Why would I still get hungry if...?

DJedz

Okay so I've been wondering... If my caloric needs for one day is 2,500 cals, and in my breakfast I consume 2,500 cals, why would I still feel hungry later on in the day if I have given myself all the energy I need to sustain myself for the entire day?

brianpperkins

For the same reason that people get hungry and eat more than they need to maintain at other times ... caloric intake is not directly tied to hunger signals. If it were, how would anyone ever get overweight?

distinctlybeautiful

Often appetite does not accurately reflect caloric needs.

I've easily eaten 5000+ calories in a day and still felt hungry. Likewise, I've eaten 800 calories in a day and felt full.

DJedz

Thanks for the quick response guys!

rankinsect

From an evolutionary perspective, the body's goal is to eat more when food is available because food is often not available; our ancestors certainly didn't eat exactly at their TDEE each day without fail. You might have a big meal today that has to last you through several days of poor foraging.

RebelDiamond

Indeed, in a similar way that bears store fat for hibernation through winter, we as humans store fat for those times when food is scarce.
The issue is now, with modern humans, is that food is not scarce. We therefore over-consume and gain fat that will not be used.
This also contributes to us "enjoying" high calorie foods (again, similar to bears who will eat the eggs/fatty areas of the salmon when they are plentiful and discard the leaner parts in order to gain fat more effectively).
Additionally, most of us (with office jobs etc) are not nearly as active as our ancestors, so we are burning fewer calories in day to day life.

brb2008

I believe that we lose the self regulation that you're talking about as children. We're taught to ignore signals over time, if we were never forced to finish a dinner or offered snacks when we were upset, possibly our hunger would be directly related to calorie needs.

I don't mean to say children will seek out a lean protein source when their bodies are hungry(they'll eat what's available and offered), but they're the most likely to stop eating when full and only ask for food when truly hungry.

Yi5hedr3

Simple - carbs. Carbs stimulate hunger.