Another bite: what to do if you’re always hungry

Do you often feel that after a big meal, your hand still reaches for a slice of pizza and then for a cake? It seems that you have just left the table, and already want to eat again? Why does this feeling arise and how to cope with constant hunger, deal with psychologist Nadezhda Pozharova and nutriciologist Anna Garnova.

What to do if you want to eat something else after a meal?

First of all, you need to determine what you feel – real hunger or the whims of the body. Do you want something sweet, salty, something that looks delicious, or a full meal? Then try drinking fluids. Maintaining water balance throughout the day is generally a good idea, and sometimes it makes sense to drink something instead of eating, as we often confuse thirst with hunger.

If you still feel hungry afterwards, you can analyze whether your diet has changed recently. Perhaps you are undernourished and your body is trying to replenish energy reserves by sending signals: the level of hormones associated with hunger rises. It may be worth reconsidering your eating patterns and adding more foods that provide long-lasting satiety. For example, include fatty protein in breakfast: eggs, salmon, avocado.

It’s also important not to forget about the perception of the amount of food. The way the dish looks affects satiation. Therefore, sometimes a large salad can be more filling than a handful of nuts.

What should I do if I feel hungry all the time?

The reasons for feeling hungry can be both emotions and physiology. If you feel hungry all the time, you can check if you have a vitamin deficiency, if your blood sugar is normal and if you are not experiencing a hormonal disruption (in women, the constant feeling of hunger is often related to hormones).

If we are talking about internal emotional hunger, it can be caused by several factors:

• a deficit in a person’s emotional life;
• lack of attention to one’s inner world;
• fear of being alone with one’s thoughts, inner feelings (according to the expert, it is the feeling of anxiety that is most often “eaten up”);
• lack of positive emotions (when a person lacks joy, he begins to eat sweets, trying to compensate for dissatisfaction with what is happening).

What to do to overcome this feeling?

It is necessary to determine what need is actually overlapping food, because of which there is an emotional deficit. And try to compensate for it without the help of food.

However, often, according to the psychologist, people overeat because of the desire to hide from the world around them and close in themselves. Here it is important to understand whether a person is not now experiencing emotionally difficult moments. This can be not only constant quarrels with loved ones (although they also play a big role), but also the inability to express feelings, living in fear. A person should ask himself if he wants to continue the relationship with his partner? Does the situation in the family suit him? Is there no emotional burnout? It is important to look at and consider all aspects of life.

Overeating can be due to the fact that a person is trying to save himself with the help of food: so the psyche is trying to protect itself from the unfavorable effects of the surrounding world. In this case, it is quite difficult to change on your own and give up the habit of “eating” problems. It may be worth consulting a psychologist to fully understand what is going on.