6 Reasons You’re Always Hungry

It’s a new year, and you want to eat better. You want to meal prep, eat more veggies, eat less fast food. And yet (and yet!). You. Are. Starving. All the time. Why are you always hungry?

Sound familiar?

Trust me, I’ve been there. In fact, there are several times in my life when I felt like no matter, I was freaking hungry. An insatiable pit. Nothing–and I mean nothing–could curb my hunger.

Until, of course, I learned why I was hungry. So that’s what today’s post is: 6 reasons you’re always hungry. So let’s dive in.

6 REASONS YOU’RE ALWAYS HUNGRY

1. Your Hormones Are Making You Hungry

This one is first on my list, because for me, this has always been a huge factor in my body’s ability to regulate hunger. For starters, right before your period, as your body prepares for menstruation, your estrogen levels drop. Estrogen inhibits hunger, so lower levels leave you feeling hungry. Add on the fact that your basal metabolic rate increases (so your calorie needs increase) and it makes sense that you find yourself going for another snack (and another..and another). During this time, it’s best to honour your body and eat. 

Opt for healthy foods that include protein, fat and fibre instead of junk food that won’t satiate you.

*Another one I want to add from personal experience, is birth control. While the science is still lacking to defend the claims that the pill causes an increase in appetite, there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence–mine included. The two times I’ve been on birth control (once in high school for 5 years, and the second time, last year for 4 months), I was ravenous. I felt like even eating the healthiest most nourishing foods didn’t work to help me stop eating. I decided hormonal birth control wasn’t a good fit, and after quitting, my regular appetite resumed. If you feel like no matter what you try, nothing works for you, and you’re on the pill, this may be something to look into!

 

2. You’re Not Eating Enough Protein

Of all three macronutrients–protein, fat and carbohydrates–protein is the most satiating (meaning it’s the best at keeping you full.) Protein can help regulate ghrelin, the hormone responsible for telling your body that it’s hungry.

In fact, by eating more protein, you may unconsciously end up eating less overall. One study found that by bumping up protein intake from 15% of the diet to 30%, overweight women ended up eating 400 calories less overall. Researchers suggest that this may be why low-carb diets do well: they have an increased in protein (plus, there’s less of a blood sugar rollercoaster that comes with a higher carb diet)

Another study that increasing protein intake also reduced late night snacking by up to 50%.

Typically, you want to eat between 0.5-1 g of protein per pound of lean body weight. You can use this tool here to figure out how much that is! If you want to track how much protein you’re consuming, MyFitnessPal is another great tool where you can record what you eat and see the nutritional breakdown.

Healthy Sources of Protein

• wild-caught + sustainably-sourced fish
• pasture-raised chicken, eggs + pork
• grass-fed steak
• coconut yogurt
• organic, non-gmo tempeh
• grass-fed collagen (perfect for adding to smoothies!)
• lentils
• chia seeds
• quinoa

If you’re looking to get quality protein, check out TruLocal below! They offer subscription boxes for Canadians featuring grass-fed steak, wild-caught salmon and lots of other quality meats!

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3. You’re Not Eating Enough Fat

Like protein, fat is another satiating food: we need to eat fat in order to regulate our hormones, including hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin. In fact, eating a low-fat diet in an attempt to lose weight, could end up having the opposite effect: one study found that those who ate a low-fat diet (vs low-carb) had more cravings for sweets and refined foods. The same study found that those on the low-fat diet also felt hungrier.

For me, this rings especially true. When I was in high school (and struggling with disordered eating) I counted all my calories and made sure I never ate fat. And yet, I was always hungry. I could easily down a dozen muffins and still be a hungry. A box of cookies? No problem. Wouldn’t fill me up. It wasn’t until I adopted a paleo framework (lower carb, higher fat) that I finally learned how to eat intuitively, and how to feel full.

Healthy Sources of Fat

• extra virgin olive oil
• avocados
• coconut oil
• grass-fed butter
• ghee
• omega-3s (found in wild-caught fish, hemp seeds, chia seeds, etc)

4. You’re not eating ENOUGH.

Maybe you’re not eating enough protein. Or maybe you’re not eating enough fat. Or maybe, you simply just aren’t eating enough. If you’re trying to lose weight, you may be counting calories and trying to reduce them. Or I know a lot of you are busy and simply don’t have time to eat. But if you’re trying to make healthy changes and you’re starving, considering upping your caloric intake. The average women needs 2000 calories a day–and that’s without including workouts.

Food is energy, and we actually need to eat to have energy (duh). It sounds simple, but I’ve known many people (myself included!) who have tried to get by on 1200 calories a day–and felt miserable. Last year, I decided to track what I ate (without judgement!) for a few months. I ate on average about 1500-2100 calories a day (usually on the upper end of that), and I’ll say I was conservatively working out 3x week.

One of the biggest life lessons I learned –and feel I need to share–is that you are worthy of eating. Food is not punishment. It’s not a reward. It is fuel. It is the building blocks your body needs to function optimally. Depriving your body of nourishing food is literally depriving yourself of health.

5. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

Ah, ghrelin: we always come back to you. But like others on the list, not getting enough sleep triggers the release of hunger hormone ghrelin, which is exactly why you feel hungrier on days where you haven’t slept. In fact, in one study, losing sleep for just one night left people eating 14% more the following day.

Aim for 8 hours of sleep, and make sure you’re practicing good sleep hygiene, such as:

• sleeping completely in the dark
• sleeping in slightly colder room (I like to sleep with the window open and fan on)
• turning off blue-light technology at least an hour before bed
• installing a program like f.lux on your computer to reduce the effects technology has on sleep

6. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

Last but not least, make sure you’re staying hydrated. If you’re not drinking enough water, those feelings you might mistake for hunger, may be your body’s way of asking for more hydration! Not to mention, drinking more water naturally causes us to eat less (as it takes up space in our stomachs!). One study found that people who drank 2 cups of water before a meal ate on average 600 calories less than those who didn’t.

Water has appetite suppressing properties, and also, it’s absolutely essential for our health, for everything from skin health, to digestion to brain function. So drink up! Aim for 2L a day (or eight 8-ounce glasses)–and herbal teas count!

Not a fan of water? Try adding lemon or mint to give it flavour. You can use different trackers to see how much water you drink, or you can try bringing a water bottle with you wherever you go: I find you’ll naturally sip on water when it’s available to you!

So there you have it: 6 reasons you’re always hungry! Do any of them resonate with you? Are there any you feel should have been on the list but didn’t make it (I was going to also include fibre, but I think I might want that to be it’s on separate post!). Let me know in the comments–and if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter for the latest recipes + nutrition tips!

Oh, and if you haven’t grabbed your FREE ebook “The Nourished Body Guide”, get it HERE! It includes 15 gluten-free and dairy-free recipes and health and wellness tips that have worked well for me personally!

With love,