Why can i eat so much

8 Reasons You’re Always Hungry – Cleveland Clinic

Your stomach is growling in the middle of a Zoom meeting — again. While using mute may keep others from hearing your hunger pains, it can be frustrating to feel hungry all the time.

Being constantly hungry can be caused by lack of protein, fiber and fat in your diet. Not getting enough sleep or being stressed can also affect your appetite. Registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, talks about why you may constantly feel hungry and how certain foods can help you feel full for longer.

Why you’re feeling hungry all the time

Hunger typically sets in after two hours from the last time you’ve eaten a meal.

“You’re actually feeling physical signs of hunger, so your stomach is growling, your energy is dropping,” says Zumpano. “You might also feel a little low on energy, maybe jittery.”

On the other hand, emotional hunger doesn’t show any physical signs. This is when you might have cravings for certain foods. Zumpano estimates that about 90% of us engage in emotional eating.

“If you’re saying, ‘I want chocolate. I want a bag of chips,’ that’s not hunger,” says Zumpano. “Usually, you’re searching for food and food doesn’t satisfy because you’re feeding an emotional hunger.”

You’re not eating enough protein

Protein is one of the three macronutrients your body needs (carbohydrates and fats being the other two) to give you energy. When used together in a meal, they can help fuel your body and keep you feeling full.

For example, a meal heavy on carbs will cause your sugar to spike and then decrease leading to hunger.

“When you include protein with a complex carbohydrate, it slows down the rate of glucose. This means you’ll have a gradual increase and then a gradual decrease, which makes you feel more settled and satisfied,” says Zumpano.

And think beyond meat when looking for protein to add to your meals. Vegetables, dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese, eggs, fish, beans, tofu, seeds and nuts all have protein.

You’re not sleeping well

If you’re not getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a day, it can lead to weight gain. Sleep helps regulate ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone. Not getting enough sleep increases gherlin, leading you to feel hungry when you’re actually in need of sleep.

“Sleep is ideal to get your body system to heal and regenerate,” says Zumpano. “So if you can’t get sleep throughout the night, taking a short nap or even just resting your body can help.”

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You’re eating refined carbs

Watch out for foods made with refined carbs like white flour or white rice (and yes, foods like candy and baked goods contain refined carbs).

Those ingredients have been processed and lose many of their nutrients and fiber. Eating too many refined carbs doesn’t leave you feeling full for long. In fact, it spikes your blood sugar and then when it drops, you’re hungry again.

“We tend to crave carbs and sugar because every time we have a little bit, our energy level rises. So when you’re tired, you’re using your food to create energy as opposed to your natural sources of energy,” says Zumpano.

Your diet is low in fat

Adding foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts or flaxseed can help with your appetite.

But if you’re lacking healthy fat in your diet, it can lead to craving carbs and foods high in sugar. So consider that balance of what you eat — it all goes back to needing those three macronutrients to feel full and satisfied.

“Those macronutrients are designed so that we need all three,” says Zumpano. “It’s just slightly increasing your healthy fats to the point where you feel that level of satiety.”

Your diet needs more fiber

Fiber is so good for so many reasons. But when it comes to hunger, look for foods high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, lentils, beans and oats to help release appetite-reducing hormones.

“Fiber expands in your belly,” says Zumpano. “It stimulates that feeling of being full earlier. ”

You’re eating while distracted

Popping open a bag of chips while bingeing Netflix may sound like an ideal Friday night for some but try to be more mindful of how much food you’re consuming while following plot lines.

“Mindless eating is when you don’t realize what and how much you’re eating,” says Zumpano. “You know in your subconscious that you did eat, but it’s almost like discounting that meal. Your brain doesn’t register that you’ve eaten.”

To avoid mindless eating, portion control is essential. Zumpano suggests portioning out the appropriate amount of snacks before watching TV, driving or even scrolling on your phone.

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You’re not drinking enough water

Many of us feel like we’re hungry when in fact we’re just thirsty. But before you slug down that fourth cup of coffee, consider that your large caramel latte with whipped cream is dehydrating you (not to mention adding unnecessary calories).

On the other hand, drinking water throughout the day will keep you hydrated and potentially stave off hunger.

“You could be thirsty and not understand the difference,” says Zumpano. “It’s recommended that you drink 64 ounces of water per day.”

You’re stressed

A lot of us will turn to food when we’re stressed out — reaching for that bag of cookies when we’re up against a deadline instead of dealing with the source of our emotions.

