Increased appetite after losing weight..??
ennailllieno1
Posts: 14 Member
So I lost about 25 lbs since starting MFP a year ago.
I was on 1200 cal/day. Now I've decided to slow it down. I still want to get leaner (not necessarily going by weight)
I've noticed now that it's extremely difficult for me to stay within my calorie goal which is actually 1680 now. I'm eating like 1800-1900 cals daily, easily, even when I'm not doing any activity and I still feel like I'm only eating when I'm hungry.
So what's the deal? I think its partially because I'm less motivated because I only wanna lose like 5 lbs now, and also partially my appetite has increased significantly.
Is this a problem? Have you experienced this?
How important are calories anyway?
I'm worried I'll gain the weight back if I keep consuming 1800 + per day (even though that's my maintenance amount) because it's so much more than I was eating before.
Any tips or info?
Thx!
I was on 1200 cal/day. Now I've decided to slow it down. I still want to get leaner (not necessarily going by weight)
I've noticed now that it's extremely difficult for me to stay within my calorie goal which is actually 1680 now. I'm eating like 1800-1900 cals daily, easily, even when I'm not doing any activity and I still feel like I'm only eating when I'm hungry.
So what's the deal? I think its partially because I'm less motivated because I only wanna lose like 5 lbs now, and also partially my appetite has increased significantly.
Is this a problem? Have you experienced this?
How important are calories anyway?
I'm worried I'll gain the weight back if I keep consuming 1800 + per day (even though that's my maintenance amount) because it's so much more than I was eating before.
Any tips or info?
Thx!
2
Replies
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If you eat at your actual maintenance on a sustained basis then you will neither have a continuous gain nor a continuous loss...8
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Since you said you aren’t really going by scale weight, you can definitely get leaner while eating at maintenance which you said you’re already doing (body recomp). I would say focus on that for a bit & see how that goes. Sometimes our bodies just need a break from being in a deficit.5
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Exercise more so you can eat more. 1200 a day for such a long period of time has backfired as it usually does. Sustained weight loss means changing habits not reducing calories all the time.
As you are now experiencing, when there is less weight to lose it's easy to start eating more. What happens when you reach your goal weight? Do you start eating more and more because you've "finished" your diet?
Keeping weight off is a slow process and a matter of changing habits, not just caloric deficit. Move more, eat less. Eat healthy and skip the garbage (fast food, alcohol, sweets, snacks) and get moving more and you'll be surprised what you can achieve.13 -
What you’re going through is common. People tend to feel more hungry after losing lots of weight. And I’ve read about a lot of people feeling more hungry, rather than less hungry, when they’ve added a few hundred calories back in to the mix. I certainly had that experience when I moved into maintenance. Besides the increased hunger, the decrease in motivation that comes with not seeing that scale drop as quickly (or if maintenance is your goal—not at all—) made it hard to stick with the plan. And eventually, I didn’t. And I gained it all back.
I don’t have much in the way of advice on handling the hunger. If you’re going for a slight deficit right now, maybe try setting your calories at maintenance for a week or two, but be really strict about not going over for the week. Reward yourself with something fun after a week (or two) of successful maintenance calories, and then head back in to the small deficit?8 -
“How important are calories anyway?
I'm worried I'll gain the weight back if I keep consuming 1800 + per day (even though that's my maintenance amount) because it's so much more than I was eating before.”
Calories were important while you were losing the weight. They are still as important.
1800 calories and 1800+ calories aren’t the same thing of 1800 is your maintenance amount. What I would be very careful of is the value that the + sign represent will gradually become more and more and then yes, you will gain back weight you lost.
Sorry for the second post. I just reread this part and I see so much of where I was right before I started gaining my weight back! Don’t want to see you make the same mistakes I made. But I don’t have the answer!
6 -
Have you been eating 1200 for a year?! That's quite a long time. I'd suggest taking a controlled diet break. You'd be deliberately eating at maintenance for a while. If you've been around the boards during the year, hopefully you realize that eating more will increase your weight due to having more food in your system and increasing the amount of carbs you are eating, hence more water weight. But it's not fat. Your weight will level out again.
