Is this gnawing hunger normal??
 

I've been at maintenance for all of ten minutes (well, really trying to figure it out since October). As I've been trying to figure out my optimum maintenance calories, I've continued to lose, and I have been amazed that I seem to be able to eat 2100-2200 calories a day to maintain my weight (current weight 135). However, during the past couple of weeks, I've been starving. Seriously, I am consuming more calories now than I did throughout my weight loss (my average then was 1400 per day), but I feel as if I'm hungrier than ever before. Today, for example, I had a Fage yogurt for breakfast (2% w/ honey) & coffee w/ half-and-half, but by the time lunch rolled around, I felt almost desperate to eat. I couldn't get home until 1:30 or so, and between 1:30 and 2:00 I consumed 800 calories (had planned on only about 400)!. I'm on my own for tonight's dinner (husband is out), so I had planned on having tuna salad on a salt bagel (bagel from Manhattan bagel; tuna salad homemade w/ real mayo) & a salad w/ blue cheese dressing (full-fat) & feta cheese around 6:00 or so Well, I took a nap at 3:00, woke up at 4:00, and again, felt desperate to eat. I popped some microwave popcorn, ate half the bag (threw the other half away to prevent myself from eating it), ate the dark chocolate that was supposed to be tonight's treat, and finally gave in and ate the tuna sandwich portion of my dinner---that's how desperate I felt. Right now, I feel satisfied (thank God!).

As you can see, I'm not depriving myself. Also, before anyone points to carbs, I'll admit I do eat plenty of them, but I've eaten them throughout my weight loss with no ill effects.

Has anyone ever experienced this when moving into maintenance? I am so scared about regaining the weight. Thankfully, because I can eat so many calories, I've managed to stay within my calorie range thus far---just barely. I have been the queen of moderate throughout this journey, so this recent behavior is perplexing and concerning.

BTW, the only change in circumstances during this time is that I was off for Christmas break (I'm a college professor), and I just returned to school this week.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Well, for today, I would say you had reason to be legitimately hungry. Just a yogurt for breakfast and then a late lunch would be a recipe to stuff my face.

But it is strange. I am dealing with it now too. I was eating 1200-1450 before the holidays (plus exercising) and I didn't feel hungry. I ate more carbs and morer abundantly over the holidays and now getting back on track isn't hard,, but I'm hungry. I want to eat the right foods, but feel I could eat double what I eat!

And I look at what I eat and i realize I used to eat double what I eat now on a daily basis!

I don't know what to tell you except to not wait so long between meals in the morning if it makes you ravenous. That gnawing hunger worries me for maintenance too... And I'm not even there yet!

Eta: while I was fixing my horrendous typos, I want to say I agree with the next poster and say the carbs make me ravenous too. If you have upped calories mostly by upping your carbs, this might the culprit.

Although you said "it's not the carbs!" when I eat certain carbs, I get a ravenous, gnawing hunger (bagels for example, really set me off, other stuff doesn't bug me as much, like sweet potatoes or brown rice). So, I tend to really limit those foods. When I concentrate on protein/fruits/veggies/healthy fats, I am less hungry.

But like Melissa says, a yogurt for breakfast and then lunch at 2? I'd be starving too! I usually go 2-3 hours before food.

Thanks, you guys. The funny thing is that I usually eat breakfast late---around 10:30 or so. That's because I'm not usually hungry when I get up. Also, when I do eat breakfast early (as I did today--7:30 a.m.) because I know I won't have time to eat it later, it seems to make no difference in my hunger level later. What I mean is, I seem to get just as hungry around lunchtime whether I have eaten breakfast or not.

I may try to cut back on the carbs. I don't track my macros but maybe I've increased my carbs simply by virtue of increasing my calories. I think I'm going to try increasing my protein, cutting back on carbs a bit and see how that goes. I know one thing: I will not give up trying. I have worked much too hard on losing to start gaining it back.

