Hi ladies,

Yes, it's that time of the week again -- Kate's once-a-week "Question for the Maintainers."

I've noticed that over the last three months or so that my appetite seems to be shrinking. It reminds me of that old myth that when you eat less your stomach "shrinks." Which, I assume (and probably quite rightly) does not actually happen . LOL.

There are some days when I have to force myself to eat my snacks, and sometimes I even have to force a whole meal (usually lunch) down my throat. Often, I can't even finish an entire meal, even though it is a good, controlled portion. This is especially problematic on days when I'm going to the gym because I want to be properly fed before working out.

I have a few thoughts/theories on this...let me know what you think:

1. I have a smalller body, therefore I need fewer calories to function.

2. I'm eating a lot of protein, therefore I am much more satisfied and don't feel hunger as often. But I've been eating more protein for YEARS now...(?)

3. I'm lifting heavier weights at the gym and that added exercise is supressing my appetite even more than before.

4. I'm super-duper in touch with my tummy and ACTUALLY truly, 100% know when to stop eating (or when not to start eating).

Is this normal? Did you ladies end up with a smaller appetite the lower your weight got? I would have thought that with more muscle mass and increased weight training I'd be MORE hungry, not less. It seems counter-intuitive to me...

Thanks

Yes, my physical appetite has definitely changed. I'm also a bit more in tune with understanding when I'm satisfied. However, that still does not stop me from eating when the compulsive "EAT" switch has been turned on. I never, ever, ever have to "choke down" a meal -- if it is meal time, I eat it, every bite. However, the amount I prepare for myself is in accordance to what I NEED. My body accepts that and IT doesn't ask for more, even though my dinosaur brain could let me continue eating until I pop.

Yep, mine too. I physically cannot eat the same quantities of food anymore. I do believe that our stomachs can shrink back down to normal size, even after years of abuse and stretching with huge amounts of food. Too bad this darn skin can't seem do the same thing!!

I was glad to read this, because I know how major it is! I still struggle with this one, but I hope it will get easier as time goes on.

Beverly

Thanks funniegirl and Beverly! I'm glad to hear that this might just be normal. It just seems weird with all the exercise I'm doing. But then again, I'm not lugging around the equivalent (in lbs) of my DOG all day so I suppose I need less calories to function. Does your body become more efficient at burning energy (needing calories) when your cardiovascular health improves, too? I'd love to get a handle on the science behind this...

And this is interesting:

I wonder if I'm preparing too much food? Although I highly doubt it because my lunch is usually a tuna on wheat -- and that's it. Maybe I'm eating too many snacks? I try to eat something small at least once every 2 hours between meals (tiny tub of cottage cheese, baby carrots, protein shake, apple, almonds, etc.)

I'm actually kind of mentally stuck because some days I think I'm not eating nearly enough calories, and other days I think I'm on target <--- and those are usually the days I have trouble finishing lunch. Problem is (LOL) I've never counted calories in my life! But just out of curiosity, does anyone know how many calories a 5'4", 146 lbs woman is supposed to eat? I vaguely remember that there's some kind of formula, but math really isn't my thing so I don't remember what it is .

Thanks again!!

Hi Basset,

How many calories you should eat ?? The first "rule of thumb" that springs to mind is multiply your target weight by 10 ( and do not go below 1500 cals a day). So I would estimate about 1500 cals a day as a very rough order of magnitude estimate.

IMO this would NOT be an enormous amount of food at all. Maybe you can log or estimate a "normal day" intake and as an experiment enter this in fitday. I did once and I was SHOCKED because I was taking in MUCH more than I thought. I then figured out with fitday how much I basically eat everyday and how much room I have for other stuff, and tyhis helps in guiding my food choices during the day.

good luck !
rabbit

Lucky you! I'm hungry every minute of every day. I'm waiting for the shrinking appetite, but it's been four years now.

Mel

I'm hungrier now than when I was losing.

Four years ago, I stuck to 1200 calories a day with no cheating and wasn't starving -- OK, I was always hungry at a low level but it was manageable (or else I was just obsessed!) Now I find that I simply can't stick to 1200 calories even though I'm actively trying to lose ten pounds. The best I can manage is 1300-1400 and even that's tough, day in and day out. Like Mel, I seem to spend most of the time hungry.

I've NEVER not been hungry enough to finish a meal and most of the time could keep right on going despite having eaten my full allotment of calories for the meal (about 250 per meal). I honestly think I could eat double what I do -- of all the same foods -- just twice as much oatmeal, egg whites, chicken breast, salads etc. THEN I might feel full.

But that's why I eat with my head, not my appetite, and why I still weigh and measure everything that I eat. Clearly there's some defective wiring some place.

Hmmmm....do you suppose there might be something wrong with me? Somebody PM'd me about hypothyroidism -- she said it causes a shrinking appetite, but also slowed weight loss. If ANYTHING, my weight loss is picking up speed. LOL...considering the fact that I usually to lose 1/2 lb a week it can't really move in any OTHER direction can it?

Don't answer that.

