Constantly Hungry - Even After a Ton of Weight Loss. page

[Grim]

Short story before I get to my question:

Heaviest weight - 265 - 270. Lost 30lbs on CW, lost 60-65 on PB.
Current weight is 175.

Age: 25
Height: 5'10"


I'm struggling right now. I want to drop another 10-15 lbs to have the physique I'm looking for, I believe. I'm only carrying the weight in my mid section.

The last month or so, I've been constantly hungry, even right after a big meal. My stomach is full but I literally -salivate- for more food. I can have a wonderful primal salad with some grassed beef and 15 minutes later my brain is for some reason telling me to eat. This is obviously stalling my weight loss and ideal body weight.

I'm wondering if I've for some reason become leptin resistant? Maybe I need to IF? I've experimented with more protein throughout the day, less carbs, etc... without much help.

Any ideas? I will gladly provide more information. Hell, I'll even send a picture with my shirt off (even though I'm still super self conscious) if that would help.

Help me folks! I'm so close to being where I want to be!



Update:

The past 3 mornings I've eaten a very high protein breakfast, and it seems to be helping. About 65-75g of protein seems to keep me much more satiated than before, provided I have a cup of coffee (or 2) throughout the morning. I probably still need more protein at lunch because at 2-3 o'clock I start wanting food again. But hey, progress!

I'll continue this, along with body composition/weight updates.


Here's a typical day:

[milkycereal]

maybe try more carbs. Your body is asking for something, don't start taking things away. Maybe have a nice big baked sweet potato at dinner with that steak and salad, you'll probably feel pretty fly after a meal like that

you can't fight yourself, willpower is finite

also props to you for losin all that weight man in such a healthy way, don't feel self concious bout shit

[ChocoTaco369]

You probably still are mildly leptin resistant. My guess is what's happening is now that your body fat is much lower, you have far less leptin in your system. Circulating leptin decreases when body fat decreases, so the less that's on your body, the less leptin you have. If you're still a little leptin resistant and your circulating leptin is low from lack of body fat, you'd probably be hungry all the time. You need to periodically boost your leptin, and in order to do that, you have to boost your insulin - as insulin levels increase, leptin levels increase as well. I recommend you check out the carb refeeds thread in my signature for the theory behind it, but if you feel you are not insulin and leptin sensitive enough, I would not go balls to the wall with refeeding. Instead, start small and just start eating a large sweet potato or two small sweet potatoes with each meal. One 5" sweet potato has around 25g of carbs in it, so you can eat one with breakfast, lunch and dinner and still be well under 125g of carbs a day with ample fibrous vegetables. See if that starts squashing your hunger. If it does and you react well, I would begin cycling those carbohydrates for the weight loss - five days a week eat high fat and don't eat any starch, then on your two heaviest workout days, eat very low fat (chicken breast, 99% lean turkey breast, fish, etc) and shovel in 200-300g of starchy carbs, depending on what you can handle. If that works well, increase it to 3 days a week with high carbohydrate. The lower your body fat drops, the more carbohydrate you need to eat to boost your leptin.

[jammies]

Are you eating any non-muscle meats? Liver, bone marrow, and bone stocks contain important nutrients that we don't get from just eating muscle meats. Perhaps your hunger is a result of a nutrient deficiency?

On the other hand, I sometimes go through very, very hungry phases of primal eating as well. They usually resolve on their own. So maybe you should try increasing fat intake for a little while and just see if the hunger beast goes away on its own?

[Donnn]

Lots of protein for breakfast.

Edit:
ah HA
Look back at your 8/4 post. If the leptin resetting hypothesis is true, you are an leptin resistant poster child. Look up the five rules of leptin sensitivity. I do know your sleeping habits, but your eating habits are the opposite of what is recommended.

[Grim]

Lots of protein for breakfast.

Edit:
ah HA
Look back at your 8/4 post. If the leptin resetting hypothesis is true, you are an leptin resistant poster child. Look up the five rules of leptin sensitivity. I do know your sleeping habits, but your eating habits are the opposite of what is recommended.

I don't see a post from me on 8/4.

[Donnn]

Well then someone else is the LR poster child!!
Whoever I read posted about skipping breakfast and snacking. If you can't go comfortably six hours without eating then that a metabolic problem that we're now calling leptin resistance. Whatever it is, it's a problem that needs to be fixed. Big hunger is typically a big carb eaters problem who runs on glucose.
Can't see what you eat until your attachment is approved.

Edit. Here's your post:

I have an afternoon grazing habit I'm trying to work on. Generally 80% of my nutrition happens between 1230p and 730p every day. Sometimes it's 100% when I skip breakfast. So it's kind of like an IF...but only kind of. I'm still having great results, I'll modify if necessary.

I wish I could go with just 2-3 big meals a day, but I just can't eat much at one sitting. And for whatever reason after I eat lunch my body tells me I'm hungry for something else. After 6 months I'm still learning to determine real hunger vs mental hunger. Sometimes it can be tough.

[pdovers]

I find that eating Wild Planet sardines really do it for me when I feel hungry even though I have a good meal. I think it has something to do with the good fats that works for me. Of course, I realize a lot of people can't stand sardines. If so, how about Salmon or Herring?

[Paleofan]

Totally do the 50 grams of protein at breakfast. That will set you up for controlled eating all day. Give it a week or so and you will notice a change. Stay low on carbs until you get this under control. Shouldn't take too long.

[healthy11]

Short story before I get to my question:

Heaviest weight - 265 - 270. Lost 30lbs on CW, lost 60-65 on PB.
Current weight is 175.

Age: 25
Height: 5'10"


I'm struggling right now. I want to drop another 10-15 lbs to have the physique I'm looking for, I believe. I'm only carrying the weight in my mid section.

The last month or so, I've been constantly hungry, even right after a big meal. My stomach is full but I literally -salivate- for more food. I can have a wonderful primal salad with some grassed beef and 15 minutes later my brain is for some reason telling me to eat. This is obviously stalling my weight loss and ideal body weight.

I'm wondering if I've for some reason become leptin resistant? Maybe I need to IF? I've experimented with more protein throughout the day, less carbs, etc... without much help.

Any ideas? I will gladly provide more information. Hell, I'll even send a picture with my shirt off (even though I'm still super self conscious) if that would help.

Help me folks! I'm so close to being where I want to be!


Update for my nutritional info.

Here's a typical day:

When I read the title of your post it immediately made me think "homeostasis". The reason you are hungry is because you have lost a lot of weight. Your body will try to fight weight loss by making you hungry so it can get back to what it was. Weight loss is a stress on the body and it wants to get fight it. I have experienced times of extreme hunger after weight loss and just go with it. Let your body stall... it's okay. Let it adjust to the weight you have lost. If you stay at your current weight for a little while your body will adjust and not feel like it has to fight it and get back to what it was. I lost about 20 lbs. and then got really hungry and ate more than I normally have and have gained back a couple of lbs, but that is okay because it has been a couple of months but now I am no longer hungry and I am starting to lose again. I was perfectly okay with a stall because I knew my body needed to adjust and because I know I won't gain back all 20 lbs. that I lost like I have on other diets. This way of eating allows you to eat quite a bit without gaining, so go easy on yourself and let your body adjust and soon you will be losing again.