Increased appetite after weight loss

angeljo2015

Does anyone find their appetite increase after a substantial weight loss? I have lost two stones with ten pounds to go to target and I'm feeling starving all the time

parfia

Have you overly restricted your calorie intake to get to your current weight - it may be your body sending you a message that it needs more fuel

Whitezombiegirl

Yes. I read that the body is trying to restore the previous weight. Stick with it and the body will get used to it and the hunger will diminish. Its happened to me a couple of times now. It does pass.

Mystical64

Or your metabolism could be speeding up to burn the food you are eating....just a thought.

And yes it has happened to me. And it was my metabolism.

believe

terbusha

Yep, there's research that shows hormones change during a long weight loss that influence hunger. Here, check out this video. You'll find it helpful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5C3uqA1yRI

mamafazz

It is caused by a decrease in leptin I believe

LivingtheLeanDream

You must have too agressive a deficit if you are feeling hunger. Perhaps you are aiming to lose too much per week? ie 2lbs when perhaps 1lb a week loss would leave you not hungry as you have more calories to work with.

Francl27

Yes I've been dealing with it too. I was totally on track and 2 pounds from my goal 2 years ago and went on vacations, started running there, and started doing more intense workouts when I came back, and I never managed to lose my last 2 pounds because I'm just so hungry! Heck I never lost the 2 pounds I gained during that vacation either... Been 2-4 pounds over since... I'm eating more than when I was losing but I'm hungrier. Extremely frustrating. At least the inches have been going down I guess.

angeljo2015

Is there any way to rectify it ie leptin?

mamafazz

angeljo2015 wrote: »

Is there any way to rectify it ie leptin?

you could take a diet break and eat at maintenance for a week or 2 and see if that helps with the hunger

angeljo2015

Okay but then would it go back to decreased leptin

mamafazz

angeljo2015 wrote: »

Okay but then would it go back to decreased leptin

I have also read some people believe if your deficit is small and weight loss is slow, this affects leptin less than losing fast at a large deficit. You will just need to play around with it and see what works for you. For me, I do better on a small deficit because I have less hunger, more energy, and am able to stick with it better because it is less "painful".

angeljo2015

I was working on two pounds a week but even one pound now would be OK, do you think I lost at too bigger deficit? Would eating at maintenance be an option ?

murp4069

Same boat here. I'm less than 10 lbs from goal and I'm significantly hungrier than I was a few months ago. I never found it a major struggle to stay within my calorie goals, and now it's a struggle every day. The last 2 weeks I've tapered my physical activity a bit and have been eating at maintenance, this week I'm going to eat at a deficit again and see how that goes, I'm hoping I just needed a little break.

angeljo2015

Good luck I might try this and hope it works

Francl27

mamafazz wrote: »

angeljo2015 wrote: »

Is there any way to rectify it ie leptin?

you could take a diet break and eat at maintenance for a week or 2 and see if that helps with the hunger

I heard it works for some people. It had the opposite effect for me...

Mouse_Potato

I am dealing with this as well. I am about 5-8 pounds from my UGW and I am hungry all the time. Even right after eating a big meal. I can eat a 600+ calorie burrito bowl at Chipotle and finish off my date's leftovers. And then I want a cookie. My deficit is small - just 250 calories a day. I get plenty of protein, fat, and fiber. No foods are off limits. I've just become this bottomless pit as my body fat has dropped.

angeljo2015

Sorry to hear that it's pretty tough going isn't it