Why Am I Hungry All The Time?
Did you know that eating is so important that the nerve cells of appetite are located in the hypothalamus? That is the region of the brain responsible for keeping our bodies in a state of stability, or homeostasis. Our hunger cues are a great example of mind-body connection. Unreliable or confusing hunger cues are a common side effect of dieting and disordered eating, which interfere with this innate mind-body connection.
As a result, you may often find yourself questioning, judging, or doubting your hunger. This may sound like: “Is it time yet?”, “Does it fall in line with my diet rules?”, “I just ate, how could I possibly be hungry again?”. What may seem like a lack of willpower or an issue of self-control is actually a biological drive to eat!
It’s also common to only experience extreme, ravenous hunger and to be so disconnected from body cues that it’s hard to even tell if you’re hungry at all until it feels extreme. This is part of what contributes to the diet cycle.
So why do you feel so hungry all the time? There can be many reasons for this when you start working on reconnecting with your body cues and letting go of dieting. Here are some reasons you may be feeling this way:
Stopping eating before true fullness and satiety: aka not eating enough! Only eating to a 5-6 on the hunger scale, just enough to take the edge off, means hunger is going to come back pretty quickly. Eating to comfortable fullness and satisfaction turns off hunger cues for awhile so you can focus on other things. The amount of food we eat should match our hunger level. If you’re meal-level hungry (let’s say a 2-3 on the hunger scale), you’ll likely need a meal’s worth of food to satisfy that hunger.
Missing a macronutrient: We need all 3 macronutrients- carbohydrates, protein, and fat, to power our cells. Excluding one of these can trigger hunger. These 3 macronutrients also work together to promote lasting fullness and satisfaction since they get digested at different rates and serve different important functions in our bodies. Missing out on one means we’ll likely leave the meal unsatisfied or hungry soon after.
Only eating “air foods”: If you’re attempting to stave off hunger without actually providing your body energy in the form of calories, hunger won’t stay away long. Air foods or diet foods are foods that take up space in our stomachs, but that don’t provide much energy and have little sustenance. Some examples are air-popped popcorn, rice cakes, puffed cereal, fat-free crackers, celery sticks, diet ice cream, and diet sodas. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these foods, but they won’t really keep you full or nourish your body on their own.
Lack of awareness: Just like with everything in Intuitive Eating, getting to know your hunger cues takes practice. Often times people are accustomed to ignoring their hunger as long as possible, so it only gets noticed when it’s extremely uncomfortable. This can make it feel like you’re ravenous all the time. With some practice you can learn to tune into your body cues and eat before the hunger becomes so extreme, so it feels much more manageable. More consistent nourishment throughout the day=less extreme hunger.
Read more about Intuitive Eating Principle 2: Honor Your Hunger in Chapter 7 of the Intuitive Eating book, or at Evelyn Tribole’s website here. You can also join us for one of our virtual Intuitive Eating support groups. If you’re interested in joining for a virtual group, please email claire@sdnutritiongroup.com for more details. We welcome everyone at any point in their Intuitive Eating journey to join us!