I have had some strange hunger pangs recently (within the past two days or so) too and I do not eat many carbs at all! I'm unsure of why I'm so hungry recently when I was able to eat 1200-1400 calories with little issue.

I just ate a filling dinner that was around 700 calories and now I'm hungry again when I felt full just a few minutes ago.

I'm still at the low end for the day so I can eat more, but these past few days I've noticed that even after a meal where I felt full that I soon felt hungry afterward :?:

Gum and water have been my saviors, and this is more annoying than anything else, but still! I too worked too hard to go back! :(

Hey lin,
Maybe try balancing your meals a bit better, try adding some fat to your breakfast, like a handful of almonds or some ground flax or maybe an apple with peanut butter in addition to the yogurt. Yanno something with some staying power, because a yogurt & coffee doesn't sound like much fuel in my honest opinion.

By incorporating protein & healthy fats at each meal, it keeps me on an even keel hunger wise! :) So maybe you can try doing the same.

Are you ovulating or pre cycle by chance? If so, these are the two times I get real hungry each month, so I always allow myself extra food to tame the girly hormonal stuff & maybe you should also.

This is my 2 cents, hope it helps make a difference & helps your maintenance somewhat. ~ Wendalyn

My maintenance hunger levels have been a roller coaster and I can't totally put my finger on it. It seems to have settled down, but during right before my period I do have a really hard time. There was also a point when eating over 1600-1800 cals made me hungrier, but that seems to have passed. I don't have any solid advice, but a yogurt and coffe for breakfast would leave me famished!

It's a couple of weeks before my period. Usually, I get hungrier the week before, but who knows---maybe that particular side effect is starting earlier this time.


I'm glad to read this. It seems as if since I added more calories, I'm hungrier rather than more satisfied---which seems really weird.

I've decided on two things: 1) I'm going to try to delay breakfast a bit longer and make it more substantial when I eat it. Since I'm not really hungry when I wake up, it behooves me to put off breakfast until later when I do get hungry. 2) I'm going to really focus on substantial meals until this passes. Tonight, I'm going to try a recipe for curried lentil soup w/ pureed chickpeas---sounds hearty. I feel as if I need some stick-to-your-ribs food.

Thanks for all the great advice!

Ok, not in maintenance yet but still thinking about it so I wonder if it's a few things:

1. Did you track your food when you were eating? Can you compare that to what you're eating now? The reason I ask is look at the two and see what the increase in calories is from. Is it from veggies/protein or from carbs (like honey, bagels) etc? It could be that while you were never eating low carb the calories that you've increased to were more carbs than you were used to before.

2. Timing is a big issue. I would be STARVING too. I need regular snacks otherwise I go crazy.

3. Have you increased/decreased exercise since hitting maintenance?

4. Christmas could certainly be part of the culprit, it's always hard getting back to your eating after a disruption.

I was absolutely starving for 2 days last week. And I count my calories... 1500/day.
:shrug:

So I broke down and made some redskin mashed potato mix. I made it with 1/2 water and 1/2 whole milk.
I added 1 tablespoon of butter to my portion. I ate one cup and figured it into my daily calorie count.
:chef:

OMG! I was stuffed for hours. That ended my hunger spree.
Next time I get hungry like that I'll know what knocks it out for me.
It might work for you too.

The fat cells put out chemicals into the blood stream (ghrelin and leptin) that make you feel hungry. That adds to the problem.

I found this site that explains it a little:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...-for-food.html

:flow2:

I too go though phases of gnawing hunger. When I doing well, I try to add in more protein snacks and loads of veggies. When I'm struggling I tend to spiral into an abyss of sugary treats...:( Thankfully, those abysses are less often and smaller than they used to be.

Thanks for the tips. It could be #1; I'll take a look back. But . . .

#2 - I can't do regular snacks. I've found that when I do, it encourages me to eat even more. Also, I feel as if I never have a substantial meal. I'm not saying that I don't snack, but it's not something that I intentionally incorporate into my plan because it doesn't work for me.

