!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Well is your period due soon? That's always when I'm starving.

    Otherwise, yeah, I got way hungrier once I increased my calories unfortunately, so instead of adding treats with those calories, I had to decrease the number of treats I ate.
  • 115Everest
    115Everest Posts: 31 Member
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    That only happens to me when I have too many simple carbs. If I keep my protein up and simple carbs and refined sugars in check, I don't get that raging hunger. If I do partake, that raging hunger comes back and the feeling might last through the next day until my body readjusts, but I just power through it and by the second day I'm fine. But there ain't no way, for example, that I'm skipping pecan pie on Thanksgiving... so I deal with it for a day or two and then I'm okay again.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Well is your period due soon? That's always when I'm starving.

    Otherwise, yeah, I got way hungrier once I increased my calories unfortunately, so instead of adding treats with those calories, I had to decrease the number of treats I ate.

    Oh didn't think of that! LOL! I don't really keep track now that I can't have anymore babies... but maybe...
    That could explain it.

    I am enjoying eating the bit more that I can, but it just seemed when I ate less I was less hungry... Now that I think about it, I guess my body got used to the low calories it and now it just has another thing to get used to...the slightly higher calories before it's comfortable again.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    Tremellas wrote: »
    Yes I have this problem, best way to get calories back is through excercize, even at 5'1" you can get 500 to 1000 more calories with a long run! Like a 10K gives me about 500 and I'm 5'2" Good luck!

    Wow! I don't think I could ever exercise that much w/out killing myself! But Good for you!!! :)
  • annahappy41
    annahappy41 Posts: 3 Member
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    I feel it's better to listen to your body than MFP. This is really meant to help track, motivate, celebrate - but if you're always hungry then your body is clearly looking for more food. You may want to eat more good fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, etc - those can be great calories, and definitely won't make you gain weight. Raw nuts are very alkaline, try if you can to stay away from roasted/salted nuts. Anyway, just listen to your body and you can find your right groove - that's the bottom line :)
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    115Everest wrote: »
    That only happens to me when I have too many simple carbs. If I keep my protein up and simple carbs and refined sugars in check, I don't get that raging hunger. If I do partake, that raging hunger comes back and the feeling might last through the next day until my body readjusts, but I just power through it and by the second day I'm fine. But there ain't no way, for example, that I'm skipping pecan pie on Thanksgiving... so I deal with it for a day or two and then I'm okay again.

    I've been working really hard on upping my protein intake.
    I read protein
    fat
    and then carbs.

    I'm trying... but carbs are in everything so when I'm trying to meet the protein and fat goals, I'm still taking in carbs! It's quite irritating!
    I eat a lot of tuna and chicken but I can only eat so much of it before I get sick of it.
    I'm also supplementing some of it w/ protein shakes.
    Low calorie shakes, w/ 30 G of protein, so I can stay w/in my calorie allotment.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    edited August 2015
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    annahappy41 wrote: »
    I feel it's better to listen to your body than MFP. This is really meant to help track, motivate, celebrate - but if you're always hungry then your body is clearly looking for more food. You may want to eat more good fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, etc - those can be great calories, and definitely won't make you gain weight. Raw nuts are very alkaline, try if you can to stay away from roasted/salted nuts. Anyway, just listen to your body and you can find your right groove - that's the bottom line :)

    Thanks for the advice!!! We'll see... Like I said I just started maintenance so not sure if this is going to last or eventually just taper off... if it doesn't I will experiment w/ eating more.
    And I love avocados! We have a tree so I eat them A LOT!
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    115Everest wrote: »
    That only happens to me when I have too many simple carbs. If I keep my protein up and simple carbs and refined sugars in check, I don't get that raging hunger. If I do partake, that raging hunger comes back and the feeling might last through the next day until my body readjusts, but I just power through it and by the second day I'm fine. But there ain't no way, for example, that I'm skipping pecan pie on Thanksgiving... so I deal with it for a day or two and then I'm okay again.

    Pecan Pie...Yum!
  • vicky1947mfp
    vicky1947mfp Posts: 1,527 Member
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    Same thing here. I was quite content on 1200 cals/day but now on maintenance with 1470 I am starving and have to fight the cravings.

    I am not eating anything different just a little more of my usual.

    It is driving me crazy too.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    edited August 2015
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    vicky1947mfp wrote: »
    Same thing here. I was quite content on 1200 cals/day but now on maintenance with 1470 I am starving and have to fight the cravings.

    I am not eating anything different just a little more of my usual.

    It is driving me crazy too.

