What to do if you want to eat all the time, but your weight is far from ideal? It would seem that you can take advice from jokes - hang a lock and a prohibitory sign on the refrigerator. In fact, it is simply impossible to implement - you can always deviate from the instructions and the routine you created yourself as soon as your appetite works up again, forcing your hand to reach for the sweet and forbidden. This is a series of endless repetitions, a Groundhog Day that cannot be avoided. You constantly find yourself in the position of a loser because dealing with hunger is difficult and in some situations almost impossible.
“Slavic Clinic” offers a comprehensive approach to getting rid of the problem of excess weight, one of the features of which is fractional and rational nutrition. If you eat healthy and more often than three times a day, as we are used to, you will not have the desire to eat in between snacks. But first things first.
When we are hungry, we most often do not care, which leads to an increase in appetite and a rumbling stomach. This is a significant mistake. You should understand the reasons for sudden hunger - they will help you find ways to fight and use them without harming your figure.
There are many reasons for feeling an empty stomach. This:
- hormonal imbalance;
- excessive intensity of sports;
- passion for diets, fasting days, fasting.
What to do if you are drawn to the refrigerator at any time of the day or night? Under no circumstances should you succumb to the body’s provocations, because overeating and love of junk food threatens obesity, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. But it is also impossible to leave the stomach empty, because under conditions of strict conservation of energy (both incoming and expended) and complete refusal of food, it begins to “eat” itself, which leads to gastritis and ulcers.
Next, we will talk about the factors that influence our appetite every day, and answer one of the most pressing questions: how to avoid an unplanned snack if you really want to satisfy your hunger.
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Consequences of dehydration
If you find it difficult to force yourself to drink tea or coffee, and a glass of water disgusts you, it will be difficult for you to overcome yourself or forget about constant breakdowns and overeating. The fact is that with the loss of fluid and the absence of its timely replenishment, the body becomes a magnificent pretender. We mistake all incoming signals for the urge of an empty stomach, while they only indicate a lack of fluid.
It turns out that when we should drink, we eat. Why is there such confusion? It's all due to the hypothalamus. It is he who begins to wishful thinking, confuses us and makes us run to the refrigerator again and again, buy dubious semi-finished products and other instant products.
How to help the body and satisfy the hunger behind which thirst is hidden? Everything is very simple:
- Drink the daily amount of water per day - from 1.5 to 2 liters.
- Don't forget about other sources of moisture - broths, herbal teas, fruit infusions.
As soon as your stomach requires refueling, do the following - drink a glass of warm water. Precisely warm, not hot. It will help you forget about the feeling of hunger, cleanse the intestines and normalize its functioning, relieve constipation and other unpleasant consequences of impaired motor skills.
But this simplest drink must be drunk correctly:
- 1.2 hours before a meal or two hours after it.
- The water should be filtered, bottled or spring, but not boiled or raw.
- Too cold liquid entering the body makes it difficult to absorb nutrients. Drinking on an empty stomach and warmed up, on the contrary, helps cleanse the intestines and start metabolic processes.
- You should not drink immediately after a heavy meal - this provokes fermentation, causing bloating and increased gas formation.
Don't forget that you need to be able to drink water:
- This should be done 1.5 hours before meals or 2 hours after meals.
- The liquid that flows from the tap is more likely to do harm than good.
- Drinking water at room temperature on an empty stomach helps relieve constipation. It is unacceptable to consume it immediately after meals (fatty foods, fresh fruits and berries) - it will cause fermentation and gas formation, and slow down the process of food digestion.
Why satiety does not occur: reasons
A constant lack of feeling of fullness after a meal can be caused by the following factors:
Gastrointestinal diseases
With stomach ulcers and gastritis, a constant feeling of hunger is accompanied by painful sensations in the abdomen. They appear due to a disorder of the digestive system. Hunger in this case is painful and it is almost impossible to suppress it.
Pathologies of the endocrine system
Diseases associated with hormonal imbalance and metabolism can cause a feeling of constant hunger. This is explained by the fact that with diabetes or, for example, hyperthyroidism, metabolic processes in the body proceed much faster than in healthy people.
Nervous disorders
Bulimia is considered one of the most common causes of constant hunger. This type of nervous disorder is most often diagnosed in girls who strive to lose weight and have an ideal figure. To do this, they perform actions that are unnatural for the body - inducing vomiting immediately after eating. In this way, they give themselves the opportunity to taste the food, but do not allow the food to be processed in the stomach. This prevents fat deposition and excess weight gain. Sadly, people with bulimia do not realize that they are depriving the body of nutrients.
In addition, some time after performing such actions (inducing the gag reflex on your own), the body begins to develop a habit. Therefore, even those who decided to return to normal life can no longer do so. The stomach simply does not accept food. Because of this, not only a constant feeling of hunger develops, but also a huge number of other life-threatening problems and diseases.
Avitaminosis
In some cases, a delayed feeling of fullness becomes a consequence of a lack of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins in the body. In particular, this may be a “bell” that there is an acute shortage of amino acids and B vitamins.