“Find a means to relieve the stress without using food to do it,” suggests Zumpano. “Find something you enjoy and if you become stressed in the middle of your day, step away from your desk for five minutes, go outside, get some fresh air.”

She also suggests using deep breathing or box breathing to naturally calm yourself. Even taking a hot bath, painting your nails, reading or knitting can help alleviate stress.

“You don’t want to ignore the emotion, but you want to resolve it with something other than food,” Zumpano says.

Is it OK to always be hungry?

Your body relies on food for energy, so it’s normal to feel hungry if you don’t eat for a few hours.

But if hunger is something you deal with on a regular basis, some people might benefit from eating every two to three hours and then having a small snack — and by snack, Zumpano means foods like a boiled egg with a cheese stick, whole-grain, low-salt crackers with cheese or an apple with peanut butter.

“Look for whole food options that have complete carbs, fiber and protein,” she says.

Why Do I Eat So Much? 8 Causes And Solutions For Overeating

It’s Thanksgiving, and you’re on your third serving of grandma’s shepherd’s pie with the extra cheese on top; it’s your Sunday dinner, and that sticky pudding has never tasted better.

All those scenarios describe overeating, and you ate too much, but it was periodic, not regular. That is totally normal and nothing to feel guilty about.

On the other hand, compulsive eating is overeating regularly, if not all the time. That’s a cause for concern and an issue worth addressing. Learn about the reasons behind it and the solutions to stop eating so much.

Why Do I Eat So Much? Causes And Solutions

For every reason we shall highlight, we also provide actionable solutions.

1. Binge Eating Disorder

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM 5), Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating condition where you have recurrent binges or eating episodes with symptoms such as:

Consuming large portions of food when you’re not hungry
Eating alone
Eating more rapidly

The National Eating Disorders Association concurs with this description, adding that if you have BED, you lack self-control with eating, experience disgust, depression, or guilt with yourself, and often prefer seclusion where you hoard food to eat privately.

While there’s no apparent cause for this disorder, medical research claims that it could be a genetic disorder, hereditary from the family, or a sign of stress, low self-esteem, or depression (14).

Solutions

Without a clear cause for BED, there’s no clear solution, but there are several ways you can try to deal with the symptoms of the disorder. They include:

Seek professional help. BED is recognized nationally as a significant eating disorder that may disrupt one’s life. A doctor specializing in eating disorders can offer the right advice, counseling, and solutions, including diets and exercise to follow or medication such as antidepressants and suppressants to take.
Keep a food diary. A food journal keeps you aware of the time, type, and frequency of food you consume. This method allows you to be mindful of how frequent your binges are. This way, you can work towards minimizing the episodes.
Remove temptations. It will be challenging to stick to a meal plan when your pantry and refrigerator store all kinds of foods, especially ready-to-eat foods. Quick access to food is often a trigger to binge eating, so cutting off and clearing temptations can help you deal with this disorder.

Read More: How To Stop Snacking: 11 Science-Backed Tips To Quit Eating 24/7

2. Stress

Some people stress-eat, and others stress-starve. The science behind it is that the nervous system triggers epinephrine (adrenaline) from the adrenal glands located atop the kidneys. Epinephrine will then begin the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, in fight or flight responses. During that period, the body will be in an alert physiological state that places eating on hold.

But extended stress periods mean cortisol levels will increase, and appetite causes you to eat, and the food is stored as visceral fat in the abdomen.

Research reveals that stress hormones affect eating patterns and strengthen the network towards hedonic overeating, which leads to obesity (12). Furthermore, stress can affect your preferences towards high fat and high sugar foods. A study on animals showed that physical and emotional distress could increase the intake of fat and sugar-filled foods (12).

In summary, stress changes our eating habits and our satiety overconsumption of food. The need to consume hyper-palatable foods like high fat and high sugar foods may trigger our minds to promote compulsive eating behavior.

Solutions

The best way to deal with stress is to work on the problem rather than dwell on it. Therefore, indulge in activities that reduce stress and may lower your body’s stress levels. Such activities include:

Exercise. Whichever type of exercise you choose, whether tai-chi, yoga, HIIT, aerobics, walking, or swimming, working out reduces the adverse effects of stress.
Meditation. The practice of mediation allows you to be one with your body. You learn to be more aware of your choices and be mindful about what you eat, how you eat, and when you eat.

