Insatiable appetite since I started lifting

[jacksoncris]

F, 5’3”, 130lb.

I’ve started lifting weights over the past two weeks, following the Brett Contreras Strong Curves beginners program that I often see mentioned here. Other than that I am mostly sedentary, averaging 7500 steps a day.

I’m at a healthy BMI but I’ve got an apple shaped body. My fat is disproportionately around my middle and upper arms, with skinny legs, no boobs, and no bum. My goal is body recomposition, to have more muscular thighs and bum, flatter tummy, and to have a healthy relationship with food.

I’ve noticed that since I began lifting I’ve been insatiably hungry. I’m eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein, carbs, veggies, & healthy fats.

A typical meal for me would be something like chicken, rice and veggies with tahini sauce, and I snack on things like apples and peanut butter and string cheese.

However, since starting to lift, I’ve been constantly ravenous and I’ve been eating around 2500 a day, which is a big surplus for my weight, height, muscle mass, and activity level.

I’m interested to hear about others’ experiences with this.

Did it even out over time? Do I need to restrict my eating somewhat? Is there anything else I can do to support healthy eating while I’m working on developing strength?

ETA this sub is the BEST, thank you all so much for sharing your experience and advice!

 

[mizzlnnx]

@jacksoncris Peanut butter is healthy, but it's very high in calories. As a snack if you're getting hungry, it might not be the best for curbing appetite. It can easily take up like a quarter of your calories for the day with a surprisingly small amount.

 

[laurahmerritt]

@jacksoncris I’d love to know what you’re eating to hit 2500 calories a day. When I eat healthy/do strength training I’m usually under calories (and protein) so protein suggestions also appreciated! I do what I can.

 

[jacksoncris]

@laurahmerritt Today I have been tracking and so far, I ate:

Omelette

1/2 cream cheese bagel

3 quest bars

2 string cheese

Oikos yogurt

Ratio protein yogurt

Banana

Rice

Chicken

Asiago kale salad kit

I’m at around 2200 calories and I haven’t finished eating for the day.

ETA it also puts me at 179g protein according to MFP.

 

[cassieshannon]

@jacksoncris Hi OP, did you get a handle on this? In the same boat now (I eat a lot of the same stuff in your list above lol, plus some more, which is 2x my usual calorie intake). What worked for you eventually? Does the deep seated hunger go away?

 

[profsanctvs]

@jacksoncris This is why I do cardio and lighter body weight stuff.

Lifting makes me ravenous and there’s no way in hell the extra activity makes up for how much more I want to eat.

 

[lovefor3va]

@jacksoncris Fewer carbs (make you more hungry) and more protein (makes you less hungry), plus double the water you drink when you’re not working out. You need a lot of water when working out frequently!

 

[lemensky]

@jacksoncris I am a similar height, a bit heavier, and yes, there was a point when I started lifting that I was hungry all the time. It went away eventually because I adjusted my diet to eat more.

As others pointed out, 2500 is not a big surplus if you are trying to build muscle. Is the 2500 number from tracking or ballparking? I suspect if you are ballparking, you're actually way under 2500, because ballparking is really hard to do accurately. You may actually just not be eating enough. For comparison, my TDEE at 5'2/145 is around 2250 based on a recent experiment I am doing with tracking. If I eat what I feel are 3 solid healthy meals and a protein shake in a day, I am usually at 1800 cals.

Generally speaking, if you are hungry, you should eat. You say you are looking for a healthier relationship with food, but the post also kind of seems to treat being hungry and eating more as...concerning. Being hungry and eating is okay! Your body is working to build muscle right now outside of the gym too. Part of the ~*~Lifting Journey~*~ is learning to accept that eating more isn't bad or concerning, nor is weighing more.

Your snacks are a place it seems to me you can improve. A string cheese has like 80 calories. This is not enough. The entire snackfoods industry seems to be hoping to convince us that by eating watery yogurts with 15 calories we will not be hungry but alas, calories are the cure for hunger. I would start aiming for a mini-meal between lunch and dinner with 20g of protein and some carbs (eggs, lunch meat, tuna with crackers, greek yogurt, protein shake and a banana). That will help you up the protein, which is really important at this stage of muscle-building.

Also, make sure you are eating before and after lifting. Before, obviously you need to fuel the workout, usually this is more carb-y because that's your body's preferred source of energy. But after is really important--you want to give your body something to use to repair those muscle fibers. This is a convenient time for a higher protein snack, which is why people slam protein shakes after workouts. But this will also keep you sated between meals.

