Hungry all the time

twobongs

I've gotten in really great shape in the last six months. I've lost about 20 lbs by eating very clean and training 6 times a week. Not only am I proud of the shape I'm in, but also proud of the fact that I had been consistently exercising great discipline and self control specially with my nutrition and meal planning. But in the last month, I've had a harder time sticking with my meal planning and find myself binging more often. So far I've managed to keep the weight off and I'm still training consistently and intensely. I'm just trying to avoid going down the wrong path and picking up old bad habits. Anyone have any advice? Anyone have the same issue? Thanks !

ElizabethKalmbach

If you're binging and not losing weight, it may be that you're eating insufficiently to power your workouts. Do a thorough review of your maintenance calories, your workout estimations, and your overall activity level and make sure they're still in synch. Habits are fantastic, but sometimes variables change and the habits need to change slightly to keep up with the variables. Also try to make sure you're getting enough sleep and enough water/hydration. In just the last week, my water consumption has increased by a quart per day to keep up with the dry winter air!

swim777

Look at your macros and see if you can change those up to be more satisfied. Make sure you are getting enough calories for your day. I fall into the binge/restrict cycle sometimes. It’s easier to add in a lunch that is more satisfying or breakfast (regardless of the time) if I’m especially hungry that day then to be starving late in the day. Little strategies can help.

JenniferM1234

Related to what @elizabethkalmbach said, if you're binging and not *gaining* weight, you might have forgotten to adjust your daily calorie goal to "maintenance" from "losing X/week."

ElizabethKalmbach

@JenniferM1234 Er... Yes. >_< That's what I meant. Replies need to be triple checked before coffee. *Gaining* not losing.

psychod787

Not knowing the context of your diet besides "clean", I don't know how to help. This might some.
https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/r2p_energy_density.pdf

sijomial

Could be your body is trying to tell you something and you are too determined / proud/ disciplined to listen.

Try raising your daily calorie goal - see if your weight trend and hunger signals change (or not) after a period of weeks.

AnnPT77

In addition to good advice above (especially the question of whether you're fueling enough, and sleeping), I'd also ask whether you've changed something in the modality of your exercise and activity relatively recently, such as the form of exercising (y'know, swimming, cycling, weight lifting, etc.), the intensity of exercise (faster running, HIIT vs more moderate intervals, more frequent higher-intensity vs. lower-intensity workouts, that sort of thing); the duration of some exercise (even if eating back the higher calories); the frequency of exercise; or the intervals for recovery between exercises that put stress on the same muscle groups or body systems (like doing something on successive days that used to be every other day).

Some of us find that different exercises or intensities create more hunger than others, and it seems to differ by person (and sometimes even differs at different times for the same person). For example, for me, even quite moderate weight training seems to affect my appetite, in ways that even fairly intense cardio doesn't.

Also, don't assume that "eating clean" is necessarily getting you well-rounded nutrition. If you haven't, you might want to spot-check a couple of days for micronutrient levels, especially things that can relate to subtle fatigue like iron. Pills/supplements may not do the job as well as nutrients from food. I'll assume you've already tuned up your macro-level nutrition, if you're logging here.

Changes in daily life stress level might also contribute to appetite changes. Since you're already getting plenty of exercise, if stress is up, you might want to consider stress reduction techniques.

Best wishes!

twobongs

Wow! Thanks everyone for these amazing responses.

elfin168

Are you meeting fat and protein needs?

stwo1970

You might need to look at when you're timing your meals too. I need to eat some protein right after (within 20 minutes) exercise or I spend the entire rest of the day hungry. It doesn't matter how much I eat, I still end up playing "catch up" to my hunger.

nxd10

I find protein keeps me feeling full. Any carb and I get hungry. The only exception to that is a SMALL amount of ice cream (1/4 cup high quality) with yogurt and nuts to up the protein and cut the sweet taste is very satisfying and keeps me from being hungry.

ThinnerLiz

I am aligned with nxd10 above.
If I keep my carbs low (100 or less grams per day and no sugar, or processed stuff) I have no problems with hunger. None.
I make up the rest of my calories with protein and fat. It’s almost hard to get it all in on any given day.
I am 5’7” tall, very light frame, and a long-limbed wirey type at 120 pounds.
I do carry some muscle and have kept it during my weight loss of about 30 pounds.
I attribute that to eating at LEAST 100 grams of protein a day, and a good amount of fats, along with consistent lifting.
I’m also 59 and post-menopausal, having lost all my mid-life pudge over the last year.

You may not be eating enough consistently to fuel recovery, or you may be eating the wrong things.
Alcohol, sugar, carbs, processed foods, stress, lack of sleep—will all mess with your appetite and ability to maintain.

Try working on eating only fresh veggies, mostly non-starchy ones, a bit of fresh fruit (not juice) and keeping total carbs under 30-40 per meal unless you just did a killer workout.
You may find you’re not hungry and feel a whole lot better.

PAV8888

If you're continuously hungry, often going uncontrollably overboard with your food intake, yet still not gaining, this indicates an excess deficit for your current body composition and activity level.

Increase your goal intake, decrease your deficit, and see how your feel..

Also don't be afraid to re evaluate and re confirm your goals and strategies to achieve them if you're already in the healthy weight range.

PAV8888

Err... also.... looking at screen name.... hmmm.... certain "medicinal herbs" ARE known to induce "the munchies". If your name implies use of such herbs... well... that may explain some of your "hunger" and "over-eating"

cupcakesandproteinshakes

PAV8888 wrote: »

Err... also.... looking at screen name.... hmmm.... certain "medicinal herbs" ARE known to induce "the munchies". If your name implies use of such herbs... well... that may explain some of your "hunger" and "over-eating"

Good one. Especially if more than one bong is involved at a time!!

staticsplit

Haha, yep. I don't smoke because every time I do I tend to munch on everything in sight. Same with drinking--alcohol calories plus lower inhibition = eating a late night kebab or whatever.

I had an issue with disordered eating/bulimia last year. My binging stopped when I started fueling myself properly and lessened my rules around food (no mentally labeling anything good or bad or 'clean'). Now I'll occasionally eat until I'm quite full if I go out to dinner, but nothing that would be considered a binge. Very rare for me to eat more than 800-900 calories at one time. My meals are usually 450-600, and I probably eat around 2200-2500 calories a day (4ish meals and a snack, usually). I have trended up a little recently, but I also haven't been tracking stringently, so I had some higher days in there. I'll go back to tracking if I consistently stay at 156+, which is the upper end of my maintenance range (I'm 6ft).