Close to maintenance and suddenly HUNGRY!

2

Replies

  • SoSheDid_
    SoSheDid_ Posts: 16 Member
    This is happening to me too right now. I just upped my calories from 1400 to 1550 (changed to the TDEE - 20% method). I've been feeling better with more energy, but also way more hungry. I've only done this for about a week, so I may just need more time to adjust. My macro goals are 40/30/30, but my carbs usually end up low for the day.

    Did anyone watch the HBO video that was linked? It's fascinating (and scary!), but the way the conducted the study makes me wonder about the validity of the results for someone who is losing weight slowly and adding weight training to help offset the metabolic rate drop. They fed participants in the study 800 calories a day of an all-liquid diet until they lost a little over 10% of their body weight - I would feel like crap with tons of cravings too if I ate like that! Anyone have links to studies where they followed people maintaining significant weight loss by following a modest calorie reduction and cardio/weight training regimen? I'd love to know if these people's metabolic rates were that much slower when they reached their goal weight, too.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    This is happening to me too right now. I just upped my calories from 1400 to 1550 (changed to the TDEE - 20% method). I've been feeling better with more energy, but also way more hungry. I've only done this for about a week, so I may just need more time to adjust. My macro goals are 40/30/30, but my carbs usually end up low for the day.

    Did anyone watch the HBO video that was linked? It's fascinating (and scary!), but the way the conducted the study makes me wonder about the validity of the results for someone who is losing weight slowly and adding weight training to help offset the metabolic rate drop. They fed participants in the study 800 calories a day of an all-liquid diet until they lost a little over 10% of their body weight - I would feel like crap with tons of cravings too if I ate like that! Anyone have links to studies where they followed people maintaining significant weight loss by following a modest calorie reduction and cardio/weight training regimen? I'd love to know if these people's metabolic rates were that much slower when they reached their goal weight, too.

    Very true, rarely are there studies with slow reasonable loss, takes too long to get enough data to be useful, and expensive.

    The blog link did show even with retaining LBM, the RMR and TDEE dropped below expected for awhile, and then started to recover.
    But the blog link did show recovery is possible, which also points out if reasonable in the first place, likely wouldn't have been a problem.

    Here's study with more reasonable and lifting, they maintained RMR, but that still doesn't speak to TDEE. As blog link shows, you can have RMR at one point, but body is forcing TDEE slower to compensate.

    http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/2/196.full

    "The calorie level may be of greater importance in explaining retention of fat-free mass. Much of the work regarding changes in fat-free mass and resting metabolic rate in response to hypocaloric diets have implemented diets containing 800–1200 kilocalories per day. Such low calorie diets result in a severe calorie deficit and the need to oxidize protein. Information regarding the participants' dietary intake in this study is scant. "

    Meaning, they think the folks ate more than they reported (not surprising) causing the deficit to not be as great. Not sure why they didn't do the math on the loss amount to see that indeed the deficit wasn't that great.
  • jillyrobb
    jillyrobb Posts: 36 Member
    What kind of workouts are you doing? (Sorry if you said, and I missed it.) I recently started with kettlebells to try to reshape and get stronger, and I find that I'm ravenous all day long on those days when I work out in the morning.

    When I burn 600 calories in a morning swim, I'll eat a good breakfast, and maybe an apple or a some string cheese to keep me going if lunch will be late, and I'll be fine. But 15-20 minutes of intense kettlebells--which, if you judge by a HRM, burns maybe 250 calories, max--and I'll get hungry every few hours all day (and I know it's hunger, because I get weak or woozy if I don't eat something). It's really clear that I'm burning more calories during the day than my heart rate during the workout would indicate. I was skeptical, but I'm beginning to realize that there's definitely something to that claim that lifting weights causes a greater sustained calorie burn than plain cardio.

