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Writer's pictureAmy Slater

Appetite… WHY you NEED it!


I am not even going to wait until the end of the post to have you read the answer:​​​

  • Stress

  • Undereating

  • Sluggish metabolism/thyroid

  • History of restriction or bingeing

​If you are waking up with zero appetite that means you have been using other energy sources for fuel (AKA keeping your blood sugar balanced) while you have been sleeping. Under normal circumstances, you should wake up hungry, which means you are using the liver’s stored energy while you were asleep. Having no appetite in the morning is not a good sign. It tells you that while you were sleeping, your body was using muscle and/or fat tissue and turning it into glucose needed to keep your blood sugar balanced. Try eating breakfast (even something small) and see how it feels. Most of my clients begin to get hungry sooner and notice they are getting more hunger/fullness cues. Try citrus or something savory like a breakfast sausage. Skip the sweets like muffins, doughnuts and lattes and start with a whole food approach. Clients who eat begin to drive their appetite up in the morning have better energy all day (HELLO!!! MAGIC SAUCE) and less brain fog and better appetite all day. Other areas that can impact your appetite include:

  • Stress: Cortisol surpasses appetite. You know,​ the super busy mom who is grabbing bits off their kids’ plates and using coffee or tea to keep going. Cortisol is running the show.

  • Under eating: if you are chronically under-eating, your body adjusts to this and burns less energy. This is NOT good! We want a robust appetite and metabolism. Remember food is more than calories! It is information! Check out my Reel from last week on Instagram!

  • Sluggish metabolism/thyroid: A slow thyroid slows EVERYTHING down, including digestion. You feel full easier and seek out highly palatable, quick energy foods to boost you up without requiring a lot of work to digest. NOT good.

  • History of dieting/restricting/bingeing: These patterns can lead to imbalances in stress and hunger hormones as well as negatively affect your metabolism. For my clients with a history of disordered eating, our first step is a mindset around food.

Eating regularly throughout the day and balancing meals with protein and carbs helps to reduce your stress and balance blood sugar. It also helps improve how your body uses food and converts it to energy. Ideally, we are using quality animal proteins and pair them with whole-food-based carbs like fruit, potatoes, squash, plantains, and root vegetables). HANG IN THERE!! The transition can take time (often 10 weeks for most of my clients) but the process is so worth it when you are naturally making more progesterone, improving your thyroid and improving energy. Reply to this and let me know if you can identify with this information. XX, Amy​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ PS. Share it with a friend who can use this information! ​​


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