The Reason Why You’re Always Hungry

“I've been trying to eat only when I’m hungry, but I'm starting to wonder if I even KNOW what hunger feels like anymore. After all the diets, eating because it’s break time, the emotional drain of shift work, or being on the go and not drinking enough water, I don’t think I know what hunger feels like anymore.

“Sometimes I feel my stomach rumbling. Sometimes I get irritated, a bit jittery and light-headed if I wait too long to eat. When I’m hangry, it’s about getting quick food and making rash decisions. I’m starting to notice hangry happens a lot. Hangry I know…but do I know when I’m physically hungry?”

This is the often the biggest reason you are always hungry- and always eating. It has nothing to do with how much weight you want to lose, and everything to do with your hunger cues being out of whack.

Very few people stop and ask themselves: “Am I actually hungry?” We have an atomic impulse to go and grab something out of the cupboard or fridge. And it doesn’t even have to be junk food! It can be that extra protein ball, that 4th coffee of the day, or that extra full glass of wine.

First, let’s get one thing straight- healthy food still has calories, and overeating it can result in weight gain. So how do we hear our body first, and avoid those impulse decisions?

When it comes to satiety and hunger, it varies widely from person to person. It also varies depending on the time of day.

Let’s take a look at the three types of hunger: physical, mental and emotional hunger.

Here are some questions to help you tune into physical hunger. Is your stomach growling? Do you have a headache? Notice how time of day isn’t mentioned. Physical hunger is gradual. It’s felt in your stomach, and it’s easy to satisfy with a reasonable amount of food.

What about mental hunger. Are you thinking, “I want to eat this” or “I need to eat this”? Are you aware of what you are eating, or are you just plowing into the food while you do something else?

Mental hunger is thinking about food. You might not even be thinking about eating food, but you may be thinking about food nonetheless. Mental hunger can be planning meals in your head, fretting about shopping and thinking about foods that you don’t allow yourself to eat.

It’s like you are window shopping in your brain for food, but never actually going into the store.

The third type of hunger, emotional hunger, is probably the most difficult to identify and manage. Ask yourself: Are you anxious or stressed? Are you happy or bored? Procrastinating or looking for comfort?

Emotional hunger starts suddenly. It is mostly felt in our head and it’s sharp, persistent, and hard to satisfy.

Knowing the difference between these three types of hunger is essential to clueing into what your body is trying to tell you. And it’s not easy! Most of us will spend our entire lives figuring it out. Stress, social pressure and the strong desire for comfort and control often manifest themselves in our food choices.

You restrict yourself, then lose control, then vow to “get back on the wagon” (on Monday, after vacation, after the renos are done, etc.), then lose control again, then get even more rigid, then lose control again…and so on and so forth.

When you’re only experience in losing weight is restriction- avoiding carbs, only eating clean, fasting, keto- you don’t know how to sustain health or maintain your weight loss outside of those parameters. This kind of dieting will, over time, result in food cravings, binge eating and major weight fluctuations.

If we cut too many things out of our diet, we are more apt to have blood sugar imbalances resulting in increased fat storage. That imbalance is what’s setting off your cravings and binges.

If you are the kind of person that says “I’m never full”, consider the 3 kinds of hunger, and then think about what you’re eating, and what type of hunger you’re trying to satisfy. When you finish eating, focus on how you feel.

Do you feel better than when you started?

Are you satisfied and mentally focused?

That’s the goal, and if you’re still feeling mentally sluggish and low on energy, maybe it’s time to rethink your food choices, and satisfy that hunger another way.