Your appetite is based on a simple principle: When you’re hungry, you eat, and when you eat, you’re full. It’s a predictable pattern – but what happens when you stop and still feel hungry after eating?
“It’s normal to feel like your appetite fluctuates from day to day, but if you’re constantly feeling hungry after every meal, even when you think you’ve eaten enough, I suggest you quickly look into other lifestyle factors or stressors.” Maddie Pasquariello, MS, RDNwho runs the Brooklyn-based practice Nutrition With Maddie, tells SELF. Many, but not all, of these factors can cause food commotion—“compulsive and often disturbing thoughts about food,” she explains. “The cravings and compulsions around food can be distracting, and even when you think you’ve eaten enough, your body doesn’t feel fully satisfied or full.”
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the physical and psychological forces behind persistent post-meal hunger—and how to deal with them. Whatever the reason, “it’s important not to completely ignore what’s going on,” says Pasquariello.
Why can you be hungry even after eating?
1. You have a medical condition or are taking medication that increases your appetite
How it works: Certain medications can increase hunger and the general desire to eat, Pasquariello says. These include a range of psychiatric drugs such as antidepressants amitriptyline, citalopram, mirtazapine, nortriptyline, trimipramine, paroxetine, and phenelzine; the antipsychotics olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine; and the mood stabilizers lithium, valproic acid, divalproex sodium, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine lithium, which are commonly used to treat bipolar disorder. Likewise, certain medical conditions and symptoms can cause constant hunger, including: hypothyroidism, PMSand perimenopause.
What to do about it: In addition to the basic pillars of a healthy lifestyle – a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, stay physically active, get enough sleepand stress management– Favoring vegetables and high-fiber whole grains, stocking your pantry with healthy foods, and sticking to a regular meal schedule can all mitigate the effects. BC Children’s Hospital in Canada. If all else fails and you are unwilling to tolerate this side effect, discuss your options with your doctor, such as switching to a different medication that might work better or starting another that may counteract it. Harvard Health.
