Holy Cow! I'm starving. What's going on?

I was maintaining for quite a while (1700 cals).  Then I upped my cals (2000+) so I could build a little more muscle.  Of course, I also gained a little fat.  Recently, I cut the cals again to lose some of the fat (1250 - 1450).

But I've been starving the entire time and end up eating more... closer to 1700 - 2000 cals a day.  What could be causing this?

My stats:  33 y.o., 5'4", ~122 lbs, (edit to add) small frame

I lift weights (hard) 2 - 3 times a week, walk and/or run with the dog every day, have a relatively sedentary job, and am pretty active on the weekends.

No, I'm not pregnant, and I shouldn't be going through menopause...yet.

EDIT to add:  I'm not looking to lose weight, just the jiggly fat.

You're just cutting back way too much and your body is letting you know that. 1250 - 1450 is too small of a number with hard weight lifting and active on the weekends. You should be eating at the very least your maintenance number of calories while working out. I'm pretty sure that's somewhere around 1600? The jiggle will go away with the exercise, not the cutting out of food.

My body type is very different from yours, so this is just a shot in the dark :)

I started watching what I eat 3 weeks ago.  I figure I went from eating 2500 or more per day (I never logged then so I don't really know) to around 1300 per day.  For the first 5 days, no matter how much food I ate (which was mostly soups and salads) I was still hungry.  Around the clock starving hungry.  Sometimes I would get that "stomach stretchy" feeling that people get when they have thanksgiving dinner and my stomach still was growling and giving me hunger pains. 

On day 6 it disappeared like magic.  I don't really know why. I kind of have a theory though.  I figure my body was a bit shocked at the sudden change in food intake.  I'm eating a lot less fat and a lot more vegetables and protein.  I'm not having bread at all really, and I think I used to eat 4 slices a day before, maybe more.  I think my body just needed time to accept the change in food types. I'm totally fine now.  Opposite problem actually.  Now I dish up food and I get full so fast I can't believe it.  I have to learn how to not finish what's on my plate.

I don't know if that helps at all.... Oh, some tricks I learnt during those 5 days of starvation... Hot drinks helped me feel better (teas etc.).  I love spicy food, and that seemed to fill me up for a little while.  And protein-rich foods helped a bit (like fish, cottage cheese, etc.).

I hope you figure out what's driving your hunger.  It's not a fun state to be in.

no shanasedai, your theory isnt right.. sorry.

the initial comment about it being way too low is correct.

and for you shanasedai this is whats up: when you drop cals like that drastically. your body starts dipping into its fat stores to get energy. the by product of this is the production of a thing called ketones - putting the body in a state of ketosis. ketosis causes appetite supression. clinically ketosis is regarded as a critical reaction of the body due to lack of carbohydrates. it is a dangerous and sometimes life threatening condition which puts stress on the liver and causes the destruction of muscle tissue.

if you want to lose jiggly bits then maintaining muscle is crucial

Well, what is a person supposed to do? When this site says to eat 1300 calories a day, is it lying to me and setting me up for ketosis? So how many calories will keep me from ketosis? How many will make me gain weight? How in the heck am I supposed to know if I am going to have liver failure now or destroy my muscle tissue?

I really think this should depend on one's body type, activity level and height/weight, not to mention gender and age...right?

Pleae clarify, thanks!

Original Post by bebeloves:

 

Well, what is a person supposed to do? When this site says to eat 1300 calories a day, is it lying to me and setting me up for ketosis? So how many calories will keep me from ketosis? How many will make me gain weight? How in the heck am I supposed to know if I am going to have liver failure now or destroy my muscle tissue?

I really think this should depend on one's body type, activity level and height/weight, not to mention gender and age...right?

Pleae clarify, thanks!

Please remember that any info you're getting here is generalized. I wouldn't worry about liver damage, as this site isn't set up for extreme dieting. If you're still concerned, you'd probably do better seeing some people IRL. Perhaps a trainer and/or a nutritionist? It's just a matter of figuring out the right balance for you and your lifestyle.

In order to help the muscle gain you need to up the protein not necessarily the calories. 2000+ for a height of 5'4" is a bit much, unless you do some heavy training.