Since you're so close to goal, you may want to try an extended diet break (as in at least a couple months) and use the time to more accurately pinpoint your maintenance calories. Then, once you've done that, you could try working on that 5 pounds again, with a .5 lb/wk goal.
Here's a good read:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p19 -
It is a *thing* when increasing calories to suddenly be experiencing increased appetite.
That's one reason why we preach to not have a huge deficit at the end of weight loss. Going from 1200 to 1800 in one jump will cause this. It's also possible that even 1800 is too low for your lifestyle. You'll have to play around with it. My "maintenance" calories are 1500 if I use online calculators, but I actually maintain on 2000+ Exercise calories.
The good news is that it will settle down if you're at the right level and can maintain your weight at that calorie level. Just keep doing the right things and stay at that level for a couple more weeks and you should get back down to manageable appetite.
It's a real thing! It happens to me every time I raise calories. It does go away.
9 -
cmriverside wrote: »It is a *thing* when increasing calories to suddenly be experiencing increased appetite.
That's one reason why we preach to not have a huge deficit at the end of weight loss. Going from 1200 to 1800 in one jump will cause this. It's also possible that even 1800 is too low for your lifestyle. You'll have to play around with it. My "maintenance" calories are 1500 if I use online calculators, but I actually maintain on 2000+ Exercise calories.
The good news is that it will settle down if you're at the right level and can maintain your weight at that calorie level. Just keep doing the right things and stay at that level for a couple more weeks and you should get back down to manageable appetite.
It's a real thing! It happens to me every time I raise calories. It does go away.
Piggybacking off this, which is so true! I found that my maintenance was higher than I thought it was too. So you could perhaps use this as a method to figure out what your true maintenance is and potentially be able to eat more. I was really hungry for months after and overate quite a bit but thankfully I stopped as was able to get everything under control. I feel more satisfied now eating at maintenance than I did a few months back.4 -
Especially when coming from a large deficit into maintenance it is not uncommon to continue being very hungry for an extended period of time.
An extended time period of eating at or above maintenance seems to be the only cure.
The obvious caveat and issue is that eating above true maintenance has the obvious effect. Usually most people end up gaining everything back plus a little bit more before things settle down.
Thus the only suggestion I have is fighting to stay within true maintenance or accepting as slow of a controlled weight gain as possible in the hopes that things will stabilize over time at below the original weight. a weight trend application may be helpful to you if you're not already using one
I appreciate my helpful woo fans and would love for them to point out to me how informing the original poster that eating at their true maintenance will not result in a weight change (when the OP specifically mentioned in their post that they were concerned that doing so would result in weight gain) does not meet their exacting standards.
Short term increasing food to actual maintenance may result in weight changes due to food volume, or increased carbs for people who low carb, but eating at actual maintenance obviously does not increase long-term fat storage.
4 -
Especially when coming from a large deficit into maintenance it is not uncommon to continue being very hungry for an extended period of time.
An extended time period of eating at or above maintenance seems to be the only cure.
The obvious caveat and issue is that eating above true maintenance has the obvious effect. Usually most people end up gaining everything back plus a little bit more before things settle down.
Thus the only suggestion I have is fighting to stay within true maintenance or accepting as slow of a controlled weight gain as possible in the hopes that things will stabilize over time at below the original weight. a weight trend application may be helpful to you if you're not already using one
I appreciate my helpful woo fans and would love for them to point out to me how informing the original poster that eating at their true maintenance will not result in a weight change (when the OP specifically mentioned in their post that they were concerned that doing so would result in weight gain) does not meet their exacting standards.
Short term increasing food to actual maintenance may result in weight changes due to food volume, or increased carbs for people who low carb, but eating at actual maintenance obviously does not increase long-term fat storage.
I didnt go from 1200-1800 overnight. It was a gradual process over several months. I was at 1500 in September of last year, and have noticed the amount of calories to stay satiated has steadily increased where I just have a really hard time eatng less than 1800 in a day. Its disappointing.
