Why am I always so terribly hungry?

[Nomad92]

Hi.

Quick about me.

I am 23, male, physically very active and also quite fit. I am doing martial arts and a lot of long-distance walking and sometimes I go for runs too. I workout using weights and do quite some calisthenics.

But since I am able to think, and I seriously mean since I am a child. I am nearly always hungry. But WHY ? I eat a very very balanced diet, I eat high quality food ( hardly any fast-food ), I drink a lot of water, I don't do drugs, I don't smoke, I don't have any diseases or allergies, I am healthy ! 

Let's say I prepare a nice steak, some potatoes and broccoli, and a nice cup of water mixed with some juice. I eat it.. I feel not hungry anymore, but after 2-3 hours I would really like to eat some nice sushi or a massive schnitzel. Is this normal? If my body get's everything it needs, why do I get this hunger feeling all the time?

A long time ago, I started to just surrender to my hunger-feeling for like 2 months. The result was that I was getting fat. So my body obviously doesn't need it. Now I continued my normal healthy diet, and I am back to normal again, still..hunger feeling.

I can't figure out where it comes from. Has it something to do with human psychology? Are we made to always be hungry? Are we wolves in human skin? Or is it just me wanting to eat all the time ?

I really haven't got a clue.

Would be nice to find out if I am alone with this " issue ". I am disciplined enough to not eat even if I am hungry, but it sometimes really pisses me off that I have eaten something good and healthy, but still get hungry afterwards. I mean what is the point ? I eat to live and to not feel hungry anymore, but how annoying is it to be hungry AGAIN after like 2-3 hours ? This seriously sucks.

If I would be a machine, I would send a complaint to the producer.

[SunsetRunner]

It probably has something to do with a high metabolism.  

[JohnRi]

I would suggest adding healthy snacks between meals. Bananas, carrots, nuts, or other fruit.  I eat 3 meals, with snacks between meals. 

You might try eating more vegetables during your meals.   Meat consists of less than 1/3 of most of my meals.  I'll have 3 or 4 vegetable selections, and eat 6-8 servings of vegetables during dinner.  I try to eat at least 1/2 my meal as vegetables at lunch time.  I'll eat a healthy snack, around 100 calories around 11:00 AM, and another snack around 4 pm.  And another snack around 8 or 9 at night. 

Before I added the snacks I was always hungry.  I'm maintaining a 1800 calorie diet this way, and I'm almost never hungry.  Unless I burn 4000 calories the day before!  Then I'm hungry the next day!

[Nomad92]

I tried that...But I still get extremely hungry for meat and carbs.

[OCDOC]

My son-in-law is a cop, and works out like you do...he's a beast with low single digit body fat.

He eats like a maniac...lt must be 4-5+K of calories a day. He's charged extra at the local 'all you can eat' sushi place because he will eat tons of the stuff. Yet he looks like a Men's Health cover model.

I've asked him about it, and he simply says he eats when hungry, and stops when full. His only starchy carb is plain oatmeal. I asked about 'counting' etc, and he shrugs. He says he'll worry about that if/when he starts to get a gut. I note that when you 'let it go' you 'get fat'..maybe a happy medium?

Don't know if this helps, but you aren't alone 🙂  PS enjoy it!!!  Being old and getting fat after one holiday meal stinks..  🙂

[Dominique]

@Nomad92: you were the one saying in another post you were walking 20-30 km every morning, and in another post all it takes for an office worker to be decently active is to have an alarm clock loud enough to wake you up at 5:30. Now your step count is not visible to all in your profile, but if this is the case, this alone would explain why you are hungry: an activity of that level needs to be fueled, somehow.

[Nomad92]

 Yeah, but this is the thing. I eat a balanced and good diet afterwards, I even eat while I am walking. Still got a massive hunger feeling. You can't tell me that I need to eat tons of food because of 20-30 km.

HOWEVER, even on weekends I am not active at, I feel extremely hungry. It's like the hunger is with me at all time . So what does this mean? That I am not eating enough? That I eat the wrong stuff ?

PS: I do usually walk 20-30 km a day, but at the moment I have cut it down to 8 - 12 km, because I am injured. Which means, my body gets less activity than normal, still annoys me with a massive hunger feeling. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

[Dominique]

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@Nomad92 wrote:

You can't tell me that I need to eat tons of food because of 20-30 km.

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Let’s assume you walk 20 km at a moderate pace of 3.5 mph (METs: 4.8). This would take you about 3.5 hours (210 minutes). Let’s assume you’re 180cm/75cm. As a 23-year-old guy, this would put your BMR at 1765 calories (1.23 cal./min.). Your 20 km walk would therefore cause you to expend 1.23 x 4.8 x 210 = 1239 calories. Had you stayed in bed during that time, you would only have expended 1.23 x 210 = 258 calories. So this single activity required you ate almost 1000 extra calories in order to maintain your weight. Add all the extra things you say you’re doing (martial arts, weight lifting, running, more walking later on in the day etc.) and this quickly escalates.

[Nomad92]

Thanks for the calculation.

But I think I eat enough calories.

I start the morning ( after my walk ) eating some beans with vegetables and rice. At lunch time I usually eat some potatoes, fish and a lot of broccoli. For dinner I eat some miso soup, drink some milk and tea.

I also have small meals in between, in form of protein bars and fruits. So I would DEFINITELY get in more calories than even required, which means my hunger-feeling should go away. But it doesn't.

