A Guide on Mastering Your Hunger

Oh, that hunger… that hunger can get the best of us all! And I do mean the best of us. As a coach, myself, I have had a lot of difficulty pushing myself into a specific calorie deficit, even with trying to really press into a bunch of different hunger management tools that are mentioned below. With a calorie deficit, you really do need to learn one very very big aspect… You’re going to have to learn to sit with some discomfort.

Being hungry is uncomfortable.

Plain and simple.

Now that we have that out-of-the-way… hunger.

What is hunger?

Hunger is generally seen as the physiological sensation and need for food experienced by a human. It is the body’s way of signaling that it requires nourishment to function properly.

Hunger is regulated by complex mechanisms involving hormones, the nervous system, and psychological factors. When a person’s body needs energy and nutrients, various signals are sent to the brain, triggering sensations of hunger. These signals can originate from the stomach, intestines, and fat cells, among other sources.

Ghrelin and leptin are two key hormones that play essential roles in regulating hunger, satiety, and energy balance in the body.

1. Ghrelin:
   • Ghrelin is often referred to as the “hunger hormone” because it stimulates appetite and promotes food intake.
   • It is primarily produced by cells in the stomach lining and secreted into the bloodstream, with levels peaking just before meals and decreasing after eating.
   • Ghrelin acts on the hypothalamus, a region of the brain involved in regulating appetite and energy expenditure, to increase feelings of hunger and stimulate food-seeking behavior.
   • Additionally, ghrelin plays a role in regulating metabolism, promoting the storage of fat, and influencing the reward pathways in the brain associated with food consumption.
   • Ghrelin levels are influenced by various factors including meal timing, nutrient composition, stress, and sleep patterns.
2. Leptin:
   • Leptin is often referred to as the “satiety hormone” because it helps regulate energy balance by signaling to the brain when the body has had enough to eat.
   • It is produced primarily by fat cells (adipocytes) and released into the bloodstream, with levels generally proportional to the amount of body fat.
   • Leptin acts on the hypothalamus to suppress appetite, increase energy expenditure, and regulate body weight.
   • In situations of energy surplus, such as after a meal or during periods of weight gain, leptin levels rise, signaling to the brain to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure.
   • However, in cases of obesity, individuals may develop leptin resistance, where despite high levels of leptin, the brain does not respond appropriately to its signals, leading to continued overeating and weight gain.

Together, ghrelin and leptin play complementary roles in regulating hunger and satiety. Ghrelin stimulates appetite and promotes food intake, while leptin signals satiety and helps regulate energy balance. The balance between these two hormones, along with other factors such as nutrient intake, metabolic rate, and psychological factors, contributes to the complex regulation of appetite and body weight in humans.

Types of Hunger

We can take it a step further. There are different types of hunger; physical hunger, practical hunger, emotional hunger, and appetite. Understanding these different types of hunger is necessary to maintain balanced eating habits. Your body and mind will send different signals throughout the day and being able to differentiate enables you to make food choices in alignment with your unique needs.

Assessing Needs with BLASTED

If you are struggling a little bit when it comes to distinguishing between the type of hunger that you are feeling. Try using this work through called BLASTED (Bored, Lonely, Anxious, Stressed, Tired, Emotional, or Distracted).

Take a moment to pause and assess whether your hunger is driven by physical needs or emotional factors.

1. Boredom (B): if you’re eating out of boredom. Instead of turning to food, you can explore engaging activities or hobbies to alleviate boredom without unnecessary snacking.
2. Loneliness (L): If loneliness is triggering your hunger, take a moment to address the emotional need for connection. Seeking social interactions or engaging in activities that provide comfort can be more fulfilling than relying on food.
3. Anxious (A): assess whether anxiety is influencing your desire to eat. Taking time to manage anxiety through calming techniques can prevent emotional eating and lead to healthier coping mechanisms.
4. Stress (S): Recognizing stress as a factor in your hunger cues gives you the chance to employ stress management techniques such as deep breathing or meditation instead of turning to food for comfort.
5. Tiredness (T): Fatigue can often be mistaken for hunger and rest & relaxation would be more beneficial in combating tiredness.
6. Emotional (E): Acknowledging emotional triggers can help find alternative ways to cope rather than relying on food to soothe emotional distress.
7. Distracted (D): If you’re eating due to distractions, refocus on your hunger signals. Mindful eating, free from distractions, allows you to savor your food and recognize when you’re satisfied.

