re: increased apetite
 

hey guys, so i started biking to get back in shape and i've lost 30 lbs.

i was 149 when i started and i'm now 118lbs. i'm 5'7". I been biking for about a year now and I lost all the weight within the first six months. I haven't had much difficulty in keeping the weight off until the last month or so. I notice I been edging up a little on the scale and consequently I increased my cycling. I normally do about 150 miles a week (average 15mph) and now I am doing 200 miles a week. Keeping steady on the scale but still a few lbs heavier than I use to be. Couple of months ago I was 115-116 now I'm 118-120.

I notice that my appetite has increased. I'm having trouble staying away from the late night meals. I eat pretty healthy: rice cakes with peanut butter/avocado. cottage cheese with a dab of honey for snacks, lean protein and leafy greens for dinner. But I been craving more carbs and having trouble staying away from a few pieces of bread.

is this increase in apetite due to something i'm lacking in nutrition? or is my metabolism slowing down a bit now that it's use to the increased exercise? any ideas.

i'm 38 by the way.

According to the BMI calculator, at 120 lbs you're just above borderline underweight. At 118 lbs you're right at borderline underweight. At 115-116, you're underweight.

Your metabolism isn't slowing down ... you're cycling more so you need more fuel.

Eat the bread.

5'7" and 118lbs is pretty much rail-thin. Hell, my bike is like a fifth of your weight. The amount of fuel you need to move on the bike is probably really low. So there's certainly a chance that the increased hunger from activity is making you overeat. I weigh my portions and my daily intake is allowed to be 2,800-3,000kcal. You're probably looking at half of that.

Are you male or female? If male, at 5'7" and 115, then you are about the same size as the smallest pro rider. Ie, if bike performance is your goal, then even the fittest and most weight-mindful in the world don't want or need to be any smaller than you are. In fact a few lbs more of muscle might really increase you on-bike performance.

Anyway, I find that eating good whole-grain carbs I. The 24 hours before a big hard ride, and some fruit right before the ride, means I feel better, ride better, and don't feel as famished afterwards.

Just guessing here, but it's possible you've added a few pounds of muscle. If that's the case, it'll help you ride better, so you don't want to lose that.


Have you considered a nightly cup of tea? Warm fluid in your stomach often leads to less uncontrollable hunger.

recently read it's best to front-load our calories. meaning eat bigger meals for breakfast & lunch. if we eat sparingly all day long we'll pay for it at the end of our day by eating more

Enjoy your carbs and keep riding.

Cravings can be about nutritional deficiencies, as the OP mentioned. If you don't take one, consider adding a complete multivitamin to your regimen. That may help. If you can pinpoint it to something more specific (which is hard to do unless you have labs done to test the levels of the various vitamins and minerals) then add that specific one in too.