3. Nope---it's the same (or even maybe a bit less).

4. I did pretty well at Christmas time in general. I had 1-2 days of massive calories, but otherwise, I stayed on track. In fact, I lost a few pounds during Christmas season.

I'm going to try #1, though. I'll bet the increase has been from carbs.

I find that I get extra hungry in the following scenarios:
1) That time of the month. In this case there's nothing to do about it, I just eat more and try to eat more red meat.
2) Didn't have a big enough breakfast. A small breakfast will make me hungry all day long.
3) Not enough fiber and fat. Some people stay full from protein, but I stay full if I have fiber and fat at each meal. You might consider this one, have you ever tracked how much fiber you get? Try adding some to your breakfast -- plain yogurt has basically none. My typical breakfast is oatmeal w/flaxseed, fruit, and walnuts.

FWIW I have also found I need to not eat as often. I am more successful with not going overboard on food if each of my meals is 450+ cals and I don't eat between them. And I have always eaten a lot of carbs with no ill effects.

Thank you! I was thinking about the fiber component as well.

I do go through hungry times but not nearly as often. A few things have helped me. I keep track of what types of calories effect me more than others. This means not only carbs, proteins, and fats, but also combinations too. I have also incorporated intermittent fasting by way of JUDDD. I have found calorie cycling to particularly helpful in decreasing my appetite, thus hunger. An unexpected surprise and quite helpful for me in maintaining.

It's funny that you should mention calorie cycling: I've done that all along (even when I was losing). I love it because it allows for special occasions.

Also, I've tried some form of fasting before, and actually, if it weren't for life circumstances, I think I would do quite well with it. I've often thought that if I could just skip breakfast altogether, I might be better off. I'm not hungry until much later in the morning, but if I eat anyway (because perhaps I know that I won't have the opportunity later), it seems to set me off in eating "mode"--if that makes sense.

Well, we are all an experiment of one, as Meg would say. I also balked when I read you eat yogurt for breakfast and then nothing until 1:30 - that would leave me starving! Yogurt has protein but little fat, no fiber. I've also found that occasionally when my breakfast is light and lunch is very delayed, I can't make up for it for the rest of the day. I will just be extra hungry, no matter what I then eat. So I try to eat something, or carry emergency snacks, to avoid this if I don't get to my planned meal. But you did then say that you aren't hungry usually, so... a few suggestions. Also I second the "play with you macronutrients" idea. Try more fiber or healthy fats for breakfast, see if it holds you better through the day.

I also wonder if you should try to reduce carbs at certain times of day, or switch the types of carbs you're eating to eat whole grains. I eat carbs and am totally pro-carb, but I do eat mostly whole grains, fruits, and yogurt for carbs. Processed carbs like those found in white breads, pretzels or chips, or most brownies, cookies, and cakes make me want more and more of them, regardless of hunger, so I eat these less often. If I do eat a lot of sugary things, like at Christmas, I find myself craving them for several days and have to sort of detox myself/get over the hump for a few days before I'm back to normal.

And as Jessica suggested, make a note when you're hungry like this. It might only be at certain times of the month.

I hope you figure out a slightly better solution! I just can't live with gnawing hunger. If you are genuinely hungry I don't think there's anything at all wrong with eating a healthful snack or meal.

This is a common reaction and one I share as well. I like JUDDD combined with EatStopEat. One 24 hour fast once a week, and sometimes two 24 hour fasts per week. Never more than 2 per week, for me. These correspond to my down days.

I have found many benefits to this woe, including Maintanence. However, it has been only 2 months. Started right before the holidays, and am glad I did:-);)

My solution would be more fat. I find my hunger levels significantly reduced when I eat full-fat dairy and put a little olive oil and vinegar on my salad and a little butter on my vegetables. Carbs that contain sugar (like cookies) cause more hunger and famished feelings than carbs like potatoes or bread.

