Close to maintenance and suddenly HUNGRY!
Replies
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I'm actually really interested in that HBO study that says when you get to a weight that's lower than where you've been in a while, your body will start making you feel hungrier. I actually think that's exactly what's been happening to me recently, too!
OP, I know some people on this thread have said the exact opposite of this, but I've always found that when I take vitamins and supplements, I get RAVENOUS. I have no idea why this happens and most resources I've found out there say that this really doesn't happen, so it's possible that it's in my head. But if you've switched or added vitamins recently, that could be something to think about.0 -
I had the same problem once I hit around 108. I'm 5'3" and my original goal was 105. I stalled out around 108 because of the cravings and just decided to switch over to maintenance. Then, out of the blue, the weight started dropped off again. Now I'm working to gain it back (I'm fluxing between 99-102 currently), but I can't figure out my calories. It's a mess of a thing...
Back to the topic at hand, I agree that it seems like it's from less body fat to sustain us petite people now. That, along with the exercising (I haven't quit cardio because I enjoy doing it and I've been doing the same routine for some time now). I found that once I really upped my protein intake as well as my healthy fat intake (full fat yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, avocados), I stayed full faster.
I had been netting at the site recommended amount of 1460, but now I'm netting around 1800.0 -
Similar challenges here. I'm 5'2 and recently hit my goal weight, I haven't changed my calorie goal from the 250 deficit yet, I am trying to give myself a buffer because we have an extended trip to Italy planned - have a feeling I'm going to need that buffer!
Anyway, I too noticed about 3 lbs ago that I am always hungry. I also used to be able to stay under my calorie goal (~1700) plus eating back exercise calories relatively easily but lately I am right up at it or over - and it doesn't bother me much because I am at my goal weight, just interesting. With me I think it is more the mind shift - I know I reached my goal and I was planning to raise calories, even though I said I wasn't going to do that just yet, it seems like my body is telling me to go ahead and eat a couple hundred more, and my brain doesn't seem to mind that advice!
I do think it sounds like you have reasonable goals set up already (250 deficit) based on where you started and what you wanted to lose - but I found that I was way more active in day to day life than I thought after I got a FitBit. So even though you are tracking your exercise and eating back those calories, which is great, you may also be burning more calories that you aren't tracking. I can hit the 10,000 steps I'm aiming for in a day even without "exercising" and when I do, I easily get 13K-18K. It made me re-evaluate my activity levels in MFP, I was originally set as sedentary because of my desk job but after the FitBit came into play and I saw how much I was moving, I moved myself to Lightly Active and then Active, I think it was actually HeyBales who suggested it to me in a separate thread! Anyway - that made MFP recalculate my goals and gave me consderably more calories to work with.0 -
Hi - I am in the same boat. I can see the finishing line in sight for the diet and then the maintenance will begin. Like many I have been down this route a couple of times and I find that starting to plan for the first few weeks of food intake is essential, just stops me diving into the fridge/cupboard/restuarants. Plus building up the cals slowly especially carbs and sugars.
I agree totally with nxd10 - my most successful time maintaining was when I worked out which foods I found satisfying and which ones I could live without. So I ate within my calorie range but the foods were high quality, satisfying and filling. Personally, I think there is also a switch missing inside me that tells me when to stop eating as I am full. So I have to watch portion control, cals and keep tracking ........ where would we be without Myfitnesspal.0 -
I DEFINITELY notice this. I am 5'3' and like to keep my weight between 125 and 130. I am 47. When I was a lot heavier I could come home from work at 8:30 at night and go for a 45 min power walk, or hop on the elliptical for 30-45 min and be fine. Now if I try that I get light headed and weak. I can only make about 20 min. I like to exercise before sit down to eat, esp. that late, because I know once I sit...
Anyway , I was already wondering if it's because I have way less stored energy to live on now...glad to see I'm not the only one noticing this! Even if I'm just busy running around doing errands or something and I miss lunch by an hour or something, I feel I have to eat NOW or keel over, lol.
I try to keep protein bars and almonds, etc. handy to get me through the hungries. AND now that I'm at maintenance I let myself have higher calorie days, not just 'cheat' day, but bigger healthy meals too. Then I balance out with lower cal. days...works for me.
