Easier to eat at a larger deficit than a smaller one?

emilysusana

Hi everyone!

I focus on a weekly deficit rather than daily so I can have some flexibility in my life! But I find that on the days I eat more, I’m hungrier! I’ve heard others say this, too, especially on maintenance threads (they are suddenly ravenously hungry when they start eating more). What’s with this paradox? Are the causes mental or physiological?

I’ve been averaging a deficit of 750 calories /day (1.5 lb of loss/week— logging has proved to be spot on) and I want to reduce my deficit because I know I probably shouldn’t be losing this quickly. But, part of me is anxious about upping the calories and finding it harder to stick to my goal. (If it ain’t broke...). I screwed up maintenance a couple of years ago for a variety of reasons, but the increased hunger was definitely a factor.

I have about 20 lbs left to lose. I’m living life, eating dessert, and feeling great with my 750 deficit. I don’t feel deprived at al! I’m exercising a lot and enjoying that, too. Should I try to reduce the deficit since I’ll eventually need to get used to eating more? Will the increased hunger go away after a short period of time? Should I stay the course since things feel easy and good where I’m at?

TeaBea

1.5 pounds a week to way too aggressive for 20 pounds left to lose. Are you eating a portion of exercise calories back, or did you use a different calculator with exercise already factored in?

Protein, fiber and fat are filling components. Perhaps it's your food choices that leave you hungrier, or it could be the type of exercise. Many people choose moderate paced weight loss as a type of "muscle insurance." Losing quickly has it's disadvantages.

cmriverside

It is a thing that happens when increasing calories. This is one of the many reasons we preach to continue to shrink that deficit as people get closer to their Goal weight.

I agree with Tea, set your goal to, "Lose 1/2 pound per week," at this point and then when you get hungrier (you will) tell yourself, "I have enough food."

It does pass. It usually takes me about a week to adjust. It's just a hormonal/signalling thing.

cmriverside

...also, you may find your current 750 deficit comfortable NOW, but I bet it was not easy in the beginning.

emilysusana

cmriverside wrote: »

...also, you may find your current 750 deficit comfortable NOW, but I bet it was not easy in the beginning.

It’s been fine since the beginning. I was eating terribly before this restart. But I do know how to eat a balanced diet and exercise, so once I switched to that, it wasn’t a struggle at all. I also cut out alcohol, which I’ve learned causes me to make bad food choices.

Yes, I’m eating my exercise calories back. 750 is my deficit factoring in all calories out and in. I have 13 weeks of data and it’s all matching up... 750 deficit, 1.5 lb/ week avg loss.

I will try reducing the deficit slowly.

PAV8888

When you have higher fat reserves the 750 deficit is possible and it mostly comes out of your fat stores.

As you reduce your fat reserves more of it starts coming out of nonfat stores.

Whether a larger deficit contributes to a worse ratio is the question, and I personally think that the preponderance of evidence favors a smaller deficit.

The increased hunger is hormonal / physiological in origin (some people will debate even that but I find it is too universal to not have physiology as an origin) and is, for lack of a better term, your body rebounding to compensate for the loss of (and you can take your pick here) weight, fat, and/or lean mass.

Again no 1000% answer. Answers vary: From just a short period of time with no regain necessary to bring everything to a new normal.... to until all the lean mass you lost is restored.... to until all the fat mass you lost is restored plus a bit more.

And that's where most people fail in the classic diet and regain model.

In my personal observation the larger and more sustained (without a break or the benefit of re-feeds) the deficit and the more deep into the low overweight to normal weight range the restoration to normal eating... the bigger the rebound and the push back to become weight restored.

Since you will not be able to permanently eat at a -750 deficit (your body will make it extremely uncomfortable when you're well into the normal range, plus the end game if you continue at that point is far from pretty)... at some point of time you will have to bite the bullet and switch out of that deficit.

You can wait until your body makes it impossible to continue, or you can switch while still losing mostly fat mass and while you still have the benefit of time and of the psychological assistance of wanting to aim for continuing weight loss, thus being more willing to clamp down.

On the plus side easing onto maintenance, especially if you take your time and feather in, guarantees that you don't get an immediate yo-yo effect.

Think of it this way.

When would you rather experience extra hunger and desire to eat more? (assuming that you do experience any of that--apparently not everybody does!)

Would you rather that it happens while you're still trying to lose weight, aiming for a deficit, and perhaps not always achieving it (thus prolonging the time that you remain weight reduced as compared to your original starting point even if you're not moving closer to your desired ending point and in essence still being able to claim a victory) ... Or would you rather that it happens when you're trying to maintain, and failing to do so, thus increasing your weight as compared to the goal you had already achieved?

Even if the two were to end at the same point, I think the second path is a bit harder to take and to control.

So, look at your fat reserve levels. If they are such that you would be correctly classified as normal weight or low overweight (basically BMI 27 or lower assuming that BMI is representative of your individual fat reserve level)... -750 sounds ready to switch to -500 or so. And to -250 when you're moving further into the normal weight zone (or if you're already there).

As to why your body is not clamoring in the beginning, it seems to be an adaptation to starvation that when food and calories are not present you're getting more of a mental (food ideation) but less of a physical (intense hunger) push back from your body. However when food becomes present... binge time is the more likely result.

emilysusana

I’m into be low overweight according to my BMI. Thanks for the thorough explanation. I will try to shoot for a deficit of 500 for now, with a plan to adjust to 250 when I get a little ways into the “normal” range.

emilysusana

*low overweight (not below overweight) lol