Most people assume that once they start a weight loss medication like Wegovy or Mounjaro, cravings will simply disappear. That isn’t always the case, though it’s worth understanding why. These medications do reduce appetite and food cravings for most people, but the effect isn’t absolute, and for some it softens over time [1,2]. Cravings that break through aren’t a sign you’re doing something wrong. They’re your body’s way of communicating with you, and once you understand what it’s trying to say, each type of craving has its own solution.
When your intake has dropped too fast
If someone starts weight loss medication and their food intake drops sharply, they can feel completely fine all day and then experience sudden cravings at night, usually for carbohydrates. This is your body communicating. It doesn’t like that your intake has fallen so fast, and it’s trying to protect you from what it interprets as starvation by sending strong signals to eat. And it won’t be signalling for broccoli; it will push you towards something carbohydrate-rich, because it knows from experience that this delivers a lot of energy quickly.
When restriction backfires
Cravings also come from restriction. The moment you ban a food, whether it’s healthy or not, you often immediately want it. If you were told that from tomorrow you could no longer eat apples, you’d probably feel a sudden, intense desire for one.
In real life, people tend to ban the foods they see as “unhealthy,” and for some, that food becomes irresistible: the thing you can’t stop thinking about. You persist with your limited choices, and when you eventually cave, which you almost inevitably do, you overeat far more than you intended, because “the diet starts again tomorrow.” It’s a well-documented pattern: people who deprive themselves of a specific food tend to crave it more and eat more of it when the restriction lifts [3].
When your meals aren’t keeping you satisfied
Cravings can also come from eating in a way that doesn’t keep you feeling full for long. Think about the difference between a chocolate bar and a proper meal. The chocolate bar disappears in a couple of minutes, tastes great, and then twenty minutes later you’re rummaging for something else. A meal with some protein, plenty of vegetables and a slower-releasing carbohydrate sits with you for hours.
That’s the pattern worth noticing. Foods that are low in fibre and protein, like sweets, crisps or biscuits, give you a quick lift but very little staying power, so the wanting comes back sooner, and you end up reaching for the next thing. It isn’t about willpower; it’s simply that these foods don’t hold you. Building your meals and snacks around protein, fibre and slower-releasing carbohydrates keeps you satisfied for longer, and a lot of the grazing quietens down on its own.
When you’re not sleeping enough
If you’ve ever travelled overnight or had children and lived through the sleep deprivation that comes as part of the deal, you’ve probably experienced the cravings too. When sleep is disrupted, whether by shift work, travel, insomnia or a new baby, the hormones that regulate hunger get thrown off. Leptin is one of the hormones that helps us feel full; ghrelin is the one that makes us feel hungry. With poor or interrupted sleep, leptin tends to fall and ghrelin rises, which can make you feel hungry all day, no matter how much you eat [4]. And, frustratingly, the foods we’re drawn to in that state are typically carbohydrate-heavy: the body’s attempt to restore its energy quickly.
When you’re under chronic stress
Finally, stress plays a huge role in what we crave. Acute stress, such as the nerves before a presentation, is fine on occasion and can even sharpen performance. It’s long-term, chronic stress that becomes problematic: the ongoing work issue, the relationship difficulty, the pressure that never quite lets up.
As far as your body is concerned, stress means it needs to mobilise glucose, so you have energy ready to run from a threat (it doesn’t realise your modern-day tiger is a rude email). When this happens consistently, elevated cortisol nudges you towards calorie-dense, palatable foods and keeps the demand for quick energy switched on [5].
What to do about it
Because each craving has a different root, the most effective response is to match the strategy to the cause rather than relying on willpower alone.
Eat enough and eat regularly. If your intake has dropped quickly, resist the urge to push it lower still. Regular meals stop your body interpreting the gap as a threat. On medication, this often means eating by the clock rather than by appetite, since the hunger cue you’d normally rely on is quieter.
Build balanced plates and snacks. This is your single most useful tool for staying satisfied. Aim for meals that combine protein, complex carbohydrates, plenty of non-starchy vegetables and a little healthy fat and avoid eating carbohydrate on its own. Pair it with protein or fat instead (fruit with yoghurt, oatcakes with cheese). Meals that hold you for longer take much of the drive out of grazing.
Stop banning foods. Restriction breeds cravings, so allow the foods you enjoy in a planned way rather than forbidding them and then overeating them. A food that’s genuinely allowed loses much of its pull. If one feels “dangerous,” that’s usually a sign to build it in deliberately, not cut it out.
Protect your sleep. If your sleep is disrupted, this is often the highest-value place to begin, because it directly resets the hunger hormones. Put your phone away before bed, keep a consistent wind-down routine, and relax with something low-stimulation like a book.
Manage stress deliberately. Chronic stress keeps cortisol, and cravings, switched on, so stress management is a genuine part of the plan, not an afterthought. Find something that reliably downshifts you: a walk, breathing exercises, time outdoors, or protecting a boundary around work.
Pause before you respond. When a craving hits, name what’s driving it before you act: When did I last eat? Am I actually hungry, did I skip a meal, am I tired, am I stressed, or am I craving something I’ve told myself I can’t have? That short pause turns an automatic response into a choice and often points you straight to the fix.
Cravings are communication
It’s not all doom and gloom. Cravings are simply your body communicating, and they arise for a handful of understandable reasons, each with its own solution. If you’re on weight loss medication and still noticing them, that’s not a failure of the medication or of you. And if cravings are persistently getting in the way, a registered Dietitian can help you unpick which of these is at play for you and build a plan around it.
References
- Wharton S, Batterham RL, Bhatta M, et al. Two-year effect of semaglutide 2.4 mg on control of eating in adults with overweight/obesity: STEP 5. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023;31(3):703–715.
- Hankosky ER, Wang H, Neff LM, et al. Tirzepatide on ingestive behavior in adults with overweight or obesity: a randomized 6-week phase 1 trial. Nature Medicine. 2025;31(7):2166–2174.
- Polivy J, Coleman J, Herman CP. The effect of deprivation on food cravings and eating behavior in restrained and unrestrained eaters. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2005;38(4):301–309.
- Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D, Young T, Mignot E. Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index. PLoS Medicine. 2004;1(3):e62.
- Adam TC, Epel ES. Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiology & Behavior. 2007;91(4):449–458.
- Spiegel K, Tasali E, Penev P, Van Cauter E. Brief communication: sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2004;141(11):846–850.