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The proportions thing is a big thing to be sure. 5 pounds if you're 100 pounds is a lot different than 5 pounds if your goal is 150 or 200. I expect calories are proportional that way too.
As I said way earlier in this thread - when I get under my 'ideal' weight I get ravenous and grumpy. I used to look 'better' when I weighed 10 pounds less than I do now - which the NIH and my doctor say is my ideal weight.
I've lost inches at that ideal weight though. Maybe that's a possible solution? Slightly higher weight better fitness? Keeps the physiological reserves?0 -
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.
Not quite on post topic, but this will be my new term for TOM, lol. Thanks for the name!0 -
I would like to avoid increasing calories as I get closer to maintenance-- rather I want to get to my goal weight and then increase to maintenance levels! I feel like, as a small person, these 3 pounds I want gone are still a decent amount of weight. . . But anyway, it seems my appetite is increasing my calories for me despite my brain's desires!
But this is exactly what you should be doing, or you'll have to go even lower than your goal weight. Being in a constant deficit depletes your glycogen levels and the water they're stored in (about three to five pounds). To avoid the yo-yoing that will result when you "suddenly" switch to maintenance and replenish these stores you should be using a 5% deficit or less (especially with so few pounds to lose). You should listen to your body and feed it more.0 -
Thank you for this post! :flowerforyou:0
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Here are the hormonal reasons as to why that generally happens, especially when you haven't screwed them up so bad by taking an extreme deficit. And why you don't want to give in to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A
But it easily could also be the fact that when the body has more to work with as far as food, and your workouts stay just as intense despite being lighter, the body can be damaged more and need more repair. Of course the body would prefer to be in surplus for some repair, but it's not getting it.
The latter would be the good reason you'd desire.
So I finally watched the video, here at work where the internet can handle YouTube! It is interesting, but certainly alarming. Its assertion that after losing weight, one's maintenance calories are lower than the maintenance calories of someone of the same size who has never lost weight, make me wonder how MFP deals with this. Is this apparent fact built into our maintenance calories? Or have they not looked into this yet?
Clearly there are a lot of people here who are able to maintain their weight using the method the site advises, and there are lots of people who use the TDEE method, which of course calculates the numbers using average calorie needs data. So I'm wondering where the disconnect is, if the study is accurate.
I do take issue with the fact that, to lose weight in the study, the people were taking in only 800 calories a day. Didn't they think that that could have had something to do with the slowing of the people's metabolism?!! That concept is common knowledge around here and I would be surprised if so many of the intelligent and well-read MFP-ers who insist that lower than a 1200 calorie diet (or higher for some) severely damages and lowers the metabolism.
Hmmmmm.0 -
I'm actually really interested in that HBO study that says when you get to a weight that's lower than where you've been in a while, your body will start making you feel hungrier. I actually think that's exactly what's been happening to me recently, too!
OP, I know some people on this thread have said the exact opposite of this, but I've always found that when I take vitamins and supplements, I get RAVENOUS. I have no idea why this happens and most resources I've found out there say that this really doesn't happen, so it's possible that it's in my head. But if you've switched or added vitamins recently, that could be something to think about.
Interesting about your reaction to vitamin supplements! I have been using a different vitamin for the past month or so. I don't like it for reasons unrelated to weight loss, and will go back to the one I was taking before-- it will be interesting to see if there is an effect!0 -
Here are the hormonal reasons as to why that generally happens, especially when you haven't screwed them up so bad by taking an extreme deficit. And why you don't want to give in to it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A
But it easily could also be the fact that when the body has more to work with as far as food, and your workouts stay just as intense despite being lighter, the body can be damaged more and need more repair. Of course the body would prefer to be in surplus for some repair, but it's not getting it.
The latter would be the good reason you'd desire.
So I finally watched the video, here at work where the internet can handle YouTube! It is interesting, but certainly alarming. Its assertion that after losing weight, one's maintenance calories are lower than the maintenance calories of someone of the same size who has never lost weight, make me wonder how MFP deals with this. Is this apparent fact built into our maintenance calories? Or have they not looked into this yet?
