You ever finish a large meal, but you’re still feeling hungry after eating?

How can that be? Your entire purpose in eating the meal was to not feel hungry.

So you ask, why do I feel hungry after I eat?

Not feeling full is a real problem. Especially if you’re trying to eat healthier.

You’re either going to suffer through the hunger (which will ultimately lead you back to old habits). Or you’ll keep eating and end up consuming too much food.

Well, you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy.

Why You Are Still Hungry After Eating

If you are still hungry after eating it is usually from one of two factors.

First, feeling hungry after eating can be caused by a decreased sensitivity to a hormone called leptin.

Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells and released after you eat. It tells your brain you are no longer hungry after you have eaten. If your brain is partially “blind” to that signal, you lose the ability to feel full.

The other reason to be still hungry after eating is from eating too many carbs which creates elevated serotonin levels.

Eating a lot of carbs raises your serotonin levels. This hormone makes you feel better. Thus, this increased release raises your appetite for more carbs. Even when you should feel full after eating. Many studies have confirmed this.

Next time you’re eating a break meal consisting of mostly carbohydrates, note when you feel full. Then do the same thing with a meal containing mostly protein or fat. Let me know which meal you eat and still feel hungry.

If most of your meals are predominantly carbohydrates, you may be finding yourself asking “why do I constantly feel hungry even after eating?” Read on to find out why.

A Professional Observation…

I constantly reinforce that what you eat is more important than your workout to reach your fitness goals.

Over the years many clients have complained to me about feeling hungry after eating. In these cases, I’ve made several observations.

The three observations we’ll review that stand out the most are:

1. Many people consume carbohydrates as a majority of their calories. They state they are still hungry after eating.
2. Individuals who are overweight comment they’re sometimes still hungry after eating.
3. Finally, individuals who eat more quality proteins and fats don’t make such comments.

Is this scientific research? No (but there’s a lot to be said for three decades of observing hundreds of cases).

So, I decided to dive back into this topic and first crack the textbooks. Then I looked over the more recent quality research to back up my observations.

There are some real connections between how our brain regulates hunger/satiety. As well as the behavior and feelings that these “signals” elicit.

There are many layers to understanding why you’re feeling hungry after eating. We will start with the complexity of communication in your central nervous system.

I’m sure none of you are asking “what does hunger feel like?” But we will answer the following questions below:

1. What is the difference between hunger and appetite?
2. What role does the stomach play in feelings of hunger?
3. Why do I constantly feel hungry even after eating?
4. Why am I so hungry?
5. How to not feel hungry?

Let’s dig in…

Starting with the very important difference between satiety, hunger, and appetite.

What is satiety?

Satiety is a sensation that stops hunger. It’s the feeling we have when we’ve eaten enough.

You know it as the satisfaction that you’ve consumed enough food to not feel shaky, irritable or “hollow in your gut.”

Thus, if you’re still feeling hungry after eating, you are NOT satiated.

What is hunger?

Hunger is more specific than you think.

Hunger is the feeling we have when we need to eat. It is triggered by the hypothalamus as a means to regulate energy balance.

So what is appetite?

Appetite a learned response. It’s a desire to eat. We can experience an appetite without hunger and vice-versa. Sometimes appetite is the only contributing factor of feeling hungry after eating. To date, we still have more to learn about the chemical changes that influence appetite.

Appetite is typically a result of external factors and learned behavior, such as:

• Stress
• Mood
• Boredom
• Availability
• Social pressure
• Celebrations (always seem to involve food)

We all know the perfect example when you’ve eaten a large celebration meal. You’re totally satiated and then dessert is presented.

Bam! Now you have an appetite again based on an external factor that caused an emotional desire. No doubt, you have all experienced this feeling. And you know how powerful it is over our behavior.

So, How do Hunger and Appetite Differ?

Hunger differs in that it is an internal physiological response. You will experience hunger because of your body’s need to eat. Meanwhile, appetite is based on external factors, such as social norms. These are often learned responses. Reasons may vary based on any number of outside influences.

What Role Does the Stomach Play in Feelings of Hunger?

The stomach plays a large role in the feeling of hunger. Your stomach produces a hormone called Ghrelin. As your stomach empties out, it releases ghrelin to the brain. This stimulates hunger by decreasing the activity of hunger-inhibiting cells. While also triggering hunger-causing nerve cells.

The feeling of hunger isn’t just from the stomach though.