Social support. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone and seek help. Stress is a significant concern worldwide because it can contribute to obesity and is a risk factor for multiple other diseases, including chronic heart disease, blood pressure, and hypertension.
Deal with stress factors. For those who work in stressful areas like emergency departments and community aid centers, social support is excellent. If your stress factors are personal triggers like too much work or an abusive relationship, take some time to find solutions to these problems.

3. Lack Of Sleep

Insomnia is prevalent in many people, but it can create much more serious problems than eye bags when it occurs too often. Lack of sleep can mess with many things, from the absence of focus due to mental fog, mood swings, and metabolic changes.

Lack of sleep affects two crucial hormones that cause appetite and satiety: leptin and ghrelin. Sleeping for short periods or not at all causes a decrease in leptin and an increase in ghrelin, leading to overeating from an increased appetite (11).

The study further states that acute sleep deprivation and chronic partial sleep deprivation or restriction can cause a decrease in serum leptin concentrations and a spike in ghrelin levels which may be causing increased BMI (11).

Solution

The answer is to get enough sleep so your hormone levels can standardize. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a healthy adult should sleep between seven to nine hours a night; babies, young children, and teens should sleep 8 to 13 hours per night; newborns, infants, toddlers should sleep 14 to 17 hours a night; finally, those over 65 should also get 7 to 8 hours per night.

If you wish to free yourself from all the extra pounds that have been weighing you down for way too long, start using the BetterMe app and overhaul your entire life!

4. Mindless Eating

Mindless eating means you eat distracted when multitasking between work and lunch, watching TV and snacking, or driving and eating. Mindless eating or multitasking may lead to a higher body mass index because it results in self-control lags and an imbalance between the brain’s cues and appetite to eat (9).

Therefore, the more distracted you are, the less likely you are to notice how much food you intake.

Solutions

These are some of the solutions you can try:

Avoid distractions. For example, if it’s time to eat, eat without doing anything else. This way, you can be more alert to your hunger and satiety cues. Therefore, turn off all distractive material or devices like TV, phones, and computers and be in the moment.
Eat slowly. Slow eating allows the brain to process information about the body. Leptin, the satiety hormone, sends messages to the brain when the body has received or if you’ve eaten enough food. When you eat more slowly, you allow the body to work at its own pace, creating balance.
Serve healthy portions. When you’re binge-watching your favorite series, you’ll probably watch for as long as several hours, so if you have a large enough amount of food, who’s to say you won’t eat it all. So watch out for the portions of food you serve and avoid large quantities.

5. Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is similar to stressful eating, except emotional eating can be due to depression, loss, grief, loss of self-esteem or self-worth, heartbreak, plus other emotions. With emotional eating, you seek comfort from food which causes you to eat continuously without realizing that no amount of food will make you stop feeling lonely, ashamed, depressed, or heartbroken.

Solutions

The solutions to emotional eating are similar to those of stress eating but focus on social support and finding ways to deal with your emotions. One of the best ways to deal with emotions is to indulge in a hobby, whether drawing, singing, dancing, or writing. Use your hobby to express and release the negative energy in your mind.

6. Depriving Yourself Food (Excess Dieting)

Dieting doesn’t necessarily result in overeating. But overly restrictive dieting, where you miss essential macronutrients, can cause cravings. For example, vegan diets can miss out on crucial omega-three acids, vitamins, and minerals; low-fat diets, low carb diets, and high protein diets can result in fewer carbohydrates in your body, yet carbs are essential for energy.

Restrictive dieting may exacerbate your response to food cues causing you to crave different foods and unable to stop eating when presented with the food. Therefore, with dieting, certain foods become a trigger to compulsive eating (5).

Solutions

First, we would suggest that if you’re on a diet by choice and not due to a medical condition, then you should try intuitive eating, a nutritional approach to eating as per your intuitive cues. The eating principle relies on the ten principles of intuitive eating, where you’ll learn to love food, accept a relationship with food, avoid restraining from food and be gentle with your body.

The following solution is to eat foods that make you feel full for longer. These are whole meals, fresh foods that are minimally processed, so they’re rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Such foods include:

Whole grains
Legumes like lentils, beans, and peas
Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, cruciferous vegetables, and dark green leafy vegetables.
Nuts and seeds
Oats
Whole fruits
Avocados

Protein-rich foods also help keep you feeling fuller for longer and regulate your hunger hormone, ghrelin. For example, one study found that eating a high protein breakfast decreased ghrelin levels and improved satiety feelings as opposed to a high carbohydrate breakfast (3).

Also, if you plan to snack in between meals, take healthy snacks like high protein, low-fat, low sugar yogurt.