Point is, I've lost 1 pound a week over the last 6 weeks. Not really normal for me. And it's just so "not me" to not be very hungry...I can't imagine that my head is over-riding my stomach 20 hours of every day.

Thanks for your responses...interesting stuff.

Oh, I just wanted to add that 6 weeks ago I started taking 1200 - 1400 mg of calcium a day for my RLS. My trainer thinks that MAY have something to do with the quicker weight loss (over the same time period) because of recent studies about calcium possibly being related to the body's ability/willingness to release fat. And maybe if my body is releasing more fat for fuel, it doesn't require as much food as it used to (????) I dunno. Grasping at straws here.

LOL...I also started posting (more) regularly on 3FC about 6 weeks ago. Hee hee. Maybe it's YOUR fault!!

{{{Kate picks up the second half of her sandwich from LUNCH and decides she needs to eat it}}}

I think you probably are perfectly normal. If you are still losing, and not on thyroid meds already, I doubt you are hypothyroid. Target weight * 10 is a low estimate for calories for weight loss- most people should be losing fairly consistently on that. But keep in mind that we all are different. Age, hormonal status, how long we've previously been overweight seems to factor into the equation. And then there's the "wiring" question.

Have you been varying the amount you've been eating as you lose weight? I know you said you never counted anything, so it may be hard to tell. I can't remember how much you've lost, but I think from your progress pics (great by the way!) it's pretty significant. You're right, your body just doesn't need the same amount of food to sustain itself as it did 50 pounds ago. If you are still feeding yourself the same way as when you started losing, thank your new muscle, and don't look a gift horse in the mouth

I think you've been fantastically successful Just keep on doing, and you'll be a great maintainer

Mel

Kate -- perhaps this is nothing more than another chapter in your adventure? Weight loss and maintenance aren't ever static (for me at least) -- what used to work doesn't and things change and that's all part of the journey. Maybe nothing's 'right' or 'wrong' since, in the end, it's only about you and your body. Maybe you've hit upon a 'happy place' with diet and exercise (and state of mind) and this is what's working for you? It sure sounds like it's good to me!

One thing about hypothyroidism -- I've been hypo for ten years and have never heard of decreased appetite as a symptom. It sure wasn't in my case! In any event, if you're ever concerned that you have thyroid problems, all it takes is a simple blood test to find out. Beware of the plethora of quack thyroid sites out there telling you that every symptom from A to Z is a thyroid problem and by the way, you should buy their supplements to treat it.

I doubt the calcium supplement has much to do with it. Most of those studies had major flaws and it has since been shown that it wasn't the calcium, but the overall diet that contributed to weightloss.

Thanks again (as usual) for your responses Mel & Meg!

I've been "at it" for over 3 years now -- with 18 months "off" after the first year's 25 lbs loss (I moved to the UK and fell of the wagon for a bit). So I guess technically it's been a year and a half of actual losing.

Since January, I've gone through a couple phases of being seriously hungry (which my trainer said was normal due to more muscle mass and increased cardio) and I/she/we upped my calories at those points. And because I don't actually count the calories, it's been more a matter of adding a bit more food to each meal/snack. I also recently started experimenting with higher calorie days every now and then just to see if it would make a difference. I feel like I'm my own science experiment sometimes .

I guess I shouldn't worry about it and just accept it as a "happy place" like you said, Meg . I like that. I guess it makes sense that if we go through slow-loss/hungry phases, we should also go through quicker-loss/not hungry phases, too. It's just never happened to me before...leave it to me to assume the worst instead of enjoying a good thing!!

Thanks again! And thanks for the kind words, too!

And Mel, yeah...my trainer and I are kind of leery about the calcium thing...it just seemed like an interesting possibility given the correlation between my beginning the supplements and the weight loss over the same 6 week period. LOL, she and I both recently (and independently) happened to read the same article about calcium + weight loss, so it was bouncing around in both our brains at the same time. She also said it was just as likely a result of me being able to SLEEP 8+ hours a night now because my legs aren't driving me bananas as soon as I crawl into bed. I was averaging 5 - 6 hours a night for awhile due to the RLS.

And the more I think about it, the more sense it makes that because I'm not lugging an extra 43 lbs around I simply don't need as many calories.

Duh .

Which in and of itself is a huge milestone for me -- to REALLY realize that I CAN eat like a "normal" 146 lb person and not feel deprived at all. And also that I now know what a "normal" 146 lb person actually eats.

I hope that made sense. I feel like I just made a major breakthrough but I don't know if I expressed it well...Basically, I've never in my life had a normal relationship with food. And (dare I say it?) I think I actually DO now.

Wow. Did I just become a maintainer?

LOL .

***************NEWSFLASH******************

As of today, I don't seem to have this "problem" anymore. I have been HUNGRY, HUNGRY, HUNGRY all day!

I think it's cuz it's getting darker earlier and my body is going into hibernation mode. Just hope I don't start darting around the streets chasing acorns like all the chipmunks seem to be doing lately. ('Specially cuz I don't wanna get squished by a school bus ).

Thanks for all your advice, tho! Guess it was a (temporary?) "Happy Place" after all, Meg!!