    So if you're doing new/more frequent, heavier, or longer weightlifting workouts, maybe that's the reason you're hungry all the time?
  • imjolly
    imjolly Posts: 176 Member
    Interesting that I found your post. I have been feeling the same way, I feel like I am always hungry. I am about 3-5 pounds from my target weight.
    I am currently 125 lbs and I was going to try to lose another 3-5 lb but recently I was considering maintaining since I am experiencing the same thing you discussed. I thought maybe it was because I had surgery 3 weeks ago and maybe my body needed more fuel to heal, though I'm not sure if that is true. I am not exercising like I normally would, I'm only allowed to walk for 6 weeks. Pre-surgery I usually exercise 5-6x a week and would either bike, swim, run, lift or do yoga. Now I eat more often when I am hungry and I have been going over my calorie count almost everyday. It is strange since I never felt hungry getting to this point.

    I also am colder than usual.

    Thanks for your post. It is nice to know I'm not the only one.
  • iknowit
    iknowit Posts: 8 Member
    Did you recalculate your current maintenance calorie limit (according to your weight, height, sex) & then subtract 500 from that (if you are trying to loose 1 lb /week)?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    What kind of workouts are you doing? (Sorry if you said, and I missed it.) I recently started with kettlebells to try to reshape and get stronger, and I find that I'm ravenous all day long on those days when I work out in the morning.

    When I burn 600 calories in a morning swim, I'll eat a good breakfast, and maybe an apple or a some string cheese to keep me going if lunch will be late, and I'll be fine. But 15-20 minutes of intense kettlebells--which, if you judge by a HRM, burns maybe 250 calories, max--and I'll get hungry every few hours all day (and I know it's hunger, because I get weak or woozy if I don't eat something). It's really clear that I'm burning more calories during the day than my heart rate during the workout would indicate. I was skeptical, but I'm beginning to realize that there's definitely something to that claim that lifting weights causes a greater sustained calorie burn than plain cardio.

    So if you're doing new/more frequent, heavier, or longer weightlifting workouts, maybe that's the reason you're hungry all the time?

    Lol so much this. It's ridiculous. 20 minutes of heavy lifting and I'm starving all day. It sucks.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member

    If you haven't been at a weight long, it is entirely possible and even likely for your body to be rebelling and trying to put weight back on. But at least you know what it's doing. :-) If you are not at a certain weight for a while, your body remembers your heavier setpoint weight and tries to bring you back there. Stay strong and don't give. You won't die from being hungry. But if you give in, old habits will reappear very fast, robbing you of progress. Don't give in, but a weekly splurge day doesn't hurt and can even make up for losses.

    As far as being cold, yes, that is a symptom of a calorie deficit. I know that from December to February, I was so, SO cold and even a gentle breeze of just remotely cool air would tear a hole in me. The solution, I found, was to drink milk at one of your meals, which can replenish any lost magnesium and otherwise offer up some very good nutrients all-round. Your body will continue to adapt in time.

    EDIT: Make sure your weight loss goals are reasonable.

    Thanks! I'm definitely not going to give in-- I want to get to my goal! I have been 105 lbs at certain times in my adult life and was healthy and liked myself at that weight, so I think my goal is reasonable for short, medium-to-small-framed me. :) It's interesting that you bring up getting enough magnesium-- I recently was told by a naturopathic doctor friend that I am likely low in magnesium and just started taking a supplement that will give me extra magnesium.

    I do hate feeling kind of hungry. :P I'm ready to be done with losing weight-- I'm impatient but being small and having never had much to lose in the first place (about 10 lbs), I've been going at it slowly to make sure it's healthy and sustainable.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I would still recommend increasing calories gradually as you approach maintenance. I say this because I had to go to the ER for bradycardia, and the only thing the doctor could tell me was to eat at least 1800 calories. I had been at around 1600 then. Slowly increasing to 1950 NET was to stabilize between 110 and 115lb, and I'm 5'3". Yes, your maintenance for 5'1" will be slightly lower, but it might not be as low as you think. If you eat at maintenance for your goal weight, you sill still be in a deficit now, just a smaller one.

