Increased my cals & now I am even HUNGRIER!! Wtf??

lindzmt22
lindzmt22 Posts: 335
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So I increased my cals from 1200 (2lbs a week) to 1360 (1.5lbs a week) because for the past couple weeks I was eating my exercise calories and still getting hungry after that, so I figured my body needed more fuel (I have lost 21 pounds; I work out 6 days a week for around an hour a day). So I upped them mid-last week and ever since I have been eating more calories I have been ravenously hungry even more often!! I'll eat a full meal and get hungry (stomach growling loudly) like an hour or 2 later! It is sooo annoying...Especially when I have eaten all my calories lol. What is going on? Is this my metabolism being revved up or what? And yes I have been eating pretty healthy (trying to avoid processed foods as much as possible and eating lots of fruits, veggies, meats, etc....a well rounded diet) I don't get it? Any ideas?

Replies

  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Has this happened to anyone else?? I feel like a freak-o lol
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Guess not lol
  • lilsassymom
    lilsassymom Posts: 407 Member
    I am also wondering. This is happening to me now. Is this normal?
  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
    I'm not sure exactly, but that is still a good deficit, so it is probably normal for you to be hungry. It could very well be metabolism. But if you are truly hungry and exercise a lot, I would bump up calories a little more and see what happens.
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Well I'm glad I'm not the only one, haha. Yeah it's pretty annoying, especially when I'm exercising to earn more and it's not always enough. smh
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    I'm not sure exactly, but that is still a good deficit, so it is probably normal for you to be hungry. It could very well be metabolism. But if you are truly hungry and exercise a lot, I would bump up calories a little more and see what happens.

    Thanks, yeah I might hafta do that. It's so annoying cuz sometimes I'll eat, and then feel hungry literally after I stop chewing. What the heck?
  • jlfred
    jlfred Posts: 65 Member
    I can't really tell you why it's happening, but I can tell you that the same thing happened to me recently. I don't know why, all of a sudden, I started getting so hungry, but I was. Starving. And I hadn't made any radical changes to diet or exercise, just suddenly hungry all the time. So, I upped my cals, and still starving. Don't know why.
  • ShrinkRapt451
    ShrinkRapt451 Posts: 447 Member
    Hunt for the thread (or the group) called the "Olivia method." The thread is in the General Diet and Weight Loss Help section, I think. You might want to give that a try. I suspect you're hungry because you're not eating enough, and now that you're not undereating too badly, your body is desperate to get enough to make your BMR. So you're on the right track, most likely. But rule one really should be: if you're hungry, eat more! Just eat the RIGHT stuff. :)
  • missjoci
    missjoci Posts: 412 Member
    I've had the same problem. I started out at 1350 calories a day, bumped it to 1500...then 1600...1700. On my workout days I'll eat as much as 2200 calories of healthy food. It could be possible our bodies just want more fuel to burn because the metabolism is revved up from working out. I lift a lot of weights, and many of the women I talk to eat over 2000 calories a day and are quite thin and muscular, but I'm not sure how you could determine the best caloric intake for you. I say eat healthy and if you're still hungry going over isn't a big deal. You don't wanna starve your body.

    I'd be curious to hear someones scientific explanation on this.
  • missjoci
    missjoci Posts: 412 Member
    I'm not sure exactly, but that is still a good deficit, so it is probably normal for you to be hungry. It could very well be metabolism. But if you are truly hungry and exercise a lot, I would bump up calories a little more and see what happens.

    Thanks, yeah I might hafta do that. It's so annoying cuz sometimes I'll eat, and then feel hungry literally after I stop chewing. What the heck?
    If you are eating a lot of carbs, the spike in your insulin could make you feel hungry again. This happens to me anytime I eat crackers or bread. Those processed carbs and sugars can trick your body into thinking you're hungry again.
  • 13hirteen
    13hirteen Posts: 94 Member
    Where are you getting most of your calories?
    If it's mostly coming from fast-burn carbohydrates, there's a good chance that you'll be left hungrier once their energy burns off.

    Try getting more protein instead - shakes can be good (blending 40g casein-based protein powder with a splash of milk and a couple of hundred grams of frozen fruit produces a sorbet which tastes fantastic and is incredibly filling, too).
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
    Hunger and Calories are not directly tied. How calorie dense is the food that you're eating? You may want to go more for filling foods that are not calorie dense (they weigh a lot of the number of calories they have in it). Fiber also helps to control hunger.