Stomach distension
The muscular walls of the stomach tend to stretch. So, people who are accustomed to skipping morning or lunch meals and then eating to their fullest may well develop such a feature. If this happens, it will take a very long time to restore normal appetite and get used to the feeling of hunger.
Presence of genetic problems
It has been proven that human eating behavior is controlled by a special type of genes. If a genetic mutation is present, then a person may overeat, feel constant hunger, and so on. Genetic problems of this nature do not have external manifestations, but they still have consequences. The mutation prevents appetite control at the physiological level.
What to do so that you don’t want to eat: sound sleep as a cure for hunger
Another reason why we are ready to eat an elephant every two hours, or even more often, is our chronic lack of sleep. If we go to bed at midnight or later, the level of leptin in our blood decreases, and ghrelin increases. The first hormone is responsible for the feeling of satiety, the second stimulates appetite. The result is known to everyone: in the middle of the night we get up and go to the refrigerator to kill the worm.
The body, which has not been given proper rest, is forced to look for energy in food. But we cannot refuse him: we load up on sweets, fatty foods, and starchy foods. By the way, such a reaction is possible even when we don’t want to eat at all. It shows the desire to keep yourself busy with something. Snacking instead of sleeping has ruined more than one figure.
In this case, there is only one piece of advice: the correct daily routine will help you get rid of the feeling of hunger. If you get up at seven and go to bed at ten, you won't want to head to the kitchen before bed. You will also get rid of fatigue in the morning, apathy and heaviness in the stomach that occurs after a night raid on the refrigerator.
Why are you hungry?
Glucose is mainly responsible for the feeling of hunger When its level in the blood falls, appetite increases, and vice versa - when sugar levels rise, appetite decreases. “Glucose detectors” regularly transmit information to the brain, in particular to the hypothalamus, located in the central part of the brain, about the amount of glucose in the blood.
There is the satiety center, which regulates appetite through two compounds: neuropeptide Y, which signals hunger and slows metabolism, and neuropeptide CART, which speeds up metabolism, suppressing appetite.
Photo source: daniellehelm / CC BY
The hypothalamus also cooperates with cholecystokinin, a hormone released by the walls of the small intestine under the influence of food, and which causes the stomach walls to dilate, giving a feeling of fullness, and serotonin, a hormone that blocks cravings for sweets (that is, simple carbohydrates).
The hypothalamus cannot function properly without insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that is responsible for regulating glucose metabolism. Insulin triggers the production of leptin in adipose tissue, a hormone that gives a feeling of fullness, and suppresses the secretion of NPY (a neuropeptide responsible for thirst). The opposite function is performed by ghrelin - the “hunger hormone”, which is produced in the stomach.
How to lose weight if you constantly want to eat: complex carbohydrates instead of simple ones
We don't get enough to eat because there are many foods on the menu that contain monosaccharides - this is a proven fact. They do not satiate well and lead to overeating and breakdowns. Sweets and other confectionery products, rolls made from white flour - such snacks have long been recognized by nutritionists as incorrect. And that's why:
- Imagine that for an afternoon snack you do not have an apple rich in fiber, but a cake with cream. Delicious, appetizing and useless because as soon as you eat it, your blood glucose levels will rise sharply.
- After this, the indicator will drop just as quickly. As a result, you will not feel the expected saturation; you will want more and more until you exceed the permissible limit. And this is a direct road to obesity and diabetes.
Slimness instead of fullness is quite possible if you replace fast carbohydrates with those that are absorbed slowly. They are responsible for a long-lasting feeling of satiety that will not leave you as soon as you leave the table. Instead of soups from bags, prepare regular chicken broth or pureed vegetable soup, do not disdain cereals and fruits. If your hand reaches for an eclair, replace it with a pear - a healthy and light snack.
What to do if you still feel hungry?
Nutritionists have developed a number of recommendations that can solve this difficult problem of a delayed feeling of satiety. Thus, the most popular way to normalize the functioning of the digestive organs is to eat slowly. It has been proven that satiety occurs only 20 minutes after the start of the meal. Therefore, by eating a portion in 3 minutes, you will only make things worse for yourself.
Additionally, it will not be superfluous:
- give up the habit of stress eating;
- drink your daily fluid intake;
- alternate sleep and rest modes;
- stop eating foods that contain a lot of “fast” carbohydrates;
- eat right;
- undergo genetic testing.
Completing the last point is especially important for people who, due to a delayed feeling of fullness, have gained excess weight. Such testing helps determine the presence of mutations in genes responsible for eating behavior. In addition, the study results indicate a risk of obesity and autoimmune diseases.
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How to deal with constant hunger caused by stress
Nervous stress, accompanied by increased production of adrenaline and cortisol, also pushes us to overeat. As a result, we wander to the refrigerator even at night or eat on the run, drowning out the rumbling in our stomach. How to remember that food is primarily a source of energy, and not a cure for depression?
- Find other ways to comfort yourself: dancing, painting, pleasant hobbies that do not involve eating food.
- Remove everything that is harmful from the refrigerator and replace it with something healthy.
- Learn to control your thoughts - only then will you begin to control your actions.
