Too lean/constant hunger: How to Proceed

[RC2018]

After reading some forum posts, I am starting to believe that I have been trying to maintain too low of a body fat percentage for my genetics/set point. The main reasons I believe this:

-I am never satisfied by meals (even "binge" meals of 1000-1500 calories where I am physically "stuffed")
-I am hungry all the time even at a slight caloric surplus
-I am tired all the time



in another thread Lyle said:

"All of this happens when you get very lean. That's it.
You're never full. EVER.
Tissue insulin sensitivity is way up and you get blood sugar swings.
It is what it is."

I am thinking that the above quote is the reason why after carb meals I feel like I need to pass out and get hungry- I am getting blood sugar crashes. Is there any sense to this reasoning?
I was considering cutting back on carbs to lessen the fatigue/hunger after meals, but maybe the reason I am experiencing this is because I am just too lean.



Anyways, I am wondering how to move forward if I am in fact too lean for my own genetics. A couple of questions:

-Should I run a slight surplus of calories and gradually gain weight, or should I run a more aggressive surplus and just get to the level of body fat I need to be at quicker.

-How do I know when I am at a good body fat for my genetics? Is it the point where I am satisfied my maintenance calories and not hungry all the time? Is that really the only gauge?



On the other hand, Is there any way to combat the increase in tissue insulin sensitivity Lyle mentioned in the above quote If I want to remain at a low body fat percentage? I read the article about insulin sensitivity and fat loss, and have seen Lyle say that the same guidelines apply to muscle/strength gain as well. Based on that article, it would seem that the increased insulin sensitivity when super lean would lead to better tolerance for carbs, but this is not the case? Would reducing carbs reduce the blood sugar swings and in doing so reduce the constant hunger from being so lean?



Thanks to anybody who takes the time to reply.

[LightCrow]

It depends. How did you like that Lyle answer?

What is your normal set point for BF%? What % are you trying to maintain? That would be the ideal number where constant hunger goes away. If that was 25% you are going to have to decide if you really want to fatten up that much, or if you're happier being leaner but more hungry. It's a compromise no matter how you dice it.

[holly70]

Have you just come off of a long hard cut? What body fat percentage are you at? Do you know?

Never been lean enough to deserve the descriptor.

But I did have symptoms like this after a very long low calorie diet.

I didn't "get sleepy" after lunch. It was more like some campy old movie where an explorer gets hit by some native's poison dart...going down...system crash.

[CorpDesertique]

I'm sorry for you man
I guess you also have no libido?

[w1cked]

Gaining a slight amt of bf made a huge difference for me. Totally worth the tradeoff of not being food focused low libido nighttime hunger pangs etc to have extra 2 to 4 lbs fat on your body for me.

[RC2018]

Originally Posted by LightCrow

It depends. How did you like that Lyle answer?

What is your normal set point for BF%? What % are you trying to maintain? That would be the ideal number where constant hunger goes away. If that was 25% you are going to have to decide if you really want to fatten up that much, or if you're happier being leaner but more hungry. It's a compromise no matter how you dice it.

I think I am roughly 8-10% based just on my own visual assessment. I have maintained this for a couple years (interspersed with periods of slight fat gain followed by a short cut).

However, I got into this whole fitness thing after I rapidly gained about 50 lbs in a year or so from binge eating and lost it pretty much directly after I gained it. But, when I lost the weight I dropped below the bf% I was always at before the weight gain which I would guess was somewhere around 15% to 20%.

How much of a contributing factor do you think the weight gain/subsequent loss was to my extreme hunger now?

Originally Posted by holly70

Have you just come off of a long hard cut? What body fat percentage are you at? Do you know?

Never been lean enough to deserve the descriptor.

But I did have symptoms like this after a very long low calorie diet.

I didn't "get sleepy" after lunch. It was more like some campy old movie where an explorer gets hit by some native's poison dart...going down...system crash.

Lol at post lunch coma. I know exactly what you mean.

Originally Posted by CorpDesertique

I'm sorry for you man
I guess you also have no libido?

lol, thanks for the compassion dude. Libido is totally shot

Originally Posted by w1cked

Gaining a slight amt of bf made a huge difference for me. Totally worth the tradeoff of not being food focused low libido nighttime hunger pangs etc to have extra 2 to 4 lbs fat on your body for me.

Very interesting. What body fat % do you think you were at before the 2 to 4 lb gain and where do you think you're at now? Did you just run a huge surplus until you gained the weight or did you go about gaining the couple pounds of fat more slowly?

Was the difference in hunger/being food focused pretty drastic?

[alcahuetej]

I went on Clomid and combined with 10 - 15 lbs. put on over the course of a summer seemed to fix things.

After two years of weening off Clomid, my symptoms have remained at bay, but I'm also 19 pounds heavier still.

I would suggest purposely trying to gain weight for a few months, add at least 5 lbs. of bodyweight if not more, and see how you feel. Take it as an opportunity to crush it in the gym and enjoy yourself for a bit.

Just don't do what I did and overshoot your goal by 15 lbs. and then have to diet it off.

[zLeeKo]

Fat is a key to happiness, that's scientifically proven.

[RC2018]

Originally Posted by alcahuetej

I went on Clomid and combined with 10 - 15 lbs. put on over the course of a summer seemed to fix things.

After two years of weening off Clomid, my symptoms have remained at bay, but I'm also 19 pounds heavier still.

I would suggest purposely trying to gain weight for a few months, add at least 5 lbs. of bodyweight if not more, and see how you feel. Take it as an opportunity to crush it in the gym and enjoy yourself for a bit.

Just don't do what I did and overshoot your goal by 15 lbs. and then have to diet it off.

Thanks for the advice. Very helpful.

[w1cked]

High single digits to 12 to 13 maybe. I gained it real fast the constant nighttime hunger pangs got too much. Then my appetite basically died and came back in a few days. I recommend doing it a little slow