Clearing some information up…

Hunger is NOT the enemy here.

It’s a signal. A messenger. A feedback loop from your body.

But for many women (and men) —especially those who’ve dieted for years—hunger starts to feel… confusing.

Some days, you’re ravenous.
Other days, you forget to eat.
And when you do eat enough, you feel guilty. Bloated. Maybe even out of control.

So what gives?

Here’s what might be going on ⬇️

1) You’re Under-Eating (yes, still)

If you’re constantly hungry, tired, and craving sugar—it’s not because you “lack discipline.”
It’s because your body is literally asking for fuel.

Not just any fuel, food that will actually provide it with the nutrients and calories that it needs to be able to carry out the tasks you are asking of it!

Your body will crave what you eat. Once you cut back on ultra-processed food and supply your body with more whole foods you will notice how your body craves those whole foods more.

• Think of hunger like a gas light. Ignoring it doesn’t fix the issue—filling the tank does.

  • However, if your tank takes gas and you are trying to fill it with diesel, it still won’t run properly.

  • Ensuring you are fuelling with the RIGHT foods is important!

2) You’ve Blunted Your Hunger Cues

If you’ve been in a calorie deficit for a while, your body adapts. Hunger hormones like ghrelin and leptin get thrown off.

• Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone” that signals your brain when your stomach is empty and it's time to eat.

• Leptin is the “fullness hormone” that tells your brain when you’ve eaten enough and helps regulate long-term energy balance.

  When these hormones are out of whack, this can leave you with no hunger at all, even when your body needs food OR can leave you not feeling satiated no matter how much you have eaten!

For me, currently still being in prep, I have blunted my hunger cues due to the long dieting phase I have to go through to get stage lean. BUT, if you aren’t trying to get stage lean, these hunger cues are a important cue for you to be cognizant of!

• No hunger ≠ no need for food.

• It could mean your metabolism is in low-power mode.

3) You’re Not Eating Enough Protein or Volume

A rice cake and almond butter is cute. That could potentially be a snack but is definitely not a whole meal.

If your meals aren’t balanced with protein, fiber, and volume? You’ll be back in the pantry in 20 minutes.

• Think of adding volume through; an array of different coloured vegetables

• Fiber is a super important part of our diet and most people don’t even get half of what they should be getting in a day!

• Protein is the foundation for fuelling our muscles with what they need to repair after exercise

• Build your meals around real satiation—not just calories.

4) You’re Chronically Stressed or Sleep-Deprived

Stress and poor sleep jack up cortisol, increase cravings, and disrupt hunger cues.

Those hunger hormones I talked about in 2)…those can be thrown off by just ONE night of bad sleep. Now imagine chronically under sleeping…that can contribute to that same blunting of hunger cues.

• You’re not crazy for being hungrier when life feels heavy.

  • You’re human.

  • Your body’s just trying to cope.

Now that we know all that:

✨ So what’s the fix?

✔️ Start eating enough to support your body—not shrink it.
✔️ Build meals with protein, carbs, fats, and fiber.
✔️ Don’t ignore hunger. Respond with nourishment, not shame.
✔️ And most importantly… stop trying to “trick” your body into eating less.

🔁 Your hunger will regulate when your body feels safe again.

If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve got a free macro guide that can help.
📥 DM me “FUEL” on Instagram and I’ll send it over.

Your body isn’t broken. It’s trying to talk to you.
Now’s the time to start listening.

—Tess