Original Post by fidget84:

no shanasedai, your theory isnt right.. sorry.

the initial comment about it being way too low is correct.

and for you shanasedai this is whats up: when you drop cals like that drastically. your body starts dipping into its fat stores to get energy. the by product of this is the production of a thing called ketones - putting the body in a state of ketosis. ketosis causes appetite supression. clinically ketosis is regarded as a critical reaction of the body due to lack of carbohydrates. it is a dangerous and sometimes life threatening condition which puts stress on the liver and causes the destruction of muscle tissue.

if you want to lose jiggly bits then maintaining muscle is crucial

I vaguely remember this weight-training guy at my office 8 years ago deliberately putting his body into a state of ketosis, and he had to cut all sugars to do it.  Something about your brain being able to operate on sugar or ketones.  So I'm fairly certain that that hasn't happened to me.  I'm eating tons of fruits and veggies, just off of processed foods as much as I can.  Also, that weight training guy lost his ability to think for a few days.  He'd get into an elevator and forget to push the button and stuff like that.

At any rate, I'm alright with being wrong, I'm not a nutritionist or a health specialist. I just wanted to help :)

Original Post by x17star17x:

You're just cutting back way too much and your body is letting you know that. 1250 - 1450 is too small of a number with hard weight lifting and active on the weekends. You should be eating at the very least your maintenance number of calories while working out. I'm pretty sure that's somewhere around 1600? The jiggle will go away with the exercise, not the cutting out of food.

 I definitely have been eating maintenance (1700ish according to CC).  I've been too hungry not to.  Generally, when my stomach talks, I listen.  :)

I do work out pretty hard.  I'm now leg pressing 220 lbs, squating 130 (harder than leg presses), benching 80...  Jiggle BE GONE!

I just ate 20 minutes ago (tuna with whole-wheat pasta, eggplant, a spoon of spaghetti sauce adn a sprinkle of cheese = 400 cals), and I'm still hungry.  Shouldn't I at least feel full for a little while?!

Someone put me out of my misery!!

Jen - the 1700 comes if you set yourself to lightly active, right? I'd think that your workouts would make you more than likely active. So 1700 is still less than maintainence.

Just keep reminding yourself that the calculators are just estimates - they don't determine what you burn, they just give you an idea of what you might be burning.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Jen - the 1700 comes if you set yourself to lightly active, right? I'd think that your workouts would make you more than likely active. So 1700 is still less than maintainence.

Just keep reminding yourself that the calculators are just estimates - they don't determine what you burn, they just give you an idea of what you might be burning.

 Yes, 1700 for lightly active.  Outside of the gym and during the week, I am really sedentary.  I teach English to adults part-time - basically I SIT around talking to them, not much movement involved.  I also do translation work.  I literally sit on the couch with the computer on my lap for hours at a time stopping only for food and potty breaks.  I don't even have to sit up straight in a chair... or bother to get dressed for that matter. 

After reading your comment, I'm afraid that I have been eating way too little for a while now.  I'm going to increase my cals for a few weeks and see what happens.

Thanks everyone for responding.  (I'm going to start another thread based on what the owner of my gym/trainer said about this yesterday.)

Jen - how long have you been eating 1700 (even if you were aiming lower), and has your weight changed at all?

Back when I just did cardio, I always felt so sure of my burn rate. Now that I do much more lifting, and less cardio (daily walks, dance class 1/week, Wii EA Active on non lifting days, bike rides), I find myself very unsure - am I eating too little? Too much? I've been maintaining/plateauing a few pounds above my goal weight for a while now, and the only changes in the scale I see seem to be fluctuations from sodium, water, swelling from lifting, and ttom, regardless of my calories.

Quite frustrating... I've considered getting something like a BodyBugg but can't reconcile spending so much money just for a few vanity pounds. I think I just need patience...

Going backwards...

~ 3 weeks between 1250 & 1450 (during which I've been starving!)

~ 6 weeks at least 1700, 2000+ on gym days

~ several months at 1700+/-

At my lowest I weighed 118.  Then I started eating more and lifting heavier and I got to 122 +/- .  I'm fine with the weight, not happy about the flab - mostly on my butt, thighs and belly.  I do squats till I drop.

So you went up to 122 when you started eating 1700-2000+?

Are you filling up with protein?  And fiber?  Both of those will make you feel more full.  Whenever I find myself feeling starving on a regular basis I try to get more of my calories from high protein foods.

Original Post by dkn:

In order to help the muscle gain you need to up the protein not necessarily the calories. 2000+ for a height of 5'4" is a bit much, unless you do some heavy training.

Sorry to disagree, but as an active 113 pounds 5'2.5" 23 year old female, I need 1800 cals to maintain on days when I am completely sedentary. Seeing as the OP is also regularly active, that amount actually sounds spot on.