For breakfast, I do oatmeal with a mashed banana (no sugar or milk, generally), AND I do some Greek yogurt (NOT reduced fat). If I eat just the oatmeal, it doesn't stick with me; if I eat just the yogurt, I have low blood sugar all morning and thus feel famished from that.

So I need the complex carbs AND the protein AND the fat. Then I'm fine. Otherwise, I really fight the gnawing hunger. And it's not fun.

Over time, I've also found this to be true for me (although, as you can see, I don't always adhere to it).

I feel more in control since Sunday. At this point, I'm really focusing on eating substantial meals and/or snacks (although I don't do too much of the latter). For example, I had planned to have a bit of dark chocolate & a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream last night with my espresso (after dinner). However, I realized that I was still hungry after dinner and that those treats wouldn't put a dint in my hunger. So, instead of eating those, I had some Fage yogurt w/ a banana & a peanut butter granola bar crumbled into it. I felt full and satisfied after that. Yes, I reached my calorie limit, but I didn't exceed it and I didn't feel hungry the rest of the night. That will be my approach for the rest of the week until this hunger "phase" is over (& I'm really hoping it is just a "phase").

Has anyone ever experienced this when moving into maintenance? I am so scared about regaining the weight.[/QUOTE]

Hi there,

I've also been working on maintenance since last October, after losing 50 pounds. Just recently I had a 2-week period in which I felt a lot hungrier than usual, for no reason I can identify. I still don't have a firm plan for dealing with such episodes, so I'm right there with you. When I feel distracting hunger pangs I usually have a couple of flax/honey crackers or a small handful of sweet-potato fries, but sometimes that isn't enough and I find myself rooting around the fridge, trying to decide between volume and caloric density. It's a difficult game, isn't it?

Freelance

Absolutely! From other posts, it seems like we're almost weight loss "twins"---losing approx the same amount of weight during about the same time frame.

One thing that has helped me so far this week (although it's only Tuesday!) is that I'm back to strict planning. I was slacking on that last week. Odd as it seems, when I have too many choices, that tends to encourage me to overeat. This week, I've been logging my meals before I even eat them. Doing that has encouraged me to stop thinking about what I can eat--i.e., ponder my many choices---and just eat what I've logged. So far, calorie-wise, I've been successful this week. Also, because I'm back to strict planning, I feel more in control of my eating than I did last week.

<<Absolutely! From other posts, it seems like we're almost weight loss "twins"---losing approx the same amount of weight during about the same time frame. >>

Since we're already twins, would you consider being buddies? Perhaps we could email each other to report on our progress and share tips. I know we're discouraged from posting emails, but I much prefer email to the PM system so I'll take the risk: gbauer**at**sympatico.ca. No offense taken if you'd rather not do the buddy thing.

Freelance

Sure! Except that PM is probably best for me as I check that more often that my E-mail (just lazy, I guess ---or just like going on this forum! :) ).

<<Sure! Except that PM is probably best for me as I check that more often that my E-mail (just lazy, I guess ---or just like going on this forum! ).>>
__________________

I sometimes forget that not everyone checks their email 20 times a day as I do. As a freelance writer I have a legitimate excuse as I have to keep up with editors' can-I-have-this-by-yesterday requests. Forgive my ignorance, but how do I do the PM thing?

F.

In the top, right-hand corner of the 3FatChicks menu bar, you'll see an option near your screen name for "Private Messages." When you click on that, you'll see your mailbox and other options. On the left side, there's an option to "Send New Message." The rest is intuitive.

Hope that helps!

I don't think freelancemomma has enough posts or days as a member yet for Private Messages... But I'm not sure. It's either 20 and 20 or 30 and 30.

Jay

<<I don't think freelancemomma has enough posts or days as a member yet for Private Messages... But I'm not sure. It's either 20 and 20 or 30 and 30.>>

Yeah, I haven't found any "private message" option near my screen name. I guess I'll just have to wait a little longer...

F.