Why Can I Never Fill My Growling Stomach?

We’ve all experienced it. Those days when we’ve just finished eating, and literally, as we’re clearing the dishes away, our stomach feels like we should be filling our plate with food, instead of washing it.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone

5 Reasons Why You’re Always Hungry

There are many logical reasons why you still feel hungry shortly after eating a meal.

1. You Are Not Eating Enough

Have you started exercising more or just generally becoming more active? If this is the case, you may not be consuming enough nutrients to satisfy your new activity levels. Tracking your food consumption and how you feel afterwards, can help you get back on track with figuring out the nutrients you need to consume.

2. You are Dehydrated

Our bodies confuse thirst for hunger. When we get dehydrated, the brain can mix things up. This is why you may reach for a handful of crackers, versus a glass of water when hunger strikes, although that’s not what your body needs. Be sure to drink a lot of water throughout the entire day. Starting your day off with a big glass of water before even a coffee, really helps. When you start feeling hunger pains come on, drink a big glass of water first, and wait 10 minutes before eating anything. You’ll probably be surprised to see that half the time you don’t need a snack after the water.

3. You are Eating too Fast

How many times have you inhaled a meal while sitting at your desk or standing at the counter? All of us have been guilty of this. Eating too fast often leads to eating more. Your stomach may be full, but it takes your hormones about 20 minutes to tell the brain that you have eaten enough and you’re full. Slow down, chew your food thoroughly and take at least 20 minutes to eat each meal. You will probably be surprised to see that you begin eating less this way.

4. You Are Eating Junk

Eating the wrong foods, for example, a lot of junk foods, often leads to hunger pangs. When I go to a fast food restaurant, I can easily consume the large size of whatever they’re offering, and still feel hungry within 30 minutes. That’s because these meals are packed with sugars, white starches, and fats and they contain next to no fiber, protein and healthy fats we need to fill us up. Try limiting the meals you eat at fast food restaurants in particular. The more veggie and protein filled meals you can make a home, the better. You control the ingredients this way.

5. You Are Bored

During and after a meal, pay attention to how you are feeling. Are you eating because you are really hungry, or are you just looking for something to do? Most of us can’t tell the difference. If you feel hungry enough that you would eat a plate of veggies and hummus or a bowl of chips, maybe you really are hungry. When you are only screaming for those chips, than maybe you’re just bored and want to give yourself a treat. If this is the case, find another way to distract yourself. Go for a long walk, or have a coffee with friends. Try picking up a hobby you can do while watching TV – puzzles, adult colouring books or cross stitch, work for many of my personal training clients.

To Sum it up…

We’ve all experienced times when we’ve just finished eating a full meal, but our stomach feels empty. There are many reasons for this. Maybe you’re not eating or drinking enough, or your eating the wrong foods. You may be eating too fast or you’re feeling bored. To get to the root of the problem, slow down and eat more mindfully. Begin tracking how you feel after each meal and you will probably start seeing the eating patterns that are throwing you off. I would love to hear what you discovered about your eating patterns after you started tracking things.