What are some causes of increased hunger?

Remember that when we get stressed, we increase hunger. That increases cortisol and decreases serotonin, which in turn increases appetite. When we top it off by working out like a maniac, which increases ghrelin (hunger hormone), we compound the problem. And finally, many of us avoid carbs, which increases ghrelin -- and appetite -- once more. What we need to remember is that spiking ghrelin isn't just a one-off occurrence. It's a nasty cycle that builds on itself and gets exponentially higher, raising our appetites to an insatiable level that will eventually drive us to eat everything in sight. You can bet that after such a vicious cycle, most of us won't reach for a cookie. Most of us end up going for a double cheeseburger, a large order of fries, and an extra-large milkshake. And that 3,500-calorie meal easily derails a whole week of what we have been led to believe is perfect weight-loss behavior.