Does eating more make you more hungry?
Molly_234
Posts: 89 Member
Ever since I've become more lenient with eating back exercise calories based on my fit bit adjustment it's been harder for me to control hunger. Ive lost the control of ignoring hunger cues and its caused me to gain some weight back. I've been consistently eating over my calories. Back when I first joined mfp I did great and was losing at a good rate. I had a goal between 12 and 1400 and even though it was still a challenge, i think having a stricter plan made me more focused and mindful of what I ate. Lately it feels like I have sabatoged all of the progress I have made. I feel like I have gained 20 pounds.
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Replies
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How long have you been eating more? Generally, once you eat more your body will jump in weight but it will even it self out...your body needs time to adjust and u should not be eating 1200 cals to begin with it's too low0
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How fast are you aiming to lose weight (how many lb per week)?0
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'Ive lost the control of ignoring hunger cues'
This sentence worries me. You shouldn't be ignoring hunger cues. The reason you're probably finding it harder is because you weren't eating enough. People who follow VLCD often find themselves in a vicious circle of eating too little then binging because they crave more food.
It would be helpful if you could provide some stats, like height, weight, activity level, then we can look at how much you should be eating. I'm certain 1200 is too low.2 -
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trigden1991 wrote: »
I was 135 a few weeks ago and now I am 140. Each day the scale has steadily gone up.0 -
It seems you've answered your own question.
Instead of eating back a variable amount, just assume a higher base activity level and eat to a higher fixed daily goal. Then you just focus on tweaking your activity to keep the weight loss coming at the right level.2 -
5 is not 20. Weight Fluctuations happen a lot, and you shouldn't be ignoring hunger cues. What are your stats?1
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Try re-balancing your diet to higher fat / protein with lower carbs and sugar because carbs and sugar can make you ravenous. I eat about 1300 to 1400 calories most days and I am not hungry most of the time -- except if the weather goes from warm to cold. To curb hunger try eating less of both carbs and sugar and more protein rich or savory snacks. My go to "sweet" is a piece of 70% cacao chocolate and 1 TBSP peanut butter (1 Trader Joe's - Dark Chocolate Wedge - 70% cacao is 45 calories with 3 grams of sugar and 1 TBSP of Trader Joe's peanut butter is 95 calories and 1 gram of sugar). I also like dried seaweed (Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Dulse 1/3 cup or 7 grams is 20 calories and 2 grams of protein). I can never eat more than a piece b/c it is so rich. I still allow myself to have sweets or alcohol occasionally but, when I do - I definitely crave more. Good luck.2
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Try re-balancing your diet to higher fat / protein with lower carbs and sugar because carbs and sugar can make you ravenous. I eat about 1300 to 1400 calories most days and I am not hungry most of the time -- except if the weather goes from warm to cold. To curb hunger try eating less of both carbs and sugar and more protein rich or savory snacks. My go to "sweet" is a piece of 70% cacao chocolate and 1 TBSP peanut butter (1 Trader Joe's - Dark Chocolate Wedge - 70% cacao is 45 calories with 3 grams of sugar and 1 TBSP of Trader Joe's peanut butter is 95 calories and 1 gram of sugar). I also like dried seaweed (Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Dulse 1/3 cup or 7 grams is 20 calories and 2 grams of protein). I can never eat more than a piece b/c it is so rich. I still allow myself to have sweets or alcohol occasionally but, when I do - I definitely crave more. Good luck.
Yes I think that might be my problem. I have been eating a lot of carbs and sweets.0 -
5 is not 20. Weight Fluctuations happen a lot, and you shouldn't be ignoring hunger cues. What are your stats?
I don't think it's just a fluctuation because I have not been staying within my calorie goal. I am 5'2 lightly active and with a goal of 16 to 1800 calories after the calorie adjustment due to my activity. When I had a much lower goal it seemed like I did better at controlling what I ate.0 -
Eat in a calorie deficit, consistently for long enough and you'll be fine.0
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I'm in the same situation2
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Ever since I've become more lenient with eating back exercise calories based on my fit bit adjustment it's been harder for me to control hunger. Ive lost the control of ignoring hunger cues and its caused me to gain some weight back............
The way to deal with and/or avoid hunger is to choose the right foods. Think high volume, low calorie density. A 400 calorie serving (half cup) of my favorite mixed nuts and seeds is nowhere near as filling as a 400 calorie, large plate of rice and beans. 1 cup of dry oatmeal is 300 calories and when I blend it into flour to cook porridge plus some sugar, I get 2-3 large mugs and I'm full for hours.
You can eat a very satisfying day of certain foods and another one where you're starving all day even though the calories are the same on both days. I base my diet on potatoes, oats, brown rice, beans and lentils and never go hungry. Adding fruits and veg adds even more volume. And I don't add oils often, coz that's quite calorie dense, low volume and low nutrition. This is how I lost 35 lbs and now maintain between 115-120 lbs.1 -
Try re-balancing your diet to higher fat / protein with lower carbs and sugar because carbs and sugar can make you ravenous. I eat about 1300 to 1400 calories most days and I am not hungry most of the time -- except if the weather goes from warm to cold. To curb hunger try eating less of both carbs and sugar and more protein rich or savory snacks. My go to "sweet" is a piece of 70% cacao chocolate and 1 TBSP peanut butter (1 Trader Joe's - Dark Chocolate Wedge - 70% cacao is 45 calories with 3 grams of sugar and 1 TBSP of Trader Joe's peanut butter is 95 calories and 1 gram of sugar). I also like dried seaweed (Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Dulse 1/3 cup or 7 grams is 20 calories and 2 grams of protein). I can never eat more than a piece b/c it is so rich. I still allow myself to have sweets or alcohol occasionally but, when I do - I definitely crave more. Good luck.
