EP 239: "Am I Eating Too Much?" ~ Understanding Extreme Hunger (What's Really Happening in Your Body & How To Cope)

Her Best Self | Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast, Disordered Eating, Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, Body Image, Food Freedom, Calorie Counting, Obsessive Exercise, Food Restriction

Are you experiencing intense hunger in recovery and wondering if something is wrong? Feeling like you can't get full no matter how much you eat? In this essential episode, Lindsey breaks down everything you need to know about extreme hunger in eating disorder recovery - why it happens, what it looks like, and most importantly, that it's completely normal and necessary for healing.

Whether you're early in recovery or experiencing hunger waves after years of healing, this episode will help you understand your body's wisdom and navigate this phase with self-compassion instead of fear.

Today's Truth: Extreme hunger is your body's way of healing and honoring it is one of the bravest things you can do in recovery.

Key Topics Covered:

🍽️ What extreme hunger actually is - The different types and what they feel like in your body

🧠 Why extreme hunger happens - The science behind your body's need for extra nourishment

⏰ When it can occur - Early recovery, years later, or anytime your body needs healing

🚫 Myth-busting - Why extreme hunger isn't binge eating and doesn't mean you'll "blow up"

💪 Practical coping strategies - How to navigate extreme hunger with confidence and self-compassion

🤝 Dealing with others - How to handle comments from people who don't understand recovery

Types of Extreme Hunger Explained:

🔹 Mechanical Hunger: Physical growling, gnawing sensations, feeling like a bottomless pit

🔹 Mental Hunger: Obsessive food thoughts, inability to concentrate on anything but eating

🔹 Reactive Eating: Eating large amounts quickly, especially previously restricted foods

🔹 Primal Hunger: Desperate, urgent need to eat that feels impossible to ignore

What this might look like:

• Eating a full meal and feeling hungry immediately after
• Waking up hungry in the middle of the night
• Needing snacks every hour
• Intense cravings for calorie-dense foods

Remember: All of this is your body's wisdom in action.

Why Extreme Hunger Happens:

✅ Metabolic restoration - Your metabolism needs extra energy to speed back up to normal levels

✅ Physical repair - Your body is repairing damage to organs, bones, hair, skin, and tissues

✅ Replenishing stores - Restoring depleted fat stores, glycogen, and energy reserves

✅ Trust building - Your body needs to learn that food will be consistently available

Key insight: Extreme hunger can happen at ANY stage of recovery - sometimes years later when your body feels safe enough to ask for what it really needs.

Myths About Extreme Hunger (DEBUNKED):

❌ Myth: "Everyone experiences extreme hunger in recovery" ✅ Truth: Not everyone does, and that's okay - every body is different

❌ Myth: "Extreme hunger is bad or means something is wrong" ✅ Truth: It's your body's intelligence and healing in action

❌ Myth: "Extreme hunger means you're binge eating" ✅ Truth: This is biological necessity, not psychological binge eating

❌ Myth: "If you honor it, you'll gain too much weight" ✅ Truth: Your body will settle at its natural weight when fully nourished

Practical Coping Strategies:

🌟 Honor Your Hunger - Eat when hungry, as much as you're hungry for, whatever you're craving

🌟 Challenge ED Voice - Replace "This is too much" with "My body is healing"

🌟 Don't Compensate - No extra exercise, meal skipping, or restricting the next day

🌟 Include All Foods - Your body often craves calorie-dense foods for important reasons

🌟 Practice Self-Compassion - Remember your "why" and thank your body for its wisdom

🌟 Handle Outside Comments - You don't owe explanations for nourishing your body

🌟 Remember It's Temporary - Extreme hunger normalizes as your body heals and trusts

Signs Hunger Is Normalizing:

✨ Hunger cues become more predictable ✨ You can go longer between meals comfortably
✨ Food thoughts become less obsessive ✨ You naturally desire a variety of foods ✨ Physical hunger matches mental satisfaction

Key Takeaways:

💝 Your hunger is not your enemy - It's your body's wisdom guiding your healing

💝 This is normal and necessary - Extreme hunger is part of recovery, not a sign of failure

💝 Trust your body - It knows exactly what it needs to heal, even when it feels scary

💝 You're not binge eating - This is biological necessity driven by your body's needs

💝 It's temporary - Hunger will normalize as your body heals and learns to trust

💝 You don't need to justify nourishing yourself - To anyone, ever

For Those Supporting Someone in Recovery:

What NOT to say:

• "Are you sure you're still hungry?"
• "That seems like a lot of food"
• "You just ate an hour ago"

What TO say:

• "I'm proud of you for nourishing your body"
• "Your body knows what it needs"
• "I'm here to support you"

Ready for Community Support? Join The Recovery Collective!

Finally, a recovery community that normalizes experiences like extreme hunger.

If this episode resonated with you, you're exactly who The Recovery Collective was created for. This is where women in all phases of eating disorder recovery come together every other week to normalize confusing experiences like extreme hunger, support each other through scary phases, and celebrate victories along the way.

What You Get:

• Bi-weekly 60-minute group coaching calls via Zoom
• Safe, judgment-free space with 10-15 women maximum
• Real-time support for whatever recovery phase you're experiencing
• Community of women who understand what it's like to question your hunger
• Practical guidance from someone who's navigated extreme hunger herself

Special Founding Member Pricing:

• First 10 members: $47/month for 6 months (over 50% off!)
• Regular membership: $97/month
• Less than what you spend on groceries for bi-weekly coaching and community support

Imagine having a safe space where you could share that you're experiencing extreme hunger and receive understanding and practical support instead of judgment or confusion.

Your body's wisdom deserves to be celebrated, not questioned.

Ready to learn more? Join us in the collective! www.herbestself.co/recoverycollective

Connect with Lindsey

• Website: www.herbestself.co
• Private Facebook Community: Her Best Self Society www.herbestselfsociety.com
• Client Applications: HBS Co. Recovery Coaching - Client Application - Google Forms

About the Host

Lindsey Nichol is a former competitive figure skater turned God-led entrepreneur, boy mom, and digital CEO. She understands how core beliefs formed in childhood can create and maintain eating disorder patterns, and she's passionate about helping women identify and transform these beliefs to find lasting freedom.

*While I am a certified health coach, anorexia survivor & eating disorder recovery coach, I do not intend the use of this message to serve as medical advice. Please refer to the disclaimer here in the show & be sure to contact a licensed clinical provider if you are struggling with an eating disorder.

Experiencing Extreme Hunger Right Now? Remember:

Your hunger is not your enemy. Your body is not trying to trick you or hurt you. When extreme hunger shows up, it's your body saying "I trust you enough now to ask for what I really need."

Honor that trust. Honor that hunger. Honor that incredibly wise body of yours that's working so hard to heal.

You deserve nourishment, you deserve recovery, and you deserve to trust your body's wisdom. Progress over perfection, always.