Our bodies are smart, and always taking in the environment and listening to us. (😫like our phones). The hungry chatter is one of the ways our bodies communicate with us. Feeling hungry all the time, is not typical. But there are often common reasons why this can happen. Here are five common mistakes that could be leaving you hungry all day. 

1. You're not distributing your

This is probably the biggest one we see. Our bodies need an even distribution of food and importantly protein over the day. But too often instead, breakfast is either skipped, with a coffee with little to no protein coming until dinner. Eating a protein-rich food at each meal is one the best things you can do to keep your hunger manageable across the day.. If breakfast is a piece of toast and lunch is a small salad, no wonder you're hunting for snacks an hour later.

A few easy ways to get more in:

• Add a high protein yogurt pouch to breakky
• Sip on a Up n Go Energize Coffee flavour mid-morning (instead of your coffee)
• Swap to a sandwich instead of a wrap (choose the ones with lots of seeds/grains/wholemeal flour for extra protein)
• Add ½ cup edamame or black beans to your salad at lunch 
• Front load your snacks with protein first - biltong or jeryk, tin of tuna, boiled egg, handful of nuts or cheese, turkey and crackers (all before the kids leftovers)
• If whole foods are a struggle, a good quality protein shake or an actual protein bar can help to top up your needs. 

2. Your meal times are whack!

Life gets busy. Eating is deprioritised. Breakfast turns into morning team, lunch is non-existent and before you know it, it's 3 o’clock and you realise you haven't had anything since coffee. But your body loves predictability. It likes to know roughly when, what and how much you're going to eat, at a fairly consistent time each day. That rhythm helps manage your hunger and stops the afternoon crash that has you reaching for another coffee. Setting a target for a rough time for breakfast, lunch and dinner at minimum is such a simple hack to manage these hunger levels over the day.  

3. Your meals are missing bulk

Honestly, fibre is the new protein. It slows digestion and adds volume to your meals without the calories. There are more types of fibre than most people realise. Choosing a range of fibre types, helps to keep those hunger pangs at bay. The main types of foods to choose from are; 

• Raw foods: salads, herbs, fruit, nuts and seeds
• Cooked foods: starchy veg and cooked grains like pasta, brown rice, quinoa and oats
• Brassicas like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, garlic and onion
• Beans, legumes and lentils

These don't just add bulk to your plate. They feed the microbiome in your gut, and that fuel is key for your metabolism, your immune system and even your body composition. Try to tick off at least one alongside your protein at every meal.

4. You're trying to be "too good"

Choosing meals that add nutrition to your day doesn't make you good, and a biscuit doesn't make you bad. What actually helps is building your favourite tasty schnack into your day rather than banning it. Some nutella in your oats, a piece of choccie with lunch, a biscuit with your morning coffee. Depriving yourself almost always backfires. Having a little, earlier in the day, mentally ticks it off, and your brain and body feel satisfied.

5. You're not sleeping enough

Okay, not technically a nutrition mistake, but a big one. Sleep affects so much more than energy. When you're tired, hunger feels stronger, cravings ramp up and decisions get harder (like staring into the fridge abyss). And if you're reading this after another broken night sleep with the kids, you are not failing. It's not you, it's them hahahaha. 

There's no instant fix for those of us in the trenches, but small things can make a big difference. A few minutes outside in the daylight. Cutting caffeine off by 2pm. A big glass of water when you're tanking at 2pm before you decide you're actually hungry, and not cutting carbs from dinner because carbs help you sleep!

What if I'm still hungry?

Instead of asking, "How can I eat less and not be hungry?" try asking, "What can I add to this meal to keep me full until the next one?"

That small shift changes your whole relationship with food. If you're always hungry, your body usually isn't working against you. More often it's just asking for something it needs. Before you blame yourself or reach for more willpower, look at your plate. Could you add more protein? More fibre? Your favourite treat? Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference.

Love, Leah x

If you're looking for a personalised meal plan, access to our team of experts and the BARE community to support your weight-loss journey, the BARE App was made for you. Start today with results that don't feel like a struggle and meals that don't suck!

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