Yes I think that might be my problem. I have been eating a lot of carbs and sweets.
Oh sure, I never feel full when I have lots of carbs and little protein, fat, and fiber. I can have dessert after dinner, but if I have desserty foods earlier in the day I'm thrown off. This would include breakfast foods like donuts, muffins, or bagels.3 -
I definitely found that the more I eat the more I want to eat. Sometimes the hunger gets stronger, too. Btw, wanting to eat and hunger do not necessarily mean the same thing.
It also works the other way. The further I go into my fasting the less I want to eat and less hunger, too.
I think this is why fasting tends to be easier than moderation for most people.2 -
Traveler120 wrote: »Ever since I've become more lenient with eating back exercise calories based on my fit bit adjustment it's been harder for me to control hunger. Ive lost the control of ignoring hunger cues and its caused me to gain some weight back............
The way to deal with and/or avoid hunger is to choose the right foods. Think high volume, low calorie density. A 400 calorie serving (half cup) of my favorite mixed nuts and seeds is nowhere near as filling as a 400 calorie, large plate of rice and beans. 1 cup of dry oatmeal is 300 calories and when I blend it into flour to cook porridge plus some sugar, I get 2-3 large mugs and I'm full for hours.
You can eat a very satisfying day of certain foods and another one where you're starving all day even though the calories are the same on both days. I base my diet on potatoes, oats, brown rice, beans and lentils and never go hungry. Adding fruits and veg adds even more volume. And I don't add oils often, coz that's quite calorie dense, low volume and low nutrition. This is how I lost 35 lbs and now maintain between 115-120 lbs.
Are you vegetarian? I'm not big on eating meat which makes me lean towards carbs.0 -
I definitely feel your pain. When I eat sugar, I just want more. My after dinner treat is skinny cow ice cream sandwiches, and it was 1, then 2, and have to have one each day. I understand the struggle and it's just something that you consciously deal with but don't make it off limits because then you'll want it more. Good luck and friend me if you'd like!0
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Idontcareyoupick wrote: »I definitely feel your pain. When I eat sugar, I just want more. My after dinner treat is skinny cow ice cream sandwiches, and it was 1, then 2, and have to have one each day. I understand the struggle and it's just something that you consciously deal with but don't make it off limits because then you'll want it more. Good luck and friend me if you'd like!
For me it all started with a cheat day (for my birthday) and I allowed it to turn into an entire month. I'm thinking I need to get more strict with my diet until I learn better self control and correct portions! Especially for sweet processed foods!1 -
If eating more means that you can fit in "treat" foods that just make you more hungry, it could happen. (What those foods happen to be varies from person to person. For some, they'll be sugary. For others, potato chips. For me, snack crackers.)
It could also happen if eating more gives you more energy and raises your NEAT. Then your body actually needs the extra food.
It could also just be coincidence. If you've been restricting too hard for a while, you'll eventually get to a point where your hunger takes over. That could happen (just by chance) at the time you increase your calories. Or the slight increase in calories could "break the dam".
Only in the first of those three situations is the increased hunger actually a "bad" thing. In the other two scenarios, it's your body telling you you're underfueling. You'll know best which is most likely to apply to you.
The 5 pounds gained is most likely a combination of water weight and "extra food" weight. Unless you've actually consumed 17,500 calories more than you've burned lately.1 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »If eating more means that you can fit in "treat" foods that just make you more hungry, it could happen. (What those foods happen to be varies from person to person. For some, they'll be sugary. For others, potato chips. For me, snack crackers.)
It could also happen if eating more gives you more energy and raises your NEAT. Then your body actually needs the extra food.
It could also just be coincidence. If you've been restricting too hard for a while, you'll eventually get to a point where your hunger takes over. That could happen (just by chance) at the time you increase your calories. Or the slight increase in calories could "break the dam".
Only in the first of those three situations is the increased hunger actually a "bad" thing. In the other two scenarios, it's your body telling you you're underfueling. You'll know best which is most likely to apply to you.
The 5 pounds gained is most likely a combination of water weight and "extra food" weight. Unless you've actually consumed 17,500 calories more than you've burned lately.
I very well could have. Each day I log until the evenings when I realize that there's no way I can stay within my goal and I kind of just give up. I'll even change my goal to maintenance when I know a certain food will make me go over my calories. I wish I didn't do that so I could see how much I'm over eating. It's a really bad habit I need to break, I need to hold myself more accountable. I keep wanting to tell myself that I have so much going on in my life that I don't have time to worry about my weight. But I realize that is just my brain trying to come up with excuses.0
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