“I feel hungry all the time” or “I just can’t control my cravings!” It’s a complaint that nearly always crops up as people get further into their journeys working on their health: hunger and cravings.  There’s no denying that this is a frustrating part of the journey. But it’s also not your fault. Eating a healthier diet isn’t just about willpower or self-discipline; there are powerful biological forces at play governing how hungry you feel. So today, join me as I uncover the reasons why our brains tend to fight us when we start releasing weight, the practical ways you can start tuning in to your body’s hunger signals, and two key strategies to keep hunger at bay. References Optimizing Fat Loss and Maintaining Muscle on a GLP 1 Mini-Course Book: Words to eat by Audio Stamps 01:34 - Dr. Rentea discusses how hunger tends to go up as you get a few months into your weight loss journey and what to do if you notice this. 04:22 - We find out why it’s normal for your body to crank up hunger levels at this point and why it’s not an emergency. 06:38 - Dr. Rentea shares the importance of distinguishing between early and late hunger. 08:18 - We discover how to tell if your hunger is physical or emotional. 10:24 - Dr. Rentea goes through some practical ways to tune in to your hunger signals. 13:21 - We hear two key strategies for dealing with urges of hunger Quotes “Hunger, although it is not an emergency, your brain thinks it is.” - Matthea Rentea MD “Emotional hunger can still feel very urgent, and like it needs to be answered, but that might not be a signal that your body actually needs food.” - Matthea Rentea MD “Food is social, emotional, it's learned, it genetically influences your response. There are so many things that go into it. A majority of it is not in our conscious control.” - Matthea Rentea MD “Sometimes it's about saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to delay it. I'm not going to deny it. I'm going to add in some foods, not subtract, and then I'm going to see, do I even still want that, or if I want it, is it the same after I've had some really, nourishing food?’” - Matthea Rentea MD “A lot of the time with urges, if you can break the cycle a little bit, you'll notice that they dissipate on their own.” - Matthea Rentea MD All of the information on this podcast is for general informational purposes only. Please talk to your physician and medical team about what is right for you. No medical advice is being on this podcast. If you live in Indiana or Illinois and want to work with doctor Matthea Rentea, you can find out more on www.RenteaClinic.com