    For example, I could eat a 1000 calorie burger from a fast food restaurant and be hungry in an hour, but I could eat some cottage cheese and fruit and be full even though I only ate a couple hundred calories. So the calorie density and the nutritional make up of your food could have something to do with it.
  • kathiemcn
    kathiemcn Posts: 96
    I'm not sure exactly, but that is still a good deficit, so it is probably normal for you to be hungry. It could very well be metabolism. But if you are truly hungry and exercise a lot, I would bump up calories a little more and see what happens.

    Thanks, yeah I might hafta do that. It's so annoying cuz sometimes I'll eat, and then feel hungry literally after I stop chewing. What the heck?
    If you are eating a lot of carbs, the spike in your insulin could make you feel hungry again. This happens to me anytime I eat crackers or bread. Those processed carbs and sugars can trick your body into thinking you're hungry again.

    Everyone's body works differently, but I'd say the same. Try reducing your carbs and increasing your protein, and see how that goes.
    Good luck!
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Hunt for the thread (or the group) called the "Olivia method." The thread is in the General Diet and Weight Loss Help section, I think. You might want to give that a try. I suspect you're hungry because you're not eating enough, and now that you're not undereating too badly, your body is desperate to get enough to make your BMR. So you're on the right track, most likely. But rule one really should be: if you're hungry, eat more! Just eat the RIGHT stuff. :)

    Thanks. Yeah I've considered trying that method. I read through a tool on a website that my BMR is around 1607!! So I definitely haven't been eating that much at all...Should I be? I am trying to lose atleast 1.5 pounds a week...wondering if that would prevent that. I guess I'll never know until I try right?
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Hunger and Calories are not directly tied. How calorie dense is the food that you're eating? You may want to go more for filling foods that are not calorie dense (they weigh a lot of the number of calories they have in it). Fiber also helps to control hunger.

    For example, I could eat a 1000 calorie burger from a fast food restaurant and be hungry in an hour, but I could eat some cottage cheese and fruit and be full even though I only ate a couple hundred calories. So the calorie density and the nutritional make up of your food could have something to do with it.

    Totally. I do my best to choose dense, filling foods. I hardly EVER have fast food, maybe once or twice a month. Most of my choices are pretty healthy, minus my affinity for the occasional sweets or chocolate. haha.
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    Where are you getting most of your calories?
    If it's mostly coming from fast-burn carbohydrates, there's a good chance that you'll be left hungrier once their energy burns off.

    Try getting more protein instead - shakes can be good (blending 40g casein-based protein powder with a splash of milk and a couple of hundred grams of frozen fruit produces a sorbet which tastes fantastic and is incredibly filling, too).

    Thank you for this. I have been trying to get more protein into my diet as I find it helps me stay fuller longer and helps my endurance in my workouts. I could definitely cut down a bit on the carbs though.
  • tickletickle
    tickletickle Posts: 147
    me too i up'd mine to maintance!!!! grrr maybe the xmas spirit huh?!!!
  • CnocNaCu
    CnocNaCu Posts: 536 Member
    I had the same problem 4 weeks after I quit smoking. I was already logging my food here on MFP and got good advice from my pals as to
    -check BMR and make sure to eat enough
    -eat exercize cals back
    - make sure I am REALLY hungry (withdrawal can show as hunger)
    -drink a lot of water.
    I did all that, felt better but I still had the feeling I am hungry.
    Since then I add Mesquite meal to my breakfast/lunch or dinner. It is a so called "super food" containing calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and amino acid lysine. It stabilizes blood sugar levels so that you don't have these awful sugar spikes.
    BUT: of course you need a proper, healthy diet. Mesquite is just to give you more minerals and to help you stave off hunger for about 4-6 hours..
    You might want google it; for me it did the trick.
  • rkr22401
    rkr22401 Posts: 216 Member
    I recommend eating many small meals/snacks rather than 3 large ones each day. This maintains your blood sugar levels more stable and prevents much of what you are experiencing. I try to eat something every 2-3 hrs, even if it's just a handful of almonds, a cup of Greek yogurt, or a piece of fruit. If I even think I'm soon to be hungry, I head it off at the pass with a healthy snack. I never let my stomach growl and I stay close to my calorie goal and it's been working great so far.
  • lindzmt22
    lindzmt22 Posts: 335
    I recommend eating many small meals/snacks rather than 3 large ones each day. This maintains your blood sugar levels more stable and prevents much of what you are experiencing. I try to eat something every 2-3 hrs, even if it's just a handful of almonds, a cup of Greek yogurt, or a piece of fruit. If I even think I'm soon to be hungry, I head it off at the pass with a healthy snack. I never let my stomach growl and I stay close to my calorie goal and it's been working great so far.

    Yeah I try to do that, but I could try harder. lol
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