If you have made your way through this assessment, you may want to continue on to see if this is a hunger that you can sit with for a little while longer or if you need to find a means to satiate it now. The hunger and fullness scale would be one of the best ways for you to be able to quantify your ability to wait it out a little bit more.

Hunger & Fullness Scale

The hunger scale serves as a tool to gauge your level of hunger, ranging from 1 to 10, where 1 signifies “Starving,” and 10 indicates being “Painfully full.”

Review the hunger scale, maybe even save it on your phone, and assess your hunger regularly. The best moments for checking your hunger levels include when contemplating eating, during meals, and after completing your food.

Regularly monitoring your hunger using the scale can help you tune into your body’s natural cues. Consider noting times when you feel particularly hungry to identify patterns. This awareness can assist you in adjusting your routine to avoid discomfort and overeating.

What range should you target?

The goal is to aim for a hunger scale range of 3-7.

If you hit 2, you risk overeating due to excessive hunger.

Conversely, reaching 8 indicates overeating, leading to potential discomfort.

The goal is to maintain a physically comfortable hunger range, and regularly consulting the hunger scale enables you to respond promptly to your body’s cues about when to initiate and stop eating.

Essentially, it’s about understanding your body and discerning how much food you actually need.

OK, we can take this one step further, and start thinking about the what now that we figured this is the time to eat!

Nutritional Needs & Appetite

Ask yourself what it is that you would like to eat whether that be for a need like a macronutrient to support your body well for nourishment or do you have an appetite for a specific taste, flavor, or texture that you need.

Maybe your needs currently are more macronutrient-based?

• Proteins, composed of amino acids, are vital for body tissues, energy production, and muscle functions. Sources include animal products and plant-based options like soybeans and legumes. This is a great focus for hunger management and muscle preservation.
• Fats serve as the primary energy store, supporting cell growth, organ protection, hormone metabolism, and nutrient transport. Found in various sources such as meats, dairy, nuts, seeds, oils, and butter.
• Carbohydrates, including sugars and starches, convert to glucose for energy. Sources include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and dairy, categorized into simple (swift absorption) and complex (slow digestion) types.

Appetite can be further distinguished through exploring the various tastes, flavors, and textures.

• Sweet: Often associated with desserts like chocolate and cookies, sweetness extends beyond that. Foods like balsamic vinegar, molasses, sugar snap peas, sweet potatoes, and even parsnips can be considered sweet. The sweetness balances bitterness and enhances saltiness.
• Salty: Represented by the perfectly salty taste of crisp sweet potato fries, this taste can be naturally found or added to a dish. Kosher salt, sea salt, and soy sauce are examples of salt additions. A salty taste enhances sweetness and balances bitterness. 
• Sour and Acidity: Sourness is exemplified by foods like lemons and vinegar. Balancing spice, bitterness, and sweetness while enhancing overall flavor are some of its capabilities. 
• Bitter: Found in coffee, grapefruit, and vegetables like kale and broccoli, bitterness plays a vital role in creating complex flavor profiles. It balances sweetness and saltiness without necessarily enhancing other tastes. 
• Umami: Often referred to as savory, umami is recognized by our tastebuds through the amino acid glutamate. Foods like beets, aged cheese, seafood, and mushrooms contain umami. This taste enhances sweetness and balances bitterness.

