There's one way out of this vicious cycle. I substituted the prodigious amounts of refined carbs I used to eat (pasta, rice) with meat, vegetables and a reduce

There's one way out of this vicious cycle. I substituted the prodigious amounts of refined carbs I used to eat (pasta, rice) with meat, vegetables and a reduced amount of carbs. The proteins definitely helped with the hunger (and being a carnivore, it didn't take much to convince me to eat more meat -- though for me it's mostly white meat and eggs). I actually ended up eating more I also started lifting weights. Exercising increases appetite for sure, but proteins satiates it. I didn't lose that much weight (10 lbs), but I managed to convert what used to be flab to muscle. Exercise + protein/vegetable diet (even if eating more) = body shape change.