Have you ever caught yourself wondering, “Why am I always hungry?” even right after eating? You’re not alone. Constant hunger can be confusing, frustrating, and, for many patients, a significant obstacle to achieving weight loss or post-bariatric success. While the occasional craving is perfectly normal, persistent hunger may signal something more profound, whether biological, psychological, or lifestyle-related.
Are you someone who continually struggles to lose weight? But always failed! You need to discuss your hunger issue with your doctor to get weight loss medication. Hunger pangs. Everyone knows them. At the very least, they’re annoying. But those pangs can quickly turn to pain when it’s been hours since you last ate. These sensations are your body’s natural impulses to get you to eat.
Our bodies require energy and food. Food comprises calories, which your body burns to operate, move around, and exercise. Like locomotives that convert coal to steam to power their heavy engines, you eat protein, carbohydrates, and fats that convert to kinetic energy. Eating the correct number of calories each day gives you the strength you need to power through life’s most challenging obstacles.
Overeat, and you can become overweight or obese. But when you don’t eat enough, you feel lethargic and moody. This is akin to a car running out of gas. You don’t have enough calories, so your body signals that it’s time to eat.
Your body uses various hormones that cause alterations in your body.
Ghrelin: the “hunger hormone,” which increases appetite.
Leptin: the “satiety hormone,” which signals fullness.
That pain in your stomach is caused by ghrelin, the hormone that controls hunger. Leptin is the hormone that makes you feel full. You probably already know about insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. The way hunger is supposed to work, these hormones work in perfect balance to regulate your appetite. You feel hungry when your body requires more calories. You feel full when your body has had enough.
These signals can become mismatched when hormonal fluctuations happen due to extreme weight gain or an underlying condition. Your body may not react properly anymore, and extreme hunger is only one side effect that can result. Hunger is a major side effect of hormonal imbalance caused by weight gain that can negatively affect your life.
Ghrelin is often referred to as the “hunger hormone” because it’s responsible for stimulating your appetite. It’s primarily produced in the stomach and signals the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, that it’s time to eat.
How it works:
However, in people who are sleep-deprived, under chronic stress, dieting heavily, or post-bariatric surgery, ghrelin levels may become dysregulated. This can result in feeling hungry even when you’ve consumed enough food.
Interestingly, ghrelin levels often increase after weight loss, particularly if the loss was rapid. This is your body’s way of trying to “protect” against starvation. It’s one of the reasons why maintaining weight loss can be so challenging without medical or nutritional support.
Leptin works in the opposite direction of ghrelin. It’s produced by fat cells (adipocytes) and sends signals to your brain that you’re full and don’t need more food.
How it works:
But here’s where it gets tricky: leptin resistance.
In individuals with obesity or metabolic syndrome, the body may produce plenty of leptin, but the brain doesn’t “hear” the signal. This leptin resistance results in a paradox: you have enough energy stored in fat, but your brain still thinks you’re starving, prompting more eating.
Leptin resistance is often exacerbated by:
The trick to controlling your appetite is to ensure you eat enough protein throughout the day. Lean meats, cottage cheese, and other protein-rich foods reduce your hunger. Protein also gives your body what it needs to build and repair muscle. The more muscle you have, the greater your metabolism means you’ll burn more fat. A study of overweight men found that those who ate a quarter of their calories from protein saw a halved reduction in their desire to snack compared to a group that consumed less protein.
The diet industry is responsible for tainting how the public perceives fat. It doesn’t help that fat is what you want to lose. However, eating enough fat is another effective way to keep yourself full. Fat is not bad for you. Some fats are bad, but others are beneficial for health. Good fats keep you satiated because of their slow transgression through your gastrointestinal system. The longer fat takes to digest, the longer it stays in your stomach. Eating fat also releases fullness-promoting hormones, which further satiates you.
Optimal health requires that you get adequate sleep each night. Without proper sleep patterns, your brain might not function as clearly. You may not have as good coordination, which can lead to accidents and injuries. Sleep deprivation can also dampen your immune system, leading to the potential for illnesses to develop, such as heart disease and cancer. Getting enough sleep is also crucial for regulating your appetite.
You may have noticed that you wake up craving sweet foods and carbohydrates when you don’t get enough sleep. Spend a few nights sleep-deprived, and your cravings may become uncontrollable. Sleeping adequately helps maintain a balance between ghrelin and leptin, thereby preventing constant hunger. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep each night to keep your appetite in balance.
Hunger and thirst can feel surprisingly similar. In fact, many people confuse the two.
If you’re constantly hungry, especially between meals, try drinking a full glass of water first. Mild dehydration can mimic feelings of hunger and may lead to unnecessary snacking.
Your heart is an engine that circulates blood through your system no matter what, twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week. The least you could do is drink enough water to make all the work easier. Drinking water makes your blood less viscous and strengthens organs, including your number one blood pump.
Drinking water can make you feel more alert and ready for whatever comes your way. When you become dehydrated, your brain’s impulses may not fire as fast as they should, leading to brain fog, distorted thinking, and delayed coordination. This can be particularly hazardous when operating heavy machinery or driving. Drinking enough water gives your brain what it needs to keep you alert, safe, and thinking clearly.
Dehydration and exercise do not mix. When you become dehydrated, your muscles lose some elasticity, leading to muscle tears when certain body parts are extended too far. Dehydration can make you feel lightheaded during exercise. You might pass out and hit your head or injure yourself another way. Drink adequate water, and you’ll have more energy and a greater ability to flex your joints and muscles. You’ll be thinking enough to make exercise easier and more enjoyable for the duration.