Lastly, eat regularly. Skipping meals may cause weight loss, but it’s the wrong way to lose weight. Not only do you generate an imbalance in your hormones, but it could also lead to cravings and changes in eating habits. As you try to eat more regularly, start with at least three times a day, then you can include snacks in between.

Read More: Craving Meat: 8 Reasons For This Intense Urge And What You Can Do About It

7. Food Addiction

In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition (DSM-IV), overeating was included as an addictive eating disorder that should be included and recognized as a human concern. Part of the argument was that food addiction met the criteria similar to drug addiction, such as:

Tolerance
Withdrawal
Taking larger portions
Taking for longer
Persistent desire
Unsuccessful efforts to limit or control
Neglect of social or occupational activities
Continuous use despite recurrent physical problems

While binge eating has several causes like genetics, food addiction is more an addiction to eating all the time exhibiting the same behaviors as those addicted to drugs (4, 6).

Further studies reveal that food addiction involves a dopamine reward pathway that directs the eating behavior to pleasurable activities like eating or using drugs (10). The release of dopamine into the midbrain, a section called the nucleus accumbens, signals a repeat of activities that causes you to eat compulsively.

Eating can redirect the brain to release dopamine as a reward which encourages you to repeat the activity until these activities (13) dominate an individual’s behavior.

Solutions

The best solution would be to seek medical assistance to get to the root of your food addiction. Because it’s an eating disorder, you may need counseling, social support, or medication to help you deal with the condition.

We would not advise you to stay away from food as this can cause you to get health problems.

8. Alcohol Consumption

The last cause as to why you overeat is alcohol influence. When you’re intoxicated, the body loses balance. It cannot lower or inhibit appetite and satiety hormones which means you’re in constant appetite causing you to overeat (1).

One or two drinks may not have such an effect, but excessive drinking may lead to increased hunger levels.

Solutions

It would help if you cut back on drinking alcohol to minimize your compulsive eating.

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Overall Solutions

These two solutions we shall highlight below can help with all the eight causes discussed above.

Food Journals

We have already mentioned this above, but a food journal or diet tracking apps can help minimize overeating by highlighting your problem areas, especially your poor eating patterns.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, food tracking will give you awareness and help you stick to proper eating plans regardless of your intent to lose, gain, or maintain weight.

Staying Hydrated With Water

Hydration is a classic method to prevent overeating because you’re filling your body with water. While water has no direct effect on overeating, it can minimize your need to feed all the time. Moreover, choosing water over sugar-sweetened drinks can help prevent sugar cravings for sweet drinks.

Conclusion

Eating too much all the time may be a cause for concern not because of obesity or the other serious health concerns that may result from compulsive eating, but because of its mental health implications.

Compulsive eating sometimes is a mask for what you’re not ready to deal with, whether it’s because of shame, low self-esteem, depression, too much work, or retaliation from too much dieting. To stop overeating, you have to decide to deal with the problem and use the solutions above to concur the dilemma.

DISCLAIMER:

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for the diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

SOURCES:

Acute effects of an alcoholic drink on food intake (2007, pubmed.nih.gov)
Binge Eating Disorder (nationaleatingdisorders.org)
Consuming Two Eggs per Day, as Compared to an Oatmeal Breakfast, Decreases Plasma Ghrelin while Maintaining the LDL/HDL Ratio (2017, pubmed.nih.gov)
Excessive sugar intake alters binding to dopamine and mu-opioid receptors in the brain (2001, pubmed.nih.gov)
Fasting Increases Risk for Onset of Binge Eating and Bulimic Pathology (2010, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Food and drug reward (2012, pubmed. nih.gov)
Food diary (nhlbi.nih.gov)
How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? (2021, sleepfoundation.org)
Media Multitasking Is Associated With Higher Body Mass Index in Pre-adolescent Children (2019, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Reward, dopamine and the control of food intake (2011, pubmed.nih.gov)
Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index (2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Stress and eating behaviors (2014, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The neurobiology of overeating (2012, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Why am I binge eating? (2021, webmd.com)

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Why a person eats more than he needs, and how to understand it - Nauka - Kommersant

Ksenia Ton, psychologist opportunities to take care of themselves and promote thinness - the causes of obesity are unlikely to have changed during the development of mankind.

