The more I eat, the hungrier I get - odd?

[gbrice75]

As some of you following my progress thread know, I was eating pretty low cal and doing a ton of cardio recently. I started to look thin, and not in a healthy way.

Anyway, I bumped up calories by around 400 - 500, mostly in carbs as that's what was lacking, and oddly enough i'm hungrier then ever! Is this just a case of a newly stimulated metabolism? When I was eating 1900-2000 calories/day, I won't say I didn't have cravings, but they were controllable (I don't mean fast food and crap, I just mean straight up hunger). Currently eating around 2500/day, and I find myself starving many times throughout the day, and I am eating some REALLY filling meals, tons of fiber (red and black beans w/ my brown rice, oats, etc). I am tearing through cabinets at night throwing crap into my mouth, which is obviously a bad behavior - pretty sure i'm getting an honest 3000/day after these 'raids'.

So what do you think it is? Anything I can do to control this? Anxiously awaiting your opinions...

[maxwkw]

You have stimulated your appetite. Maybe try some coffee or even just water.

[Damienm05]

As I mentioned on Burtuzzi's thread, I struggle with this as well. I'm either cutting with low calories or eating too much. All I can say is drink a lot of water and just tell yourself no. I finally got out of the rut and it was just by laying in bed hungry and miserable. After controlling myself a few times, it got easier. Now, I'm pretty good but I still try to fire up the Xbox or do something to take my mind off of it. Also, I never allow myself ANY food that isn't part of my specific plan. A couple extra almonds and it triggers the binges.

I know people say, if you're hungry then you should eat but that's bullshit man... I can eat a 5k calorie buffet and be hungry 3 hours later. In fact, said 3 hours later, I'll have hunger pains because, if I had to guess, I'm stimulating my appetite with all the extra food.

[DKbuilder]

How much time between meals?

[tjax03]

As some of you following my progress thread know, I was eating pretty low cal and doing a ton of cardio recently. I started to look thin, and not in a healthy way.

Anyway, I bumped up calories by around 400 - 500, mostly in carbs as that's what was lacking, and oddly enough i'm hungrier then ever! Is this just a case of a newly stimulated metabolism? When I was eating 1900-2000 calories/day, I won't say I didn't have cravings, but they were controllable (I don't mean fast food and crap, I just mean straight up hunger). Currently eating around 2500/day, and I find myself starving many times throughout the day, and I am eating some REALLY filling meals, tons of fiber (red and black beans w/ my brown rice, oats, etc). I am tearing through cabinets at night throwing crap into my mouth, which is obviously a bad behavior - pretty sure i'm getting an honest 3000/day after these 'raids'.

So what do you think it is? Anything I can do to control this? Anxiously awaiting your opinions...

My guess would be that increasing your carbs has resulted in greater peaks and troughs in blood sugar levels due to insulin release. This will cause feelings of intense hunger.

[bigcwithane]

I have the same problem. I just try to get water in when I get hungry. I also have a couple peanuts but somtimes it makes me more hungry.

[Twist]

You have to stop eating shit food. You are insulin sensitive and you need to eat very low gi carbs. Ever see fat people eat? They eat tons of food and can still eat and eat and.... Just stop it where it starts. You cheat, then fall off completely. You have had the same pattern for years now and all you have to do is break it down. You know, this eating would come in handy later though. If you took the time and had patience to let yourself grow to as big as you could be, then ran a cycle to get bigger, you could eat a ton of calories without gaining bad weight. Some cardio and intense workouts on a regular schedule would keep you lean and mean. Problem is, you never get past a month or two.

[gbrice75]

How much time between meals?

2.5 - 3 hours, never more then 3.

My guess would be that increasing your carbs has resulted in greater peaks and troughs in blood sugar levels due to insulin release. This will cause feelings of intense hunger.

Very possible since carbs have gotten the biggest boost in my diet.

I have the same problem. I just try to get water in when I get hungry. I also have a couple peanuts but somtimes it makes me more hungry.

Water has ALWAYS been a problem for me. I don't drink enough as it is - maybe this can help me!

