close to goal weight, feeling hungry a lot... why?

MJ7910

so i am about 5lb from goal weight. i noticed all of a sudden i am feeling hungrier. i don't want to up my calories too much because i want to lose that last few lb. also noticed i am feeling cooler in my body, like i get colder easily, want a blanket more often, etc... so i'm wondering if this also correlates with it being cold now and it wasn't when i started working out or if it's just that my body has less fat on it and maybe that's why? did any of you notice feeling hungrier as you neared your goal?

chevy88grl

Both of the things you've mentioned in this post, I've experienced. The closer I was to my goal weight - the more hungry I was. It was very odd. I went ahead and upped my calories (and did lose). Also, I am ALWAYS freezing cold. Always. I used to be the one who was ALWAYS hot and now? I'm like an ice cube. I seriously use my electric blanket in the SUMMER because I'm so cold - while everyone else is sweating and turning the air down.

jridgway49

same thing happening here but I have like 12 more pounds till my goal, interested in what others have to say

AdrienneKaren

I'm having this problem, too! I don't know what causes it. I'm assuming the being cold part is because there is less fat on you to keep you warm. I'm chilled quite often myself. As far as the hunger goes, I try really hard to just eat raw fruits and veggies if I feel hungry after meals, but sometimes I give in and have junk.

morganadk2_deleted

i stopped losing weight and was always hungry as i only have 16lb to go i upped my calories and started losing again!

Are you eating enough? Are you eating your exersise calories?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit

Go to the tools section and figure out your BMI:

Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle building, and reducing fat. This means it is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode).

This is just a part of it! please read the link above

mashanda

I have heard from people in your situation that they upped there calorie intake. Especially if they were doing a lot of exercies. For some reason, they lost the weight more quickly once they made that increase. I truly believe everyones body is different. If we were the same then what worked for one person would be the answe for us all.

4theking

This is typical. Experienced both myself.

UponThisRock

It's your bodies hormonal response to weight loss. Are bodies resist weight loss, but don't resist weight gain very well. Getting down to a low body fat % is no different than starving to death, as far as your body is concerned. Leptin levels drop, cortosol level rise, thyroid slows, etc.

^^^As a side note, these adaptations are why I find these super low calorie diets rather silly. Your body is going to adapt to any diet, so when you go super low, you don't have room to cut more calories when your body does eventually adapt. This is why we see so many "Help, I can't lose any more weight" threads.

MJ7910

ok so maybe increasing a little woudl be ok? i am getting close to maintenance so maybe it's not a bad idea. maybe increase about 50 a day or something over what i was normally doing? i have a hard time eating exercise calories back but if you all say it helps i will go for it.

ChasingHaven

Both of the things you've mentioned in this post, I've experienced. The closer I was to my goal weight - the more hungry I was. It was very odd. I went ahead and upped my calories (and did lose). Also, I am ALWAYS freezing cold. Always. I used to be the one who was ALWAYS hot and now? I'm like an ice cube. I seriously use my electric blanket in the SUMMER because I'm so cold - while everyone else is sweating and turning the air down.

I have to agree here. While I'm just starting to work on my weight loss (again!) I did lose 30 pounds once before and I remember being freezing cold at work. I wore long sleeves and a hoodie and still froze my butt off. Now that I've gained back the 30 and 20 more I find I'm a stinking oven. I'm wearing short sleeves at work and rarely grabbing the hoodie. I'm not doing anything different in my job- and I do realize the extra weight requires an extra effort. But it seems even when I'm not doing much I can find myself way too hot. Of course there's that dreaded "Change" coming soon I'm sure, but I'm hoping it's not soon. It will be interesting to see as I lose the weight again if the heat turns down, lol. And if it is indeed the Change, hopefully the weight loss will help!

Scarlettdawn764

I also am five pounds away from my final goal and I have had the hunger thing going on! I've been eating more but still managing to stay under my calories. But the way I look at it....when you are hungry....EAT otherwise you are gonna have a meltdown and eat a whole bunch of junk you will regret later. I also get cold a lot, but I have always been that way. Cold blooded I guess lol.