 

[jacksoncris]

@lemensky To give you some sense of how much I’m eating, I read your comment and decided to log everything I’ve had so far this morning. I’ve been awake 6 hours and I’ve eaten 2 Quest bars, an omelette and half a cream cheese bagel- that puts me at ~800 cals- and I’m far from being done eating for today. I think I could easily even go over 2500.

But your broader message is true and it’s important. You’re right- I do feel anxious about eating so much. I’m afraid of feeling hungry, of being out of control with food, and of gaining weight.

I know it’s not healthy. Lifting weights is one of the ways I’m trying to work on developing a more positive relationship with my body and with food. I’m very new to it, so those fears are definitely still there and I’m feeling pretty freaked out!

That’s why it is so reassuring to read the responses to this post and to see that so many others have felt hungry, fed their hunger, continued to lift weights, and feel good about their bodies.

So thank you for your response and for your refreshing, healthy perspective on this. It really helps.

 

[lemensky]

@jacksoncris The feelings you're having about food/hunger/weight are totally normal. Is anxiety healthy? No, I guess not. Can we just eliminate it? I wish!!!! None of that gets resolved over night, or even in a linear fashion, and some of it never goes away. Sometimes the best you can do is pay attention to how you're thinking or talking to yourself about it.

One of the nice things about lifting is that you develop this other voice in your head that says, "No, actually you should eat that, bc it's consistent with your goals of being an absolute unit" as an antidote to the diet culture thought processes that is so embedded in a lot of us that we're barely even aware of them. That reframing can take time and it can be kind of...scary or confusing, almost. That's totally normal too.

 

[jacksoncris]

@lemensky Thank you, that’s so kind and reassuring.

 

[adastrasalem]

@jacksoncris EAAAT MORE PROTEIN!!! makes you more satisfied, fuller for longer and builds muscle=higher metabolism. make sure you eat withing 45 mins of workout!! and eating before a workout for me helps me go so much harder !! your appetite will be increased for a while but it is completely normal.

another thing i reccomend if you have started lifting is to ignore the scales, i "gained" 7kg in the first month!! it terrified me, but i realised i didnt look like i had gained 7kg of fat. i was stronger, eating more and happier.

Focus on lifting heavy and eating well and you will see growth and changes in no time!!

 

[jeremiahcork]

@adastrasalem

withing 45 mins of workout!!

complete nonsense. as long as you have your calories in at the end of the day your body doesnt gives a shit when it gets it

 

[jacksoncris]

@adastrasalem I’m hearing you all on the protein & I did some meal-planning and grocery shopping today that should help me to meet a higher protein goal over the next week.

Regarding the scale, I haven’t checked my weight since starting. This is more out of anxiety than anything else- I heard that people retain water and generally gain weight when they start lifting so I decided not to look in case the number is higher than usual and I get freaked out. It’s reassuring to keep reading about people like you that gained weight but fit their clothes better than before.

 

[moviez5]

@jacksoncris Awesome tips in this thread! Just to add two things of my own:

Drink so much water! No, more than that! ;-) I had no idea how dehydrated I was getting because lifting doesn't make me thirsty in the way hard cardio does - so I make sure I drink two of my water bottles (I think it is 400ml or so) of water during/after my workout.

I find a blend of carbs and protein right after working out works best for me - I like the protein bars you get made from egg whites, dates and cashews/peanuts plus cocoa. Gives you that wee sugar boost but also like 13g protein in a tiny bar

 

[jacksoncris]

@moviez5 How much is “more than that”?
I’m drinking about two liters every day as a baseline

 

[moviez5]

@jacksoncris I'd up to 3 if you can - remember it doesn't have to all be water, the liquid in shakes etc all counts. It's kinda personal though but unless you take it to gallons a day, the more the better!

 

[nerissa1969]

@moviez5 I was actually surprised how much lifting DOES make me thirsty. I don't sweat that much during my workout, certainly nothing like going for a run, but I still end up wanting to chug the same amount of water when I get back to my car (because I'm wearing a mask in the gym) as I would have drank on like a 5-8 mile run.

 

[moviez5]

@nerissa1969 Aye, masks do make you more dry in the mouth.

I'm quite aware of hydration as my other thing I do is swimming and I found I have to really watch that I drink water while on a longer swim - you don't notice the sweat and also your face is in the water so you don't get a dry mouth - recipe for ironic dehydration while underwater!

 

[dawn16]

@jacksoncris Metabolism getting faster?