    Thanks! I sort of forgot about the weight-loss method of eating at the maintenance level for your desired end weight. I'm going to see what that might be and see what happens if I aim for that number instead of what I'm being given by the site. I imagine that would make this easier and more pleasant for me. :)
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I said this on another thread recently, but . . .

    When I get near my 'ideal' weight, I have fewer reserves to draw on when it's been a while since I ate. It's not that I need more calories, but when I am hungry, I'm not a little peckish, I need to eat NOW.

    The same thing happened when I was pregnant and when I was a skinny teenager - not enough reserves.

    To get around this I . . .

    Never skip meals
    Have something small around for a snack when I feel hungry. 5 or 6 cashews a piece of fruit, or a cookie stave me for a couple hours if I'm hungry at 11 or 4 and don't add a lot of calories.
    Eat more protein.

    If you've been overweight, you may be somewhat insulin resistant - especially if anyone in your family has diabetes. I'd just barely hit overweight when I started this, but had been on the edge of it for 15 years. For me, if my carbs get over 50% I get really hungry and I can't lose weight no matter what I do. More protein and fat, not hungry, weight falls off.

    For me, the worst thing I can do when I'm feeling really hungry is eat something too sweet and high in carbs. Frosted cake (yum) makes me want more. Just a few nuts and I'm good. If I eat a cookie, it's something boring, small, and not sweet.

    I'd also note that in the Spring we tend to underdress for the weather and may actually use more calories keeping ourselves warm.

    I'm definitely noticing that I need to have snacks available all the time, and if I get really hungry, I also get VERY grouchy. I've never been overweight (though when I started losing weight I was on the high end of the "healthy/normal" BMI) and am not diabetic (though my grandfather was). I am, however, somewhat hypoglycemic-- undiagnosed but it's pretty obvious that's an issue I have. So I agree about keeping good low-sugar snacks around! And good point about keeping carbs relatively low, I guess that is something I should try-- I started my weight loss journey by eating far fewer carbs than I was used to, but have been increasing them slightly. I'm still losing weight-- but more slowly. Maybe that's part of the reason why.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    Thanks everyone! I did not expect my thread to be the top thread in the Maintenance board for so long! I guess it's struck a chord.

    I feel like if I quote everyone, my replies will go on and on, as I'm not sure how to quote multiple people in a single post (is that even possible on this site?). So I'm going to respond to people's questions all at once here.

    Snacking/meal timing: I do sometimes think that if I were to eat dinner earlier (right away when I get home from work around 6 pm) I would end up eating less each day; even if I snack on my way home, I'm always too hungry when I get home to go an exercise, and I much prefer exercising in the afternoon/after I come home, so I end up snacking a bit more before I can go work out. That's one thing I think I'm going to try to change. It definitely seems like eating small snacks makes me hungrier, but I need to snack so I don't plunge into the hungry dumps! I think I have some meal timing and macro experimentation to do.

    Trying the TDEE-20% method: I guess that might be a good option; the trouble with it is that the amount I exercise varies a good deal from day to day. I suppose I could try to average that out to figure TDEE and try that method for a few weeks and see how it works. However, I really do like how MFP's method encourages more exercise directly by telling you you can eat more-- that helps motivate me.

    Heybales, thanks for your input-- unfortunately my internet is painfully slow so it's difficult to watch videos online. :( I have certainly heard various things about hormones and the desire to eat-- leptin increasing when one increases one's food intake after a while at a deficit, and so on. I figure that is a big reason why I'm feeling hungrier!

    Workout type and timing: I usually work out in the afternoon/evening since I'm totally not a morning person and just getting up, making food, and getting to work in the morning is plenty to worry about. :) Recently, though, I was still taking classes for my master's degree and I often had more time in the mornings and could work out before leaving the house for the day-- and did I ever notice the effect of weight workouts on being hungry! I often do circuit training routines with 6-12 lb dumbbells for my exercises, and those in particular made me super hungry if I did them in the morning. Part of the reason I haven't made an effort to keep doing morning exercise is because I decided it made me too hungry for the whole day, though that is decently mitigated by having enough fat & protein for breakfast and lunch.