First of all, it is necessary to say about purely medical reasons, when overweight is caused by genetics or was the result of a physical injury that disrupted metabolism. In such cases, doctors are indispensable. But situations are common when either medical indicators are normal, or medical intervention has to be repeated repeatedly with less and less pronounced results. Then it remains only to use the help of a psychologist. nine0003

Food as protection

If we consider the psyche as an active subjective reflection of objective reality and self-regulation on this basis of activity, then obesity is a direct consequence of behavior that is not adequate to the requirements of the body. Simply put, if all organ systems are working normally, and weight is growing, then for some reason a person consumes more food than he needs, or one that does not fit his lifestyle. The roots of such absurd behavior can be found on any mental level, from bad eating habits instilled in childhood to deep-rooted conflict in the unconscious. nine0003

There are quite a few theoretical approaches to this issue in psychology and psychotherapy, and, of course, each of them makes an invaluable contribution to the subtle differentiation of the psychological defense mechanisms involved in eating behavior, but the essence is similar. They are:

1. Loss of control over eating.

2. Narrowing down the interests to issues related to food in one way or another.

3. The presence of withdrawal syndrome (withdrawal) when it is impossible or forbidden to eat. nine0003

Loss of control over eating includes all situations associated with both excess food and promiscuity. It is easy to notice this against the background of other people who eat much less and less often, and treat the diet responsibly and easily. The reason to eat is no longer the feeling of hunger as such, but the entry of food into the field of vision. Many people note that resisting the craving to eat something only increases the desire.

Why eating can be shameful, but not eating is scary

The moment of the beginning of food consumption is also significant: if you eat even a small piece, you cannot stop, there is no control over the situation, the person speaks of powerlessness in the face of an all-consuming desire. After that, a whole range of unpleasant experiences often arise: guilt, resentment, anger, shame for the actions taken, a sense of injustice - and all this against the backdrop of a difficult physical condition associated with regular overeating. Sometimes the constant consumption of food can, on the contrary, be indifferent: this process replaces all activity, which slightly resembles oblivion. nine0003

Narrowing of interests to thoughts, feelings, discussions and activities related to food can be expressed not only in obsessive thoughts about consumption, but also in hyperactive, sometimes even euphoric actions to collect information about diets, physical activity and other methods of dealing with excess weight. Activities of another kind are at the same time perceived calmly and naturally.

An acute reaction to the inability to eat, or one's own prohibition or restriction in nutrition, is referred to as a withdrawal syndrome (withdrawal). It is accompanied by great anxiety in the form of undifferentiated excitement, which cannot be applied to any other activity than thinking about food, one's bad state due to its absence, and doubting the correctness of the current situation. There is a feeling of injustice towards oneself, self-pity, anger towards various external influences, self-humiliation and auto-aggression towards one's own body. nine0003

"I'm stress-eating"

To explain how these kinds of disturbances arise, one must turn to object relations theory. Imagine that all our assessments of our activities were once adopted from the outside, from people significant to us, from which the idea of what is good and what is bad, in particular, in ourselves, was formed. The figures that support our naturalness are integrated into consciousness as a "good internal object" that can be heard in moments of self-support: "Everything will be fine!". And the figures negatively evaluating us, rejecting any of our manifestations, are introduced into consciousness as a "bad, evil internal object", his voice can be heard in the form of phrases: "I said you shouldn't do this", "It will only get worse." This inner censor tries to protect us from getting close to real people for fear of rejection. An internally integrated positive evaluation allows a person in stressful situations to take care of himself in an adequate way. Integration into this place of negative evaluation leads to helplessness, which requires the use of external objects to take care of one's integrity. This object can be any addiction object known to us: another person, psychoactive substances, including alcohol and tobacco, gambling, work. Food in this series occupies a special place, since it is food that is the first object of calm in a person’s life. nine0003

The value of all dependency objects is reinforced by their non-failure. Food does not evaluate us as good or bad, it does not need to agree on the rules of relationships with it, it is neutral. They say about this phenomenon: "I seize stress."

Eat to not be afraid

Thus, an important step in dealing with eating disorders that lead to excess weight is the discovery of that prohibitive message that is encrypted in a particular form of nutrition. This is often the fear of approaching the opposite sex, recognizing one's femininity or masculinity, exposing oneself to other people; it is an attempt to hide, to surround oneself with protection, causing hostility for this - and other substitutions. Observing the moment when the need for food arises helps to get closer to understanding the individual cause. nine0003

Another phenomenon that reinforces the loss of control over use is associated with insensitivity in the area of aversion. It is the innate quantitative regulator of our contacts with the outside world. But the actions of figures significant at the stage of development of the relationship to the outside world can damage the regulator. The simplest thing is to remember how some parents like to force their children to finish eating porridge to the last spoonful. The child has no other way to maintain good relations with adults than to suppress his sensitivity to the quantity and quality of food and do as he is told. As an adult, such a person cannot figure out what and how much food he needs. nine0003

Thus, the development of skills to distinguish our momentary desires, more and more subtle differentiation of the body's needs brings us closer to solving problems with excess weight. Sometimes you have to start by accepting the general fact of the importance of my emotions and myself, realizing my value as an individual, shifting the focus of attention from the need to adapt to other people's requirements to the importance of my own needs.

