Why Am I So Hungry All the Time
One of the hardest things about losing weight is that you have to battle the hunger. However, sometimes you may find that even though you are eating enough food, you still feel hungry all the time. If you’re asking yourself, “Why am I so hungry all the time?” then you’re in luck. That’s what we’ll be talking about today.
Are You Consuming Foods with Aspartame or Fake Sugar?
A common decision in weight loss programs is to substitute real sugar for fake sugar. Unfortunately, in doing this, you’re asking your brain to keep sending out hungry signals.
The fact is though that fake sugars and diet drinks can make you feel hungry even when you aren’t. They also trigger an urge to eat sugary foods, causing an addictive response. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, it can also increase the body’s demand for fat storage, which increases your overall weight gain. For even more bad news, it seems that the fat stored from this response tends to become belly fat.
I know. It seems counter-intuitive After all, the purpose of sugar substitutes like aspartame and sucralose is to help people lose weight. They’re classified as health foods. However, just because something is described as a health food does not mean that it actually is one. In fact, you’d probably be surprised if you knew the truth about some of the dangers these sweeteners can present.
Cutting out the fake sugar will help your body return to its natural responses. This will shut down the urge to eat and the false hunger signals.
Are You Used to Eating at a Set Time?
In his famous experiments, Pavlov discovered that his dogs began to salivate when they heard the sound of a bell. Obviously, you’re not a dog, but you may have inadvertently trained yourself to associate a certain time with a meal.
For instance, you probably associate lunch with 12:00. Perhaps dinner is at 5:00 or 6:00. It doesn’t matter what time it is. If you have programmed your body to expect to eat at a certain time, you will likely feel hungry at that time.
You will have to gradually change your routine. To distinguish between real hunger and hunger as a response to the time, you will need to gauge the feelings. Head hunger usually fades within 20 – 30 minutes. Eventually, you will learn to get past it. However, you may need to nibble on celery or broccoli or some other light snack. Water is another good option for tiding you over.
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
Dehydration is a surprisingly common reason for hunger that is not really hunger. When you ask yourself, “why am I always hungry,” the next question that you must ask is whether you’re drinking enough water.
Your body needs at least 64 ounces of water a day. When it doesn’t get the water it needs, it lets you know through different responses. Thirst is one of the most common, but hunger is another way that your body tells you that it needs water.
When you feel hungry and it isn’t mealtime, then you should drink a full glass of water. Hunger pangs that stem from dehydration will be satiated after a glass or two. It will also buy you some more time before your next meal because your body has to process the water.
In terms of your general weight loss goals, drinking water is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Drinking plenty of water ensures that you are fully hydrated and keeps you functioning at peak efficiency. It also increases your mental focus and the health of your vital signs. For the best results, make water your primary drink. It’s better than most other liquids, and it has zero calories.
References
Dr. Joseph Mercola, “Artificial Sweeteners Cause Greater Weight Gain,” Mercola, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/04/saccharin-aspartame-dangers.aspx (2012).