    Recalculating current maintenance calories, etc.: No, I haven't recalculated those to subtract weight loss calories-- someone else suggested that earlier and I'm definitely going to do so! :)

    I think I got everyone's questions/feedback. Sorry for the wall of text!! :flowerforyou:
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I would still recommend increasing calories gradually as you approach maintenance. I say this because I had to go to the ER for bradycardia, and the only thing the doctor could tell me was to eat at least 1800 calories. I had been at around 1600 then. Slowly increasing to 1950 NET was to stabilize between 110 and 115lb, and I'm 5'3". Yes, your maintenance for 5'1" will be slightly lower, but it might not be as low as you think. If you eat at maintenance for your goal weight, you sill still be in a deficit now, just a smaller one.

    Thanks! I sort of forgot about the weight-loss method of eating at the maintenance level for your desired end weight. I'm going to see what that might be and see what happens if I aim for that number instead of what I'm being given by the site. I imagine that would make this easier and more pleasant for me. :)

    You'll barely have a deficit.

    Hopefully you've selected 1/2 loss weekly already, as that is reasonable for 3 lbs to go.

    May also need to do a mix of taking a diet break where you are at, let body ramp up to full steam, then take 2 weeks in diet mode, back to no diet, ect.

    That may sound long, but compared to the stall that could happen anyway because of being so hungry, it's really not.

    It's why body builders use the cut/bulk method - it is faster overall.
  • SoSheDid_
    SoSheDid_ Posts: 16 Member
    Trying the TDEE-20% method: I guess that might be a good option; the trouble with it is that the amount I exercise varies a good deal from day to day. I suppose I could try to average that out to figure TDEE and try that method for a few weeks and see how it works. However, I really do like how MFP's method encourages more exercise directly by telling you you can eat more-- that helps motivate me.

    It's definitely a personal preference, whether to use the TDEE method or MFP. What I like about using the TDEE method is it just simplifies everything. You calculate in how many times you workout a week, so then I have a consistent calorie goal everyday. That works a lot better for me than figuring out and tracking how many calories I'm burning on a daily basis (especially because I weight train 3x/week and don't know how to track those calories burned). Some people really like earning more calories with exercise though, so whatever works best for you!

    heybales, thanks for posting that study. I just gave it a brief glance because I'm short on time, but it looks really interesting.
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
    Just wanted to say I'm glad I'm not alone. I've been doing pretty well not feeling hungry but this past week, with my original goal weight* in sight--starving! Don't know if it's because I dipped below a weight I haven't been in over a decade and my body's confused, or because I'm getting more of my exercise outside and the fresh air is making me hungrier even if I'm not actually burning more calories :cry:


    * I'd decided to go for 5 more pounds, which I'm seriously reconsidering because the last week I've been ready to gnaw on table legs and I'm not sure I can take this another month-plus. Maybe I'll try upping my calories a little so I'm less likely to eat the cats or something in a moment of madness.
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
    anonycatgirl - dipping below a weight that you haven't seen in years is likely exactly the issue here, according to what I learned by watching that HBO link.

    I just had the same experience. I was doing great, holding steady, then I got sick and went 5 pounds below goal weight and I've been crazy hungry ever since. Gained back 10lbs, which means I'm 5lbs over goal weight. Doesn't sound that bad....except I'm.still.hungry!!! And it's because my body/brain/hormones are freaking out that I'm in some kind of danger when I went so low cal, according to that HBO show, if I understand it correctly.

    So going for losing 5 more pounds is a serious decision if you are already so hungry.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's been horrible the last few weeks here. Every week I have a couple days when I'm just ravenous. It sucks, and it's made losing my last 5 lbs totally impossible. Which is crazy because I'm eating more than I did the last few months. And I've lost my period apparently (no I'm not pregnant, I almost wish, at least I'd know why this happens).
  • rezrighter
    rezrighter Posts: 18
    Running out of time to read this post fully but want to put in my 2 cents...

