Hunger and Satiety

[wolfotehmoon]

So, if you've ever talked to me, you'll know that one of the biggest impediments to get-huge-itude that I've identified about myself is my marked inability eat the amount of food necessary to really pack on size. To put it another way: I have the appetite of a 10-year-old girl; I get full faster than an anorexic. I struggle to down that last dozen forkfuls in a way that must parallel the plight of people who're trying NOT to eat them. To put it ANOTHER way: eating is hard. So, I'm always on the lookout for ways to optimize "refueling" with things like calorie-dense foods, or even "efficient eating techniques" (stuff that shit in your mouth afap).

On a somewhat unrelated not (but bear with me, I do have a point!), we've all heard about how the US, and most of the western world, for the matter, is currently struggling mightily with an "obesity epidemic." The chubs is going around like the flu, there's cake and soda flooding the streets, 1200 people were killed yesterday after Gabe Newell broke free of their restraints and waddled a bloody path through North California (sorry, gamer joke), etc, etc. It's an issue. And I'm sure we've all heard, at one point or another, that for a lot of people (usually the person speaking at that particular moment), it's not really their fault; its genetics. Their parents were fat, they're fat, and their children will likewise be used as large, fleshy kickballs when their schools can't afford rubber ones anymore. And, being on this site, you've almost CERTAINLY heard various fitness gurus and doctors scoff at the notion, explaining that metabolic defects that lead to weight gain only affect a small portion of the population, usually through a disorder like hypothyroidism, which can be inherited.

BUT WAIT, says this guy! Maybe the issue IS genetic, but in a way that we hadn't thought of before. Maybe people are genetically-predisposed to being hungrier, and requiring more food to reach a point of satiety, or of feeling full! (Read the full article here: http://www.scientistlive.com/Europea...ers_fat/25054/)

Suddenly, light bulb. It's true; most of the guys who I hear about that are naturally-big (and even guys who have built themselves up to monstrous levels from relatively normal physiques) mention that they eat like horses; not that they have to force themselves, but that it's just a part of who they are. So, eating big, REALLY eating big, isn't really something you can force, in the same way that being not-depressed is something you can't force; you're born with it.

...ACTUALLY, NO (thankfully). Hunger, satiety, depression... All of these things are controlled by chemical processes in your body. Unlike physiological defects (either you're born with a leg or you're not), we DO have drugs that can alter your natural processes in that last example, bringing them further in line with what we consider "normal." So why not the first two? Actually, they're often affected as a side effect of treating the first (Remeron, an anti-depressive, is known to cause RAPID weight gain, on the order of a couple dozen pounds in 2 months, by way of almost completely taking the bottom out of the fullness impulse).

So, would you think it would be worth it to take such a drug specifically for the anti-satiety effects, if you were looking to get enormous, but, like me, pale at the sight of anything bigger than a Big Mac? Maybe there's something less powerful out there that could affect the same processes, like an herbal remedy, or simply a modified eating pattern? What do you guys think? And what are your *personal* experiences with hunger and satiety?

[mewletter]

Unless you want to be a big AND fat bastard, I don't think it's a good idea to play around with these drugs. Most of the weight gain would be probably just fat and water. What I really need to know is that a drug that can greatly improve nutrient absorption? Imagine most of the protein consumed won't end up in the toilet. As for alternatives, they are supplements to increase appetite like Controlled Labs' Black Hole. How effective they are I'm not sure.

[wolfotehmoon]

Well, that's the thing about that particular drug: from what I understand, the weight gain is due completely to how it acts on your satiety impulse. It doesn't affect how your body absorbs or stores/uses food, it only makes your body think it needs more of it to feel full. Speaking of absorption, it seems like that might be another thing that, like metabolism, is blown out of proportion in terms of how much it varies across the population, outside of certain kinds of disorders or chronic illnesses.

Might still be worth looking into, but I know I've tried to address it before with probiotics, and I didn't see much of a difference.

[brent]

I've had friends grow HUGE (both gut & muscle) on Xero Limit's Engorge. On top of increasing you appetite, it has a lot of enzymes to increase your nutrient absorption. I'd also suggest Now's Super Enzymes to carry everywhere, and a good probiotic, because you obviously need to help you digestive tract!

[wolfotehmoon]

Originally Posted by brent

I've had friends grow HUGE (both gut & muscle) on Xero Limit's Engorge. On top of increasing you appetite, it has a lot of enzymes to increase your nutrient absorption. I'd also suggest Now's Super Enzymes to carry everywhere, and a good probiotic, because you obviously need to help you digestive tract!

Hrm... Engorge actually got some good reviews on "the other growth site" I go to. I apologize to mewletter, I think I'll be looking into probiotics too...

Still'd like to hear other peoples' experiences. Have you noticed being able to eat more as you got into the bodybuilding/powerlifting lifestyle? What was your appetite like as a kid; has it changed as you've gotten older? I'd especially like to hear from the guys who've met with some success in their endeavors. I just figure, with this being such a huge part of packing on size, it'd be something interesting to converse about.

[mgm]

You should take engorge! And then eat what I tell you to. Eat ALL day. And then send us all pics...