Appetite Increase!...feeling hungry constantly!

newlooknewme2014

I recently incorporated exercise into my lifestyle and my appetite is crazy! I get hungry while I'm working out even though I have a snack before hand. I get hungry with in a few hours after I've already eaten. I feel like my stomach is hollow sometimes like I haven't eaten even though I just did. Not necessarily hunger pains though. It's weird.

Should I increase my calorie intake? I really try not to eat my exercise calories. Or should I eat my exercise calories to make up for what I've burned off? Any ideas?

ebbingfat

If you're feeling hungry, then you definitely should eat. A lot of people eat back at least half of their exercise calories. I usually don't because I find my current goal enough to satisfy myself, but on occasions when I am hungry I will go over my calorie limit a bit with a clear conscience knowing that I worked some calories off earlier that day.

I would also suggest making sure you're getting a lot of fiber and protein. Eat foods that make you feel full longer.

diannethegeek

MFP adds extra calories to your goal after you exercise for a reason. If you're hungry and you still have calories left in your day then eat some of them.

Also, make sure you're not skimping on the protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay fuller and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default numbers then you should try to get into the red for all 3 every day.

blvndr88

Trust me, you are not the only one with this problem. Your problem could simply be dehydration, this was my initial problem. I workout 6 days a week, and you really need to eat smaller meals more frequently; for example, I will eat 3 egg whites and one whole egg for breakfast, 2 hours later I juice, eat fruit, or cashews. Without making this post tremendously long, my advice is to stay hydrated and eat every 2-3 hours, and it doesn't have to be a large meal, just good quality calories. Another tip I can give you is to eat a large meal after your workout, this really helped me.

diannethegeek

Trust me, you are not the only one with this problem. Your problem could simply be dehydration, this was my initial problem. I workout 6 days a week, and you really need to eat smaller meals more frequently; for example, I will eat 3 egg whites and one whole egg for breakfast, 2 hours later I juice, eat fruit, or cashews. Without making this post tremendously long, my advice is to stay hydrated and eat every 2-3 hours, and it doesn't have to be a large meal, just good quality calories. Another tip I can give you is to eat a large meal after your workout, this really helped me.

Some people do really, really well on small meals throughout the day. They find it keeps their hunger and energy levels even throughout the day, increases their mood and gym performance, etc.

Some people have the exact opposite reaction, though. They find eating throughout the day keeps them hungry all day. They find it distracting and do better on larger meals less often.

Meal timing does not affect weight loss. It may affect your energy levels, gym performance, hunger levels, mood, etc. People should not be afraid to play around and find the meal schedule that works best for them.

deksgrl

Your food diary is not open, so it is hard to make recommendations. We don't know how much you are eating and what you are eating.

newlooknewme2014

Oh, I thought my diary was public. But now it is!

Makoce

I have this issue too, posting to keep track!
Ive done the 6 meals a day and the 3 meals a day, changed my macro percentages and what I eat and still have issues with this so maybe well get an answer!

When I was losing I ate back half my exercise calories, Im at maintenance now, though

momma2azoo

Trust me, you are not the only one with this problem. Your problem could simply be dehydration, this was my initial problem. I workout 6 days a week, and you really need to eat smaller meals more frequently; for example, I will eat 3 egg whites and one whole egg for breakfast, 2 hours later I juice, eat fruit, or cashews. Without making this post tremendously long, my advice is to stay hydrated and eat every 2-3 hours, and it doesn't have to be a large meal, just good quality calories. Another tip I can give you is to eat a large meal after your workout, this really helped me.

Some people do really, really well on small meals throughout the day. They find it keeps their hunger and energy levels even throughout the day, increases their mood and gym performance, etc.

Some people have the exact opposite reaction, though. They find eating throughout the day keeps them hungry all day. They find it distracting and do better on larger meals less often.

Meal timing does not affect weight loss. It may affect your energy levels, gym performance, hunger levels, mood, etc. People should not be afraid to play around and find the meal schedule that works best for them.

I'm another that does not do well with lots of little meals. I'd rather have a few good sized balanced meals and a couple snacks. Eating odd little half meals all day would drive me nuts. I like to feel comfortably full after a meal.

An example, my go to breakfast (and this is after running or cycling, I workout 6 days a week before the sun comes up to beat the heat) is a 2 egg omelette (I eat the yolks, they are incredibly nutrient dense and good for you. Eating whites only misses the mark) with a bunch of sautéed veggies in it (onions, bell peppers, squash, mushrooms, spinach, etc), cheese and ham. I also have a good 4-6 oz of fresh fruit, the only ones I don't usually consume are grapes and bananas because they're so high calorie. This will put me at around 300 +/- calories and is very filling, high in protein and calcium and tasty! On days when I have a harder workout (my long run is only 5 miles right now but I bike close to 30 miles on my long rides up lots of hills) I'll add yogurt, an English muffin, an extra egg, more cheese, etc. It's really easy to keep my post workout breakfast healthy and within my calorie goals.

If I have a busy morning and miss my good post workout meal I feel like crap. I have to refuel after going hard. Food and calories aren't the enemy. Just eat smart and make good choices. Lots of veggies, moderate amounts of fruits, moderate amounts of lean protein and limit the carbs and fat. Fat intake needs to be adequate but fats are very calorie dense so a little goes a long way. If you keep that food order, you have the best odds of meeting your macros and feeling full.

