How Hungry are You?

NUTRITION

Oct 16

I think we’ve all been there… days where we seem to ravenously hungry and others where our appetite is MIA.

As I closed off my REBOOT Challenge that I ran last month, food was the focus. In particular, our habits or “default” patterns of eating.

Grab a granola bar here, snack on a few crackers there, munch on a little this and that.

And what I learned in the process, was that it’s not just about what we eat but how and why!

Hunger… that thing that fluctuates all the time.

So I wanted to explore that a little here with you, my friend.

Last week, my hunger seemed more “present”, if you know what I mean. My appetite was very present as I wanted more food than usual.

Yet, there have definitely been days where food wasn’t on my mind much and my appetite waned.

Much like our scale weight, our hunger cues WILL fluctuate from time to time, simply because we are not robots programmed to eat the same way, the same thing, seven days a week!

Let’s look at 6 reasons why your hunger fluctuates for day to day:

Poor sleep: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, sleep is an essential player in hunger regulation. Not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep, will impact our hunger. Likely, with poor sleep, hunger will increase as Ghrelin increases and Leptin decreases. In other words, our hunger hormones get off kilter and signal us to eat more… simply because we need more energy. Getting solid sleep can most certainly influence our hunger!
A Hard Workout: If you trained hard on a certain day, whether that be a long cardio session or you hit legs at the gym, you may, in fact experience a spike in hunger. Recovery needs might increase and so your body may be requiring more food to help in this process. It’s quite simple, with less movement, the less we tend to be hungry. Likewise, the more we move and the more muscle we have (an energy-demanding tissue), the more we may want to eat.
Hormonal Shifts: Hormones rise and fall, ebb and flow, cascading throughout our body ALL THE TIME. So, if it’s a week or so before your period, you might want/need more food, which is completely normal. Also, if you’re in the peri-menopausal season, the shifts in estrogen and progesterone will definitely impact your hunger. Estrogen is largely an appetite suppressing hormone while progesterone is an appetite enhancer. Both these hormones fluctuate throughout the peri-menopausal years and in that process, hunger cues WILL be influenced!
Meal Timing: This one is simple but bears explaining. Going long bouts without food is a recipe for ravenous hunger later. Eat breakfast at 8am and don’t have any lunch/snack until 3pm?? A recipe for getting “HANGRY”. Eat at regular intervals (3-4hrs) to avoid a sharp decrease in blood sugar and then an intense spike in hunger.
Nutrient Composition in Meals: I’d love to say all you need to do is ensure your eat a balanced meal but I’ sure you know that already. Make sure there’s a protein source, a healthy carb and some fat. These 3 macros are essential in satisfying hunger and providing the nutrients we need. BUT… unfortunately, sometimes a meal/snack might be higher carb with low protein (pasta dinner) or high fat with little protein (chips). This imbalance can influence our hunger cues long after that meal or snack was consumed. Remember, each meal or snack will influence what, how much and when we will want to eat in our next meal. Nothing happens in a vacuum!
Stress, Anxiety, Depression: Our emotions can definitely influence our “hunger”. By that I mean either physical hunger or emotional hunger. If undergoing a stressful situation, “eating our emotions” can be a coping mechanism for many. By the same token, some might respond by a completely lack of appetite. Having anxiety, being highly stressed or experiencing bouts of depression can leave us feeling hungrier than we normally would be or simply cut our appetite altogether.