    Glad to know I'm not the only one!
    I guess our bodies just need to get used to the new "normal".
    Good luck! :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Yep. I'm smaller now with a lower TDEE, but I can still eat as much as I could when weighing 30-40 pounds more. MFP gives me 1840 to maintain and since I don't do cardio-that's about it. I'm sure some weeks I might average 1900. I think it's a struggle for me because I really bank calories for the weekend. There's no way I could maintain my weight eating at maintenance every day and then trying to wing the weekends.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Yep. I'm smaller now with a lower TDEE, but I can still eat as much as I could when weighing 30-40 pounds more. MFP gives me 1840 to maintain and since I don't do cardio-that's about it. I'm sure some weeks I might average 1900. I think it's a struggle for me because I really bank calories for the weekend. There's no way I could maintain my weight eating at maintenance every day and then trying to wing the weekends.

    I'm jealous of your calorie allotment! LOL!
    How tall are you @arditarose ?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    edited August 2015
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    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yep. I'm smaller now with a lower TDEE, but I can still eat as much as I could when weighing 30-40 pounds more. MFP gives me 1840 to maintain and since I don't do cardio-that's about it. I'm sure some weeks I might average 1900. I think it's a struggle for me because I really bank calories for the weekend. There's no way I could maintain my weight eating at maintenance every day and then trying to wing the weekends.

    I'm jealous of your calorie allotment! LOL!
    How tall are you @arditarose ?

    I'm 5'4" and about 133. A bit taller and heavier than you. I'm jealous of the ladies maintaining on 2000+

    ETA quite a bit heavier than you.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yep. I'm smaller now with a lower TDEE, but I can still eat as much as I could when weighing 30-40 pounds more. MFP gives me 1840 to maintain and since I don't do cardio-that's about it. I'm sure some weeks I might average 1900. I think it's a struggle for me because I really bank calories for the weekend. There's no way I could maintain my weight eating at maintenance every day and then trying to wing the weekends.

    I'm jealous of your calorie allotment! LOL!
    How tall are you @arditarose ?

    I'm 5'4" and about 133. A bit taller and heavier than you. I'm jealous of the ladies maintaining on 2000+

    ETA quite a bit heavier than you.

    Heavier because you're taller.
    I bet you look just as good or better than me...

  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    @arditarose - Just looked at your photos and can now say that you DEFINTELY look BETTER than me! You get to eat more and look better...ugh I hate you! LOL! JK
    but I am envious of you!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    @arditarose - Just looked at your photos and can now say that you DEFINTELY look BETTER than me! You get to eat more and look better...ugh I hate you! LOL! JK
    but I am envious of you!

    lol there aren't any true progress pics in my profile. I'm sucking in/flexing in my recent pictures. Thank you though.

    What's your cardio like? Any chance of upping it so you can eat a bit more?
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    I was averaging about 30mins 4 times a week but I'm taking a break because I've been feeling a bit burned out.
    But the thing is I don't trust exercise calories so I pretty much never eat them back...only exception is if an unexpected event comes up where I wind up eating/drinking more than my calorie allotment.

    I just started strength training w/ my hubby this past Sunday.
    Going try to get into that to help burn this little bit of flab that I didn't get rid of during my weight loss.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    I was averaging about 30mins 4 times a week but I'm taking a break because I've been feeling a bit burned out.
    But the thing is I don't trust exercise calories so I pretty much never eat them back...only exception is if an unexpected event comes up where I wind up eating/drinking more than my calorie allotment.

    I just started strength training w/ my hubby this past Sunday.
    Going try to get into that to help burn this little bit of flab that I didn't get rid of during my weight loss.

    How long have you been in maintenance? With 4 days a week, I'd think it's safe to eat half back if you're using NEAT. I do it like once every 7 weeks so I definitely can't eat that back. Doesn't even cover logging errors ha.

    Weight training is awesome. That's pretty much all I did during weight loss!
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yep. I'm smaller now with a lower TDEE, but I can still eat as much as I could when weighing 30-40 pounds more. MFP gives me 1840 to maintain and since I don't do cardio-that's about it. I'm sure some weeks I might average 1900. I think it's a struggle for me because I really bank calories for the weekend. There's no way I could maintain my weight eating at maintenance every day and then trying to wing the weekends.

    I'm jealous of your calorie allotment! LOL!
    How tall are you @arditarose ?

    I'm 5'4" and about 133. A bit taller and heavier than you. I'm jealous of the ladies maintaining on 2000+

    ETA quite a bit heavier than you.

    This/you gives me so much hope! I'm the same/height and weight and have debating how much more I should try to lose before I start eating at maintenance. I'll probably just get down to 130 and see how I feel there. You look fantastic!

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