Is there any other biological explanation ?

[SebringDon]

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@Nomad92 wrote:

Thanks for the calculation.

But I think I eat enough calories.

Is there any other biological explanation ?

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There's you other biological explanation. You THINK you eat enough calories. Try logging both calories in and calories out over a few days, so you'll KNOW if you're eating enough calories or not.

If you KNOW what your daily deficit is, then you'll KNOW whether you have some other problem or if you're actually undereating.

Hope this helps!

[Nomad92]

I will do.

Cheers.

[Dominique]

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@Nomad92 wrote:

I think I eat enough calories.

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Ultimately, if your goal is to maintain, and you’re maintaining, you’re eating enough calories.

I’m not sure what your exact problem is, though. If/when you’re hungry, a signal to eat is sent to your brain (with the help of an hormone): you eat, another signal is sent to your brain (by yet another hormone) and are no longer hungry. Problem solved. A few hours later, you’re hungry again: repeat process. If it takes a shorter period than for most people, despite eating food with a decent satiating effect and drinking enough water, then you know at least intermittent fasting is not for you. You would rather be a candidate for the "bodybuilder eating style": six meals a day, every third hour.

The problems I can see are: 1) you don’t have access to all the food you need (for instance, if you live in a country at war), or you’re too poor to afford all that food, or 2) the food you’re eating because of your unquenchable hunger is causing you to get fat. I don’t think 1) would apply to the fortunate people who can afford to hang out in the Fitbit community. Which leaves 2), but you said nothing about your weight, and whether you’re gaining, losing or maintaining.

[emili]

I know this will sound snarky and I don't mean it to be, but are you bored or perhaps confusing hunger with something else? I myself think I am hungry when I am thirsty. I drink a giant cup of hot tea and all is well for hours. I don't know- aside from what has already been suggested, this is the only thing I can think of...

[OCDOC]

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@Nomad92 wrote:

Thanks for the calculation.

But I think I eat enough calories.

I start the morning ( after my walk ) eating some beans with vegetables and rice. At lunch time I usually eat some potatoes, fish and a lot of broccoli. For dinner I eat some miso soup, drink some milk and tea.

I also have small meals in between, in form of protein bars and fruits. So I would DEFINITELY get in more calories than even required, which means my hunger-feeling should go away. But it doesn't.

Is there any other biological explanation ?

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Maybe... 

Hunger is triggered via Insulin lability; carbs tend to make people hungry within 4 hours of eating. Carb eaters (>100g/day) find fasting almost impossible.

Protein digests slower, and helps release Leptin, an appetite suppressant. Protein is a very good appetite suppressant.

Fats trigger a completely different digestion cascade; one of the things released is cholecystokinin, which is an appetite suppressant.

Summary? Fat combined with protein can be an astounding appetite suppressant, especially if the carb load is small. Many strict (<20g) low carb people eat once a day...zero hunger.

If you are desperate, try a fatty protein meal and see what happens..eg bacon and eggs...have a big meal. See how you feel. Some people feel full for 6+ hours (skip the toast and potato!).

However, some people are just fast burners and are hungry no matter what they eat...

Good luck on resolving your problem 🙂 R

[SpiffyGirl]

Hi,

I know there are medical conditions that can cause extreme hunger have you thought of getting checked out by the doc

[A_Lurker]

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I know there are medical conditions that can cause extreme hunger have you thought of getting checked out by the doc

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Although there are definitely some conditions that cause extreme hunger I definitely think there are some people with screwed up hunger cues.  I myself am (to some extent) always hungry.  I've decided over the years that it's a combination of messed up ghrelin and leptin levels.  I'm not kidding when I say I could always eat.  I know I can't, but it takes a lot of work to keep those urges in check.  I drink plenty of water, try and eat regularly, etc.  I don't get as much sleep as I should, and if I'm not careful I fall into bad habits.  At the moment I've finally sucked up enough enthusiam to go back into weight loss mode.  To do this I need to track what I'm eating, and keep the protein and fat levels up.  I mainly aim for keeping the carbs under 1/3 of my calories and let the other two fall where they may.

At the moment I'm probably losing a little faster than I should, but I'll let that run a little longer and then slow it down.  I say that because if I eat well, I move more, and burn more.  If I eat too little I don't move as much and I lose less.  It took me years (if not decades) to understand that I simply can't lose weight on 1200 cals a day... as many 'diet plans' told me to eat.

[urWellnessCoach]

You probably are not getting enough of the right proteins your body needs and a higher carb to protein ratio.  Your metabolism needs to be fed every few hours, And especially after working out.

[Chrislee59]

I'd say eat more protein. I go to Weight Watchers and there are several men there who asked about the same issue. They are dieting along with their wives, so eating same meals. The instructor said that men need more protein than women. So I would check into that.

[Nomad92]

But I am not on a specific diet, I eat as I always eat and I have learnt to eat.

But you hit a point there.

This thread is old now, since then I have tried to increase the amount of proteins in my diet. It finally worked ! I increased the intake of carbs like potatoes,noodles,rice slightly and increased the protein intake by at least 15%.

 I eat a lot of eggs now, more beans and a bit more meat. I feel much better and are not hungry anymore at all. + I am not as tired anymore and seem to have more energy.

[Raelcvn]

You could try a food elimination diet. Food intolerance can cause the hungries. It's basically food addiction. When I clean my diet of my intolerances, my hungries go away. When I eat the wrong foods, I want to eat all day.