Let’s take a journey from top to bottom through the gastrointestinal tract. It obviously begins in the:

• Mouth: chewing and initial enzymes for carbohydrate digestion introduced via saliva
• Esophagus: passage to stomach
• Stomach: Stomach acid denatures protein (breaks down by unraveling proteins). It also mixes and churns food into a liquid mass
• Small Intestine: Enzymes are secreted to digest all foods to nutrient particles. Cells in the walls absorb nutrients into the blood and lymph system.
• Large intestine: This is where water is reabsorbed as well as minerals. Bacteria use some of the nutrients to create nutrients essential to us.
• Rectum: Stores our waste until we’re ready and able to eliminate.

The following are important to mention:

• Liver: Produces bile, but has so many more important roles that we could do a whole other article on in the future. I believe it is the most important organ in the body.
• Gallbladder: stores our bile until it’s needed.
• Pancreas: Responsible for the production of insulin and enzymes for digestion. Also for the production of bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid.

What hormones deliver the message?

The next few sections are where it gets fun if you dig physiology!

There are four very specific hormones that deliver a message to the hypothalamus. But this is only a glimpse into the complexities of the communications between the brain and the gut. We’re still learning.

Ghrelin is your hunger signal. It is a neuropeptideSome function like local hormones while others function like neurotransmitters and are made up of polypeptides (chains of amino acids). produced in the gastrointestinal tract. When the stomach is empty Ghrelin is released, promoting eating.

Leptin is made by white fat cells and circulates in the bloodstream. It reduces food intake. It binds to receptors that activate the medial hypothalamus (promotes satiety). This inhibits the lateral hypothalamus to suppress hunger. It is thought to be part of a negative feedback loop that helps with our long-term fat store “set point.” When fat increases, more leptin is released, suppressing eating. When fat stores drop, leptin levels drop. Thus reducing that feedback (which may indirectly promote eating).

Cholecystokinin (CCK) – As your gastric compartments fill CCK is released. This circulates in the bloodstream. It also stimulates vagal signals that go to the brainstem. Eating stops.

Insulin reduces food intake by binding to receptors in the medial hypothalamus. It functions similarly to leptin in suppressing eating behavior.

Ironically, in obese individuals, there’s a decrease in leptin sensitivity. This results in a mild inability to detect satiety. This may be one key factor contributing to being hungry after eating. Remember this part.

How is the brain involved?

The hypothalamus is a very important part of the brain (what part isn’t…) that regulates hunger.

In fact, it coordinates several systems into appropriate behaviors. They are the endocrine, autonomicPart of the nervous system that we have no control over, i.e, it autoregulates. and somatic motor systemsPart of the nervous system that we have full control over, e.g., using your muscles to lift something..It’s located near the base of the brain (if you’re interested). And the part of the hypothalamus that we’re concerned with is the middle region.

It is in charge of some of the items listed below:

• Maintains homeostasis
• Regulates body temperature
• Helps regulate sleep
• Has a great deal of control of the GI tract

Stimulation of this part of the hypothalamus has a cool effect. It will cause increased secretion of gastric juices and peristalsis. Peristalsis is the contraction of the muscles surrounding the GI tract. The bottom line, the middle region regulates our behaviors toward food acquisition. It also regulates the feeling of satiety, which is both perceptions.

The vagus nerve is the information highway between the gut and hypothalamus and sends the information to the medulla. Which in turn relays the information to the hypothalamus. Most importantly, the signals that regulate food intake are also responsible for the regulation of our energy balance.

In many studies, animals are given the freedom to eat whenever they like during experimentation. They still regulate their energy balance very well over a longer duration of time.

We are the same way (without outside influences). But the external influences are really strong!

What is the enteric nervous system?

This GI tract has its own “in-house” autonomic nervous system. It’s called the enteric nervous system. All we need to know is that it governs over functions of the GI tract.

One of my professors always called it our “second brain.” I’ve also heard it referred to as the “gut’s brain.”

What neurotransmitters influence our behavior toward food?

We already discussed that leptin, ghrelin, CCK, and insulin. They all play a role in delivering the message to the hypothalamus.

But what hormones affect the hypothalamus to in turn affect our behaviors?

• Serotonin: It is a neurotransmitter. Serotonin is produced in the brainstem and specific cells in the gut. It has an influence on the enteric nervous system that resides in the GI tract. It causes contraction of the smooth muscle around the stomach. We’ll discuss this one in more detail in a moment.
• Neuropeptide Y: It has an effect on the initiation of eating
• Cholecystokinin (CCK): has many roles, but one is to send a signal relaying fullness or satiety to the brain.

