Hungry!!

I'm on 1600-1700 cals this week after being on 1300-1400 for god knows how long, and I'm not weighing myself and I've resigned myself to probably putting on weight or something, or at least not in any way losing that pesky last 5lb, and I'm also not drinking alcohol (I normally have a glass of wine every night, so I am basically eating about 400/500 more calories in food every day than I normally do). I am waking up starving! I eat a lovely massive healthy breakfast, and a lovely healthy lunch and dinner (never been much of a snacker), and yeah, just. SO. HUNGRY.

Is this good!? bad? hello metabolism?

When do you have dinner? If you have dinner too early and go to sleep too late, then those could be contributing factors to this bizarre hunger. 

Same as always - breakfast around 6-7, lunch around 12-2, dinner around 7-8. I sleep from about 11pm to 4 or 5am (my sleep is awful, separate issue).

I am just finding it weird that I'm a lot hungrier when I am eating significantly more...

Original Post by bairn:

Same as always - breakfast around 6-7, lunch around 12-2, dinner around 7-8. I sleep from about 11pm to 4 or 5am (my sleep is awful, separate issue).

I am just finding it weird that I'm a lot hungrier when I am eating significantly more...

What do these extra calories consist of? Are they extra sweets, or did you add them in the hopes having more room for filling foods? And, it does not sound as though you sleep enough, which can also increase your level of hunger. Would it be feasible for you to go to bed a bit earlier, perhaps between 9 and 10?

I truly believe your metabolism is speeding up.  Just try your meals to be lower in calories, and more meals.  Thats what I do.  Try every 2-3 hours.  And eat immediately when you wake up, don't wait for an hour. :)

I spent over a decade not eating breakfast, once my body was used to not having food in the morning, if there ever was a time that I *did* eat breakfast, I felt like I was STARVING by like 11:30.  I think it's because your metabolism is being given something to work on and is getting faster so it goes through the calories quicker.  Hopefully that means it starts getting rid of the calories stored in fat next. 

What are you eating? Are you getting enough healthy fat, protein, carbs? What did you add to your eating plan to get the extra calories. Did you add some foods and take away others? Have you increased your workouts?

Have you sleep habits changed? Lack of sleep makes you hungrier. I have a very hard time sleeping and I know that on nights when I don't get enough sleep I am starving the next day. Read more here http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm ?id=sleep-deprivation-tied-to

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/03/25/b ad.news.insomniacs.hunger.hormones.affected.p oor.sleep

 You were probably eating too little to begin with. I was counting very closely and eating 1300-1600 calories a day and I was not seeing the results I wanted in terms of fat loss. I increased my calories to 1800-2200 and have lost more fat that way. I eat clean/balanced.

You have got a lot of advice here but I find that when I get hungry I up my protein intake and that helps alot.

well, I eat very healthy. Eggs and toast and fruit and yoghurt for breakfast; homemade mostly vegetarian lunches; homemade mostly vegetarian dinners, I eat a huge range of raw ingredients and practically nothing processed. I do eat fish often, and occasionally meat. I get about 12-15% protein. I don't eat between meals - occasionally a banana or something - and I don't eat sweet stuff, I don't like it, never have. I am just eating more of what I normally do, bigger portions, and leaving out the wine.

I haven't been able to sleep properly in a long time now, I don't think it is related to this.

breeac - hope so! Thanks for the tips, I don't get a lot of breaks in my day though, so I'll have to stick to the three meals for now. I do chuck a banana in here and there sometimes. And I seriously wish I could eat at 4, but I like to have breakfast & a chat with my boyfriend before the day starts, and he's not getting up then, and I don't blame him!

But I hope you're all right - and I'm not really whining about the hunger, it won't do me any harm. Just curious - I wasn't very hungry eating a LOT less than this! I hope hope hope it is the metabolism...