Exercise and Hunger Increase (strategies?)

Hi All,

I'm a bit more than halfway to goal, so I started a fitness regimen to help me maintain my weight loss without reducing my calories too much. Seemed like sound reasoning.

I'm 4 weeks into my program and I am HUNGRY. I don't notice it so much right after a workout, but within a few hours, up until the next day, I am legitimately hungrier than normal. My whole goal was to stay on the same calorie amount while I continue to lose, but I've been eating 300-500 extra calories a day since working out. So, I have no real next benefit in calorie restriction.

I can take break even, but my carb cravings have sky rocketed.

What do you do to combat this? Pre-workout snack? Increased protein?

I don't do Keto. I keep my carbs around 75g. My protein is around 60g. I try to drink enough pre and post workout.

Ideas please.

In the old days, and I am talking about 48 years ago, Weigh****chers told us not to exercise when we were losing weight. We now know that was not a good strategy.

My experience has been that to lose weight, I have to cut calories and increase exercise. You strategy sounds like it would make good sense, but it has never worked for me that way. Keeping carbs low and protein high is great, but I have never successfully lost weight unless I cut calories.

A woman needs 8 to 10 calories a day to maintain one pound. A man about 12 calories a day to maintain. For me to lose one pound a week, I eliminate 500 calories a day. That comes to 3500 a week for me. I maintain on 1400 and cut to 800-900 per day to drop one pound a week. Along with that I increase my exercise to keep my muscles healthy as I lose.

Thanks. In my current lose phase, I'm on about 900kcal per day and I'm exercising 3 days per week. Since I started, I'm averaging about 1250-1300kcal on post workout days. Not a huge amount but I definitely see an upward trend in my food tracking.

Don't eat calories back - PERIOD. I burn a ton of calories a day with my program, don't give yourself the excuse. What you need to do is eat a small (very small like 75 calorie healthy carb prior to "vigor" workouts, not little ones) and then consume about 100-150 calories of protein/carb after (or eat your normal breakfast). I just eat my breakfast after as it is normally protein based. The pre/post vigorous workouts keeps me full all the way to lunch and then a small afternoon snack - nuts or cheese and a piece of fruit. Then dinner.... That's why I don't buy the conversation from yesterday about IF and no breakfast.... Good luck. The extra calories prior to goal is you giving yourself an excuse - Sorry, but gotta call you out. Try a better pre/post strategy and you'll get to goal faster.

Thanks. Getting a pre/post workout strategy is just what I'm asking for. Currently, I don't eat before my early morning workout. I'm going to try some high protein, light thing like beef jerky before heading for the pool. And then try a protein breakfast on swim days.

Honestly, I rarely snack, but if I do it's an apple or almonds.

I realize I must have implied that I am deliberately eating more as a "reward" for working out. That isn't the case, at least not deliberately. I am just hungrier. Legitimately ravenous and food conscious the day after a workout. I noticed the trend in my food tracker. There was no time when I was like, "hmm.. I was at the pool for an hour today. let's have nachos."

It's a very common phenomenon for people who start exercise to gain weight, when we are led to believe the opposite.

Trackers lie about how many calories you burn and unless you are an ELITE athlete there is no reason to increase your calories or even eat back those calories "lost".

Exercise is for health, diet and calories are for weightloss

Watch out for those carbs in weight loss phase. They make you crave more. Although if you are only eating 75 carbs a day you are doing fine. I think I would up my protein to around 80g. Keep in mind exercise will help you build muscle which weighs more.

80g of protein has been a real struggle for me since surgery. It's just so much because I don't drink protein shakes. Maybe I'll try to eat some beef jerky or something before my workouts.

As others said, don't overestimate how much calories you are burning. Don't eat back that calories.

2 years ago I got too thin and to gain weight, I started exercise. I gain weight when I exercise. Every time. Sure I would gain some muscles, but most of my gain was almost always fat.

Exercise may stimulate cortisone, and that in turn may stimulate hunger. Real hunger.

I can do gentle exercise like fast walking, yoga, stretching, etc. But any high intensity cardio would raise my cortisone level. And I would need to eat more.

Thanks for all your replies. I don't want us to get bogged down in the numbers but I can clarify a bit.

Right now, I'm on 900 calories/day on average during my lose phase. About 75g carbs and 60g protein on average each day.

Regardless of how many calories I'm actually burning during my workout, I've been eating 300-500 extra calories per day. I'm not using my workout as an excuse to eat more. I am legitimately hungry. Like, RAVENOUS. It's not emotional eating or boredom eating, or head hunger. It's stomach cramping, tummy gurgling, I will eat your face hungry. Normal foods on my meal plan are satisfying, although I absolutely crave more carbs.

So, someone suggested increasing protein. I do a bit of Intermittent Fasting and on swim days, I don't eat before heading for the pool.

Try to eat before? Eat high protein after?