Hunger

Are you feeling hungry all the time?

I am overweight and need to lose weight, but I am always hungry. I start getting headaches and become irritable if I don’t eat. 

OR

I am gaining lots of weight of-let. But I cannot stay hungry. So how do I reduce my portion sizes without feeling constantly hungry? 

If you need help with the same, this article is for you. But first, let’s discuss the causes of excessive hunger.

1) Lack of protein, fibre, and fat in the diet:  

A protein-rich diet helps balance hormones, including the hormone ghrelin, also called a hunger hormone. It results in reduced appetite, which leads to less calorie intake, makes you feel satiety, and you will not get hungry for a long time. Paneer, curd, varieties of lentils-legumes and pulses, almonds, walnuts, soy, egg, fish, chicken etc., are good protein sources.

A diet rich in good fats takes longer to digest, and the stomach remains full for a long time. In addition, a fatty diet helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D and K, providing essential nutrients to the body. One can consume olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, nuts, fish, whole-fat milk, yoghurt, etc.

The body takes time to digest fibre, and food containing fibre stays in the large intestine for a long time, resulting in an increased number of good bacteria in the stomach, which aids digestion. Therefore, a fibre-rich diet is quite helpful in keeping the stomach clean and reducing hunger.

On the contrary, by consuming dishes made from white flour and sugar lacking in protein, good fat and fibre, one might start to feel hungry as the body digests them quickly and then produces the hunger hormone ghrelin. Likewise, dishes made from bread & pasta, desserts, and liquid calories like soda, mocktails etc., will take little time to digest, and one will start feeling hungry quickly. Therefore, one must address this issue as this could be the main reason for constant hunger. 

2) Excessive stress and lack of sleep: 

Stress directly affects our metabolism. It can lead to hormonal imbalance, which results in increased cravings. When stressed, one strongly desires to eat sweet/salty food such as desserts, chocolates, ice cream or junk foods like pizza, burgers, French fries, etc. Such food is higher in calories which leads to weight gain. And as mentioned in the above point, the body digests such food quickly. As a result, you may start to feel hungry soon after consuming such food. 

Sleep helps keep the body healthy. It also contributes to maintaining or losing weight. However, lack of sleep increases the levels of ghrelin hormones in the body, which might lead to frequent hunger pangs. 

3) Intense exercise: 

Exercise uses up the calories stored in our bodies. And naturally, intense or excessive exercise burns more calories, resulting in reduced glycogen storage, forcing the body to use blood sugar for energy. With the dip in sugar levels, the body starts producing the hormone ghrelin to signal to the brain that “it’s time to eat”, which causes hunger. Therefore, consuming a diet rich in protein, good fats, and fibre after exercise is encouraged to feel full for longer. 

4) Usage of a few medicines: 

A few medicines, e.g., anti-depressants, anti-seizures, steroids, birth control pills, etc., increase appetite and lead to weight gain. Similarly, in the case of diabetes and hyperthyroidism, one might feel excessively hungry. Therefore, it is imperative to consult a doctor and change the medication accordingly.

5) Water: 

It is essential to maintain optimum levels of water in the body. When the water level dips over the required level, the body signals to the brain and starts feeling thirsty. However, many people mistake thirst for a pang of hunger, leading to overeating and weight gain. And when there is enough amount of water in the body, the stomach feels full. Therefore, whenever you feel hungry at odd times, first drink a glass of water and check after 15 minutes if you still feel hungry. 

No diet works when appetite itself is high. One should start acting on reducing need first, then controlling diet to lose weight. Try this.