I would like to have discipline but also want to make sure I'm nourished.
Being a full tme student also increases my appetite.3 -
Being in a deficit for a prolonged period of time has an impact on various hormones that influence eating behaviors. The same is true for weight loss. I had this same issue when I first started eating more after losing weight and being in an prolonged deficit. These hormones should eventually settle and your appetite should become more manageable. Give it some time. Hang in there.3
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leejoyce31 wrote: »Being in a deficit for a prolonged period of time has an impact on various hormones that influence eating behaviors. The same is true for weight loss. I had this same issue when I first started eating more after losing weight and being in an prolonged deficit. These hormones should eventually settle and your appetite should become more manageable. Give it some time. Hang in there.
So you think I should continue with a small deficit and eventually you think my appetite will decrease maybe?0 -
Same. But I also look at hunger differently on either side of maintenance. When trying to lose, I learn to live with empty stomach feeling or not being fully satiated. In maintenance I have an expectation that feeling should be gone perhaps? So I reach for food more often?1
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I went through a similar time and found it was not my calories but my macros that were making me hungrier. I increased protein and reduced refined carbs and I was fine. I'm not talking Keto here just a minor adjustment.10
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^^ I am not a low carber by any stretch, but I do notice if I eat high carb for breakfast, I'm hungry much much faster, and for the rest of the day, I just can't seem to get enough. E.g. oatmeal. Totally love the stuff, but I have to eat it in the afternoon as a snack. If I eat it first thing, I can't quell the ravenous.10
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^^ I am not a low carber by any stretch, but I do notice if I eat high carb for breakfast, I'm hungry much much faster, and for the rest of the day, I just can't seem to get enough. E.g. oatmeal. Totally love the stuff, but I have to eat it in the afternoon as a snack. If I eat it first thing, I can't quell the ravenous.
I've just started eating oats for breakie almost every day. That could be it4 -
Especially when coming from a large deficit into maintenance it is not uncommon to continue being very hungry for an extended period of time.
An extended time period of eating at or above maintenance seems to be the only cure.
The obvious caveat and issue is that eating above true maintenance has the obvious effect. Usually most people end up gaining everything back plus a little bit more before things settle down.
Thus the only suggestion I have is fighting to stay within true maintenance or accepting as slow of a controlled weight gain as possible in the hopes that things will stabilize over time at below the original weight. a weight trend application may be helpful to you if you're not already using one
I appreciate my helpful woo fans and would love for them to point out to me how informing the original poster that eating at their true maintenance will not result in a weight change (when the OP specifically mentioned in their post that they were concerned that doing so would result in weight gain) does not meet their exacting standards.
Short term increasing food to actual maintenance may result in weight changes due to food volume, or increased carbs for people who low carb, but eating at actual maintenance obviously does not increase long-term fat storage.
That's what I am doing.cmriverside wrote: »It is a *thing* when increasing calories to suddenly be experiencing increased appetite.
That's one reason why we preach to not have a huge deficit at the end of weight loss. Going from 1200 to 1800 in one jump will cause this. It's also possible that even 1800 is too low for your lifestyle. You'll have to play around with it. My "maintenance" calories are 1500 if I use online calculators, but I actually maintain on 2000+ Exercise calories.
The good news is that it will settle down if you're at the right level and can maintain your weight at that calorie level. Just keep doing the right things and stay at that level for a couple more weeks and you should get back down to manageable appetite.
It's a real thing! It happens to me every time I raise calories. It does go away.
Sorry. I dont really mean to call you out on this, but do you have any links to studies or scientific evidence of this?2 -
psychod787 wrote: »Especially when coming from a large deficit into maintenance it is not uncommon to continue being very hungry for an extended period of time.
An extended time period of eating at or above maintenance seems to be the only cure.
The obvious caveat and issue is that eating above true maintenance has the obvious effect. Usually most people end up gaining everything back plus a little bit more before things settle down.
