What Can I Do When I'm Actually Hungry?

I’m sure you’ve felt this too. You wake up absolutely ravenous most mornings. Your stomach is growling, and all you can think is, I need to eat. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and honestly, my body agrees!

Then someone suggests intermittent fasting.

Right?!

As if that would be easy for someone who wakes up starving. I joke that I'd be laughed out of Bible study because my growling stomach would be louder than the discussion. But I gave it a try anyway. I could sort of make it work...until I started reading that women should adjust fasting around their menstrual cycle, their workouts, stress levels, and more. Suddenly it wasn't quite as simple as skipping breakfast.

So how in the world do we come to terms with our hunger?

Enter...fat.

Fat??

If you grew up in the '90s like I did, you probably remember that fat—especially saturated fat—was considered the enemy. We were told to avoid it at all costs. But our understanding of nutrition has changed. Looking back, I can see plenty of choices I would make differently. Thankfully, there have been many good choices along the way too.

When we follow a lower-carb or ketogenic way of eating, healthy fats become an important source of fuel. Our bodies need energy to function. When most of our fuel comes from carbohydrates, years of constantly elevated insulin can contribute to insulin resistance in some people. Even if insulin resistance isn't part of your story, many of us still spend much of the day with insulin levels that are higher than they need to be, which can leave us feeling tired, mentally foggy, and contribute to other health concerns.

Here's a simple way to think about it.

When we eat carbohydrates, they're broken down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. Insulin acts like a key, helping that glucose move from the blood into our cells where it can be used for energy. But if our cells become less responsive to insulin over time—a condition known as insulin resistance—more glucose stays in the bloodstream instead of getting into the cells that need it.

Even though there's plenty of fuel available, the cells are essentially saying, "We're still hungry." The brain receives those signals and, through the hypothalamus, sends out the message: Eat! Feed me!

That's why you can feel intensely hungry even when you've recently eaten. It's a frustrating cycle, but understanding what's happening inside your body can help explain why willpower alone often isn't the answer.

The good news? Learning how different foods affect your blood sugar, insulin, and hunger can help break that cycle and leave you feeling satisfied for longer. I hope this is helpful to you! If you would like to join us for our next class together, lets do a discovery call to see if this right for you.