7 Reasons You May Feel Hungrier on a High-Protein Diet

Protein is known to satiate hunger and maintain fullness longer than other foods. However, hunger may still come as a surprise even with enough protein. However, protein isn’t everything when it comes to managing hunger.

1. Not Eating Enough Food

To maintain weight, the energy the body uses is matched to the energy it consumes. When the goal is to lose weight, less food is consumed than the amount needed to maintain weight. This is called a calorie deficit.

Humans have transitioned from a time of famine to one of abundant food, yet hunger cues have not adjusted accordingly. When there is a calorie deficit for weight loss, hunger increases, even when the body has excess body fat. The hunger felt during moderate weight loss is not the same as that during famine, but it can become more intense with extensive weight loss.

Pro tips:

• Define your goals for food intake.
• Connect with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN) before starting for support in deciding what is best for your unique needs.
• Know that it is normal to feel hungry when losing weight.

2. Increased Activity Levels

More energy from food is needed to maintain weight when activity levels increase. Also, exercise can be used as an effective way to lose weight for two reasons:

1. Exercise uses more food energy.
2. Exercise has been shown to suppress hunger.

3. Changes in Eating Habits and Environment

Hunger involves more than the amount of food the body needs relative to the energy it uses. Environment, daily habits, and routines make a difference, too.

For example, if a routine changes from a breakfast of a large stack of pancakes, a bowl of oatmeal, and fruit at 6 am at home to a hard-boiled egg at 8 am at work, there would likely be some hunger at home and on the way to work. Additionally, the hard-boiled egg alone likely would not satiate the hunger because the body and mind both need time to adjust to the new routine.

Here are some lifestyle factors that affect hunger:

1. Being around food, including smelling it and looking at it
2. Talking about food or memories that involve food
3. Being in a place where you typically eat (for example, being in the car if you have a habit of eating in the car)
4. The time of day that food is consumed (for example, being hungry at bedtime when breaking a habit of eating a bedtime snack)
5. Eating less food than typically consumed, even if still eating enough food or more than enough food
6. Being around people you typically share meals with
7. Taking part in celebrations, social events, or activities that typically involve food

4. Blood Sugar Levels an Hormonal Changes

Eating processed and sugary foods causes blood sugar spikes. As a result, the body releases a hormone called insulin to address the blood sugar spike, which lowers blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar is associated with increased hunger and, typically, cravings for sugary foods. This can create a hunger cycle. Increasing protein can help to prevent this, but it can still happen on a high-protein diet.

Another hormone, ghrelin, signals hunger. It can be turned on when the stomach is empty and during weight loss.

5. Dehydration

Hunger is a symptom of dehydration. Additionally, increasing water intake can suppress hunger and food intake in some people. However, this may be more effective in people with lower body fat percentages.

6. Not Eating Balanced Meals

Even when eating more than the total required amount of food, it is possible to consume too few nutrients. This can lead to hunger. For example, eating plenty of calories and protein but not enough fiber, fat, or micronutrients can lead to hunger and cravings.

7. Stress and Lack of Sleep

The hunger hormone ghrelin is affected by sleep and stress. More specifically, increased stress and decreased sleep can raise ghrelin levels. This means that being stressed and not getting enough sleep are associated with hunger.