🧠Appetite Hormones

This quick reference covers the main hormones that control hunger, satiety, and metabolism — essential for dieting, bodybuilding prep, and maintaining energy balance.

🍽️ 1. Leptin – “The Satiety Hormone”

📍 Source: Fat cells (adipocytes)

⚡ Role: Long-term energy balance regulator

🎯 Effect: ⬇️ Decreases appetite, ⬆️ Increases metabolism

🕒 Trigger: High body fat, post-meal

💡 Note: Signals the brain (hypothalamus) that energy stores are full. In dieting → leptin drops → hunger increases. In obesity → leptin resistance → brain ignores 'I’m full' signals.

🍔 2. Ghrelin – “The Hunger Hormone”

📍 Source: Stomach lining

⚡ Role: Short-term hunger signal

🎯 Effect: ⬆️ Increases appetite, ⬇️ Decreases metabolism

🕒 Trigger: Empty stomach, fasting

💡 Note: Rises before meals and falls after eating. Drives hunger cravings, especially during prep or fasting phases.

💉 3. Insulin – “The Storage & Satiety Hormone”

📍 Source: Pancreas

⚡ Role: Regulates blood sugar and nutrient storage

🎯 Effect: ⬇️ Appetite (when insulin sensitivity is good)

🕒 Trigger: After meals (carbs & protein)

💡 Note: Helps the brain register fullness and stores nutrients efficiently. Insulin resistance = weaker satiety signal and increased hunger. Important for nutrient partitioning during bulks or cuts.

🥦 4. Peptide YY (PYY) – “The Fullness Hormone”

📍 Source: Small intestine (especially ileum)

⚡ Role: Promotes satiety and slows digestion

🎯 Effect: ⬇️ Appetite, ⬆️ Fullness

🕒 Trigger: High-protein or high-fiber meals

💡 Note: PYY signals the brain to stop eating and slows gastric emptying — great reason to include lean protein and fiber in every meal.

🧃 5. GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) – “The Satiety + Metabolic Hormone”

📍 Source: Intestines

⚡ Role: Boosts insulin, slows digestion, promotes fullness

🎯 Effect: ⬇️ Appetite, ⬆️ Insulin response

🕒 Trigger: Mixed meals (carbs + fats)

💡 Note: GLP-1 helps control blood sugar and hunger. GLP-1 agonists (like Ozempic/Wegovy) mimic this effect for weight loss. Naturally increased through balanced, high-fiber, protein-rich meals.

⚖️ Summary Table

🧪 Hormone	📍 Source	🔥 Effect on Appetite	🕒 Trigger	💡 Key Note
Leptin	Fat cells	⬇️ Decreases	High fat stores, post-meal	Long-term energy gauge
Ghrelin	Stomach	⬆️ Increases	Fasting, empty stomach	Hunger signal
Insulin	Pancreas	⬇️ Decreases (if sensitive)	After eating	Also regulates glucose
PYY	Intestine	⬇️ Decreases	Protein/fiber intake	Promotes fullness
GLP-1	Intestine	⬇️ Decreases	Mixed meals	Boosts insulin, slows digestion

🏋️‍♂️ Bodybuilding Insight

• During prep or cuts: 🔽 Leptin, insulin, PYY, and GLP-1 all drop → hunger increases. 🔼 Ghrelin rises → cravings and fatigue increase.

• During refeeds or diet breaks: ⬆️ Leptin and insulin temporarily rise → metabolism and fullness improve.

That post-show period can feel brutal: you eat a ton, you’re physically full and bloated, but your brain and body are still starving. Let’s break down why this happens 👇

🧠 1. Leptin Is Still Low, and It Takes Time to Rebound.

During prep, your body fat drops drastically → leptin levels crash.

Leptin is the main signal that tells your brain, “We have enough energy, stop eating.”

Even after one or two big post-show meals, leptin doesn’t immediately bounce back — it can take days to weeks depending on how lean you got.

➡️ Result: Your brain still thinks you’re in a famine, even if your stomach is full.

