I (F, 31; 183cm, 73kg) started intermitted fasting about 2,5 months ago to have more energy and improving my work outs and strength. I never had any problems with eating, naturally love eating very healthy (also i’m vegetarian) and my weight never changes no matter what I do. The first few weeks were a blast. I do 16/8 and skip breakfast, that I never really enjoyed anyway. I do meal prep and eat out about twice a week. I do weight training 3 times a week, sometimes 1 additional spinning class or cardio session.
So for about three weeks now I feel constantly hungry. Kind of made sense to me because I do lots of sport and maybe I have a calorie deficit even if I do not try to loose weight. But in 2,5 months now my weight didn’t even change a kilo. So it should be enough food I’m eating, right? Because I am always hungry I tend to shift into 14/10 because I am snacking until late. Also during my eating window I feel like I am constantly looking for snacks. It’s a nagging feeling. I never did this before.
So now I am asking myself, why is that and what do I have to change? Do I have to eat just more during my two meals? Though I feel full after every and don’t know how to eat even more. Shall I include one bigger “snack” in the middle of my eating window (after 4h)? I tried this before with a green smoothie in the afternoon but didn’t feel much different. I never had issues with snacking before.
One additional info: I stopped smoking 7 weeks ago after 11 years. But not sure if all the snacking comes from this.
The last 3 days I stayed at a hotel for work and had free breakfast and decided to just try it out. What I felt was super bloated but also full the whole day and didn’t even want to eat dinner then and didn’t snack all the time. But I don’t want to go back to regular eating. Any advice?
It also can be coffee. It yes, as it was said above, it can be smoking. I quit 2 months ago, and first month I was constantly eating. But these days I can fast 20h without a problem and hunger. As for coffee, it gives me hunger feeling as well sometimes, especially when it is with milk.
How much protein are you consuming? Protein helps with appetite satiation, as well as muscle building (so your body is utilizing fat more efficiently).
Also, you skip breakfast, but when you did have breakfast, you were satisfied all day (despite the bloat). You could look at changing your fasting window, but this might start looking more like OMAD, which might not be for you in your situation.
I agree with the others that it’s the nicotine withdrawal. Tough it out, add in that green smoothie you were having, but scoop in extra protein. You got this!