You will have an easier time swallowing and digesting food when drinking at least eight cups of water daily. Think of it as putting oil in your car. Water ensures all your body parts work efficiently, your digestive system included.
You can’t ignore the effect drinking adequate water levels has on your skin. Drinking enough water gives your skin a healthy glow. When you experience skin damage, such as a sunburn or cut, drinking water helps your skin heal more efficiently. If you want to look your best, proper water consumption is where it’s at. Here’s another thing. Drinking water keeps your appetite under control.
A study of people who drank two cups of water before each meal found that they ended up eating 600 fewer calories compared to those who didn’t drink any water. With all these benefits of drinking water, try to make it a point always to have a water bottle or other water source nearby. You’ll feel better and less hungry overall.
Sometimes, hunger isn’t about food at all.
Emotional hunger can stem from:
A woman is eating pancakes with a knife and fork. Sometimes, hunger is caused by unhealthy lifestyle habits. You always reach for a snack each day after lunch, which tricks your body into becoming accustomed to eating at that time. Your stomach may begin to growl at the exact hour you usually reach for the candy bowl or other snack of choice. You may find yourself overeating while sitting in front of the television.
The TV is hypnotizing. Before you know it, you begin eating without knowing how many calories you consume. You’re so engrossed in the images flashing on the screen and the taste of whatever you’re eating that it’s only later when the guilt sets in. The best way to combat these habits is to keep a food journal. Record when you eat, the environments you usually eat in, your mood while eating, and any other details you think are important.
That way, you can become aware of when and how you eat, helping you break through and bypass unhealthy habits.
You might be hungry because you burn more calories than you consume. If you participate in high-intensity exercise or long-duration physical activity like marathon running, you might have a faster metabolism than average. Your body will remain hungry to signal when it’s time to eat, fueling your fat-burning engine.
A study on those who drank 1.5 ounces of alcohol before eating lunch found they ate three hundred extra calories during the meal than those who only drank 0.3 ounces. Those who drank alcohol ate 10% more calories during the day than those who drank less. Alcohol makes you hungrier and leads to poor self-control, making it easier to overindulge. These are just a few of the reasons you might always feel hungry. Other reasons include medications you might be taking, eating too fast, stress, and an underlying medical condition.
Certain health issues can drive abnormal hunger patterns, including:
Dips in blood sugar can leave you feeling hungrier than normal. When your blood sugar levels fall too low, you usually feel it. You might suddenly become dizzy and sleepy with an elevated heartbeat. Blood sugar rises when you eat foods high in carbohydrates. That’s why you should eat foods higher in protein, fiber, and fat. These healthier selections balance blood sugar, keeping you full. Carb-heavy foods are broken down into glucose by your body. Glucose (sugar) is your body’s preferred source of fuel. As food is digested, glucose enters your bloodstream, where it is met by insulin.
Insulin regulates blood sugar and helps glucose enter the walls of your cells for energy. When your blood sugar plummets, your cells fail to obtain adequate energy levels. Your body will signal that it needs to re-fuel, making you feel hungry. You might be sweaty, shaky, and hungry when glucose levels drop super low. A blood sugar test with a simple finger prick can help you determine your blood sugar levels.
A study showed that eating slowly (up to twenty-four minutes) made the test subjects feel fuller for up to two hours post-meal. They consumed 25% fewer calories from snacks three hours after meals than the group that ate within six minutes.
Find out how much you need to eat for your body type and activity level. Use a calorie counting app on your phone or food diary to help you track your calories and macronutrients daily. Most of us need over 1,200 calories per day to function. If you are restricting your body too much, your hunger might be your body signaling that you need more food.
Regarding protein, fill your plates with meats, eggs, beans, and nuts. Fiber-rich foods include whole grains, sunflowers, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy fat options include fatty fish, olive oil, avocado, and flax seeds.
Check with your doctor to see if hypoglycemia or diabetes are leading to your sensations of extreme hunger. After a series of tests, you can receive an official diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Fortunately, you can influence these hormones through lifestyle interventions and medical support:
Many patients are surprised to experience hunger after weight loss surgery, such as a gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. While surgery helps reduce physical stomach size, hormonal shifts still occur.
You may feel hungry if:
We help patients navigate these challenges through post-op nutrition support and follow-up care.
Feeling hungry all the time can lead to overeating. When you add in the processed food that composes the typical American diet, you get a recipe for a high body mass index or BMI. BMI measures your height compared to your weight to determine how much of your body is lean muscle, organs, and bones and how much is composed of fatty tissue.
Overweight and obese individuals have BMIs greater than 35 kg/m. You can use a BMI calculator to determine your BMI. When you achieve a BMI category of overweight or obese, you may find it difficult to lose weight. Ghrelin, leptin, and your metabolism can become unbalanced due to the effects carrying excess fat has on your body.
Feeling hungry all the time compounds weight loss. And the scale may not move, no matter how much you diet or exercise.
Weight loss surgery can help
Bariatric (weight loss) surgery is a set of surgical procedures designed to help you lose weight quickly. These popular procedures are ideal if extreme hunger has contributed to your being overweight or obese. Bariatric surgeries also effectively treat obesity comorbidities like type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and heart disease.
Being hungry all the time is annoying, and carrying around excess weight is cumbersome and taxing on your health. Isn’t it time you did something about it?
If you’d like to learn more about bariatric surgery to combat obesity, call Healthy Life Bariatrics. Contact our board-certified surgical center anytime in Southern California to discuss popular weight loss procedures like gastric sleeve and bypass. Dial now – (310)861-4093.
