Always Feeling Hungry?

by Kris Pitcher

Lots of people have trouble eating their calories. That is, eating all of the food their supposed to eat. As we are working toward our goals to increase muscle mass, and decrease fat we need the right nutrients in the right amounts.

It's not uncommon for people to struggle to get in the protein they require, yet they somehow find it easy to eat their carbs (that's another blog *smile). These folks tend to want to drink their calories. They'll drink five shakes a day. But there's a problem with that.

Those same people will complain that they feel hungry. Now, they are getting the right amount of calories, the same as they would if they were eating the solid food equivalent. So, what gives?

Ghrelin. Ghrelin is our hunger producing hormone. When we drink our calories, we don't signal the same drop in ghrelin as we do when we eat solid food. So, we still feel hungry. The challenge is people who drink their calories tend to overeat.

If you are one of those five shakes a day people, try reducing the number of shakes and increasing the number of whole food meals you're having. See if your hunger levels decrease along with that.

The solid food does require some preparation, planning and a cooler...but once you get a system down it's just as convenient as drinking a shake and having a dirty shaker bottle to contend with. Giving your body the right signals makes a huge difference in the chemical reactions that are happening.

If you struggle with hunger, send the right signals by eating solid food meals versus drinking your calories. Reduce that ghrelin and tell your body you aren't hungry. It's science people!