Why Some People Need More Food Than Others (And That's Normal)

If you've ever felt like you need more food than the people around you, you're not imagining it. Societal messaging about food teaches us that everyone should eat roughly the same amount, and that needing more food means something is wrong with you. These beliefs can contribute to disordered eating patterns. None of this is true.

Energy needs vary dramatically from person to person, and these differences are completely normal.

Your Body Has Its Own Requirements

Think about how different bodies are. Some people are taller, some have more muscle mass, some are more naturally active. Some bodies are growing, recovering, or healing. Some have been through periods of restriction that increased their needs.

All of these factors influence how much food your body needs. There's no universal "right" amount that works for everyone, despite what calorie counting apps suggest.

What Increases Food Needs

Body size and composition: larger bodies and more muscle mass require more energy to function. These aren't flaws, they're facts of biology.

Activity level: this includes both exercise and daily movement like fidgeting or having a physically demanding job. Two people with the same workout routine can have vastly different energy needs based on how much they naturally move throughout the day.

Recovery and healing: if your body is recovering from an eating disorder, restriction, illness, injury, or stress, it needs more energy to repair and restore. This increased need can last much longer than people expect.

Life stage: growth periods, pregnancy, and breastfeeding dramatically increase food needs. These aren't about "eating for two", they're about meeting genuinely elevated requirements.

Genetics and metabolism: metabolic rate varies between people. Some people need more food to maintain their weight and feel good. This isn't something to fix, it's how your body works.

Mental and emotional demands: your brain uses significant energy. Stress, intense mental work, or emotional processing increase your body's needs, even if you're not physically active.

The Problem With Comparison

When you're sitting across from someone who eats half of what you do and seems fine, it's easy to assume you're doing something wrong. But you're not seeing the full picture.

You don't know their natural body size, their activity level, their health history, whether they're actually satisfied, or whether their body is getting what it needs. Someone eating less than you doesn't mean they're eating the "right" amount, it means they're eating a different amount.

Your Appetite Reflects Your Needs

If you consistently feel hungry for more food than you think you "should" need, your body is communicating important information. This food related anxiety around needing more than others is common, but hunger isn't something to overcome, it's a signal that your body needs fuel.

This is especially true if you have a history of restriction or disordered eating behaviors. Your body may need significantly more food for an extended period as it recovers and learns to trust that food will keep coming. This is a key principle of intuitive eating, trusting your body's signals rather than external rules. This increased appetite isn't a problem to solve. It's your body asking for what it needs to heal.

There's No Prize for Eating Less

Societal messaging about food glorifies eating as little as possible. Small portions are praised. Large appetites are pathologized. This mentality often fuels yoyo dieting—cycles of restriction followed by increased eating, then restriction again. But needing less food doesn't make you healthier or more disciplined. It just means your body needs less food.

Needing more food doesn't mean you're broken or out of control. It means your body needs more food. That's it.

Honoring Your Individual Needs

The goal isn't to eat the same amount as anyone else. The goal is to eat enough for your body. This means trusting that your hunger is valid, not restricting because someone else eats less, and understanding that feeling satisfied matters more than eating a "correct" portion size.

It's important to distinguish between emotional eating and eating in response to genuine hunger and energy needs. Both are valid human experiences, but recognizing the difference can help you respond to your body with clarity.

Your body isn't trying to trick you into eating more than you need. It's communicating what it requires to function, and those requirements are unique to you. Some people need more food than others. This has always been true. There's nothing wrong with you for being one of those people.