how do our stomachs know how much food we eat on average, and will produce the hunger response when we eat less than usual?

Question

For example, I went on a trip last week, and ate more than my usual amounts, as well as an additional meal (breakfast).

Now, when I came back, the usual volume of food I ate prior to the trip is not enough to satiate my stomach, as it produces the feeling of hunger a lot earlier than my usual meal times, since I dont eat breakfast.

Clearly my old meals were enough for my body prior to the trip, but now, my stomach “knows” I can eat more if I wanted to, and provides the hunger response.

In: 4

Answer 1

Your stomach stretches to accommodate the amount of food intake you regularly have. There are sensors in the stomach that go off when blood sugar is too low and when you eat too little and leave it too “empty” it causes the stretched stomach to believe it’s not full enough and react accordingly. In a few weeks when you are eating less steadily your stomach will begin to shrink and less food will fill you up.