Does anyone else have a crazy appetite when working out?

[ChristyLL]

I've been reading these posts for a long time but have never posted before...hoping someone has some advice for me.

Working out really revs my metabolism, which is great, but I feel hungry all the time!!! I eat well about 85% of the time and drink mostly water...with the exception of my beloved coffee. Anyone else have a solution to this? Maybe more protein?

Thanks!

 

[andilynn67]

I've been reading these posts for a long time but have never posted before...hoping someone has some advice for me.

Working out really revs my metabolism, which is great, but I feel hungry all the time!!! I eat well about 85% of the time and drink mostly water...with the exception of my beloved coffee. Anyone else have a solution to this? Maybe more protein?

Thanks!

I would love an answer to this too, I'm starving right now and and I attribute it to Xtrain (which is absolutely awesome by the way) but I'm guessing that's why I'm starving. Been sticking with my diet but some days I swear I could eat my shoe I'm so hungry!

 

[mrsprincess07]

It's different for everyone. For me doing moderate to vigerous cardio causes extreme hunger. However doing weight workouts my hunger level goes down.

What tends to happen and recent reseach has shown (Cathe included it one of her recent blogs) is that when you burn larger amounts of calories your body compensates by sending hormonal signals to increase your hunger. Your body by nature doesn't want to lose weight so when you are very active or do intense forms of exercise, your body sees a potential famine about to happen so it signals your body to ingest extra calories to make up for the deficit. This is why many, many studies have shown that people that exercise more/more intensely do not lose more weight than those that exercise for 30 minutes or less at a low to moderate level. There are times when that same vigerous group will lose up to 75% less weight as a result (depending on the study).

Basically, your body will find a way to get what it needs. When you burn a lot of calories, your body wants them back.

 

[tralaiven]

All I know is that I have the same problem. When I dropped my 25 lbs the only way I was able to do it was to live HUNGRY. And that was eating very healthy...tons of veg, lean meats...but I felt like I was starving!!

This is one reason why I have not lost that last 10 pounds....I just have not steeled my mind to being hungry again.

And I don't care what anyone says...when they say you don't have to be hungry to lose weight. I totally disagree...I did everything right and I was totally hungry. We just can't have it both ways....that is feel totally satiated and lose weight at the same time. There must be some self denial that I just have to get over.

 

[ReneePruitt]

All I know is that I have the same problem. When I dropped my 25 lbs the only way I was able to do it was to live HUNGRY. And that was eating very healthy...tons of veg, lean meats...but I felt like I was starving!!

This is one reason why I have not lost that last 10 pounds....I just have not steeled my mind to being hungry again.

And I don't care what anyone says...when they say you don't have to be hungry to lose weight. I totally disagree...I did everything right and I was totally hungry. We just can't have it both ways....that is feel totally satiated and lose weight at the same time. There must be some self denial that I just have to get over.

I agree i thi.k u at least need to get hunger pains before u eat to lose. And thats where i am, i need to let myself get hungry! Lol

 

[ChristyLL]

Thanks!

I literally carry a purse full of snacks everywhere I go...and especially at night I'll wake up starving!! I'm definitely wanting to lose a few pounds but only a few. More interested in reshaping as opposed to losing. Makes perfect sense about needing to be hungry to lose, though, but it is SOOOO hard not to give in!!

And I totally agree that there are days where I could eat both shoes. Lol!!

Thanks for the responses, everyone!!

 

[gonnabea5]

Maybe you could just eat more healthy stuff. An extra string cheese with raisins or an apple should do the trick.

I've read from some of Cathe's posts a while ago, that we will get hungry as we get stronger and more fit, but eat clean. This has worked for me in the past. Most days, I would go over my WWers points or alloted calories, but still lost weight - I guess because you really have to listen to your body and sometimes I underestimated the amount of good food my body needed to keep performing well.

Good luck

 

[mini-natty]

Very intense cardio surges my appetite big time! I want to eat all the food in my fridge and cupboards . However, any type of strength training along with walking/steady state cardio does not increase my appetite dramatically. If anything, I lose weight this way without even trying.

