Does anyone else feel hungry as soon as you start losing weight?

happensthistime
happensthistime Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a 100kgs 5'6" female. This is my first serious weightloss attempt in a while.
I started in April on a mild calories deficit (1800 cals), low impact workout 3-4 times a week and increasing my daily steps to increase my NEAT. It took me few weeks to adjust to the routine and add these things one by one.
Come May, my adherence improved and i started losing 1kg a week. But as soon as i start losing weight, my hunger skyrocketed. So last 10ish days i have been insatiable.
Last few years, whenever i have tried to lose weight, as soon as i lose a couple of kgs, my hunger goes through the roof..and settles when I have put back the lost kgs. Is there something that explains it, or is my brain just making it up? Found some research that says the same.
I feel defeated.
...
In nutshell,
As soon as i start losing weight my body revenge eats (sort of) until weight is back..is that a phenomenon?
How do i combat this?
Is this a call for appetite suppressants?

Replies

  • happensthistime
    happensthistime Posts: 18 Member
    edited May 2023
    https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/713181#:~:text=When we lose weight, the,level increases," says Martins

    This research says something similar.
    But this seems like something after losing a good amount of weight, not just a couple of kgs.
  • happensthistime
    happensthistime Posts: 18 Member
    https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00322.2017

    This research article is something they have derived this study from.
  • happensthistime
    happensthistime Posts: 18 Member
    https://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/a19547202/appetite-hunger-after-weight-loss/

    Don't just go by the title, it says the same thing WHILE losing weight too.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Calorie reduction causes all kinds of hormonal changes...hormones drive hunger. The human body strives for homeostasis, so it would be completely normal for your body to increase hunger cues when losing weight. In my experience, this is usually temporary until things settle and are ok for awhile...then they get wonky again and so on and so forth.

    This can be exacerbated by aggressive calorie deficits and weight loss...which I would say 1Kg per week is a pretty aggressive rate of loss unless you have a ton of weight to lose.
  • happensthistime
    happensthistime Posts: 18 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Calorie reduction causes all kinds of hormonal changes...hormones drive hunger. The human body strives for homeostasis, so it would be completely normal for your body to increase hunger cues when losing weight. In my experience, this is usually temporary until things settle and are ok for awhile...then they get wonky again and so on and so forth.

    This can be exacerbated by aggressive calorie deficits and weight loss...which I would say 1Kg per week is a pretty aggressive rate of loss unless you have a ton of weight to lose.


    So any hacks to fight this? I'm not doing anything excessive. 1kg weight loss seems to be an initial weightloss and water weight drop.
  • BeanieBean93
    BeanieBean93 Posts: 55 Member
    Your body has been used to eating X amount for a long time. The weight didn't come on in just a month or two. It's okay if it's taking a while to adjust to it. You might also try moving calories around to different times of the day. For example, I'm not hungry in the AM but once I get moving and to my desk, I'm definitely ready for some food. So I make sure I eat in the AM. Maybe you don't need breakfast and would prefer a larger lunch. Or maybe you definitely need to eat first thing in the morning, are okay with small lunch but need a good sized dinner. Is there a specific time you're getting hit with major hunger cues? Are you actually "hungry," or is your body calling out at times you used to mindlessly or overeat?

    Try tracking times and see if you can pinpoint when you're feeling the pangs and see if there is something else to connect it to. Otherwise, it's just willpower and letting your body adjust to being on less food than it's been for years. I know it's blunt but you can do it!
  • Hainrick
    Hainrick Posts: 2 Member
    -1kg per week is a pretty fast pace. Take a slower pace and try to enjoy what you're doing.
    Eat more vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and drink at least 2.5 to 3 liters of water a day. If the water doesn't taste, use more hot spices in the food.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    Yes, seems to be. But you have no way of knowing this. And if you're increasing activity and keeping food constant you may be increasing your deficit.

    SUSTAINABLE deficit is the best one. Not unsustainable to the point of giving up.

    -- weight trend apps... they are better (not perfect but better) at showing your weight trajectory than just the scale by itself.

    -- 1 kg a week is NOT a slow rate. Even starting at 100kg / 220lbs. I averaged 695 Cal of deficit during my first year on MFP -- and for me and in retrospect that was AT the limit of how fast I should have been going. For sure some periods were at the 2lb/1kg mark. But I (personally) found most success when keeping my total deficit at UNDER 25% of my TDEE which I did as soon as I realized that sustainability and building future habits were my friend, not the faster speed of weight loss.

    -- you may want to check the type of food you're eating and the timings(?) Sure. Anything and everything will do as long as it's withing calories--I am actually a major proponent of that. But, there's also little double in my mind that a diet consisting of mainly whole (less processed if you will) foods tends to go a long way towards satiety. Boiled potatoes and a 700g bag of veggies and some grilled meat tend to stay with me way longer than potato chips and cookies. Though I tend to eat both in reality. Just balanced differently depending on where I am in terms of weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    happensthistime wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Calorie reduction causes all kinds of hormonal changes...hormones drive hunger. The human body strives for homeostasis, so it would be completely normal for your body to increase hunger cues when losing weight. In my experience, this is usually temporary until things settle and are ok for awhile...then they get wonky again and so on and so forth.

