5 Reasons You Are Always Hungry

If you are anything like me, you have probably tried every popular diet over the last few decades, looking for a quick fix. I've tried keto, atkins, veganism, and even for a brief period in my adolescence, came up with my own diet called the watermelon diet. That’s right, I ate only watermelon for a few days hoping to drop a couple of pounds.

Now, if you’ve followed along on my blog, you’ll know that the only guaranteed way to lose weight is to eat in a calorie deficit, or consume less calories than you burn in a day.

Technically, you can achieve a calorie deficit eating only Hershey Bars (another failed diet attempt of my teens), but if you’re not eating the right combination of nutrients, you’ll likely suffer from fatigue, low blood sugar, or simply just be hungry all the time.

Being hungry all the time may mean you aren’t eating enough overall, but it can also mean your diet is deficient in certain macronutrients. It could also be due to the frequency of your meals or even your sleep hygiene.

You know when you eat healthy all day and then demolish an entire sleeve of Oreos while catching up on Love is Blind until 1:00am? If you aren’t meeting your body’s needs and find yourself restricting calories even when you are hungry, you are more likely to binge at the end of the day. You end up consuming far more calories than you would if you just focused on getting the right combination of nutrients in your daily diet.

Instead of continuing this cycle and becoming frustrated when you don’t reach your goals, follow along and learn about five reasons why you are hungry all the time, and what you can do to stay on track for success.

1. You need to eat more protein.

The number one reason that people who are dieting are hungry all the time is because they aren’t eating enough protein. Protein is an amazing nutrient that helps us to build and maintain muscle, have stable blood sugar, and feel satiated throughout the day.

How it works is that when you eat protein, your body responds by reducing the hormones that stimulate hunger and increasing the hormones that induce fullness. This effect carries throughout the day too, not just at mealtime.

One study found that eating protein with breakfast actually caused patients to have lower blood sugar levels and less hunger throughout the day. You should try to eat protein with every meal and snack, but especially in the beginning of the day to feel the benefits.

2. You are eating too many refined carbs.

Refined carbs are my downfall. I love a pastry from my favorite French bakery, a warm bread basket at dinner, or a surprise donut delivery to my office. However fun they are to eat though, refined carbs are just not good for us.

Unlike high fiber carbohydrate sources, refined carbs that have been stripped of their fiber content are digested quickly by your body. Have you ever eaten a donut for breakfast and then felt like absolute garbage by lunchtime? This is because refined carbs spike your blood sugar and then are digested quickly, causing a dramatic drop.

Not only do you feel bad, but this drop also kicks your hunger cues into overdrive, causing you to feel hungry all the time despite consuming a large amount of calories. The same can be said for sugary drinks, which is why most doctors recommend you stop drinking your calories in the form of soda, juice, or energy drinks.

3. You are overexercising.

Exercise is great for your overall health. It helps you to build muscle, reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, increase your circulation, have stronger bones, and better mental health. What is also true about exercising though, is that it burns a lot of calories and increases your metabolism.

I remember learning that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps would consume up to 10,000-12,000 calories per day while training for the games. While that works for someone who is a professional athlete, it’s probably not a good idea for those of us who are lucky to make it to our one hour workout after the office.

I’m definitely not telling you to stop exercising, but engaging in frequent high-intensity exercise or performing cardiovascular exercise for hours a day can lead to increased hunger which can cause you to binge. That’s why I suggest that you switch to a routine that includes some cardio and some strength training, and not to overdo it. Try to reframe exercise not as something you do to lose weight, but something you do for your overall health.

4. You eat inconsistent meals.

Do you find that you often skip breakfast because you’re rushing out the door to get to work? Or maybe you skip lunch to catch up on more admin at your desk? Skipping meals or eating inconsistently is easy to do and unfortunately very common given our busy lives. However obvious it seems, this is one of the biggest reasons why people complain of being hungry all the time.

When you haven’t eaten breakfast, you’re more likely to take the donut from the break room mid-morning. When you skip lunch, you’re more likely to hit your favorite drive through and binge on a 1,000 calorie dinner when you get home.

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to eat regularly throughout the day. Even if you don’t consider yourself a breakfast person, try to start your day with something small but high protein like eggs, greek yogurt, or even a protein smoothie. Pack a lunch so that you aren’t tempted to skip it to get an extra hour of work in.

Eating more consistently will help your body by stabilizing your blood sugar and keeping your energy up throughout the day. No more mid-afternoon crash when you are properly fueled!

5. You aren’t sleeping enough.

One thing that is often overlooked when it comes to being hungry all the time is sleep. Yes, that’s right, your sleep schedule can affect your appetite! Have you ever pulled an all-nighter studying or stayed out too late at the bar and then woke up ravenous the next day? That’s because sleeping helps you to be less hungry.

How it works is this: sleep helps your body to regulate its production of the appetite stimulating hormone called ghrelin. Having a regular sleep schedule causes your body to produce normal amounts of ghrelin, but when you aren’t sleeping enough, your body overproduces the hormone, leading to increased hunger the next day.

Over time, the effects of not sleeping enough compound, and research has found that lack of sleep is directly tied to higher body weight and even obesity. I always ask my patients about their sleeping habits, and that’s because sleep is important for more than just your weight. It helps you to have better mental health and make better decisions. It’s when your body repairs its cells and when your brain processes complex emotions and creates memories.

Put it all together.

Weight loss feels complicated sometimes. There are a million diet plans and as many or more people telling you what worked for them. Try not to get too bogged down by the details and instead just focus on nailing the basics.

Whether you are eating in a calorie deficit or are just tired of feeling hungry all the time, follow these tips and see what a difference it makes in your satiety and energy levels throughout the day.