Hungrier as you raise calories? Is it a thing?

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Gamliela
Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm hungrier as I raise calories to maintenance level.

I'm about 50 calories up from what I was doing most days and sometimes 100. I'm aiming for 1400, my mfp maintenance amount.

Its making me so much hungrier. Seems impossible!

Anybody else experienced MORE hunger as you moved into maintenance and increased calories?
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    1400 is very low, are you tiny?
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    No, its my age and my sedentary level of activity that causes the low calorie amount. I'm nearly 67. I do a lot of house work and I walk, but thats (1400) what mfp gives me as maintenance calories. So I accept it and really I haven't been hungry on the 1200. I weigh around 125.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    Last week some days I was over 1400 and some days around 1300, I get hungrier on the higher amounts.
    I just don't get how that could be, and I'm curious if anyone else has experienced it.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    I'm almost 5'7", just under.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Gamliela wrote: »
    No, its my age and my sedentary level of activity that causes the low calorie amount. I'm nearly 67. I do a lot of house work and I walk, but thats (1400) what mfp gives me as maintenance calories. So I accept it and really I haven't been hungry on the 1200. I weigh around 125.

    So you should log that or increase your activity level. 1400 is based on you being sedentary
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    Does sedentary mean actually sitting in a chair all day long? I think I read here on the forums that unless you stand a lot or have children and arre running around a lot that sedentary should be ok for people who don't have active jobs or do formal excersize, like in a gym or zumba class or running?

    If I did log, how would I log housework. I walk only maybe 20 minutes or half an hour usually.
  • wrharvill
    wrharvill Posts: 60 Member
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    I noticed that phenomenon, too. I hit my final, final goal recently and now I'm slowly adding calories to find my maintenance sweet spot... but dang it all, I'm hungrier now than I was when I was eating only 1200 calories a day. Its a bit frustrating, but I'm cutting myself some slack and when the hunger pangs start in earnest I'll either drink some hot tea (with cream now!) or have an egg white. I hope it evens out for you, for me, too. I'm also 125 pounds now, too, btw but only 5'3".
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
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    Gamliela wrote: »
    I'm hungrier as I raise calories to maintenance level.

    I'm about 50 calories up from what I was doing most days and sometimes 100. I'm aiming for 1400, my mfp maintenance amount.

    Its making me so much hungrier. Seems impossible!

    Anybody else experienced MORE hunger as you moved into maintenance and increased calories?

    yes
  • born_of_fire74
    born_of_fire74 Posts: 776 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Gamliela wrote: »
    I'm hungrier as I raise calories to maintenance level.

    I'm about 50 calories up from what I was doing most days and sometimes 100. I'm aiming for 1400, my mfp maintenance amount.

    Its making me so much hungrier. Seems impossible!

    Anybody else experienced MORE hunger as you moved into maintenance and increased calories?

    Yes...it is a hormonal response.

    Would you mind expounding upon this further? What is the specific cause of this hormonal response? Is it something that passes with time? Is there any way to mitigate it?

    I, too, am having a heck of a time with hunger since I've reached my goal weight range.

  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    Ah, thanks all of you! At least its not just some wierd phenomena or some mistake I made during this process of losing and now trying to maintain. Thanks for the honesty, I don't recall much discussion about it.

    A hormonal response to more food.
    Does it ease off, or ...... ?
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    Thats wonderful to read. There have been a few mfp members who have found their maintenance calories exceeded what they expected I believe.

    I can understand about the hormones, especially since more fat is the first thing I introduced to increase calories.
    Now on to more fruit, looking forward to a few more carbs too.

    I'll proceed with the calorie adds with more confidence now.

    Thanks again, very much appreciated.

    Less stress and worry make maintenance beginners more successful I'm sure.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    It was for me because I started eating more carbs and that makes me hungry. Protein and fat are your friends!
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    nxd10 wrote: »
    It was for me because I started eating more carbs and that makes me hungry. Protein and fat are your friends!

    Yeah, I was eating below 100 carbs most of the time while losing weight, so its probably going to be interesting if I add any more. Looking at sweet potatoes and oatmeal, nothing too wild until I feel more confident I can maintain the weight lost.
    Love me nut butter as well as some olive oil on the veg. It takes the monotony out of ordinary food.
    Fruit like grapes seem to be counter productive to crushing hunger, much as I enjoy them.

    I really don't want to go back to how I was last year at this time, ever.


    Thanks for the support!


  • silverfiend
    silverfiend Posts: 329 Member
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    I know I am definitely hungrier as I try to move closer to maintenance.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Absolutely yes. I've been upping calories steadily to ease into maintenance and am way hungrier than I was at 1400 cals. No idea why. Lately, I've added some filling snacks that help like a small microwaved sweet potato, cottage cheese, apples + decaf coffee.

    At first I tried a handful of nuts or bit of peanut butter, but couldn't keep serving sizes under control. Glad I'm not the only one!
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    I had the same thing happen!!
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
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    Yes for me too. I am not at maintenance yet but while on a long trip outside the country last year, my goal was to maintain during the 4 months. I was hungry if I ate more carbs. Less so on other things. My mother was tiny and maintained her appropriate 120 lbs all her life by allowing a 3 lb window. If she increased 3 lbs or more, then she cut back for a few days until it was down again. Rinse and repeat. I think successful maintenance should be a range and the taller or more active, the wider the range. But maybe others are more expert here.

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