You may feel hungry after eating due to a lack of protein or fiber in your diet, not eating enough high volume foods, hormone issues like leptin resistance, or behavioral and lifestyle choices.
You may feel hungry frequently if your diet lacks protein, fiber, or fat, all of which promote fullness and reduce appetite. Extreme hunger is also a sign of inadequate sleep and chronic stress. Additionally, certain medications and illnesses are known to cause frequent hunger.
People with Prader-Willi syndrome want to eat constantly because they never feel full (hyperphagia), and they usually have trouble controlling their weight. Many complications of Prader-Willi syndrome are due to obesity.
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.
If you're not getting enough protein, fat and complex carbohydrates, especially fiber-rich sources, you're likely more likely to feel hungry throughout the day. Each of these nutrients slows digestion and promotes feelings of fullness.
A drop in blood sugar can be one of many reasons why you're feeling hungry shortly after a meal. Making adjustments to your diet and lifestyle — such as how much, how fast, and what you eat — can help to keep your hunger more balanced.
Leptin is a hormone that tells the brain when the stomach is full. Leptin levels usually rise after a person eats a meal. Leptin resistance is a condition in which the body does not respond properly to leptin. This may result in a person not feeling full after eating a meal.
If you're feeling tired and hungry all the time, the cause could be a combination of factors collectively known as adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is not a true medical condition but rather refers to a group of symptoms that may be related to adrenal gland function.
Excess fat and weight gain leads to decreased sensitivity to insulin, which may result in the sensation of increased hunger. This can also result in a decreased sensitivity to hormones that help you feel satisfied by food, leading to a vicious cycle. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes affect blood sugar levels and hunger.
In many cases, fruits and vegetables can make your body feel full more quickly than eating a higher volume of other foods. You also can trick your brain into making that feeling last longer by mixing in some protein and fat that take longer to digest. Think peanut butter on fruit, or hummus or guacamole on vegetables.
Relearn to Listen to Hunger and Fullness. Pay attention to eating. The first step to listening to hunger and fullness cues may be to remove distractions and pay attention to the process of eating. Mindful eating is paying attention to the process of eating in the present moment with full awareness (Tribole, 2010).
Aside from diabetes, chronic stress, and sleep deprivation (mentioned above), other health conditions can cause an increased appetite, as well. Hormone conditions, thyroid conditions like hyperthyroidism, genetic conditions, and even growth-hormone secreting tumors can all cause an increased appetite.
In uncontrolled diabetes where blood glucose levels remain abnormally high ( hyperglycemia ), glucose from the blood cannot enter the cells – due to either a lack of insulin or insulin resistance – so the body can't convert the food you eat into energy. This lack of energy causes an increase in hunger.
Mental hunger can be defined as, “the act of thinking about food.” Simple as that. When you've spent a prolonged period of time in energy deficit, thinking about food becomes normal. It manifests itself in every way that it can, making it impossible to escape.
Eating regularly and in a balanced way throughout the day also will help to reset hunger, fullness and satiety cues, making it easier to move toward an intuitive eating approach.
Some common signs of fullness include:
Pressure and/or discomfort in your stomach. Beginning to feel sluggish. No longer enjoying the food. The signs of hunger have diminished.
The B vitamins that are most important to appetite control include vitamin B6, vitamin B12, inositol, and folate. They can be taken as individual supplements or, in many cases, taken together in the form of a B complex.
"Mild dehydration is often masked as feelings of hunger, when really your body just needs fluids," says Alissa Rumsey, RD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The confusion happens in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates both appetite and thirst.
Your GI doctor may order an endoscopy, a test that examines the esophagus and stomach for abnormalities that might be causing your feelings of fullness. Your GI doctor may order X-rays of your stomach, esophagus, and small intestine to check for what might be causing your early satiety.