I have found that if I fuel my hunger with lean protein and veggies instead of, oh let's say, a chocolate bar , my muscles (and waistline!) thank me. With Xtrain, I have increased my calories to give my muscles the fuel it craves to rebuild and recover. This seems to be working positively in my favor, as my stomach is taking on a flatter appearance .

Good luck!

Natasha

 

[lisa_la_machina]

For me, there's a mental component to it as well. When I'm following a particularly difficult rotation, it can be easy to think "hey, I worked hard, and I deserve an extra bite" or "an extra serving" or whatever. And I'm not talking about the healthier fare (like veggies or greens), but the foods that I personally need to eat in moderation.

At the end of one of Jillian's workouts, she says something like "Now don't go and ruin all of your hard work by eating badly." That's something I use to keep myself in check when evaluating my hunger levels. Am I using my hard workout to justify eating more for the sake of eating more (because it tastes good!), or am I truly hungry?

Please note that I am not saying that ChristyLL or any of the other PPs are doing this. It's just a trap that I sometimes fall into, and I imagine others out there can relate.

 

[ChristyLL]

I will definitely work harder on this! I even cheated while I was reading your posts. Lol! I had made vegetable soup, which I love, but still felt hungry afterwards. So...I swiped the leftover chicken nuggets that my boys were eating.

But you guys are so right!!! It is such a mental thing and I definitely feel that XTrain is working for me. My body has really changed just over the last two weeks. It feels great! So I'll try lisa_la_machina and not ruin it. I have that Jillian video, by the way. It's a good one. And right after my workout is usually when I grab something that's quick and easy and not necessarily good for me. I do eat pretty well generally...but there's always room for improvement.

Glad we're all in this together! So thankful for the support!!!

 

[ChristyLL]

Maybe you could just eat more healthy stuff. An extra string cheese with raisins or an apple should do the trick.

I've read from some of Cathe's posts a while ago, that we will get hungry as we get stronger and more fit, but eat clean. This has worked for me in the past. Most days, I would go over my WWers points or alloted calories, but still lost weight - I guess because you really have to listen to your body and sometimes I underestimated the amount of good food my body needed to keep performing well.

Good luck

And I've discovered almond butter...great snack with an apple. YUM-MY!!

 

[cokonkel]

I'm one of those people whose hunger isn't spiked hardly at all with intense, virgorous cardio but as soon as I start to lift heavy I get this primal deep hunger that about drives me crazy! My body apparently works over time to put on muscle . I find if I eat simple carbs I just wind up being hungry again super soon, but if I eat something more substantial that has protein...it helps. So for me when I'm lifting heavier...eggs better than a bagel!

 

[Sunshine1528]

ITA not just something healthy but for me it helps to have something like protein with some good fats.

One of my go to's is a TB of peanut butter ! That gets me through when I need just a little something but am not really hungry.

Then I'll eat a decent meal which for me is lean protein and lots of veggies ! Simple carbs don't work for me any more . . .

 

[RapidBreath]

More coconut oil or full fat coconut milk seems to do the trick. The coconut fat is especially good for metabolism and satisfying appetite. Its great for your thyroid as well. It does make you feel warm at toasty.

 

[Soapmaker]

I've been reading these posts for a long time but have never posted before...hoping someone has some advice for me.

Working out really revs my metabolism, which is great, but I feel hungry all the time!!! I eat well about 85% of the time and drink mostly water...with the exception of my beloved coffee. Anyone else have a solution to this? Maybe more protein?

Thanks!

If you are restricting calories, you need to make sure you are getting enough of the essential foods that your body needs including enough protein and essential fats.

if you are not on a diet, this is going to sound counter intuitive but you need to lengthen your workouts. Longer workouts (like a >60 min run) shut down my appetite like nothing else. Scientific studies showed that long intense exercise reduced the acylated form of ghrelin by about a third (IIRC). The acylated form is what gets into the brain to signal hunger. Exercise also affects other hunger related hormones.