The psychologist at the Slavic Clinic will help you decide on your own goal and start moving towards it. People come to us to overcome their addiction to food, gain weight and feel the fullness of life again. Don't forget that the products that are on our table cannot and should not control us. Contact us to definitely solve the problem of excess weight, starting from its roots.
How to get rid of constant hunger: breakfast, lunch and dinner on schedule
Many people forget that they need to eat more than once a day, or even three. We offer fractional meals - 5-6 times a day. At the same time, the portions will be small, but satisfying. This reasonable distribution of calories will help keep you feeling full and prevent your appetite from getting the better of you.
Get energy boost every four hours, watch the caloric content of your meals and avoid overeating. This will help keep your figure slim for many years.
Causes of constant hunger in men
There are also specifically “male” reasons for increased appetite:
- increased physical activity - the body expends a lot of energy and therefore tries to make up for the deficiency in the form of food;
- male diseases - these diseases include prostatitis, cavernitis, impotence, paraphimosis, vesiculitis, andropause, orchitis.
Eat more fat and drink less alcohol
When we consume insufficient amounts of protein and polyunsaturated fats, we feel hunger more often and more acutely. These nutrients promote a prolonged feeling of fullness, regulate blood cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of blood clots. But don’t get carried away with fats - they should make up up to 35% of your daily calorie intake.
If you cannot allow a deficiency of proteins and healthy fats, then with alcohol the situation is exactly the opposite - the less you drink, the better. Sambuca, vodka, cognac, and other strong alcoholic drinks whet the appetite. The problem is that drinking alcohol causes dehydration, and this is not correctly recognized by the hypothalamus. As a result, we eat without realizing that the body needs ordinary water.
Eating habits
Of course, a good appetite is great and indicates the absence of health problems. However, when it appears immediately after eating, it causes, at least, surprise. Why do you constantly want to eat and what to do about it? Most often, the reason lies in a person’s eating habits.
Dehydration
If a person is hungry, corresponding signals are sent to his brain. However, during times of thirst, these signals may be false. That is, a feeling of hunger occurs when the body lacks water. Thus, you can eat as much as you like, but the feeling of fullness comes only for a while, and then your appetite returns again. In this case, it is enough to drink water, and hunger will disappear.
On a note! With a prolonged lack of water in the body, dehydration can occur. This condition is very dangerous, so it is important to improve your drinking regime. The average person needs to drink about 2 liters of water per day, which applies to both men and women.
Poor nutrition
If the full range of nutrients required for normal functioning of the body enters the bloodstream, signals of saturation are sent to the brain. Accordingly, when a person eats incorrectly, he wants to eat constantly. A diet is considered balanced if it contains a variety of healthy foods.
Thus, it is necessary to carefully calculate the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the food consumed.
Wrong nutrition schedule
With a clear eating schedule, appetite appears immediately at a certain time. If you constantly eat snacks and chew something all day long, this may cause you to constantly want to eat.
It is also not recommended to maintain long intervals between meals. Let’s say that when there are more than 6 hours between lunch and breakfast, the human body begins to produce the hormone ghrelin. It is he who forces you to eat more than normal at the next meal. This, in turn, leads to an increase in stomach volume and even greater appetite.
On a note! Scientists have found that the lack of a nutritious breakfast contributes to spikes in blood sugar throughout the day. As a result, a person constantly wants to eat.
Rules for eating without harm from the specialists of the Slavic Clinic
- Drink more. Water cleanses the intestines, normalizes metabolism, and flushes out waste and toxins. Coffee and juice are already food, so you shouldn’t get carried away with these drinks.
- Don't forget that you need to pamper yourself. If you love dark chocolate, here's the good news: it helps trick your brain into believing you're full, even if you've only eaten a few bites of the healthy treat. But this does not mean that you need to forget about the calorie content of chocolate and overeat on it. You can eat a couple of slices before 16:00 - this is a good fuel for the body, helps the brain function and is simply a pleasure that you can afford.
- Avoiding spicy, fatty and salty foods will help keep your appetite under control. All these products are famous for causing a feeling of hunger and causing increased secretion of gastric juice.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. They contain fiber, which swells in the stomach and reassures us that we are full without needing more. An apple or pear will be an excellent snack at work, and stewed or grilled eggplants, peppers, and corn are an excellent option for both everyday and holiday menus.
- Use organic yogurt instead of mayonnaise for salad dressings. Fermented milk products reduce appetite and improve metabolism, improving metabolic processes.
- Forget about stress - it ruins your health and figure. Learn to see the bright and joyful moments in life, don’t let any little thing ruin your mood, and stop eating to console yourself. This is the path to obesity and many diseases associated with excess weight - diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension.
Contact our specialists to find a way to get rid of causeless hunger and forget about the habit of overeating forever. We will create a weight loss program that will fully meet the needs of your body, we will tell you how to count calories, eat healthy and healthy. With us, you will get rid of extra pounds and secure the result without any problems so that it pleases you for as long as possible. Come to the Slavic Clinic for a slim figure and a new outlook on life.