Other factors that could influence your appetite:

1. Spice: Although not officially recognized as a taste, spice significantly influences flavor profiles by triggering a sensation of pain rather than registering on our tastebuds. Adding spice, such as hot sauce, horseradish, jalapeños, or wasabi, can balance sweetness.
2. Temperature: Temperature impacts the flavor profile by altering the way we experience food items. The taste of strawberries, for instance, differs when consumed cold versus warm. Experimenting with temperature variations can bring a fresh twist to familiar dishes.
3. Texture: The mouthfeel of food is crucial in shaping flavor perception. Foods can be crunchy, soft, mushy, flaky, dry, moist, spongy, etc. Changing the texture of dishes can transform the overall flavor experience. For example, adding creamy avocado slices to chili or crunchy toasted coconut to a chocolate cake can create delightful contrasts.

We’ve made our way through what hunger is, the type of hunger that it might be, the fact that you are ready to eat, and now you have decided what you would like to eat. But we’re still not done here when it comes to mastering your hunger. Now I need you to slow it down..

Slow Your Eating

Before a meal, set an intention to slow down the pace of your eating and savor each bite, paying attention to how your hunger evolves throughout the meal. Try to notice the physical sensations of hunger and fullness in your body during the meal by practicing the pause.

Set your utensils down, take a deep breath, and assess if you are genuinely satisfied.

Allow yourself to stop eating when you feel comfortably full.

Eating slowly offers various benefits, starting with improved digestion. By giving our digestive system the necessary time to break down food and extract nutrients, we can prevent discomforts like bloating or indigestion. Additionally, slowing down promotes better portion control, allowing our brain to catch up with our stomach and recognize signals of satiety, ultimately preventing overeating.

Skill builders for eating slowly are found here: The Art of Eating Slowly

We have fully made it through from the start of what hunger is all the way to consuming things on a slower basis. What do we do when sitting with this discomfort feels like it is simply too much? This is something that does happen while we’re in a calorie deficit from time to time. There’s a multitude of reasons why our hunger may be enhanced.

Now we may need to work on both hunger management, and how to prioritize different satiety signalers.

Hunger Management

Hunger can be heightened by various factors, including physiological signals and environmental cues. Low blood sugar levels, irregular meal times, and extreme caloric restriction can increase the production of ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” leading to heightened feelings of hunger. Inadequate nutrient intake and emotional states such as stress or boredom can also trigger hunger, even when the body may not require additional energy. Environmental cues, such as the presence of food or food-related stimuli, and sleep deprivation can further enhance feelings of hunger. Additionally, intense physical activity can increase energy expenditure and stimulate appetite.

For meal structure help: Plate Method: Portioning Made Easy

Quick tricks

1. Start your day with black coffee to curb cravings.
2. Aim for a solid 6 hours of sleep each night to regulate appetite. If you are sleeping poorly, it has a ripple effect across everything that you do daily.  We tend to want to eat more and don’t have the energy to care about how it influences our bodies. 
3. Prioritize steps over intense cardio for staying active.
4. Engage in fun activities to distract from mindless snacking.
5. Wait 15 minutes before giving in to cravings—it often disappears. Test true hunger with celery or an apple—they’ll appeal if you’re genuinely hungry.

Prioritize the Satiety signalers 

Much more next week on Satiety & the Satiety Index created by Dr. Holt.

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I hope this helps!

With love,

Coach NIk

Additional Resources

• Understanding Types of Hunger
• How to Recognize Hunger and Fullness
• Eating too much? You can blame your brain.
• How to Break the “One More Thing” Habit So You Can Finish a Meal and Move On Easily
• Hunger, the Brain and Why we overeat

Podcasts

• SNR #166: Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D. – The Neuroscience of Overeating & Regulation of Calorie Balance
• SSD Ep: 50: Mike Israetel on Hunger management strategies, food choices,
• SSD091: Dr. Stephan Guyenet: Why do we over-eat?
• Take Your Power Back From Hidden Hungers (Instead of Overeating)