who's hangry?

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jacksonpt
jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is being “hangry” a real thing? Can/does insufficient calories affect overall mood?

I’ve found myself overly irritable and impatient this week. I’ve also been eating at ~50% of my TDEE this week. While the deficit hasn’t been long-term, it has been significant... and my dip in mood lines up almost exactly with the drop in calories. The problem is that there are SOOOO many factors that can/do affect mood.

I’m wondering if anyone has opinions on this more substantial than, “Yep, I get miserable too when I can’t eat.”

Replies

  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I get hangry when I'm really hungry, yes. Not sure what you mean by mood. After I eat I'm fine. Just like when you're a baby and when you're hungry you cry until you are fed. It's the way we are wired biologically.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    My mood is more affected by perceived calorie restriction than actual calorie restriction. I decided to switch over to maintenance a couple of weeks ago because I was starting to feel anxious and obsessive about cutting calories. Since then, I feel way less stress BUT my calorie intake has been the same or lower than my deficit number because I'm suddenly not very hungry. I'm eating around 2000 when I should be eating 2450ish to maintain and I'm not grouchy or stressed or anything. Three weeks ago I was eating 2000 and was a mess.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Low serotonin levels inhibit communication in certain areas of the brain and plays a role in aggression.

    http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/serotonin-levels-affect-the-brain’s-response-to-anger
  • Kristenfortman
    Kristenfortman Posts: 3 Member
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    I get hangry when I am hungry and also thinking about food. Try to keep yourself busy and keep your mind off of it. Make sure you have the right ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins as well and fuel up if needed. You could always get a workout in at home if you go over a bit on your calories. Vegetables are a great thing too. Not heavy in calories but they can fill up your tummy so you don't feel a nagging hungar.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I only get hangry during PMS. But then it's pretty bad, lol!

    I can't even imagine eating at a 50% deficit though... that's just nuts (no offense). Go eat a burger.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I did alternate day intermittent fasting for my weight loss phase and that was a great process to go through, because I learned what real, true hunger was vs wanting to eat because of other reasons. When you go through days where you only eat 300-500 calories for a 24 hour period and experience what that's like, it really gives you perspective on the whole hunger thing :) And yes, there were times on my low calorie days that I was irritable and definitely hangry lol.
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    Always hungry, always hangry. Even on a bulk I still want more food.
  • fr3smyl
    fr3smyl Posts: 1,418 Member
    edited June 2015
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    All this time I just thought hangry was the Australian pronunciation on hungry :D

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