Why Am I Hungry All the Time?
If you have been dieting for a while, it’s normal for your hunger cues to feel all out of whack. Diets frequently demonize the feeling of hunger, so you might even think that your body is trying to sabotage you by always making you feel hungry. But this isn’t the case! If you ask me, being able to recognize your hunger cues is like a superpower.
If you’re new here, hello and welcome! My name is Hannah and I am a non-diet dietitian here to help you improve your relationship with your food and finally find food freedom.
Possible reasons why you always feel hungry
You are not eating enough
I know it sounds really simple, but when the body is underfed, it is going to give you cues so it can get what it needs! There are many reasons why your energy (aka calorie) needs are more than you think they “should” be.
Your meals are missing a macronutrient
There are three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) that provide our body with calories. They each serve various, unique functions in the body along with giving us energy. If we don’t eat enough of any of the three, it could leave us feeling hungry and unsatisfied.
You are experiencing emotional hunger
Emotional eating gets a bad rap. Sometimes eating really can be a helpful way to cope. However, if food is our sole way of coping with negative emotions, it could lead to us feeling non-biological hunger frequently.
Also, if we are undernourished, this could increase our likelihood of eating emotionally. Think of it this way - if your body is hungry and then you simultaneously experience a trigger for stress, your first reaction might be to use food to cope. Again, this is not necessarily something that is “bad” or “wrong”, but something to take note of and learn from.
You are recovering from chronic dieting
If you have been suppressing or ignoring your hunger for the sake of a diet’s rules, your biology is probably trying to play catch up! Many people find that when they first ditch the diets and commit to working towards an intuitive eating approach, their appetite is pretty big for some time. This eventually will level out as you build trust back with your body and it knows that it is going to be consistently well fed.
You are eating mostly “bulk” or “filler” foods
Some of the worst advice that I have heard from various diet plans and influencers is that if you are hungry, just fill up on raw vegetables or rice cakes. These words of wisdom (*eye roll*) are common because such foods can fill up the volume of your stomach without adding a lot of calories. But there are two reasons why this approach is rarely sustainable.
First, because they are low calorie and also low in protein and dietary fat, these types of foods don’t have a lot of staying power. This means that you won’t stay full for long if they are eaten on their own.
Second, snacking on plain baby carrots and celery likely won’t be very mentally or emotionally satisfying. Maybe your belly will be physically full for a little while, but your brain may feel like something is missing.
You are distracted while you eat
We can’t always have distraction-free meals, and that’s okay. But disconnected eating can sometimes make it hard for your body to register that it even ate anything. Try to tune in to the eating experience, even if just for a few bites.
Bottom line
Hunger is not a bad thing. It’s a sign from your body that it is in need of something. If you are always feeling hungry, it might be helpful to get curious about why that is. Navigating your hunger and fullness cues sometimes feels like learning a new language, but with practice you will be able to build trust with your body again!
If you want more help navigating your hunger and fullness cues, we’d love to support you inside The Nutrition Reboot Membership.