Feeling sated

Hormones get released when we are hungry: NPY and AgRP from the hypothalamus, and ghrelin from the stomach.

Ghrelin levels tend to be higher in lean individuals and lower in people with obesity. It might be that high levels of insulin, needed to metabolize a high-carbohydrate diet, are inhibiting the production of ghrelin in people with obesity.

• GIP and GLP-1 are responsible for stimulating the production of insulin to regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates.
• Other hormones are involved in slowing down the movement of food through the stomach.
• CKK and PYY are vital in reducing the feeling of hunger. (Increased PYY causes a loss of appetite and is particularly high in patients who have a gastric band fitted to reduce the size of the stomach.)

Even though your stomach has a hormonal system for telling your brain it is empty, it can also raise your hunger levels at specific times by learned associations, even if you had a large meal.

If you repeatedly eat chocolate after dinner when you sit on the couch, your body can start to associate sitting on the couch with eating, and you'll experience a craving.

It seems quite easy to acquire desires for certain foods by associations, but more challenging to get rid of them.

• After only four days of repetition, your body can crave specific foods daily, for instance, chocolate.
• Any mood, even a positive one, can become a craving trigger, as long as it is consistently followed by food.
• We eat more when we are socially engaged.

After we had a big meal with family or friends, we can feel hungry at the next mealtime. It is because we have grown accustomed to overeating on special occasions. But, eating something nice once does not mean that you have to do it on the subsequent days too.

To curb bad eating habits, focus on unlearning learned eating desires.