Thus the only suggestion I have is fighting to stay within true maintenance or accepting as slow of a controlled weight gain as possible in the hopes that things will stabilize over time at below the original weight. a weight trend application may be helpful to you if you're not already using one
I appreciate my helpful woo fans and would love for them to point out to me how informing the original poster that eating at their true maintenance will not result in a weight change (when the OP specifically mentioned in their post that they were concerned that doing so would result in weight gain) does not meet their exacting standards.
Short term increasing food to actual maintenance may result in weight changes due to food volume, or increased carbs for people who low carb, but eating at actual maintenance obviously does not increase long-term fat storage.
That's what I am doing.cmriverside wrote: »It is a *thing* when increasing calories to suddenly be experiencing increased appetite.
That's one reason why we preach to not have a huge deficit at the end of weight loss. Going from 1200 to 1800 in one jump will cause this. It's also possible that even 1800 is too low for your lifestyle. You'll have to play around with it. My "maintenance" calories are 1500 if I use online calculators, but I actually maintain on 2000+ Exercise calories.
The good news is that it will settle down if you're at the right level and can maintain your weight at that calorie level. Just keep doing the right things and stay at that level for a couple more weeks and you should get back down to manageable appetite.
It's a real thing! It happens to me every time I raise calories. It does go away.
Sorry. I dont really mean to call you out on this, but do you have any links to studies or scientific evidence of this?
I dont imagine there could be scientific evidence of people's appetites. I read that as cmriverside relaying experience. I know there are many posts in the diet break thread of folks experiencing increased appetite with increased calories. It's possible there's some kind of data to back that up in the Lyle McDonald video posted in there or the following up discussion, it's been a while since I read it.4 -
psychod787 wrote: »Especially when coming from a large deficit into maintenance it is not uncommon to continue being very hungry for an extended period of time.
An extended time period of eating at or above maintenance seems to be the only cure.
The obvious caveat and issue is that eating above true maintenance has the obvious effect. Usually most people end up gaining everything back plus a little bit more before things settle down.
Thus the only suggestion I have is fighting to stay within true maintenance or accepting as slow of a controlled weight gain as possible in the hopes that things will stabilize over time at below the original weight. a weight trend application may be helpful to you if you're not already using one
I appreciate my helpful woo fans and would love for them to point out to me how informing the original poster that eating at their true maintenance will not result in a weight change (when the OP specifically mentioned in their post that they were concerned that doing so would result in weight gain) does not meet their exacting standards.
Short term increasing food to actual maintenance may result in weight changes due to food volume, or increased carbs for people who low carb, but eating at actual maintenance obviously does not increase long-term fat storage.
That's what I am doing.cmriverside wrote: »It is a *thing* when increasing calories to suddenly be experiencing increased appetite.
That's one reason why we preach to not have a huge deficit at the end of weight loss. Going from 1200 to 1800 in one jump will cause this. It's also possible that even 1800 is too low for your lifestyle. You'll have to play around with it. My "maintenance" calories are 1500 if I use online calculators, but I actually maintain on 2000+ Exercise calories.
The good news is that it will settle down if you're at the right level and can maintain your weight at that calorie level. Just keep doing the right things and stay at that level for a couple more weeks and you should get back down to manageable appetite.
It's a real thing! It happens to me every time I raise calories. It does go away.
Sorry. I dont really mean to call you out on this, but do you have any links to studies or scientific evidence of this?
I dont imagine there could be scientific evidence of people's appetites. I read that as cmriverside relaying experience. I know there are many posts in the diet break thread of folks experiencing increased appetite with increased calories. It's possible there's some kind of data to back that up in the Lyle McDonald video posted in there or the following up discussion, it's been a while since I read it.
Thanks Kimny, I am always just looking for new research in things. I used to be the type of person that fell for guru's bs. I now read scientific research that I put much more stock in.😉3 -
Wanted to add this to the conversation for the OP. It's a study by the NIH and Kevin Hall about calories consumed hyper processed vs lower processed food. Most of the posters here have probably read it, but it might help.
https://osf.io/preprints/nutrixiv/w3zh2?fbclid=IwAR1vidoVAaTgXCNy7zqGCDPEOZFx6d6_b7I0d3fCv_HEjDquRtnHqTcH8-45 -
ennailllieno1 wrote: »^^ I am not a low carber by any stretch, but I do notice if I eat high carb for breakfast, I'm hungry much much faster, and for the rest of the day, I just can't seem to get enough. E.g. oatmeal. Totally love the stuff, but I have to eat it in the afternoon as a snack. If I eat it first thing, I can't quell the ravenous.
