How to suppress appetite: What dictates hunger

Key Points

• Hunger is influenced by satiation and satiety, which are informed by the foods you eat and appetite-related hormones.
• There are some natural and medical ways to reduce appetite.
• The best way to regulate appetite is with a balanced approach and healthy diet.

Do you feel like you're always hungry? Don't know how to eat less in order to lose weight? Wondering if there's anything you can do to reduce appetite?

Appetite is more complicated than just feeling hungry. There are hormones and emotional responses at play which influence how often you're hungry and how satisfied you feel between meals.

There are ways to balance that sense of hunger and satisfaction.

If you're wondering how to suppress appetite, keep reading.

What influences physical hunger?

Hunger is a lot more complex than just "feeling hungry," and hunger can be driven by more than just your body needing more food.

There are two important factors to understand when it comes to hunger and hunger cues: satiation and satiety.

Satiation is the feeling of fullness as a result of food intake, and satiety is the inhibition of hunger in response to eating. In this regard, hunger and satiety are opposing forces.

Satiety plays an important role in how often you eat. When satiety wanes and hunger comes in, that is when you experience physical hunger and are driven to eat.

Here are more elements behind hunger and food consumption:

Hormones affect hunger & appetite

You have hunger hormones that guide your sense of hunger and satiety. There are several, all of which play different roles:

• Ghrelin: The primary hunger hormone that tells your body when you're hungry
• Leptin: The appetite suppressant that counteracts ghrelin in response to satiation
• Insulin: The blood sugar regulator that influences satiety
• Cortisol: The stress hormone which can lead to increased energy intake
• Dopamine: The motivation hormone which can drive cravings

Your body releases ghrelin when you're hungry and leptin when you're full. Insulin, cortisol, and dopamine all contribute to how often you are hungry and what you crave.

If these hormones are out of balance, you may experience intense cravings, leading to overeating.

Physical vs. emotional hunger

However, hunger isn't a purely physical sensation. Have you ever been scrolling through social media and felt your mouth watering at all the delicious food you're seeing? Craved snack food or sweets after a particularly stressful day?

Satiety is complex – it's both metabolic and behavioral. Many people experience a dopamine release in response to energy intake, meaning your brain basically feels like food is a reward. So you may seek specific food to get this dopamine hit.

Hunger is also driven by factors like stress, sleep, and more. If you're not getting enough sleep, you're likely to overeat. In fact, stress is one of the driving factors of weight gain.

If you find yourself with consistent food cravings for sweet or salty foods, it may be worth examining when those cravings come up. Are they worse at night? Do they come up at a certain time or in response to a certain event, like a stressful or emotional moment?

Having patterns like this is normal. Everyone develops subconscious food habits, so don’t judge yourself if you uncover a pattern of overeating at night. Instead, get curious about what’s causing it. Are you eating too little during the day? Are you drinking alcohol with dinner, lowering your inhibitions?

Examining this from a place of curiosity rather than judgment can be a powerful way to start reworking your eating habits.

Hunger vs. appetite

Hunger and appetite aren't exactly the same thing.

"Hunger is a biological signal driven by the hormone ghrelin, while appetite is the desire to eat influenced by emotions, environment, habits, and social influences," says Jennifer Wilcox, RD. "Factors like meal consistency, dietary choices, and emotional triggers can shape both, making hunger cues more predictable or erratic. Restrictive eating, for example, can disconnect you from these signals, making it a challenge to detect mild signs of hunger and fullness."

If you restrict your food intake, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the desire to eat later in the day as a result of your body not getting the nutrition it needs.

On the other hand, if you use food as a reward, your brain will come to expect that, and you will crave certain foods in response to certain situations, like getting through a hard day or experiencing stress.

How can I suppress my appetite for weight loss?

If you are trying to lose weight, you may be looking for an appetite suppressant. This is a common question among those striving for weight loss.

Losing weight is as much a mental battle as it is physical, and appetite and food cravings can make reducing your food intake feel much more difficult. This is especially true if you are trying to limit high-calorie foods and replace them with more nutritious options.

While there are some safe ways to reduce appetite and eat less throughout the day, focusing on the suppression aspect often does more harm than good.

"Managing your appetite can feel overwhelming, especially if you're trying to meet certain goals," says Jennifer Wilcox, RD. "Instead of focusing on restriction, try shifting your approach to making choices that fuel and satisfy you. Trusting your body takes time, and you deserve to care for yourself with patience and compassion."

Working with a registered dietitian is one of the best ways to achieve your ideal health. Get started today with a board-certified dietitian who can help harness your food cravings and achieve a healthy weight.

How do appetite suppressants work?

When you look up appetite suppressants, you will find a few different options:

• GLP-1 medications
• Natural appetite suppressant supplements
• Certain foods

It's crucial to look into the safety and efficacy of appetite suppressants because many – namely supplements – don't necessarily have research behind them and aren't regulated.