Most days I struggle to reach my calorie goals. Last night I resorted to ice cream. Macros were met, I needed calories but wasn't real hungry. It's crazy how filling veggies and meat are!!

Keep up the exercise, it's so good for your body. Work on what you're eating to help you feel satisfied longer.

jakichan

You could try cutting back on the exercise.

I've done AIDS/LifeCycle twice now. It's a 7-day 545 mile bike ride from SF to LA. It's the first week of June and training starts usually in the first week of January.

At the beginning of training it's still easy to stick to a diet. You're doing a 20 or 30 mile ride on a nice Saturday morning. But by April you might be doing back-to-back 60+ mile rides plus whatever exercise you do during the week. I've found out that my appetite ramps up so much that I can't lose weight while working out that much - I just eat all the exercise calories back. I didn't gain weight, but I wasn't losing either. Now I'm sure I was dropping fat because my quads and calves got huge. But my pants are still the same size.

So now that my ride is over I'm cutting back on longer rides and just trying for a more "steady state", in the hope of keeping my appetite under control.

momma2azoo

You could try cutting back on the exercise.

I've done AIDS/LifeCycle twice now. It's a 7-day 545 mile bike ride from SF to LA. It's the first week of June and training starts usually in the first week of January.

At the beginning of training it's still easy to stick to a diet. You're doing a 20 or 30 mile ride on a nice Saturday morning. But by April you might be doing back-to-back 60+ mile rides plus whatever exercise you do during the week. I've found out that my appetite ramps up so much that I can't lose weight while working out that much - I just eat all the exercise calories back. I didn't gain weight, but I wasn't losing either. Now I'm sure I was dropping fat because my quads and calves got huge. But my pants are still the same size.

So now that my ride is over I'm cutting back on longer rides and just trying for a more "steady state", in the hope of keeping my appetite under control.

Why cut back? Why not just balance the exercise with food intake? I doubt the OP is pushing too hard.

I doubt most folks here are trying to go from weekend bike rides to 120+ mile training weeks. There's a lot of middle ground.

I have goals I'm waiting to train towards until I'm in maintenance. It is very, very important to be mindful of the need to fuel your workouts especially as their intensity ramps up.

For right now, I have no issues with 60+ mile weeks cycling as cross training for my running miles. Most century ride training plans have riders topping out in the 60-70 mpw range * a few weeks before the ride. A 20-30 mile ride is a bit beyond what the average person is going to do on a weekend. I'm essentially doing century training as cross training, and centuries are nothing to scoff at. I have the added fun of riding a stupidly heavy vintage bike, my son smokes me on his road bike. Comically so. I can see doing 100+ mile weeks easily if I upgraded my bike. I am in no rush though. I ran for months before throwing cycling into the mix and the cycling miles are so much easier to ramp up than the running miles even on my old beast of a bike. I have a love/hate thing with old Beasty. Love the workout, wish I could go further faster.

At any rate, my rambling point is that fitness levels will increase with regular exercise. A significant level of fitness can be achieved while eating at a deficit. You will never reach peak performance at a deficit, but again, I don't think that's an issue for the majority of folks here. I'm very consistently and comfortably adding miles to my running and biking and have yet to hit a point were I can't maintain a deficit. I'm approaching training equivalent to that of a 1/2 marathon and a century ride simultaneously and I'm not struggling.

I am not special. If I can do it, any able bodied person can.

I hate to discourage people by saying cut back on your workout so you won't be hungry. Really, most people just aren't working out hard enough to justify doing so. I'd much rather encourage healthier eating at a deficit to sustain workouts. Loosing weight is fine. Getting fit is excellent.

Congrats on your rides by the way. Awesome accomplishment.

Edit to add: I hear ya on the calves and thighs. My gosh. The muscle! I love to run because, well, I love to run. But biking makes for a way sexier body.

jakichan

Why cut back? Why not just balance the exercise with food intake? I doubt the OP is pushing too hard.

For *me* there's a balancing act. My appetite gets revved up where I want more food that I need, and I don't end up with a deficit. Plenty of other folks I've ridden with have seen the same thing. And, in fact, the advice is that in the later stages of training you shouldn't be trying to lose weight anyway. (Because then you tend to go to light on calories and are in danger of bonking.)

For right now, I have no issues with 60+ mile weeks cycling as cross training for my running miles. Most century ride training plans have riders topping out in the 60-70 mpw range * a few weeks before the ride.

Well, if you're only riding once a week, yeah. A century training plan usually has you finish with a ride of about 85 miles. Doing 3 30 mile rides a week is not going to get you ready for a century.

A 20-30 mile ride is a bit beyond what the average person is going to do on a weekend.

Huh? The average person usually does 10 to 12 mph. 30 miles is usually about a 2 hour ride-ish. That's not that much.

I'm talking about 60 miles in a single ride, or 85 miles in a single ride. 150 mile weeks for me are not uncommon when I'm training for ALC. And at that level I don't lose weight, because trying to deficit on a 6 or 8 hour ride is dangerous. Endurance riding makes me hungry ALL the time, and I've found I don't lose weight when the miles get up there - I end up maintaining. And I've talked to plenty of folks who I ride with who see the same thing.