I've just started eating oats for breakie almost every day. That could be it
Well, maybe try experimenting with high fat breakfasts with decent protein for a week or two and see if it makes a difference? It's really hard to beat eggs for nutrition (and cost). They're also extremely versatile.1 -
^^ I am not a low carber by any stretch, but I do notice if I eat high carb for breakfast, I'm hungry much much faster, and for the rest of the day, I just can't seem to get enough. E.g. oatmeal. Totally love the stuff, but I have to eat it in the afternoon as a snack. If I eat it first thing, I can't quell the ravenous.
Same here! Whatever I eat for breakfast, seems to set the path (to the fridge and back) for me. I love my oats, but by noon, my stomach starts growling. I can go til 2 pm on 3 scrambled eggs and some turkey without even realizing...1 -
ennailllieno1 wrote: »^^ I am not a low carber by any stretch, but I do notice if I eat high carb for breakfast, I'm hungry much much faster, and for the rest of the day, I just can't seem to get enough. E.g. oatmeal. Totally love the stuff, but I have to eat it in the afternoon as a snack. If I eat it first thing, I can't quell the ravenous.
I've just started eating oats for breakie almost every day. That could be it
I can't eat oatmeal for breakfast, or I'm also starving about 1-2 hours later. I'm better off if I eat nothing than if I eat cereal or oatmeal only for breakfast.3 -
Everyone is different, we all have to experiment.
I like a big portion of steel cut oats in the morning. But yes I also plan for a mid-morning snack on weekdays because it's a long wait from 7-1pm. then lunch at 1ish. but that is just what works for me. I get more protein the rest of the day.0 -
Thanks guys! Yeah, I eat breakfast, small mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and then dinner.
I will try the higher protein and fat breakfasts for a bit and see what happens!
3 -
Have you changed your macro split? If you added back a disproportional amount of carbs, that could be causing hunger spikes due to wider fluctuations in glucose.0
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ennailllieno1 wrote: »^^ I am not a low carber by any stretch, but I do notice if I eat high carb for breakfast, I'm hungry much much faster, and for the rest of the day, I just can't seem to get enough. E.g. oatmeal. Totally love the stuff, but I have to eat it in the afternoon as a snack. If I eat it first thing, I can't quell the ravenous.
I've just started eating oats for breakie almost every day. That could be it
I find that if I add a scoop of protein powder and have some greek yoghurt with my oats I can easily remain satisfied until lunchtime. Without the protein, it is a totally different story. Some also go down the path of savoury oats with egg and vegetables added instead but I prefer a sweeter breakfast.0 -
Have you changed your macro split? If you added back a disproportional amount of carbs, that could be causing hunger spikes due to wider fluctuations in glucose.
Yeah I recently took a break from eating meat. That could be it.
Eating more beans and lentils which have more carbs.
I generally am pretty good with my macros though, and I haven't changed it since not eatng meat.0 -
I also eat a lot of fruits and veggies which I count but I feel like it adds up the calories without ablctually making me full0
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ennailllieno1 wrote: »Have you changed your macro split? If you added back a disproportional amount of carbs, that could be causing hunger spikes due to wider fluctuations in glucose.
Yeah I recently took a break from eating meat. That could be it.
Eating more beans and lentils which have more carbs.
I generally am pretty good with my macros though, and I haven't changed it since not eatng meat.
What percentage of protein is your goal and how often do you hit or exceed it?
I find beans and lentils very filling.
Oats, not at all, even when I add Greek yogurt. A little more so when I also add a half scoop of protein powder. (Can't add too much or it becomes inedible.) It comes to 25 g protein total, 332 calories, and I still don't find it especially filling.0
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