Hungrier on lifting rest days?

I actually rarely notice a huge difference. That's possibly because I try to pre-plan my meal times so that if I do get hungry, I'm not left alone with a house full of food.

I always read people who eat more on lifting days than rest days.

It depends. If you're on a calorie deficit or even just maintaining you really don't eat more on lifting days versus non-lifting days but you should consider eating differently. Lifting days are commonly higher carb, high protein, low fat, whereas non-lifting days can be high protein, reduced carbs, increased fat.

ive stopped taking rest days because of it! That, and I always hate rest days anyway. I get soo hungry on rest days! its ridiculous!

I'm hungriest the day after lots of exercise, which usually corresponds with rest. I presumed my body is saying "you used half my glycogen and I want it back, oh, and look at all these cells you broke, I need stuff to fix them."

I eat a sustained intake that does not fluctuate based on exercise, with what seems to be a quite modest deficit.

My 2 cents, but that's when you're body is repairing (building) after you've made micro tears in your muscles. Sleep the most productive repair/growth time, but those rest days (especially since you're going to fail) are also essential for growth and as you've stated to recover in order to go to fail on your next workout.

If you speak to a reputable trainer, they'll tell you that you need more rest days when going to failure so often and may recommend that you not go to failure as often.

Good luck and as long as you're not gaining unwanted to weight feed your hunger

I always read people who eat more on lifting days than rest days.

It depends. If you're on a calorie deficit or even just maintaining you really don't eat more on lifting days versus non-lifting days but you should consider eating differently. Lifting days are commonly higher carb, high protein, low fat, whereas non-lifting days can be high protein, reduced carbs, increased fat.

wow, I never knew that, thanks

Any time I get a really good lifting session in, I am voraciously hungry the next day - pretty much no matter what I do or don't do.

Here seems to be my new pattern, I'm new to lifting....
I lift heavy, I come home and all I want to do is SLEEP.
Later that day or the next day, I seem to be really hungry. And I'm eating at a moderate deficit, nothing extreme.
So I've been curious as well if this is just psychological or if others have had the same experience.

Yeah. Rest days are the hungriest days ever. I'm going to start eating the same amount on rest days, because I doubt it will affect me in the long run, 500 cals more or whatever. Hongriness is no friend of mine.

The same is definitely true for me. Today is my rest day and I've already eaten almost has much as I do in an entire workout day. The body's not stupid. It's asking for food because ineeds it. My feeling is that as long as I'm eating more in response to actual hunger cues and not social or emotional ones (though that's cool from time to time to), that that "extra" food is being put to work. I'm not trying to lose however (trying to gain if anything), so I actually use my rest days to compensate for any severe deficits I created during the week when the opposite happens and intense workouts kill my appetite and/or are really long and leave less time for eating.

Unless your an elite athlete, nutrient timing is really not that important, especially if you're trying to lose weight. A 140 pound woman with 20% body fat has nearly 50,000 calories worth of fuel stored as fat to use when you're in a daily deficit. (Actually closer to 100,000, but assuming that 10% of that fat is "essential" and should not be used for fuel) Very lean athletes, whose body fat% is much closer to that "essential" point, need to worry mpre about making sure the body doesn't feel the need to dip into that, or to burn muscle, and so pre and post exercise nutrition, rest and work days become an important factor. You're body has

Anyways, I digress. Eat when you're hungry, not just because some number on MFP says you "can" or "can't" eat more on any particular day. Aim for a total weekly caloric deficit if your trying to lose. Or for a change of pace, try setting your calories at maintenance level (I would even suggest using a number that you think is your maintenance from experience, probably higher than than what MFP comes up with) and just aim for going under (being in the green) whenever you can, rest days, workout days, birthdays, whenever.