Weight lifting and appetite

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ronjsteele1
ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just started lifting weights again after a very very long time away from them. I am unbelievably hungry today. Is it normal for a large appetite increase when you start lifting? I'm assuming it will level out at some point? I'm also 5 days pre-cycle. Would those two things together make it worse? I KNOW my hunger increases pre-cycle. Just wasn't sure if the weights were making it much greater right now. I can eat at maintenance for a few days if needed. I am mostly curious about the weights and appetite.

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Have you been eating back the calories you earn from weigh lifting? Some people don't, but I do. I'd be ravenous otherwise, and clearly weight lifting burns more calories than sitting on my butt. I also eat at maintenance for a few days at that TOM.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    I still get hangry when lifting (no break needed).. I do eat back my lifting calories. I just work through the pre-cycle..
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I'm not lifting right now, but I did a session with a PT a while back in the morning, and I remember being ravenous the entire day. I felt like a bottomless pit. The hunger just wouldn't go away.

    When I did do weights with a PT, I would make sure my session was in the evening so I could combat it by having a glass of milk after the workout, then large meal, and then a snack, and then going to bed, lol.

    I'm starting back up with weights in about 2 weeks, so I'm certain it will be the same song and dance. Unbelievably hungry.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    I just started lifting weights again after a very very long time away from them. I am unbelievably hungry today. Is it normal for a large appetite increase when you start lifting? I'm assuming it will level out at some point? I'm also 5 days pre-cycle. Would those two things together make it worse? I KNOW my hunger increases pre-cycle. Just wasn't sure if the weights were making it much greater right now. I can eat at maintenance for a few days if needed. I am mostly curious about the weights and appetite.

    Yes, it is normal. And, yes, those two factors could combine.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    Yep. My hunger levels shoot up when I lift. I have to get at least 100g of protein from solid food and about 140g of carbs to deal with it. I also eat at a smaller deficit if I'm trying to lose weight. If you have room to increase your calories, eat a little bit more, and play around with your macros and meal timing until you find something that works.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Have you been eating back the calories you earn from weigh lifting? Some people don't, but I do. I'd be ravenous otherwise, and clearly weight lifting burns more calories than sitting on my butt. I also eat at maintenance for a few days at that TOM.

    I usually eat back at least half of my exercise calories but until now, that's been walking 3 miles a day. When I put in my lifting this morning it actually said I burned nothing calorie wise. I lifted lower body and abs and that took me 45 minutes. I put in the reps, weight, and sets and it just has a red line for calories?????? I just figured it doesn't give much, if any, back in terms of exercise calories when one lifts weights. Is that incorrect? I actually don't want to eat back my lifting calories at all. I will usually eat back some of the cardio cals but I don't do cardio every day.
  • sarahkw04
    sarahkw04 Posts: 87 Member
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    I'm always starving on lifting days! I have to hit 120g protein - I make smart choices, but it's so nice to get to feel like you can eat everything!
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
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    Yes, cardio makes me lose my appetite but lifting makes me hungrier. Higher protein/fat on those days helps.
  • bigfatguy13088
    bigfatguy13088 Posts: 21 Member
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    Yeah lifting makes me ravenous.
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    edited October 2016
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    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Have you been eating back the calories you earn from weigh lifting? Some people don't, but I do. I'd be ravenous otherwise, and clearly weight lifting burns more calories than sitting on my butt. I also eat at maintenance for a few days at that TOM.

    I usually eat back at least half of my exercise calories but until now, that's been walking 3 miles a day. When I put in my lifting this morning it actually said I burned nothing calorie wise. I lifted lower body and abs and that took me 45 minutes. I put in the reps, weight, and sets and it just has a red line for calories?????? I just figured it doesn't give much, if any, back in terms of exercise calories when one lifts weights. Is that incorrect? I actually don't want to eat back my lifting calories at all. I will usually eat back some of the cardio cals but I don't do cardio every day.

    You need to log weight lifting under cardio. The lifting section is to keep track of your sets, reps, and weights so you know how you're progressing.

