If you’re like most people, I am sure you have experienced hanger. The non-scientific definition of hanger is: hungry + angry. Hanger is a combination of going too long without eating (usually >4+ hours) and not having enough protein/fat with your meals. Hanger occurs when your blood sugars are not regulated. If this hasn’t happened to you, you know someone who has to eat every few hours or they are a giant jerk (remember those Snickers Bars commercials?).
This article isn’t about getting hangry though.
If you’re reading this you might suffer from the other extreme.
You suffer from lack of hunger.
I know this because most of our clients struggle with this when they first get stared. This can be a result of chronic dieting.
- Do you you rarely feel hungry?
- Do you easily skip meals- intentionally or unintentionally- and not think anything of it?
- Do you practice Intermittent Fasting to intentionally decrease calories in an attempt to lose weight?
- Do you struggle losing weight or building muscle?
- Are you a chronic dieter or have a history of calorie restriction?
- Do you eat less than 2,000 calories?
- Are you over-training or not recovering (sore, tight muscles, stressed, not sleeping well)?
If you responded yes to any of these questions, your body has likely adapted to a slower way of life as a result of chronic under-eating and restriction.
Here’s how I like to describe things to my clients: hunger is your bodies fire alarm. In a healthy person, the fire alarm (hunger) is set off when someone needs to eat. This is also called survival. Hunger happens so we don’t die. If we constantly ignore the fire alarm and signal to eat, the body eventually adapts and turns the alarm off.
I am sure ya’ll are guilty of pulling out the batteries in your actual fire alarm because it becomes sensitive and annoying anytime it senses smoke. We are supposed to feel hunger. It’s a normal survival mechanism; however, the body can adapt if you aren’t fueling it so you aren’t walking around hungry 24/7. Bottom line: If you never feel hunger you are likely under-eating and or over-training and will often struggle with reaching and maintaining your goals.
We often see a downshift in thyroid and sex hormones as a result of under-eating and lack of hunger which makes seeing changes in body composition even harder. We have also had clients report feelings of anxiety, uneasiness, and depression when they chronically under-eat.
Remember hunger is a survival mechanism and is a good indicator of health.
How do you regain hunger? Here are my top tips:
- Have scheduled meal times and do your best to stick to them initially until you regain hunger cues.
- If you struggle with larger meals, aim for smaller more frequent feedings.
Have food options available for your meal times so you can follow thru. - Choose foods that are more calorically dense so you don’t feel overwhelmed with volume
- Proteins that have more fats in them per ounce vs low fat (darker meat chicken, turkey, fatty fish, beef or bison, whole eggs, etc)
- Full fat dairy
- Applesauce, dried fruit, fruit purees, honey, syrups, etc.
- Pack your Smoothies with extras- nut butter, avocado, raw nuts, shredded coconut
- Use oils on your foods- coconut oil on roasted veggies, olive oil based dressings, butter/ghee on cooked oatmeal, full fat coconut milk/cream in smoothies, etc.
- Log foods so you have awareness of how much or how little you are eating. This should also create more freedom and less restriction as all foods can fit.
- Work with a trusted Registered Dietitian Nutrition Coach to help you reverse diet. We help you gradually increase your calories to support your goals.
If you feel an increase in hunger as you get started- congrats- this is a sign of improvement! This is biofeedback that I ask clients about in their check in’s and this is considered a non-scale victory.
Do you struggle with hanger or do you lack hunger? Hit reply and let me know.