And down the rabbit hole, we go…. The are many neurotransmitters, hormones, and interactions involved. They all play an almost endless role in our hunger and satiation behavior. In other words, there’s a lot more.

I know this is getting complicated, so bear with me and we’ll start to tie it all together soon.

Is there a difference between the sexes?

There is certainly a difference with fat-loss between the sexes. You can read more about that in my article Male vs. Female Differences in Weight Loss and Gain [Is There a Difference?].

Parigi evaluated imaging differences in neuroanatomical structures between men and women. There were differences in specific parts of the brain after consuming the same meal. This led to cognitive and emotional differences. In other words, there may be an emotional difference between men and women with hunger and satiation.

Do specific macronutrients have an effect on these neurotransmitters?

You bet they do, but the one I want to focus on is serotonin.

Consuming carbohydrates stimulates the release of serotonin, but protein does not elicit such a response.

As many of you know, serotonin was once touted as our “feel good” neurotransmitter. But that is now widely refuted in the neurophysiology world.

Many studies have shown that this increased release of serotonin from carbohydrate consumption increases one’s appetite for more carbohydrates. If you track your food intake, you know exactly the feeling I’m referring to for this circumstance.

In fact, one could think of carbohydrates like a drug that elicits a desire for more carbs.

Now let’s say there is weight gain from excess food intake. This ultimately leads to a depressed sensitivity to leptin receptorsA cell or group of cells, of which there are thousands of types that receive stimuli..

Remember, leptin is the hormone that signals satiety. This should lead to a minimized feeling of satiety (you’re still feeling hungry)!

When does satiety occur?

Satiety (you feel full) occurs when CCK and leptin send a message. The message is to the hypothalamus that we have consumed enough energy to sustain life.

We’ve pointed out the effect of carbohydrates on serotonin. We also pointed out the desensitization of leptin receptors from carbohydrates. Now we can start to see that the feeling of satiety can more be overpowered by appetite.

And this just might be the answer if you’re asking “why am I eating so much and not getting full?”

What are “gastric juices” and what role do they play?

As we all know, gastric juices are acidic and corrosive. This is to digest protein.

Secretion of gastric juices is increased by many factors. Some relevant factors are listed below:

• Sight and thought of food
• Stomach distension
• Food chemicals like caffeine

Gastric juice secretion is inhibited by some of the following factors:

• Loss of appetite
• Emotional upset (fear, anxiety, etc.)
• Too much stomach acid
• Distension of the duodenum (first part of the intestine)
• Presence of partially digested food in the duodenum

So, can you have too much stomach acid under some circumstances? Sure.

Bacteria’s role in feeling hungry

Bacteria’s role in this whole process has real merit.

However, it’s something we’re still learning about for so many physiological applications. There is evidence that bacteria have effective influence over the hypothalamus. This happens by effecting some of our hormones and neurotransmitters in the enteric nervous system.

Carabotti, et al stated

“This interaction between microbiota and GBA appears to be bidirectional, namely through signaling from gut-microbiota to brain and from brain to gut-microbiota by means of neural, endocrine, immune, and humoral links.”

This is very cool stuff!

Some CNS and GI tract disorders have been associated with disruption of the gut-brain axis and the microbiota.

In fact, we’re finding that our early years of development rely heavily on the healthy development of our gut’s microbiome. How it develops can have lasting effects on our central nervous and enteric nervous systems.

Could how it develops play a role in our interpretation of the hormones that regulate hunger and satiety?

It’s certainly worth following this new research.

It’s also an article for another time as things develop.

Sleep’s effect on feeling hungry

I have to include this part since previous literature reviews and this one.

I came across a lot of supporting studies of a scary finding. They correlate restrictions in sleep to an increased output of ghrelin (hunger neuropeptide). And also a reduction in leptin (satiety hormone).

It’s believed that our circadian rhythm and diurnal factors also play a role in the regulation of ghrelin and leptin.

In other words, not getting enough sleep CAN increase hunger and appetite.