    ETA that weight lifting usually isn't a huge burn (depending on what you're doing), but eating those extra 150 cals makes a really big difference in my ability to function and not get stabby because I'm hangry.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Weight lifting always makes me hungrier overall.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    As long as I eat a lot of protein, I seem to be just fine, personally.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    chocolate_owl wrote: »
    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Have you been eating back the calories you earn from weigh lifting? Some people don't, but I do. I'd be ravenous otherwise, and clearly weight lifting burns more calories than sitting on my butt. I also eat at maintenance for a few days at that TOM.

    I usually eat back at least half of my exercise calories but until now, that's been walking 3 miles a day. When I put in my lifting this morning it actually said I burned nothing calorie wise. I lifted lower body and abs and that took me 45 minutes. I put in the reps, weight, and sets and it just has a red line for calories?????? I just figured it doesn't give much, if any, back in terms of exercise calories when one lifts weights. Is that incorrect? I actually don't want to eat back my lifting calories at all. I will usually eat back some of the cardio cals but I don't do cardio every day.

    You need to log weight lifting under cardio. The lifting section is to keep track of your sets, reps, and weights so you know how you're progressing.

    ETA that weight lifting usually isn't a huge burn (depending on what you're doing), but those eating those extra 150 cals makes a really big difference in my ability to function and not get stabby because I'm hangry.

    Okay. Thank you! I did not know this. First time doing weights with MFP. I think that 150 cals would make a big difference today. I'm thinking that because I'm being double hit hungry wise this week that it shouldn't always be like this.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    jenilla1 wrote: »
    As long as I eat a lot of protein, I seem to be just fine, personally.


    I think I'm going to have to work on this b/c I know I'm not getting near enough protein. I've been eating more high fat. I will work on the protein....
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
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    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    As long as I eat a lot of protein, I seem to be just fine, personally.

    I think I'm going to have to work on this b/c I know I'm not getting near enough protein. I've been eating more high fat. I will work on the protein....

    For all of my meals that do not include meat, I look at the macros and tweak if needed to get the protein up.

    Here's a little snack that is highish protein for the amount of calories and good to get me through to my next full meal. I bring it to the gym in a leak-proof shaker cup if I happen to be hungry at the time of my workout. Makes me less tempted to stop at Dunkin Donuts on the way home ;)

    em13rzl48dma.jpg

  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    As long as I eat a lot of protein, I seem to be just fine, personally.

    I think I'm going to have to work on this b/c I know I'm not getting near enough protein. I've been eating more high fat. I will work on the protein....

    For all of my meals that do not include meat, I look at the macros and tweak if needed to get the protein up.

    Here's a little snack that is highish protein for the amount of calories and good to get me through to my next full meal. I bring it to the gym in a leak-proof shaker cup if I happen to be hungry at the time of my workout. Makes me less tempted to stop at Dunkin Donuts on the way home ;)

    em13rzl48dma.jpg

    Thanks! I'm always looking for protein things I can make ahead and grab easily. Do you know if this would work/taste okay with pea protein? I can't touch whey protein (allergic). That's typically what I run into with a lot of protein bars and/or recipes. They use whey or soy protein - neither of which I can have. Pea protein works for smoothies but I haven't made quick protein type snacks with it. I would love to know if others have tried pea protein in snacks like this and if it tasted okay.
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
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    This is so weird. I've been wanting to ask this SAME question but I get afraid of the forums...so, thank you.
    Happy lifting!
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 667 Member
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    Yes, cardio dulls my appetite and lifting makes me sooo hungry. So I try and schedule lifting right before dinner.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    frankiesgirlie wrote: »
    Yes, cardio dulls my appetite and lifting makes me sooo hungry. So I try and schedule lifting right before dinner.

    Interesting that that works. (And it's awesome that it works for you.) I found lifting made me superhungry the following day, so I'm not sure it would have helped my hunger much.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    I don't know if changing time of day when I lift would help or not but I don't really have a choice to do that. If I don't exercise first thing in the morning then I don't get to exercise. So, I'll have to go with upping my protein, maybe eating something light before I lift (I usually don't eat until afterwards) and try some of these other things to see what helps. But I'm glad to hear it's not just me because holy cow was I hungry today!!

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