The issue of differentiation also includes the ability to distinguish between appetite and hunger. Appetite includes many semantic phenomena: the beauty of food, its cost, the place of reception, association in the company. This can be the same shift of need from really desirable objects to food, the replacement of other values by food consumption. Hunger implies adequate and timely recuperation. Learning to recognize feelings of hunger and distinguish them from other kinds of urges is a significant step in working with being overweight. nine0003

13 reasons why you are constantly hungry

July 17, 2017 Health

Even after lunch and a snack, one is tempted to make a sandwich with sausage and take one more candy. Constant hunger has unexpected causes.

1. Stress

Hormones are to blame for everything. Adrenaline, which is released into the blood during severe stress, dulls hunger. But cortisol, which also always accompanies stress, especially long-term stress, blocks the “anti-starvation” effect of adrenaline, and we are ready to chew everything that comes to hand. When cortisol levels drop, you don't want to eat again. nine0003

2. Thirst

Rajarshi MITRA / Flickr.com

We have difficulty distinguishing between what we want to eat or drink. And since food also contains moisture, it seems to us that our needs are partially satisfied. Try drinking first and then eating after a few minutes. Maybe you don't want to eat. And if you want, then you will not move.

3.

Blood sugar surge

If you snack on sweets or donuts, the hormone insulin enters the blood to process glucose. It breaks down carbohydrates for energy or storage. But if you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, too much insulin will be released. So much so that the amount of sugar in the blood will drop dramatically and you will feel hungry. nine0003

4. Diabetes

This is a disease associated with insulin. You may be eating enough, but your body is not converting food into energy because in diabetes, there is not enough insulin or it can't do the job. Additional symptoms: thirst, weakness, frequent desire to go to the toilet.

5. Low blood sugar

Shelby Bell / Flickr.com

Hypoglycemia is a condition where the body does not have enough fuel. It can appear due to the wrong medication for diabetes or the wrong diet, when you eat irregularly, or if you have a high load and lack of carbohydrates in your diet. If your diet is okay, see your doctor. You may have to measure your blood sugar levels and look for a disease that provokes hunger. nine0003

6. Pregnancy

Sometimes it happens that in the early stages of pregnancy, when there are no other signs, a woman's appetite increases. If there is a reason to think about pregnancy, just take a test.

7. Eating at speed

Eating and even snacking should be slower so that the body has time to realize when you are full. The sugar level should change, the stomach should fill up. This takes time, plus the brain needs to be aware of all the changes. Eat slower and you'll be less hungry. nine0003

8. Smells and pictures

Ref54 / Flickr.com

The feeling of hunger is not always caused by the needs of the body. Sometimes we succumb to tricks: we will see something tasty or we will smell something, so we are more likely to get a dose of pleasure from food. If you are hungry all the time, maybe you should go to the kitchen less often and surf on cooking websites?

9. Wrong food

Even meals from the same product affect the feeling of satiety in different ways. For example, after a portion of boiled potatoes, you do not want to eat for a long time, and after a portion of french fries, hunger picks up faster. nine0003

10. Emotions

It's not just stress that makes your feet go to the refrigerator. Sometimes we eat boredom, sadness, depression. Maybe it's all about the constant bad mood? Instead of eating, try to do another pleasant thing, but rather figure out why you can’t be happy. The psychologist will help.

11. Overactive Thyroid

Vincent Brassinne / Flickr.com

Let's say you're nervous, upset, and hungry all the time. And there seems to be no reason. Then go to the endocrinologist: perhaps thyroid hormones are to blame for everything. Then you need to be treated or have surgery. nine0003

12. Medicines

Some medicines change appetite. Often these side effects come from antidepressants, but sometimes antihistamines, antipsychotics, and corticosteroid-based medications affect hunger. If after taking the medication you feel hungry, tell your doctor about it, but do not stop being treated on your own.

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