You have to stop eating shit food. You are insulin sensitive and you need to eat very low gi carbs. Ever see fat people eat? They eat tons of food and can still eat and eat and.... Just stop it where it starts. You cheat, then fall off completely. You have had the same pattern for years now and all you have to do is break it down. You know, this eating would come in handy later though. If you took the time and had patience to let yourself grow to as big as you could be, then ran a cycle to get bigger, you could eat a ton of calories without gaining bad weight. Some cardio and intense workouts on a regular schedule would keep you lean and mean. Problem is, you never get past a month or two.

Dude, it's not even the shit food i'm talking about. I'm saying that since i've increased my GOOD calories (i.e. my diet), i've gotten hungrier. The shit eating has really only been on weekends, not that i'm saying that's ok, just saying it hasn't been constant or during the week, therefore I don't think it's responsible for this hunger.

[Twist]

2.5 - 3 hours, never more then 3.



Very possible since carbs have gotten the biggest boost in my diet.



Water has ALWAYS been a problem for me. I don't drink enough as it is - maybe this can help me!



Dude, it's not even the shit food i'm talking about. I'm saying that since i've increased my GOOD calories (i.e. my diet), i've gotten hungrier. The shit eating has really only been on weekends, not that i'm saying that's ok, just saying it hasn't been constant or during the week, therefore I don't think it's responsible for this hunger.

I'm saying your food choices in your diet must not be the best. From my perspective it is either
1 an insulin problem
or
2 a green problem
Those are the only things I can think of. If you let your body get back to a higher bf % then your body will regulate things differently. In my experience it seems that when people get larger the body actually switches to some sort of a fat storage priority mode. It's really weird and not explained anywhere to my knowledge.

[gbrice75]

I'm saying your food choices in your diet must not be the best. From my perspective it is either
1 an insulin problem
or
2 a green problem
Those are the only things I can think of. If you let your body get back to a higher bf % then your body will regulate things differently. In my experience it seems that when people get larger the body actually switches to some sort of a fat storage priority mode. It's really weird and not explained anywhere to my knowledge.

What's a 'green' problem?

When you say people get 'bigger', you mean bodyfat wise?

[Twist]

Yeah bodyfat wise.

[Damienm05]

I think by 'green' he means your herbal supplements (if any) may be increasing your appetite and sabotaging you. I had to quit in order to stop the yo-yo affect.

Twist's advice is sound though man and in retrospect, mine wasn't responsible given your current status and where you are with regard to your goals. Regardless of the food choices, just don't eat anything that's not on your specific meal plan because the spiral starts there.

[jngymrat]

Hey GB, I saw your post and wanted to offer this little bit of information, I have seen this behavior over the years with many who use gear and some who don't that are high endurance athletes.

What you are probably facing is not a lack of calories but a lack of nutrients. Your body has increased its metabolism at a much higher rate than normal, this automatically makes people say to themselves, "I'm not eating enough" when in fact they are eating enough but the rate of absorption is slower than the rate of feeding the cell reconstruction and metabolism the nutrients the body needs to feel satiated. This is called Pica incribbing. Just like allot of side affects of androgens or metabolism boosters, the body has a myriad of other thoughts in mind as how to deal with it.

Now, I'm not saying or being dogmatic about this, however this is something I have dealt with for over 20 years and in most cases a very strong dose of the proper vitamins and minerals will satisfy your hunger cravings. If anything concentrate on your Iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. Make sure they don't include any steric acid or steric compounds at all. I constantly refer people away from sterics and most "cheap vitamin" stores buy these types of vitamins and minerals. The reason is, steric takes 200 degrees F. to break down in the body, and unless your body gets over 200 degrees where does that steric go? It does not get absorbed, therefore the delivery system for your daily vitamins go out with your morning ritual in the bathroom. These are just cheap cheap cheap. I see people who say don't buy aas' in mexico and other places all the time, well don't buy your vitamins there either!!!

So chances are, if you increase your vitamins (which I have a couple pharmaceutical grade vitamins and minerals company's I can refer to you) you will end the hunger pains, not to mention giving your body the proper building blocks to accelerate growth and gains, after all that is the only reason you eat, is to get the nutrition from food, unfortunately it is impossible to do with food alone, and yes I said impossible!

Give this a try, it may help you not sabotage your cutting phase by having to take in more calories to keep sane. Please let me know how it goes.