    I also have had the cravings my fix was...

    Increasing fat intake. protine will help with minimizing loss of muscle. I add full cup worth of milk into my daily plan. Please note that as you exercise more, you have an increased above average resting metabolism and the formulas used will be less accurate, and give you less then you actually need calorie wise. so your deficit might actually be higher then documented.

    These days I am focussing less on the scale and more on my BF% as an indicator of where I need to be.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    It would be helpful if you opened your diary. What are your macros?
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I would still recommend increasing calories gradually as you approach maintenance. I say this because I had to go to the ER for bradycardia, and the only thing the doctor could tell me was to eat at least 1800 calories. I had been at around 1600 then. Slowly increasing to 1950 NET was to stabilize between 110 and 115lb, and I'm 5'3". Yes, your maintenance for 5'1" will be slightly lower, but it might not be as low as you think. If you eat at maintenance for your goal weight, you sill still be in a deficit now, just a smaller one.

    Thanks! I sort of forgot about the weight-loss method of eating at the maintenance level for your desired end weight. I'm going to see what that might be and see what happens if I aim for that number instead of what I'm being given by the site. I imagine that would make this easier and more pleasant for me. :)

    You'll barely have a deficit.

    Hopefully you've selected 1/2 loss weekly already, as that is reasonable for 3 lbs to go.

    May also need to do a mix of taking a diet break where you are at, let body ramp up to full steam, then take 2 weeks in diet mode, back to no diet, ect.

    That may sound long, but compared to the stall that could happen anyway because of being so hungry, it's really not.

    It's why body builders use the cut/bulk method - it is faster overall.

    I did indeed select 1/2 lb loss weekly-- that's actually what I've been doing all along because I can't eat little enough to lose more than that each week, and stay sane. :) I tried losing 1 lb/week last year and was a hungry grump all the time, so I knew that in order to succeed, I definitely needed to eat more and lose more slowly.

    That's a good suggestion about taking a diet break for a couple weeks, dieting for another couple weeks, etc. I've been much less hungry lately, mostly because I've exercised a lot lately and consequently have eaten lots. I'm going to assess how I'm doing weight-wise in the next few days, see what's happened with eating a bit more for the past week, and I'll keep that suggestion in mind if I feel I need to change how I'm doing things.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    Running out of time to read this post fully but want to put in my 2 cents...

    I also have had the cravings my fix was...

    Increasing fat intake. protine will help with minimizing loss of muscle. I add full cup worth of milk into my daily plan. Please note that as you exercise more, you have an increased above average resting metabolism and the formulas used will be less accurate, and give you less then you actually need calorie wise. so your deficit might actually be higher then documented.

    These days I am focussing less on the scale and more on my BF% as an indicator of where I need to be.

    Eating full-fat Greek yogurt is definitely one of my favorite and most filling breakfasts! I agree, eating more fat helps a lot. I'm not opposed to eating fats, and do so regularly; I also have been making a consistent effort to eat more protein. I am mostly vegetarian, with some fish and occasionally other meats on special occasions, so protein is something I have to pay a good deal of attention to.

    I agree that my deficit might be higher than calculated! I have averaged losing a bit more than the chosen level of 0.5 lb/week-- it's been more like 0.7 lb/week all along-- so I am guessing my metabolism is a bit faster than average. It's encouraging to lose a little faster than I'm "supposed" to, which is why I've been sticking to the calorie goal/eating back calories method MFP uses. Lately, though, I'm often a little over my goal, so I think I'm probably eating at about the same deficit now as I was when I started. . . . if that makes any sense.

    I would love to focus more on BF% than weight; basically the area of myself that causes me to want to lose 3 more pounds is my belly/hips, which still have more fat on them than I would like. My stomach area has long been a source of displeasure, thus the continued weight loss. I'm definitely going to be focusing on body recomposition soon, but I'm not where I want to be to start that quite yet. :)
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    It would be helpful if you opened your diary. What are your macros?