🍔 2. Ghrelin (Hunger Hormone) Is Sky-High

Prolonged calorie restriction causes ghrelin to rise.

This hormone doesn’t instantly shut off after one meal — it takes consistent eating and body-fat restoration to normalize.

So, you’re still getting “hungry” signals despite having plenty of food in your gut.

➡️ Result: You feel an emotional hunger — almost a compulsion to eat.

🧬 3. Digestive and Hormonal Lag

During prep, digestion slows down, and enzymes/hormones that manage fullness (like PYY, CCK, and GLP-1) are suppressed.

When you suddenly flood your system with carbs, fats, and sodium post-show, those signals lag behind.

➡️ Result: Your stomach stretches, you bloat, but satiety hormones haven’t kicked in yet.

💉 4. Insulin Sensitivity Is High — Then Crashes

At the end of prep, you’re extremely insulin sensitive — your body soaks up carbs like a sponge.

That first huge post-show meal drives nutrients into cells fast, dropping blood sugar quickly.

The sudden drop can make you feel hungry again within an hour or two, even though you just ate a ton.

➡️ Result: Rollercoaster hunger and energy crashes.

⚖️ 5. Neural & Psychological Factors

Months of restriction trains your brain to hyper-focus on food.

The dopamine (reward) response to eating is amplified — food literally tastes better and triggers stronger pleasure signals.

When you “allow” yourself to eat again, those pleasure pathways light up like fireworks.

➡️ Result: You crave more food, not necessarily because you need it — but because it feels rewarding.

💥 6. Water Retention and Bloating Don’t Equal Fullness

After the show, your body rapidly stores glycogen (and water with it).

You can gain 5–10 lbs of water and glycogen in 24–48 hours — leading to bloat, distention, and discomfort.

But this doesn’t signal true fullness to your brain — it’s mechanical pressure, not hormonal satiety.

🧩 Summary: What’s Happening Inside You

Hormone Post-Show State Effect

• Leptin Very low Brain thinks you’re starving

• Ghrelin Very high Triggers strong hunger

• Insulin Fluctuating Causes hunger rebound

• PYY / GLP-1 Suppressed Fullness delayed

• Dopamine Heightened Reward eating intensifies

🧘‍♂️ How to Handle It

• Don’t jump into an uncontrolled binge. You’ll feel worse.

• Do the recovery diet. Please make sure you check out the Recovery Diet Blog! : Gradually increase calories, especially carbs, to bring leptin and thyroid back up.

• High protein + fiber meals help trigger PYY and GLP-1 faster.

• Sleep & stress control also help normalize leptin and ghrelin faster.

• Accept that hunger might feel “off” for 1–2 weeks. It’s hormonal, not weakness.

🏋️‍♂️ Post-Show Hormone Recovery Chart

This chart shows how appetite and energy hormones shift from the end of prep through the post-show and recovery phases. These changes explain why you can feel bloated yet still extremely hungry after a show.

📆 Phase	🧬 Leptin	🍽️ Ghrelin	💉 Insulin	🔥 Metabolism	😋 Appetite
🏁 End of Prep	⬇️ Very Low	⬆️ Very High	⬇️ Sensitive	⬇️ Slowed	⬆️ Extreme Hunger
🍔 Post-Show (1–3 Days)	⬇️ Still Low	⬆️ Still High	🔄 Fluctuating	⬇️ Low	⬆️ Cravings Continue
🕒 1–2 Weeks After	↗️ Rising	↘️ Falling	🔄 Stabilizing	↗️ Improving	⬇️ Decreasing
💪 Recovery (3–6 Weeks)	⬆️ Normalized	⬇️ Normalized	⚖️ Balanced	⬆️ Restored	⚖️ Controlled Appetite

💡 Key Takeaway:

After a show, leptin and metabolism remain low while ghrelin stays high — leading to persistent hunger despite feeling full. Gradually restoring calories, sleep, and training intensity helps normalize hormones and prevent rebound weight gain.