    This can be exacerbated by aggressive calorie deficits and weight loss...which I would say 1Kg per week is a pretty aggressive rate of loss unless you have a ton of weight to lose.


    So any hacks to fight this? I'm not doing anything excessive. 1kg weight loss seems to be an initial weightloss and water weight drop.

    Not really...your body is responding naturally and how it has evolved to respond to that stressor. The good news is that those hormones do settle and things get easier...until they get wonky again. It's probably pretty individual, but for me that was about every 10Lbs lost or so. It's one of the reasons losing weight is rather simple, yet hard to actually do and be consistent with in day to day practice.

    Short term I'd say keep busy...indulge in healthy habits and put the focus on being and becoming a healthier person. Drink plenty of water. Get good sleep. Engage in activities that are beneficial to your mental health, etc. Long term, diet breaks and re-feeds can be very beneficial in balancing out hormones as well as providing a bit of a mental break.
  • happensthistime
    happensthistime Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    Yeah, I think that'd usually what happens. You're bodies trying to maintain homeostasis (i.e. the weight you've been at). It knows you're using fat stores, so it sends out hormones that make you hungrier.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    If your appetite cues happen around certain activities, maybe switch up your routine. I know that when I sit down to watch a good show that we're invested in on Prime, I am immediately hungry. Only problem is I'm NOT really hungry because I've eaten well for the day. It's a ritual kind of hunger.

    Whoever said weight control is simple but not easy said it all.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,216 Member
    edited May 2023
    Yeah, hormones are the big players that effect hunger and most people are mostly defenseless when these are dysfunctional, which is a given if someone is fairly overweight and or obese from the simple fact these people have had hyperinsulinemia for years and what elevated insulin does is, makes us more hungry, especially for things that are higher on the glycemic scale. That's 1 hormone that regulates hunger and we have around 8 more.

    The people that are successful losing weight and keeping it off generally adopt a lifestyle that involves changing the foods they consume as well as their commitment to getting more exercise hours as well, it's really not that complicated, but like I keep saying, yummy food tastes yummy and those yummy foods directly effect those hormones big time, a viscous circle.
  • Mischante
    Mischante Posts: 37 Member
    happensthistime wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Calorie reduction causes all kinds of hormonal changes...hormones drive hunger. The human body strives for homeostasis, so it would be completely normal for your body to increase hunger cues when losing weight. In my experience, this is usually temporary until things settle and are ok for awhile...then they get wonky again and so on and so forth.

    This can be exacerbated by aggressive calorie deficits and weight loss...which I would say 1Kg per week is a pretty aggressive rate of loss unless you have a ton of weight to lose.


    So any hacks to fight this? I'm not doing anything excessive. 1kg weight loss seems to be an initial weightloss and water weight drop.

    I find that if I eat enough protein that it keeps me from getting super hungry. You got to find what works for you though. Some people are more satiated with added fat or fiber vs protein.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    happensthistime wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Calorie reduction causes all kinds of hormonal changes...hormones drive hunger. The human body strives for homeostasis, so it would be completely normal for your body to increase hunger cues when losing weight. In my experience, this is usually temporary until things settle and are ok for awhile...then they get wonky again and so on and so forth.

    This can be exacerbated by aggressive calorie deficits and weight loss...which I would say 1Kg per week is a pretty aggressive rate of loss unless you have a ton of weight to lose.


    So any hacks to fight this? I'm not doing anything excessive. 1kg weight loss seems to be an initial weightloss and water weight drop.

    For how many weeks did you lose 1 kg? Sure, the first week it could have been water weight, but after that it would be more fat. I'm your height and have been your weight and 1 kg per week regularly would have been too fast for me.
  • Aira_Ruwenzor
    Aira_Ruwenzor Posts: 11 Member
    happensthistime wrote: »
    Thank you

    A few tips from what has helped me. I have also gone through serious hunger craving after losing the first 10 pounds.

    1. Drink water
    2. Eat more protein
    3. Indulge 1-2 days and then come back on track. Your body is used to a routine, sudden quick change will make it want to store more fat.
    4. Consistency - I was stuck for about 2.5 weeks before the weight shifted again

    Hope this helps
  • Daeygur
    Daeygur Posts: 39 Member
    Absolutely! The moment I started losing weight last year I was in a constant battle between "hungry" and "Not really hungry." Sometimes it would be so bad that I'd cave in and binge on food because I was so used to eating over 3000 calories a day that going down to 2000 heck even 1800 was a shock. Slowly, as I began halving my portions every day and reminding myself that it wasn't worth it. The hunger subsided. Instead, my stomach feels what I want to believe is a healthy stomach. Sometimes it growls and then I eat, but other times I don't crave fast food or junk food. I have been craving a lot of fruit and veggies lately, so I've been having to buy more--odd really. I rarely ate those.

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