Hey Guys, Even my stomach is full or even I feel bloated I feel hungry and some times cravings hit really hard even I am full. Do you have any suggestions to prevent this? For your info, my weight is stable for a while.
Are you fueling your rides properly? My appetite is all over the place but sometimes if my on the bike nutrition is off, I can’t stop the cravings.
I also have an unlimited appetite. I find large quantities of meat, fruits and vegetables are the most satiating. If you put pasta/carbs in front of me I can eat it indefinitely. For reference I have weighed 90 kilos my whole adult life and am lean.
Fuel your rides and focus on satiety with the foods you choose. I’ve found high protein to be the most satiating. High fiber also helps. 1g/1lb of body weight of protein and >30g of protein per day. Once you find some repeatable meals that help you hit your macros then you need to face the hunger. Hunger on the bike is no good, but hunger off the bike is not something you should indulge every time you feel it. After you face that for a few days, you’ll notice the hunger dies down. I’m not sure if it’s insulin resistance or what, but this works for me.
I’m at the point where I just don’t care if I get a craving when full. If you know you ate adequately i just consider it like a mosquito bite where it exists and is annoying but it doesn’t really mean anything
satiety is a complex thing. One item to consider is that there is a hormone called ghrelin that is there to signal satiety. It has an antagonist in leptin. This may be a part of the problem. It has been linked to protein consumption and one thing that suggests it might be beneficial is whey protein. One thought might be to add an amount of whey protein to your diet. I suspect other proteins may elicit ghrelin response it has been a while since I looked into this. Fullness is not the whole story. It is complex and I suspect is a personal biological thing beyond simple filling your stomach with stuff. It might be as much what you eat as how much. It seems that it responds to good healthy carbs and lean protein. Carbs response is quick while protein response is more long lasting seems to be what the research says at this time.
Life experience has told me that if you really crave something, eat it, because otherwise you’ll eat everything else in the fridge and still crave the same thing (and usually eat it after all).
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One of the biggest myths is that hunger is related to the volume of material in your stomach. If that were true, you could just drink water and feel “full”. Of course, that doesn’t work. You’ll just end up feeling bloated. Hunger is a complex biochemical process that is mostly about your body having the fuel (calories) it needs. It can also be triggered by the types of fuel you give it. High carb foods can actually trigger a response that makes you crave more food, while foods high in high fat and/or slow-digesting proteins can suppress hunger.
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I haven’t seen anyone else say this so I will just throw it out there just in case - if you are taking antihistamines it can suppress the hormone that makes you feel full. I always gain weight in the spring/summer despite increasing volume on the bike. I am insatiable in the spring when I take 2-4 antihistamines a day. The weight gain follows pretty quickly.
Before anyone asks if I fuel properly for the increased volume: yes, I fuel my workouts adequately.
This is why I’m not always a fan of “listening to your body” because your body has one job, to keep you alive. That means conserve energy and store fat for emergencies.
This doesn’t mean the opposite is true, that you ignore your body, but I think being smart and tracking calories is important for best performance.
Not sure if you’ve had a blood panel done as sometimes extreme hungers mean a lack of some nutrient in your diet.
But modern society is full of overweight people who “listen to their bodies”.
I agree with eating lean proteins. I also take a protein shake before bed. Keeps my stable overnight. And fibrous foods like apples can help.
Good luck!