Clearly there are a lot of people here who are able to maintain their weight using the method the site advises, and there are lots of people who use the TDEE method, which of course calculates the numbers using average calorie needs data. So I'm wondering where the disconnect is, if the study is accurate.
I do take issue with the fact that, to lose weight in the study, the people were taking in only 800 calories a day. Didn't they think that that could have had something to do with the slowing of the people's metabolism?!! That concept is common knowledge around here and I would be surprised if so many of the intelligent and well-read MFP-ers who insist that lower than a 1200 calorie diet (or higher for some) severely damages and lowers the metabolism.
Hmmmmm.
I didn't watch it, but lowering your calories like that can lead to lowering your maintenance calories, definately. I'm 5'5, 132 pounds and used metabolic adaption to INCREASE my maintenance calories to 2600. Everyone should try it. It's pretty awesome.0 -
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!
The science around weight changes and hunger is very interesting. I think that's definitely what we're all experiencing. . . .
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I don't know if this has been posted already, and I only looked at your diary for a couple of days, but I did notice that your carbs are very high and they are mostly from sweets, cakes, etc. and your protein is very low That may be the reason why you are so hungy.
So what I am suggesting is that you get your carbs from more fruits and vegetables (not enough logged in my opinion), beans, and that you increase your daily protein. You may find yourself less hungry.
I have been in maintenance for almost 4 years now and my macros are set to 40 carbs, and 30 for protein and fat, and it seems to be working very well. Nothing wrong with trying a different approach
By the way, I am also short and small. Good luck!0 -
My body might be settling at 123 lbs. but I want to get below this weight on my scale because I know that in truth I really weigh 8-10 lbs. more than that on other scales especially doctor's scales. I have been smaller before and only gained due to medicine side effects and a candy cane pouch. I will keep trying the 800 calorie plan for now until summer and if I do not lose by then I will up my calories to 900 for 3 months and then to 1,000 for mainatance. Let me know if you have any suggestions that I can try to boost my metabolism so I can start losing again. I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance for your support and help. I am frustrated and at my wits end. I am pleased that I was able to lose from 148 lbs. to 123 lbs. since Nov. 20130
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Since I can't quote multiple people at once and don't want to fill the thread with long quotes and individual replies, I'm replying to a bunch of people here!
"I had the same problem once I hit around 108. I'm 5'3" and my original goal was 105. I stalled out around 108 because of the cravings and just decided to switch over to maintenance. Then, out of the blue, the weight started dropped off again. Now I'm working to gain it back (I'm fluxing between 99-102 currently), but I can't figure out my calories. It's a mess of a thing...
Back to the topic at hand, I agree that it seems like it's from less body fat to sustain us petite people now. That, along with the exercising (I haven't quit cardio because I enjoy doing it and I've been doing the same routine for some time now). I found that once I really upped my protein intake as well as my healthy fat intake (full fat yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, avocados), I stayed full faster. "
Interesting that you ended up losing so much-- I don't want to go that low! I will happily try your food suggestions.
"I do think it sounds like you have reasonable goals set up already (250 deficit) based on where you started and what you wanted to lose - but I found that I was way more active in day to day life than I thought after I got a FitBit. So even though you are tracking your exercise and eating back those calories, which is great, you may also be burning more calories that you aren't tracking. I can hit the 10,000 steps I'm aiming for in a day even without "exercising" and when I do, I easily get 13K-18K. It made me re-evaluate my activity levels in MFP, I was originally set as sedentary because of my desk job but after the FitBit came into play and I saw how much I was moving, I moved myself to Lightly Active and then Active, I think it was actually HeyBales who suggested it to me in a separate thread! Anyway - that made MFP recalculate my goals and gave me consderably more calories to work with."
Very interesting. I have mine set as "lightly active" despite having a desk job/being a grad student, which makes me sit for extended periods. But on days when I don't have to work on things on the computer, I'm constantly active and busy. So perhaps I am similar to you in that I'm more active than I think I am; I've thought of getting something like a Fitbit but don't have quite enough $ at the moment-- maybe I will get one soon.