7 ways to stop feeling hungry after eating:

1. Include protein with each meal. This will slow the absorption of the food consumed.
2. Eat your protein source first to minimize the spike in blood sugar and insulin response.
3. Minimize or eliminate the sugar in your diet. This minimizes the elevation of serotonin as well as for better health.
4. Drink a large glass of water with each meal. This will not only aid in the digestion of protein but to maximize feeling full.
5. Add vegetables to every meal. This will also help to feel full longer because of the additional fiber.
6. Avoid wolfing down your meal.
7. Keep the sweets in your kitchen to a minimum or out of site. This will eliminate “reigniting” your appetite.

How to not feel hungry

I’m never surprised when a client asks “how to not be hungry.” In the past, I always recommended timing the meals at regular intervals each day. This way they could eat before any feelings of hunger.

But several years ago, I wanted to try intermittent fasting. There’s nothing like having a full understanding of the application and then trying it for a “test drive.”

One thing I discovered was that once I evolved into a feeding pattern within an eight-hour window, hunger was not an issue. I only eat between 10AM and 6PM five days a week. I like to call it the “Window Diet.”

Hunger diminished, I remained lean without muscle loss and I feel better.

Yes, it matters what you eat within that window of time and it may need manipulation around your lifestyle.

I understand why chemically (what this article explains), but it’s cool to experience.

But, nonetheless, it has solved the issue of how to stop being hungry.

What About Exercise and Hunger?

It’s been shown that acute bouts of exercise can suppress hunger. This is due to a suppression of ghrelin levels during and after exercise. Mind you, this is acute (during and shortly after).

But a little later on, why hungry after workout?

High-intensity exercise and strength training has been shown to reduce leptin levels. This is over a longer period and independent of the amount of fat on the individual. What does this mean?

The reduced level of leptin can make one feel hungry after eating.

And because insulin sensitivity improves from exercise less is required. This translates to potentially more hunger.

But…

This is an important point. Long term exercise elevates ghrelin levels promoting satiety after the right amount of food. This is the final outcome.

So, adding high-intensity interval training and strength training to your regimen will help.

Conclusion on Why You’re Feeling Hungry After Eating

So, we’ve discussed the signals that give us a feeling of hunger.

As well as satiation and their influence on our behaviors.

We’ve concluded that hunger and appetite are two different things. They can both influence feelings and behaviors.

So, if you are consuming a high carbohydrate meal and/or are mildly overweight. There will most likely be a perception or a “feeling” of being hungry after eating.

There’s also our metabolic set point. It is the contrast between short-term and long-term metabolic needs. If you’re losing weight you may feel sated after a meal but your body wants more calories to reach its “old” goal. This plays a larger role than we once thought.

Also, external stimuli may also be giving you the feeling that you’re still hungry after eating. But this is appetite, not hunger.

Consuming fewer carbs and more protein will lead to a stronger feeling of satiety. Minimizing the behavioral response to hunger and appetite.

To sum it up…

If you’re overweight, feeling hungry after eating is often from a decreased sensitivity to leptin. Suppressing your ability to feel full.

If you’re eating a high carb diet then your serotonin level goes up. Creating an increased appetite for more carbs, rather than feeling full.

Other contributors include external cues increasing your appetite, sleep deficiency, and your metabolic set point. Reflect on your own lifestyle to identify which may be causing your issues.

FAQs

What does it mean when you feel hungry after eating?

There are several potential factors. It could be due to a decreased sensitivity to leptin. Also, if the last meal was predominantly carbohydrates, the spike and then the drop in serotonin elicits cravings for more carbohydrates. This can be perceived as hunger.

What causes feeling hungry after eating?

A decreased sensitivity to leptin contributes. Too many carbohydrates stimulate the desire for more carbohydrates. A sleep deficiency decreases glucose tolerance. And external cues (commercials with tasty food for example) can give you the perception of hunger. Even if you’re full.

How do I stop feeling hungry after eating?

Make sure you’re balancing your meals with enough protein and fat. Carbohydrate heavy meals contribute to feeling hungry after eating. Also, if you’re carrying some extra weight, fat loss will help increase your sensitivity to leptin.

Why do diabetics feel hungry after eating?

Despite an elevation of blood sugar, insulin’s inability to transport the sugar into cells can create a feedback signal that promotes hunger.

How long after a meal should you feel hungry?

If your meals are properly balanced with adequate calories, the normal time should be three to five hours.

Why do I constantly feel hungry even after eating?

Again, there are several potential factors. It could be due to a decreased sensitivity to leptin. Also, if the last meal was predominantly carbohydrates, the spike and then the drop in serotonin elicits cravings for more carbohydrates. This can be perceived as hunger.

Research and Resources on Feeling Hungry After Eating

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