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Why Am I So Hungry?

By David Corrigan

Have you ever heard of the term "satiety"? Satiety is the feeling of satisfaction that temporarily takes away your desire to eat. If either losing weight or keeping your weight under control are a concern of yours, then learning about satiety is very important!

There are two major forces that can bring you satiety - hunger and appetite. Many of us use these terms interchangeably, but they are in fact two distinct drives. Both of these drives affect your desire to eat. Hunger is primarily your physical drive to eat, controlled by your internal body mechanisms. For example, if you eat a meal and your stomach and small intestines absorb enough nutrients, they will send signals to the liver and brain to stop taking in food.

Appetite is mostly psychological. Have you ever walked into the movie theatre and felt hungry because of the smell of popcorn? Or have you ever gone out to eat and ordered a dessert because it looked delicious (even though you had already eaten a large meal)?

Fulfilling either or both of these drives can bring you a state of satiety. Most of our bodies are accustomed to eating a certain amount of food at a certain time of day. If you eat less than this, you may leave the meal still wanting more. You are asking yourself, "Why am I so hungry?" The key is to train yourself to control your appetite. If you slowly decrease your serving size at meals, your appetite will readjust to expect less and less food. This may be difficult in the beginning, as your appetite may leave you wanting more. Know that you are not hungry, and that you will survive until the next meal.

Over time you will trick your body and mind into satiety. This means that you will have the best of both worlds - weight loss and satiety. Sounds good to me!