"Anyway , I was already wondering if it's because I have way less stored energy to live on now...glad to see I'm not the only one noticing this! Even if I'm just busy running around doing errands or something and I miss lunch by an hour or something, I feel I have to eat NOW or keel over, lol."
Yup, I noticed the same thing! Must eat NOW!!! My mom, who has always been slender and in good shape, has been like this for her whole life, so I think it is a lower body fat issue.
"I've lost inches at that ideal weight though. Maybe that's a possible solution? Slightly higher weight better fitness? Keeps the physiological reserves?"
Yes, I've thought of this. I would be fine with being the weight I am IF I did not have extra chub on the stomach, which is what I am hoping to get rid of by continuing to get lighter (105 is the weight I was at in college, so I know it is possible and not unhealthy for me. . . I was fit at that size, too). I am thinking about trying to do more weight workouts and see if I can do a slow body recomposition instead. . .
"But this is exactly what you should be doing, or you'll have to go even lower than your goal weight. Being in a constant deficit depletes your glycogen levels and the water they're stored in (about three to five pounds). To avoid the yo-yoing that will result when you "suddenly" switch to maintenance and replenish these stores you should be using a 5% deficit or less (especially with so few pounds to lose). You should listen to your body and feed it more."
OK, good to hear. I have definitely read before that when going to maintenance people usually experience a weight gain that's simply glycogen and water. I'm expecting that if I were to continue what I've been doing, but I am glad to know there is a way to help reduce that reaction. And I am eating more-- it's hard not to! 0 -
Another one here to add to the list of "that sounds like me as well" members.
Losing weight with a 300-500 calorie deficit seemed fairly easy but now I'm at maintenance and can eat more I am always hungry. I have also recently developed a tendency to binge at weekends.
For the record I'm 173cm (5ft 8in) tall and currently just over 56kg (124lbs).0 -
Some weeks I feel inexplicably hungry, others I don't. I'm nowhere near maintenance yet, alas. For me it usually has to do with stress. Chill out a bit, maybe eat some more veggies on days you are particularly hungry. Try upping your protein.0
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I don't know if this has been posted already, and I only looked at your diary for a couple of days, but I did notice that your carbs are very high and they are mostly from sweets, cakes, etc. and your protein is very low That may be the reason why you are so hungy.
So what I am suggesting is that you get your carbs from more fruits and vegetables (not enough logged in my opinion), beans, and that you increase your daily protein. You may find yourself less hungry.
I have been in maintenance for almost 4 years now and my macros are set to 40 carbs, and 30 for protein and fat, and it seems to be working very well. Nothing wrong with trying a different approach
By the way, I am also short and small. Good luck!
The reason sweets and cakes are so high for the last couple days is because Tuesday was my birthday and there are a lot of leftover goodies to eat right now, and I was visiting family from Sunday-Tuesday so my food choices were pretty different from what I eat if I'm cooking! Blargh! I think you'll get a more accurate picture of how I normally eat if you look back to last week.
This is the time of year (early spring in the northern hemisphere) when the vegetables I can get are either frozen, or not-very-good fresh ones from far away. I'm a gardener so those store-bought veggies are just blah to me and I enjoy raw ones over frozen. I guess I haven't been eating very many of them lately. . . anyway, point taken that I need to eat more vegetables.
Part of the issue with protein for me is that my fiance and I are mostly vegetarian-- with the exception of eating fish sometimes. One can only eat so much fish, eggs, dairy, and beans.
Especially when you have digestive issues and even properly cooked beans are disagreeable to the digestive system. Whey protein is an important source for me for these reasons. I've been told before that more of my protein should come from solid foods such as chicken, etc., but I prefer not to eat meat so I suppose there are tradeoffs. I guess being choosy about my diet is limiting-- but I agree that I should eat more vegetables and protein, so will work on that and see how it changes the hungry issue. 0 -
Wow! Great advice from everyone.0
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Wow! Great advice from everyone.
Yes! Agreed-- thanks everybody!0 -
I am getting very close to maintenance and I'm also HUNGRY a LOT. For instance, I just ate a solid lunch not too long ago (grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms and steamed carrots) and I'm still ravenously hungry. I'll just sit here and keep chugging water! :drinker:
ETA: I'm 5'4" and weigh 128 now0
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