How Hunger Makes You Emotional
Hanger matters.
It’s not just a slang.
“Hanger” is real, according to science.
In a recent study, scientists compared two groups of women: One had fasted for the previous 14 hours; the other had just eaten.
They found the following in the fasting group:
- More negative emotions — including anger, tension, fatigue, and confusion
- Fewer positive emotions — specifically, lower vigor and slightly lower feelings of self-esteem
This can be problematic when the negative emotions are linked to overeating, unsuccessful diets, and weight gain.[2]
You don’t need to be a nutrition scientist to see how those things might affect one another.
What Can I Do to Stop My Hanger
So what can you do about hanger?
If you experience it often, your diet might be too restrictive.
Try focusing less on restriction and more on adding foods that support your goals. For example, instead of cutting off carbs for your dinner, check if you can add more vegetables or protein or a glass of water. Instead of cutting off caffeine completely, try adding water more throughout your day and keep having your coffee.
Granted, everyone feels hungry at times (especially if you’re trying to lose weight). That’s because you’re in a calorie deficit-eating less than your body needs at maintenance.
But there’s a difference between being “a little bit hungry” and “so hungry I’m going to explode!”
“A little bit hungry” is normal, and with practice, you can build your tolerance for it. Learning about your hunger cues takes time, especially if you’re coming from a lot of yo-yo dieting.
One way is to remind yourself that most hunger isn’t actually an emergency, and that it comes in waves (so if you wait, it dissipates).
This is a worthwhile skill NOT because you want to restrict yourself.
Instead, it’s a tool for when you really can’t eat.
Like when you’re prepping for a colonoscopy or delayed on the tarmac.
Because in those times? Hanger only makes a bad situation worse.
Don’t Get Hangry
Another tip you can apply to decrease your hanger-ness, is to recognize when you usually eat and learn to have a meal or snack (depending on how hungry you are) even if you’re not starving. Remember we don’t want to let it get to that point. So even if you’re hungry enough to eat, but it’s been a while since you last ate, or you know you won’t be able to eat a full meal until later, then it’s important to feed yourself with at least a snack to maintain some fullness and prevent starvation.
Need more nutrition tips? Sign up to my newsletter to receive more like this or check out my nutrition services. I’ll guide you with your eating habits and improve them so you can achieve your health goals.
Reference:
Ackermans MA, Jonker NC, Bennik EC, de Jong PJ. Hunger increases negative and decreases positive emotions in women with a healthy weight. Appetite. 2022 Jan 1;168:105746.
