In today’s episode, I want to talk about something I see all the time with the women I coach — and it’s one of the most misunderstood experiences around food.

You notice that you’re always hungry…Or you notice that no matter how much you eat, you never truly feel full or satisfied.

At first, those sound like the same problem.

But biologically, hormonally, and emotionally — they are very different.

And when we can learn to tell the difference, we finally gain access to the tools that actually help us heal.

Always Hungry vs. Never Satiated— Why This Matters

I want you to tune into this distinction with curiosity, not judgment:

• Always feeling hungry is driven by your hunger hormone, ghrelin

• Never feeling satisfied is driven by your satiety hormone, leptin

When these hormones are out of balance, it can feel like:

• You just ate, but you’re still craving food

• You’re physically full, yet you can’t stop eating

• Food occupies your thoughts constantly

• You feel disconnected from your body’s signals

Nothing is wrong with you.This is your nervous system and hormones communicating.

Why Knowing What to Do Isn’t the Problem

You already know what to eat.You already know what you should be doing.

The problem isn’t information.

The problem is that most eating behaviors are governed by the unconscious mind, not the conscious one.

When stress, emotion, or overwhelm shows up, your conscious mind goes offline — and your unconscious mind runs the patterns it has learned. I call this the loop.

That’s why:

• Diets work temporarily

• Willpower fails under stress

• You feel like you’re “on” or “off” the wagon

This isn’t a motivation issue.It’s a nervous system issue.

Cortisol: The Hormone That Drives the Cycle

At the center of this conversation is cortisol — your primary stress hormone.

When cortisol is high:

• Sugar cravings increase

• Insulin stays elevated

• Fat storage is prioritized

• Sleep becomes disrupted

• Hunger and satiety signals become confused
  When your body doesn’t feel safe, it will always choose survival over satisfaction.

And dieting — restriction, tracking, constant vigilance — raises cortisol.

Ghrelin, Leptin & Why You Can’t “Just Stop Eating”

Ghrelin signals hunger when your stomach is empty.Leptin signals fullness from your fat cells.

In a regulated system, they work in opposition.

But under chronic stress, restriction, lack of sleep, or emotional overwhelm:

• Ghrelin stays elevated

• Leptin signals stop being received

• You develop leptin resistance

This is why you can feel painfully full — and still keep eating.

That’s not lack of control.That’s biology.

Why Dieting Has Never Fixed the Problem

Dieting focuses on the symptom — weight — instead of the cause.

When you diet:

• Cortisol rises

• Metabolism slows

• Muscle mass is lost

• Hunger hormones increase

• Binge-restrict cycles intensify

Your body only releases fat when it feels safe — not when it feels threatened.

Fat loss is a side effect of regulation, not restriction.

The Path Forward: Safety, Not Control

Healing begins when you:

• Stop outsourcing your wisdom to the scale

• Learn to regulate your nervous system

• Address emotional triggers instead of suppressing them

• Rebuild trust with your body

This is the work we do inside Make Peace With Food.And it’s why this approach is different from everything you’ve tried before.

You are not broken.Your body is communicating.

And healing is possible.

Listen to more episodes at makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.

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