How to curb the endless hunger after lifting

[Waltersaltblood]

I do strength work 3 x a week - lifting quite heavy (for me).

I immediately have a protein shake with extra Greek yoghurt but I find that I’m just really hungry between then and lunch

it drives me mad as I’m also trying to be in calorie deficit and lose weight.

i eat a lot of protein and I do make sure I fuel myself

any thoughts?

Could you try eating some real protein like eggs or chicken when you get home instead of an immediate shake, see if that makes a difference?

You can play about with what and when you eat to see if that makes you less hungry, but honestly I find I just need to sit with the feeling of hunger for a few hours. It sounds like you only have to wait until lunchtime to eat again so (and I know it’s hard!) maybe just don’t snack.

It sounds like your hormones still, caused by eating carbs. You need to fix your metabolism and make it flexible so your body can convert fat to glucose for your muscles. You do that by eating fat and protein primarily, no grains (sugar, wheat, rice etc) and no potato.

You need to understand that for example a stomache rumbling is not you being hungry it is simply a bodily process.

I’m sat here now with a rumbling stomache as I last ate 15 hours ago but am not feeling hungry as my body is able to use my fat stores just as easily as blood sugar from carbs.

@Waltersaltblood Protein shakes are excellent for quick, intermediate hunger management, but whole foods like chicken are better for lasting satiety.

I can’t do a keto

I do need to sit with hunger - I agree

i I don’t always have a protein shake - I might have eggs but I do struggle to eat first thing

What are you trying to do right now? Because bulking and cutting at the same time isn’t easy.

I was going to say protein but you are already doing that.

Maybe just accept that your body wants food after workouts, rather than at set meal times. Have a proper meal after a weights session - chicken or tuna, with some complex carbs and veg, then fruit. And then just have a long calorie free drink at meal times.
E.g. seeded bagel thin with a small tin of tuna mixed with a bit of greek yoghurt, cherry tomatoes, little gem, cucumber on the side, banana.
Or two poached eggs on rye bread toast with grilled tomatoes and spinach; Skyr with blueberries (Skyr is great as it is very like Greek yoghurt, very high protein but naturally low fat.)
Or chopped grilled/poached chicken breast tossed in a dressing of skyr mixed with spices and a little mango chutney or fresh mint and cucumber, like a raita, with salad leaves and grated carrot, rolled into a wholemeal wrap. Chunks of melon or pineapple or mango afterwards.
Or a baked potato or sweet potato, with cottage cheese mixed with italian seasoning or smoky chilli flakes and spring onions, or with spiced 5-beans low-sugar baked beans. With salad or steamed veg.

Im not trying to bulk - but I have to lift heavy and keep progressing as I’ve had osteoporosis - which I’ve managed to reverse by consistent progressive strength work - so it’s just part of my life now.

but I’d like to lose some weight. Not much - half a stone - but the hunger derails things. I snack - not unhealthily but it adds up

I honestly don’t think there’s a magic solution to not feeling hungry OP, you just have to work on not snacking every time you feel hungry. Hunger between meals is normal.

This is the truth. There is no magic solution. I have to sit with hunger if I want to lose weight

I have known for a long time that I'm a morning eater. I wake early, have breakfast (egg whites, tomatoes, cheese, coffee) by around 7am, and then do my gym sessions 9-10am, and have a coffee on the way home - the milk in the cappuccino generally solves the immediate hunger problem.

THen I generally have Greek yoghurt & protein powder, and then a huge lunch - a lot of green vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, and around 200 grams of tuna/chicken/lean beef by about 3pm. Then I don't really eat after that.

So have a think about eating around your lifting sessions.

It also might work for you to have "little and often"? A banana straight after a training session, for example.

I think as others have said, if you're lifting heavy whilst also on a calorie deficit you will feel hungry, no real way around that. If you struggle to eat something first thing and you're hungry before lunch, could you add in a high volume/high fibre low calorie snack? My go to is an apple with a bit of humous or peanut butter, or some raspberries or blueberries if I'm on the go. It doesn't sound like it would be very filling but I do find something high fibre tends to help with the hunger cravings just enough to stop me reaching for something worse!

I train at 8am usually and just have black coffee before. By about 9.30 I’m starving so have a big meal at 10 - protein, carbs, fat and plenty of it. Then I don’t eat again until dinner at 8pm. I do tend to start getting hungry around 5.30 but that’s manageable. Could something like that work for you?

I always feel hungry if I just have a shake or smoothie. I would try eating something more filling after like a yoghurt bowl or overnight oats.