Two months in. Why am I so hungry all of the sudden?

If you are feeling dizzy and having headaches then it is best to seek medical advice. It could be something as simple as not drinking enough water and being dehydrated but an internet forum is not going to be able to confirm that for you.

Also worth noting that hormones aren't limited to affecting your body just during your period.

My experience - if, when on deficit, I spend my cals on higher sugar foods I'm likely to feel much hungrier than otherwise.

Interesting that it's not just "junk" food that has that effect but also fruits. For me, an apple as a snack will leave me ravenous 15 mins later.

No one has mentioned how sugar makes your insulin spike and then deplete which is what actually makes you feel hungrier faster. Sugar making you hungrier is a well established fact. Yes, people are correct that you can eat all your calories from junk food and sugar and as long as you stay under your calorie goal, you'll lose. The thing is, your body can still be starved of nutrients when you eat all your calories if you don't try to balance what you eat. If your body isn't getting a nutrient it needs, it can begin to crave more food to try and make it up. Taking a multi-vitamin might help. Drinking more water can help too because often hunger is actually thirst in disguise. But honestly if you are replacing quality, nutrient dense foods with sugary treats, you are depriving your body of what it needs for optimal performance. Especially at 1350 calories. You don't list any other stats here, but I also have a feeling 1350 is actually a bit low for you. It is a bit low for most people unless they literally don't move at all. I am 5'4" and my BMR (calorie expenditure I would have if I just lay in bed all day doing nothing at all) is over 1500 calories and generally I burn closer to 2500 in a day. I often eat 1800 calories or more and I have lose weight and inches while gaining muscles. Eating more is the best thing I've ever done for my body. I used to eat 1200 or less and while I did lose, it was pure misery. And I'm a chef.

I really, really disagree with people here who think that what you eat doesn't matter. It does. You can lose 50 pounds but if your body fat percentage is still the same (which it likely will be if not higher after the weight loss) then you still carry the same risks for cardiovascular disease as you did when heavier. Losing weight for vanity is nice, but losing fat and maintaining muscle is how you get healthier.

AFGP11 wrote: »

No one has mentioned how sugar makes your insulin spike and then deplete which is what actually makes you feel hungrier faster. Sugar making you hungrier is a well established fact. Yes, people are correct that you can eat all your calories from junk food and sugar and as long as you stay under your calorie goal, you'll lose. The thing is, your body can still be starved of nutrients when you eat all your calories if you don't try to balance what you eat. If your body isn't getting a nutrient it needs, it can begin to crave more food to try and make it up. Taking a multi-vitamin might help. Drinking more water can help too because often hunger is actually thirst in disguise. But honestly if you are replacing quality, nutrient dense foods with sugary treats, you are depriving your body of what it needs for optimal performance. Especially at 1350 calories. You don't list any other stats here, but I also have a feeling 1350 is actually a bit low for you. It is a bit low for most people unless they literally don't move at all. I am 5'4" and my BMR (calorie expenditure I would have if I just lay in bed all day doing nothing at all) is over 1500 calories and generally I burn closer to 2500 in a day. I often eat 1800 calories or more and I have lose weight and inches while gaining muscles. Eating more is the best thing I've ever done for my body. I used to eat 1200 or less and while I did lose, it was pure misery. And I'm a chef.

I really, really disagree with people here who think that what you eat doesn't matter. It does. You can lose 50 pounds but if your body fat percentage is still the same (which it likely will be if not higher after the weight loss) then you still carry the same risks for cardiovascular disease as you did when heavier. Losing weight for vanity is nice, but losing fat and maintaining muscle is how you get healthier.

First, the correlation of insulin to hunger is not a fact. In fact, it's largely debated because protein stimulates insulin (often as much as carbs/sugar) and it's highly correlated with satiety.

James Kreiger has some good content on it: http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-7-insulin-and-thinking-better/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation/

And while I largely agree that improving body composition is rather important, no one loses 50 lbs of just muscle.. so the bold is a bit ridiculous. What is interesting though, carbs/sugar are actually highly beneficial to muscle growth, even while cutting weight. Carbs are anticatobolic so they inhibit protein degradation. When combined with protein (especially Leucine), you will optimize muscle protein synthesis which can allow for more periods of MPS vs Protein breakdown. This is why there is some truth in nutrient timing.

I do agree that one should not replace whole foods with a ton of sugar, but sugar is over demonized by peoples lack of knowledge of how to apply it. Personally, I try to keep my calories from treats to about 10%. This way, it's tapered to the persons total intake. Larger intakes allow for large amounts of sweets while giving the ability to eats foods that keep you full.

I've been hungry all week too. Maybe because it's coldish, grey and damp here.