    I'm opening my diary if you'd like to have a look. Yesterday (4/8) was a family celebration, so please ignore that day!

    I'll leave my diary open for a few days, but I'm not generally comfortable having it public (internet privacy reasons) so will probably close it again in a short while.
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    Everyone-- I don't have time to post replies to each response, but I want to make sure you all know I really appreciate your suggestions and ideas and am keeping them all in mind as I figure out what to do!
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    I wish I had some encouragement, but my body likes to be fat and I don't so it's a constant hunger war. This experience is backed up in medical research on people who have lost weight and are trying to maintain.

    I think the most depressing thing I've ever read in regard to weight loss is that people who do manage to keep the weight off are always hungry.

    It sucks. Green tea, coffee, ketogenic diets, various pills, powders, and potions from health food stores, and an iron will can help. And if you have the least bit of allergies, you might find two Sudafed a day can not only clear sinuses, they can take the edge off your appetite, at least for a few hours. Of course, when you buy it month in, month out, everyone will start to think you're making meth in your basement, but whatever.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I wish I had some encouragement, but my body likes to be fat and I don't so it's a constant hunger war. This experience is backed up in medical research on people who have lost weight and are trying to maintain.

    I think the most depressing thing I've ever read in regard to weight loss is that people who do manage to keep the weight off are always hungry.

    It sucks. Green tea, coffee, ketogenic diets, various pills, powders, and potions from health food stores, and an iron will can help. And if you have the least bit of allergies, you might find two Sudafed a day can not only clear sinuses, they can take the edge off your appetite, at least for a few hours. Of course, when you buy it month in, month out, everyone will start to think you're making meth in your basement, but whatever.


    Science does not say you'll always be hungry or that you need to take all those drugs.

    Frankly, I was rarely hungry when I was on 1230 calories (my calculated 500 calorie deficit) and I'm rarely hungry now. When I was or am, it's almost always because I'm doing something that uses a lot of calories but doesn't show up in my exercise log as calories I 'can' eat back (working outside in the cold, for example). Common sense can also come into play.

    One of the things that I learned with logging was which foods I loved and were satisfying and which I could drop and do that within my range. More protein, lower carbs (under 40%), more fat: not hungry. Added sugar in very limited amounts and small portions. Eating very high quality food that really tastes good so satisfies the cravings for SENSATION and PLEASURE.

    I come from a family of fatties ,but I'll be darned if I'm going to be miserable the rest of my life just to stay thin.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    I wish I had some encouragement, but my body likes to be fat and I don't so it's a constant hunger war. This experience is backed up in medical research on people who have lost weight and are trying to maintain.

    I think the most depressing thing I've ever read in regard to weight loss is that people who do manage to keep the weight off are always hungry.

    It sucks. Green tea, coffee, ketogenic diets, various pills, powders, and potions from health food stores, and an iron will can help. And if you have the least bit of allergies, you might find two Sudafed a day can not only clear sinuses, they can take the edge off your appetite, at least for a few hours. Of course, when you buy it month in, month out, everyone will start to think you're making meth in your basement, but whatever.


    Science does not say you'll always be hungry or that you need to take all those drugs.

    Frankly, I was rarely hungry when I was on 1230 calories (my calculated 500 calorie deficit) and I'm rarely hungry now. When I was or am, it's almost always because I'm doing something that uses a lot of calories but doesn't show up in my exercise log as calories I 'can' eat back (working outside in the cold, for example). Common sense can also come into play.

    One of the things that I learned with logging was which foods I loved and were satisfying and which I could drop and do that within my range. More protein, lower carbs (under 40%), more fat: not hungry. Added sugar in very limited amounts and small portions. Eating very high quality food that really tastes good so satisfies the cravings for SENSATION and PLEASURE.