Each of these methods works in different ways:

• GLP-1 medications influence your hunger and fullness signals and slow digestion. This leads to feeling full faster, staying full for longer, and reducing your overall food intake.
• Natural appetite suppressant supplements may reduce your appetite. Options like green tea extracts, caffeine, and bitter orange may have some short-term effects on your appetite, but none of them are proven to lead to weight loss and have limited scientific evidence proving their efficacy.
• Certain foods that are high in protein and/or fiber keep you fuller for longer. Lean meats, whole grains, beans, eggs, fruits, and vegetables often help increase satiety.

Are appetite suppressants safe?

FDA-approved appetite suppressants like GLP-1 drugs are safe. However, they are not miracle drugs; they only work in addition to a healthy diet and habitual physical activity.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro suppress appetite by slowing digestion and sending fullness signals to your brain. They also help balance blood sugar and insulin. This leads to a reduced energy intake, often resulting in weight loss.

Most GLP-1s are injectable, but there are some GLP-1 appetite suppressant pills as well.

That said, these drugs work best in the long term. Most clinical studies examining these weight loss and diabetes drugs occur for a year or longer and show participants losing 3-12% of their body weight in that time.

Natural appetite suppressants are less safe because supplements aren't regulated in the same way as medications. As such, exercise caution and ask your doctor before starting any new supplement.

Stimulants like caffeine or dietary fiber supplements like acacia fiber can cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, digestive issues like nausea or diarrhea, agitation, and more.

How food intake can reduce appetite

If you're trying to lose weight, you know that reducing your food intake is key to body weight management. While it may be tempting to turn to weight loss supplements or prescription medications, start by examining your diet.

While a reduced energy intake may feel difficult to start with, as your body gets used to eating fewer calories, your appetite will adjust, too. Your metabolism slows down in response to lower energy intake, which can slow weight loss, but eventually, both your body and brain can adapt.

How to manage your energy intake to achieve a healthy weight

Rather than trying to suppress your appetite, focus on a healthy diet for weight control.

Here are some general guidelines for weight loss and mindful eating, according to dietitians:

Prioritize fruits & vegetables

Most fruits and veggies are low-calorie, high-fiber foods – not to mention they contain plenty of vital vitamins and minerals. Eating plenty of fresh foods throughout the day is crucial for both satiety and overall health.

Follow a high-protein diet

Protein is key to maintaining muscle mass while losing weight. High-protein foods are also natural appetite suppressants in the sense that they help keep you full for longer and promote a sense of satisfaction. Aim for at least 20g of protein per meal.

Be smart about your calories

A high-fat diet or lots of sugary foods and drinks can easily lead to overconsumption. These foods are often not very filling since they lack fiber. Instead, aim for mindful eating. High-volume, low-calorie foods like Greek yogurt, fish, popcorn, lettuce, broccoli, and carrots can help you feel full while on a reduced-calorie diet.

Eat enough fiber

Fiber is important for digestion and also helps induce satiety. It takes time for your digestive tract to process fiber, helping you feel fuller for longer. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables all contain high amounts of fiber.

Be mindful

When you feel the desire to eat, consider whether you feel true hunger or emotional hunger. Are you craving something sweet or salty out of boredom or stress? When was the last time you ate, and what did you eat? Do you think that meal ticked off all the boxes for protein and fiber? Slowing down to ask yourself these questions can be a helpful stopgap to prevent overeating.

Enjoy your food

Rushing through meals often leads to a sense of dissatisfaction. Why? Because you're not taking the time to savor your food. Eating quickly without paying attention to your food removes much of the pleasure of eating, which is just as important of a component of satiety as the food itself. Try to slow down and really taste the food you're eating.

Reduce stress

Too little sleep and high stress have long been correlated with poor weight management. Getting enough sleep is a key way to control appetite and promote weight loss.

Exercise regularly

Working out is a good way to boost your energy expenditure and get some feel-good hormones while losing weight. And exercise appears to reduce appetite. It also plays an important role in blood sugar control and overall energy metabolism.

Do weight loss the right way with a registered dietitian

While it may be tempting to restrict calories aggressively and use appetite suppressants, you may find that, after a few months, the weight returns. Severe calorie restriction can have both acute and chronic effects, leading to binge eating, as well as potential metabolic and other health issues.

Losing weight the right way is worth it. And a registered dietitian is the best nutrition expert to help you accomplish your health goals.

A registered dietitian can help you manage your energy intake and overall appetite through a completely custom meal plan tailored to your goals and lifestyle. They will help you find meals that satisfy while sticking to your goals. Eating foods that you enjoy is a crucial way to stay satisfied while eating fewer calories.

An RD is also there to educate. They can teach you all about appetite-related hormones and how your body regulates appetite and satiety so that you have a deeper understanding of how your body works. This empowers you to make smarter choices throughout the day and meet your goals more easily.

Finding a qualified weight loss dietitian is easy with Fay. All dietitians are board-certified and vetted, and they all work with health insurance. This makes top-quality weight loss services much more accessible.

Get started with a Fay weight loss dietitian today.

The views expressed by authors and contributors of such content are not endorsed or approved by Fay and are intended for informational purposes only. The content is reviewed by Fay only to confirm educational value and audience interest. You are encouraged to discuss any questions that you may have about your health with a healthcare provider.