Difficulty controlling your appetite goes beyond willpower: it’s the result of biological impulses and maladjusted routines. Find out what’s happening in your body and how a nutrition consultation can be the turning point.
“I’ve just had lunch and I’m already hungry. I think about food all day. I know I shouldn’t eat, but I can’t stop.” If these sentences sound familiar, you’re not alone. And above all: it’s not your fault.
What is excess appetite?
Excessive appetite, also called hyperphagia or polyphagia, is the persistent feeling of hunger even after full meals. It’s not just a matter of liking to eat a lot. It’s a real physiological response, often regulated by hormones such as ghrelin (which stimulates hunger) and leptin (which should signal satiety) when they stop working in balance.
In Portugal, this problem is closely linked to the increase in excess weight: more than 57.1% of Portuguese adults are pre-obese or obese, according to data from the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge. And the root of the problem is rarely the quantity of food, but the quality, frequency and context in which we eat.
Do you recognize these signs in yourself?
- Hunger shortly after eating
- Frequent thoughts about food
- Difficulty stopping eating when feeling full
- Emotional hunger to eat when stressed or sad
- Waking up hungry in the middle of the night
- Eating too quickly, without feeling any real pleasure
- Fluctuations in energy and tiredness after eating
- Difficulty losing weight despite trying
Warning: If the excess appetite comes on suddenly, is accompanied by unexplained weight loss, extreme thirst or blurred vision, consult your family doctor – this could be a sign of diabetes or thyroid dysfunction that requires prior medical assessment.
The 6 most common causes and what to do
1. Unbalanced diet and not adapted to individual needs
Often, constant hunger is just a reflection of a maladjusted diet that doesn’t satisfy or balance your hormone levels.
2. Insulin resistance or pre-diabetes
When cells don’t respond well to insulin, glucose doesn’t enter the cells efficiently and the brain interprets this as hunger, even though there is energy available in the blood.
3. Sleep deprivation
Poor sleep can alter the hormones that regulate appetite: it increases ghrelin, decreases leptin and can raise cortisol (the stress hormone), contributing to greater hunger throughout the day.
4. Chronic stress and high cortisol
Poor sleep can alter the hormones that regulate appetite: it increases ghrelin, decreases leptin and can raise cortisol (the stress hormone), contributing to greater hunger throughout the day.
5. Insufficient hydration
The hypothalamus processes hunger and thirst signals in the same region. Mild dehydration is often mistaken for hunger and often resolved with water.
6. Excessive calorie restriction and “yo-yo” diets
Poor sleep can alter the hormones that regulate appetite: it increases ghrelin, decreases leptin and can raise cortisol (the stress hormone), contributing to greater hunger throughout the day.
Why internet diets don’t work
Between Google searches and answers generated by artificial intelligence, there’s no shortage of 1200 kcal diet plans, lists of forbidden foods and promises to “lose 5 kg in 2 weeks”. But these recommendations are often generic and based on variable information. Without understanding the cause of the increase in appetite, a diet plan is unlikely to be effective.
What works for a friend can be the mistake that holds back your progress. Someone with insulin resistance requires a totally different strategy from someone dealing with emotional hunger or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The path to your success depends on an individualized approach to your health.
What happens during a nutrition consultation
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- Complete evaluation of your profile: What works for a friend could be the mistake holding back your progress. Someone with insulin resistance requires a totally different strategy from someone dealing with emotional hunger or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The path to your success depends on an individualized approach to your health.
- Identifying the specific causes: Understand whether the problem is hormonal, emotional, metabolic or behavioral because the solution is different for each case.
- Personalized diet plan: Designed for your real life: your schedule, your budget, your tastes without forbidden foods or obsessive calorie counting.
- Continuous monitoring and adjustment: The plan evolves with you. Each follow-up appointment adjusts what isn’t working and reinforces real progress.