    I come from a family of fatties ,but I'll be darned if I'm going to be miserable the rest of my life just to stay thin.

    I did mention ketosis as part of my strategy for losing and maintaining. But for me I have to be under 20%. At %40 I'm as insatiable as ever.

    Maybe some people get lucky and aren't always plagued by hunger after losing weight. I'm not one of the lucky ones. What I cite below doesn't show successful decrease of hunger at all. It shows increase in self control for successful dieters. Can't currently find the 'always hungry' quote, will post when I do.

    http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v31/n3/abs/0803431a.html

    Conclusion: Cortical areas involved in controlling inappropriate behavioral responses, such as the DPFC, are particularly activated in successful dieters in response to meal consumption. The association between the degree of dietary restraint and the coordinated neural changes in the DPFC and OFC raises the possibility that cognitive control of food intake is achieved by modulating neural circuits controlling food reward.


    Edit: Another study (admittedly small and based off an original very low calorie diet for the weight loss)

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/health/biological-changes-thwart-weight-loss-efforts-study-finds.html?_r=0

    The results show, once again, Dr. Leibel said, that losing weight “is not a neutral event,” and that it is no accident that more than 90 percent of people who lose a lot of weight gain it back. “You are putting your body into a circumstance it will resist,” he said. “You are, in a sense, more metabolically normal when you are at a higher body weight.”

    Always hungry:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?pagewanted=all

    “After you’ve lost weight, your brain has a greater emotional response to food,” Rosenbaum says. “You want it more, but the areas of the brain involved in restraint are less active.” Combine that with a body that is now burning fewer calories than expected, he says, “and you’ve created the perfect storm for weight regain.” How long this state lasts isn’t known, but preliminary research at Columbia suggests that for as many as six years after weight loss, the body continues to defend the old, higher weight by burning off far fewer calories than would be expected. The problem could persist indefinitely. (The same phenomenon occurs when a thin person tries to drop about 10 percent of his or her body weight — the body defends the higher weight.) This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to lose weight and keep it off; it just means it’s really, really difficult.






    None of this means I'm saying "Just give up!" Obviously. I don't give up. And I'm not saying it isn't worth it. But to ignore the biological issues with weight loss and maintenance seems foolish to me, since that knowledge can be used to continue to combat regaining our weight.
  • tech_kitten
    tech_kitten Posts: 221 Member
    Shark week does it for me. I get super hungry and maybe not cranky, but bored, then I eat cuz I'm bored. I hate struggling with that.
  • newpalfan
    newpalfan Posts: 17 Member
    I, too, am 5' 1" and now weigh 110.2 pounds. I am technically at my goal but I would like to weigh 108 or so to give myself a cushion. I have had the same problem as you. The weight used to come off at a pound a week and now it is leveling off and down to a pound a month with the increased appetite. I continue to log in with my exercise and calories.
  • pokagonblonde
    pokagonblonde Posts: 3
    I'm having the same problem!! I'm 5'2" but want to be around 115 pounds. Now that I'm close, my hunger is out of control!
    I'm a runner, and I also lift weights and do kickboxing. I've actually been waking in the middle of the night starving lately. I don't know if I'm just making good muscle gains or what my problem is. Very frustrating! :(
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    I wonder if this is especially a problem of smaller (shorter & lighter) people? There sure are a lot of people here about my size who are noticing the same thing! :smile:

    The science around weight changes and hunger is very interesting. I think that's definitely what we're all experiencing. . . .
  • adorable_aly
    adorable_aly Posts: 398 Member
    Seems it since I'm 4'11 and having the same problem! I've upped my calories twice in 6 weeks!!
  • ultrafishboy
    ultrafishboy Posts: 63 Member
    Thank you for asking this? Thought I was goin nuts! Why am I so hungry all of the time? I'm trying to up the proteins. Just changed my macros from 35/35/30 to 40/30/30. Couldn't get close to 146g of protein/day and going over on Carbs. And I'm 5'7" tall.

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