Today, we’re tackling a surprising question: Can you gain weight from NOT eating?
Let’s dive into the surprising science behind why skipping meals can lead to weight gain when trying to lose weight. I’ll share how your hunger hormone, ghrelin, plays tricks on you when you go too long without eating, and why stress and delayed meals can trigger cravings that make healthy choices difficult. Stick around for my top tips to manage your appetite and stay on track. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!
This is for those who don’t eat for long periods of time thinking they’re going to lose weight. Or they don’t prioritize eating time – they are eating around their already scheduled meetings due to not planning
1. Hunger Hormones and Ghrelin
Here is the deal with ghrelin. The minute someone starts losing weight their ghrelin increases. This is all about fighting homeostasis – your body likes to feel “in balance.” Now add delaying meals, eating low calories, not sleeping, and exercising too much. Well, you just created the perfect storm. All of these factors increase ghrelin.
2. The 4-Hour Rule
Speaking of 4 hours…waiting more than 4 hours between meals sends your body into panic mode. After the 4th hour, ghrelin increases exponentially, crosses the brain barrier, goes to the pituitary gland, and turns on a switch that makes you a cave person so your hunting brain kicks in. This is when you don’t give a you know what, and eat whatever. Willpower and knowledge mean NOTHING.
Studies show this can cause you to eat up to 40% more! Let’s say you are definitely not going to crave chicken breast and baby carrots.
3. Survival Mode and Appetite
Why does this happen? It’s all thanks to our hunter-gatherer roots. When food was scarce, our bodies adapted to conserve energy and store fat. When your brain senses a delay in food intake, it triggers ‘survival mode,’ which ramps up your appetite.
And appetite is tricky—it’s different from true hunger. Appetite is just your body’s way of saying, ‘I want food,’ and it rarely makes you crave a salad. When ghrelin levels are high, eating can shift from being driven by true hunger to being more hedonic—meaning you’re eating for pleasure rather than need. This is often why people mistakenly think they are emotionally eating.
Grehlin and Appetite
But in reality, it’s driven by the impact of ghrelin. When ghrelin is elevated, it doesn’t directly tell your brain to eat, but if you see food, that’s when things take a turn. High ghrelin not only prompts you to eat more, but it also slows your metabolism, leading to increased fat storage.
The key here is to follow simple, balanced eating principles to manage ghrelin levels and break this cycle to avoid “survival mode.”
4. Stress and Emotional Eating
Stress can throw another wrench into the mix. Stress suppresses your appetite–many people don’t eat when stressed. And this usually means delaying or skipping meals. But when they are finally home and relaxed, their appetite kicks in and they overeat.
Treat your physiological hunger first with balanced meals. If you’re still hungry shortly after eating, pause and assess: Are you truly hungry or just stressed from that annoying work email?
5. Basal Metabolic Rate and Muscle
Now for the finale. Skipping meals or going long periods without eating can impact your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is how many calories your body burns at rest.
If your BMR drops, it becomes harder to burn calories, and your body starts to preserve fat. Not eating enough can lead to muscle loss, and muscle is important because it burns more calories than fat. You might be eating the protein recommendation, but not enough calories, so now the protein will be used for energy, leaving nothing of protein for muscle retention and lowering your metabolism.
So, Can You Gain Weight from Not Eating?
Yes! When you go too long without food, your body responds in ways that make it easy to overeat and store fat. Now if you need guidance in reaching your weight goal I can help. Schedule your free 20-minute complimentary call to discuss how I can be of help.
