Doctor Drop It with Dr Barbara Hessel
If you've been dieting for years, losing weight and gaining it all back, feeling frustrated that nothing sticks, and wondering if your body is just broken, I want you to know: it's not you.
Your hunger hormones have been reprogrammed by years of restrictive dieting, and until you address what's actually driving your hunger, the cycle won't stop. I'm here to help you break it for good.
Every week, I share science-backed, no-nonsense guidance on sustainable weight loss for women, especially if you're in your 40s, 50s, or 60s.
No fads, no gimmicks, no shame. Just real medical expertise and strategies that work with your body instead of against it.
In this podcast, you'll learn:
👉 Why diets reprogram your hunger hormones to cause weight regain.
👉 The four hunger types (your Hunger Code) and why knowing yours is the key to lasting weight loss.
👉 The truth about GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro, including side effects no one warns you about.
👉 How to lose fat without losing muscle, energy, or your sanity.
👉 Why you're always hungry on a diet and how to fix it naturally.
👉 How to stop yo-yo dieting once and for all with the Metabolic Momentum Method.
👉 The best way to lose weight during perimenopause and menopause.
👉 Why "eat less, exercise more" is terrible advice for most women.
I've helped thousands of women in my New York practice and online programs lose weight sustainably using the Metabolic Momentum Method, a doctor-designed, three-step framework (Master Macros, Happy Appetite, Metabolic Switch) that helps women lose up to 20 pounds in 12 weeks without starvation, excessive cardio, or muscle loss.
I also struggled with my own weight for decades before I cracked the code. I know what it's like to try everything and feel like nothing works.
That personal experience, combined with 25 years of medical practice, is why I approach weight loss differently than anyone else in this space.
If you're a smart, driven woman who's ready to stop starting over and finally get results that last, subscribe and turn on notifications. New episodes every week.
🔥 Book a free Hunger Code Assessment: https://doctordropit.com/register
🌐 Website: https://drhesselmd.com
Doctor Drop It with Dr Barbara Hessel
Why You're Always Hungry on a Diet (The 4 Hunger Types Explained)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
You tracked everything. Hit your macros. Did exactly what the plan said.
And you were still ravenously hungry by 3 p.m.
That is not willpower. It is the wrong diet for your biology.
📌 Book your free Hunger Code Assessment: https://doctordropit.com/register
Dr. Barbara Hessel is an M.D., board-certified in Obesity Medicine, Gynecology, and nutrition coaching. She specializes in helping women protect muscle while losing weight using her Metabolic Momentum Method.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 The willpower myth
0:29 Why your diet is designed for someone else's biology
2:32 Type #1: Hungry Brain (leptin resistance and high ghrelin)
4:14 Type #2: Hungry Gut (blood sugar crashes and gastric emptying)
5:42 Type #3: Slow Burn (low metabolic rate)
7:07 Type #4: Emotional Eating
7:34 Tonight's test: 3-day hunger tracking
❓ QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q: Why am I always hungry even when I eat enough food?
A: Hunger is a hormonal signal, not a character flaw. Ghrelin tells your brain to find food. Leptin tells it you're full. When these systems are dysregulated from dieting, poor sleep, or chronic stress, hunger becomes relentless regardless of how much you eat. You are not failing the diet. The diet is failing your biology. The fix starts with identifying which hunger type is driving your pattern. (0:53)
Q: What is Hungry Gut and what causes that shaky, urgent hunger?
A: Hungry Gut is driven by rapid gastric emptying and blood sugar instability. Your stomach empties too quickly, blood sugar spikes and then crashes, and your gut does not produce adequate fullness signals. The result is hunger that feels like a physical emergency. Shakiness, irritability, and brain fog within 2 to 3 hours of eating are the hallmarks. This is not mental weakness. It is your blood sugar crashing. (4:14)
Q: Why can't I lose weight even when I barely eat? (Slow Burn)
A: Slow Burn is caused by a low resting metabolic rate from chronic dieting, thyroid dysfunction, or hormonal imbalances. Your body has adapted to burn fewer calories at rest. Dr. Hessel has tested patients maintaining weight on 1,400 calories with resting rates 200 to 400 calories below expected. Eating even less makes it worse. The solution is reverse dieting, resistance training, and addressing thyroid or hormonal dysfunction with proper testing. (5:42)
Q: What is the difference between emotional eating and physical hunger?
A: Physical hunger builds gradually, can wait, and is satisfied by any food. Emotional hunger hits suddenly, demands specific foods like sugar, salt, or fat, and does not resolve with fullness. It resolves with emotional relief. If a protein-forward meal does not stop the craving but a specific comfort food does, that is emotional eating. The fix is not a stricter diet rule. It is addressing the trigger directly. (7:07)
Q: How do I find out which hunger type I have?
A: Track your hunger for three days including at least one weekend day. Each time it hits, note when you last ate, what it feels like physically, what triggered it, and what stops it. Shakiness within 2 to 3 hours of eating points to Hungry Gut. Persistent desire for more after a full meal points to Hungry Brain. Difficulty losing despite low calories points to Slow Burn. Sudden cravings triggered by stress or boredom point to emotional eating. (7:34)
📱 RESOURCES
Hunger Code Assessment: https://doctordropit.com/register
Instagram: www.instagram.com/drbarbarahesselmd
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