Hunger Hormones: Why Your Body Is Asking for Food (and Why That Matters)

Hunger is often treated like a problem to solve or a signal to ignore, I often have conversations with women who feel like they just cant silence the “food noise” if food if out, they feel the need to eat even when they are not actually hungry!

We often have the mindset of; Eat less. Push through. Drink water. Stay busy.

But hunger isn’t a weakness ….. it’s a biological communication system designed to keep you alive, nourished, and hormonally balanced.

Your body uses hunger hormones to regulate:

• energy availability

• blood sugar stability

• metabolism

• stress response

When these hormones are working well, hunger feels steady and predictable.
When they’re disrupted (from being ignored), hunger feels intense, confusing, or uncontrollable.

Two key hormones drive this system.

Ghrelin: The Hunger Signal

Ghrelin is released when your body needs fuel. It rises before meals and helps initiate eating.

Ghrelin also:

• supports growth hormone release

• protects lean tissue

• helps regulate metabolism

Skipping meals, chronic under-eating, and ignoring hunger cues can keep ghrelin elevated, increasing cravings and stress hormones like cortisol.

Leptin: The Fullness & Safety Signal

Leptin tells your brain that energy needs have been met.

When leptin is working properly, your body feels:

• satisfied after meals

• safe to burn energy

• metabolically supported

Chronic dieting, high stress, poor sleep, and blood sugar swings can lead to leptin resistance, where the brain no longer hears fullness signals clearly. (this happens so often with women, We get busy with our day, finally crush a meal, overeat and feel stuffed after, this send mix messages to the brain!)

What Happens When Hunger Is Ignored

Ignoring hunger doesn’t reduce appetite, it amplifies it later.

Physiologically, the body responds by:

• raising cortisol

• conserving energy

• increasing fat storage efficiency

• driving stronger cravings

This is why restriction often leads to cycles of overeating, fatigue, and stalled progress.

Supporting Hunger Hormones

Balanced meals that include protein, carbohydrates, and fats help regulate:

• ghrelin

• leptin

• insulin

• cortisol

When the body feels consistently nourished, hunger hormones calm and weight loss becomes more sustainable.

Hunger is not the enemy.
It’s information.

And when you listen to it properly, your body responds.

Join my news letter where I discuss topics like this in more depth!

Sign up under the “contact” page.

• Toddia xo