The brain craves high-calorie food more when hungry.

Introduction: Going grocery shopping when you're very hungry is not a wise choice. Research has found that you will unconsciously buy high-calorie foods without realizing it. A study by the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University found that this effect lasts for a period of time and is not limited to just that one meal when you are hungry.

When you're hungry, your brain prefers high-calorie foods. When you are hungry, your body prefers high-calorie foods because they provide more energy. If you shop on an empty stomach, the result is that you and your family will have to eat the high-calorie foods you bought for the next few days. Furthermore, researchers also emphasize that skipping a meal for the sake of dieting is likely a very bad method. In fact, our bodies cannot tell the difference between intentional dieting and real hunger, nor do they know that we can find food 24 hours a day and have no problem with supply shortages. In other words, the evolution of the human body cannot keep up with the speed of agriculture or technology; it is still stuck in the past: humans had to work hard to find food to eat. Therefore, when the body is hungry, it doesn't know when the next meal will be, so it switches into survival mode—eat as much as possible when food is available, and try to choose high-calorie options. This complex defense response simultaneously affects physiological and psychological states. When you start to choose and eat, your body will guide you to find high-calorie foods and start stockpiling for a rainy day.

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With a theoretical hypothesis, it must be confirmed by scientific research. To confirm this view, researchers conducted two experiments. In the study, candy, savory snacks, and red meat were considered high-calorie foods, while fruits, vegetables, and chicken breast were considered low-calorie foods. In the first experiment, participants were told not to eat anything for 5 hours before starting the study. Before the experiment began, researchers gave some of the 68 participants small cookies to relieve their hunger, then had them shop in a simulated online store. The results showed that hungry people tended to choose high-calorie foods. The second study was an actual shopping study. Researchers tracked 82 people who went to the supermarket. These people were randomly assigned to shop at the times of day when they were either the hungriest or the most full. The results once again proved that hungry people buy more high-calorie foods.

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What these studies tell us. If you want to lose weight successfully, the first step should be not to diet, especially skipping meals (such as the so-called "no food after noon" or even "no food before noon" method). This method will trigger the body's survival instinct, strengthening the desire to eat. Once you can't resist it, you will not only eat more, but also specifically target high-calorie foods. In addition, this dieting method will cause a decrease in basal metabolic rate. When you lose control and eat high-calorie foods, your weight will quickly return to its original state, or even rebound. The best way to lose weight is to control your diet and do more aerobic exercise to reduce excess body fat; if you have the willpower, anaerobic strength training can also achieve the goal of weight loss.

Although it's disappointing, everyone should remember: there are no shortcuts to losing weight. Only regular eating, a healthy diet, plus good exercise habits are the correct methods for fat loss and body shaping.

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