Hunger

Hunger

Many athletes associate a diet or proper nutrition with the necessity of being malnourished to be able to gain results. In fact, this is not true. Let’s clear things up.

Why can an athlete be constantly hungry? There is definitely a reason for this condition. It is natural to experience hunger every 4.5 hours, provided that you have adequate breakfast, lunch, dinner and perhaps even an additional fourth meal.

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But, if hunger still comes more often than that, it is worth to start looking for its cause as very often it lies in the diet itself.

    The causes of hunger:

  1. You are constantly on a “diet” for the 35th year in a row. At first it was low-carb one, then mono-diets, keto, Ducane, watermelon, etc. You are trying to achieve results in a very quick way, wandering from one diet to another. In this case, hunger will constantly haunt you. The state of chronic malnutrition leads to violation, hence the feeling of constant hunger. The first task is to properly build a diet and fill it with nutritive products: proteinsfat and carbohydrates.
  2. Your diet has a lot of simple carbohydrates that do not include a satiety mechanism: granola, dried fruits, fruits, cookies, chocolates, syrups, honey and other sugars. Do not expect satiety from such products. Too strong insulin jumps will provoke constant hunger, try to minimize these products in your food basket.
  3. A protein-poor diet is another reason for frequent breakdowns and constant hunger. Protein is an important macronutrient that includes satiety and helps the body to regulate eating behavior. Not enough protein – much hunger.  
You do not eat fiber enough
  1. You do not eat fiber enough: very often such a diet contains a large amount of protein and fat, but there are no dietary fibers that form our microflora. And as you know, fiber controls our weight, the state of hormones and eating habits, therefore, 100 grams of vegetables rich in fiber should always be on your plate.
  2. Frequent alcohol consumption leads to increased appetite, pay attention to the quantity/frequency and try not to use this source of empty calories at all, especially for those who have quite intense and frequent workouts.
  3. Sucralose and other sweeteners have entered our lives, trying to deceive the body so that we stop eating superfluous stuff. But the fact is that they are responsible for provoking hunger through the intestinal hormones production. Avoid everything that has 0 cal, low cal and other “weight loss” foods.
  4. You don´t drink water enough! Very often the body is mistaken: it does not want to eat, but wants to drink. By reducing the amount of water per day, you increase hunger and the amount of food, thereby provoking the growth of fat cells. Be sure to calculate your water intake, drink extra water on days of intense training and control how thirsty you are.
  5. Some drugs can provoke hunger, but problems with the endocrine glands also affect the eating behavior control.
  6. Psychological hunger – here psychologists are the most  competent people to work with eating disorders.

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If you are doing everything right, but the hunger cause is still unknown, you should consult a doctor and check the hormonal background, most likely, the reason will be found.

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Sergii Putsov

Author: Sergii Putsov
Head of Sport Science, PhD

Experience: 20 years
Best ResultsSnatch – 165 kg,
C&J – 200 kg

Sergii Putsov, Ph.D., is a former professional weightlifter and National team member, achieving multiple medals in the 94 kg weight category at national competitions. With a Master’s degree in “Olympic & Professional Sport Training” and a Sport Science Ph.D. from the International Olympic Academy, Greece, Sergii now leads as the Head of Sport Science. He specializes in designing training programs, writing insightful blog articles, providing live commentary at international weightlifting events, and conducting educational seminars worldwide alongside Olympic weightlifting expert Oleksiy Torokhtiy.

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