After a lot of trial and error, I know to avoid workouts that put me in the 700-800 calorie burn range. They leave me eating non stop anything that I can get my hands on including junk food that I normally don't touch. Workouts below 600 calories have no effect on my appetite. Once I hit 900 calories, my food intake matches my caloric needs, and I feel focused and energized. At 1200 calories, I have to force myself to eat. I don't want to even look at food. At 1400 calories, I get a full blown migraine.

I also found out that it doesn't matter what workout I do (low, medium, or high intensity) as long as I reach 900 calories on my HRM. My suggestion is to find out the magic number that your body needs. My numbers are appropriate for me and my body type.

 

[mrsprincess07]

I am adding to my last post-

I just did XTrain Super Cuts (amazing, btw) skipping a few chapters that were well above my level at this point. I was sucking wind like crazy and dripping with sweat; I was soaked. it;s certainly the hardest I have worked in well over 1 yr. I was starving afterwards and had some carrots (I was craving them for some odd reason) and one bottle from a new line of fortified chocolate milk recovery drink (Shamrock Farms Rockin' Refuel Protein Chocolate milk: 12 oz, 190 cal, 30 grams protein and the ingredient list is even friendlier than most children's flavored milks).

After having my snack and not eating much today, I was HUNGRY for dinner but not ravenous. I will say that's a first for me. So perhaps it depends on how you fuel yourself during the day and after a workout as well as rest days and the type of exercise you've done during the week.

 

[ChristyLL]

If you are restricting calories, you need to make sure you are getting enough of the essential foods that your body needs including enough protein and essential fats.

if you are not on a diet, this is going to sound counter intuitive but you need to lengthen your workouts. Longer workouts (like a >60 min run) shut down my appetite like nothing else. Scientific studies showed that long intense exercise reduced the acylated form of ghrelin by about a third (IIRC). The acylated form is what gets into the brain to signal hunger. Exercise also affects other hunger related hormones.

After a lot of trial and error, I know to avoid workouts that put me in the 700-800 calorie burn range. They leave me eating non stop anything that I can get my hands on including junk food that I normally don't touch. Workouts below 600 calories have no effect on my appetite. Once I hit 900 calories, my food intake matches my caloric needs, and I feel focused and energized. At 1200 calories, I have to force myself to eat. I don't want to even look at food. At 1400 calories, I get a full blown migraine.

I also found out that it doesn't matter what workout I do (low, medium, or high intensity) as long as I reach 900 calories on my HRM. My suggestion is to find out the magic number that your body needs. My numbers are appropriate for me and my body type.

I probably should be better about my calorie intake, but I just try to eat well whenever I get THAT hungry and try not to overeat. I don't necessarily limit my calories as long as they're good calories. Could be my problem. Ha!

That's really interesting about your calorie intake. I haven't purchased a HRM yet but it sounds like a good investment!!

Thank you so much!

 

[ChristyLL]

I am adding to my last post-

I just did XTrain Super Cuts (amazing, btw) skipping a few chapters that were well above my level at this point. I was sucking wind like crazy and dripping with sweat; I was soaked. it;s certainly the hardest I have worked in well over 1 yr. I was starving afterwards and had some carrots (I was craving them for some odd reason) and one bottle from a new line of fortified chocolate milk recovery drink (Shamrock Farms Rockin' Refuel Protein Chocolate milk: 12 oz, 190 cal, 30 grams protein and the ingredient list is even friendlier than most children's flavored milks).

After having my snack and not eating much today, I was HUNGRY for dinner but not ravenous. I will say that's a first for me. So perhaps it depends on how you fuel yourself during the day and after a workout as well as rest days and the type of exercise you've done during the week.

Yeah, these cardio workouts have really pushed me. I've been doing the XTrain 90-day undulating workout program and I've been extremely winded, too!!! The thought of tabatacise actually scares me right now. Lol!

But I think I definitely need to find something to eat that provides me more protein because I really don't want to ruin all of that hard work. I'm SOOOOO happy about the changes that I'm seeing but I know that I would see better changes if I could find that right balance nutrition-wise. I'll have to check out that chocolate milk. Sounds like a great after-workout boost!