always hungry

[sunflower606]

Hi, I’ve suffered from stomach issues since December 2022. The obvious stuff - bloating, constipation and then diarrhoea, minor cramps, and nausea etc.

I’m in my 4th doctors appointment for the problem, and all my blood tests are clear. I’ve recently been given IBS relief tablets, but I’m hesitant to believe it is IBS.

My main problem is - I’m ALWAYS hungry. Like always. Sometimes I can eat half a bag of pasta and feel nothing - no fullness and no IBS symptoms. I can have 3 meals a day, and by 8pm I feel like I will die without another meal in me. No matter the amount nutrition or water I consume, I’m still incredibly hungry.

Sometimes I get so hungry my body physically hurts - back pain, dizzy, stomach pain and feel like the walls are caving in. Even an hour after a big meal.

Is this a common symptom of IBS that anyone else suffers with? I’m just so hesitant to believe I have IBS because of this.

Any help is greatly appreciated

[b1b1b1]

This is an unusual symptom for it to be IBS. Check that you do not have an over active thyroid, although this hopefully has been covered already. Also, check if you are eating for emotional reasons.

[sunflower606 in reply to b1b1b1]

No issues with my thyroid. I eat 3 meals a day with water and a few snacks, and I’m still left hungry unfortunately. Nothing to do with emotional reasons.

[xjrs]

Feeling hungry all the time can be related to hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar. This can be caused by eating too many processed, high sugar and/or non whole foods. These types of foods make your body think that you've just eaten a massive meal, since the amount of refined carbs consumed doesn't exist in nature. Your body produces too much insulin, which not only mops up sugar in your blood, but also reduces the sugar level which leads to reduced glucose to the brain. This causes dizziness, nausea, hunger and more sugar cravings, so it becomes catch 22.

If this may be true in your case, it's a case of cutting sugar or processed foods from the diet and eating a more whole food diet including plenty of fibre which keeps you fuller for longer. Each meal should have a balance of protein, carbs and healthy fats (such as olive oil). The protein and fat in the meal reduces the glycaemic load of the carbs. Eating this way for a while should make those symptoms disappear. To keep those symptoms away involves eating this way for life. It is possible to have the odd treat such as cake, but you're probably talking once a week.

I suffered from hypoglycemia as a child right through to my mid twenties. This started with me being fed evaporated milk, which is very high in sugar by the hospital when I was a baby. I then became addicted to it and also sugary things, which made the hypoglycemia worse. No one knew about hypoglycemia at the time (even doctors). I happened to find a leaflet about it in a health food store and it made me change my diet there and then which made a massive difference to my symptoms.

If increasing fibre is a challenge due to your IBS, try a probiotic like Alflorex, which not only helps IBS symptoms, the bacteria in it also helps to digest complex carbs.

[BabblingBrooks in reply to xjrs]

That’s interesting information actually.

I definitely need to reduce my consumption of sugary foods.

[sunflower606]

This is extremely helpful. I will definitely bring this forward with my doctor. Thank you for sharing!

[Rosills1]

Have you tried intermittent fasting/time restricted eating?Has your doctor done your HbA1c and or uric acid level.?

[Rosills1]

As above, 3 meals a day with snacks will be continually stimulating insulin which makes you hungry.

[sunflower606]

Even sometimes I have 2 meals a day with plenty of water and I’m still left incredibly hungry. I’ve had this for over a year now, I’ve tried every sort of eating routine to calorie deficits, changing my sleep pattern, more water and less sugar, less salt, changing meal times and changing my diet. Nothing has helped. I’m at a loss.

[Luisa22]

Check out "dumping syndrome" and see if your symptoms fit that profile.

Also blood glucose ups and downs. If you only had one blood test it might not reflect what's actually happening with your sugar levels day to day, hour to hour?

[sunflower606]

I was tested for multiple things - celiac, diabetes, thyroid, kidney issues etc, about 13 things in total. I will definitely check our dumping syndrome. Thank you😊