We all know cookies, cakes, ice cream and other sweet treats aren’t exactly nutrient powerhouses. Yet they remain irresistibly popular. So why do we find ourselves reaching for them again and again - often in portions far beyond what we planned?
The answer isn’t just about willpower. It’s about hunger, biology, and deprivation.
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The Real Reason You Crave Cookies
Cookies taste good - that much is obvious. But the real reason many people (including athletes and dieters) crave them has less to do with sugar and more to do with getting too hungry.
When your body runs low on fuel, it sends powerful signals to eat. And not just anything - it drives you toward quick, high-energy foods like biscuits, chocolate and pastries. The problem isn’t the cookie itself. The problem is undereating.
Think of it this way: cookies are the symptom. Hunger is the cause.
The real issue isn’t cookies - it’s the hunger and restriction that drive you toward them.
Hunger: A Simple Request for Fuel
Hunger isn’t a weakness or lack of discipline - it’s a biological message. When a child says, “I’m hungry,” we feed them. But as adults, especially those focused on weight or performance, we often ignore that same signal.
Busy schedules, skipped meals, and restrictive dieting can leave you in a constant state of low-energy deprivation. The result? A physiological response that mimics what scientists call semi-starvation - and it has dramatic effects on both mind and body.
What We Learned from the Minnesota Starvation Study
In 1950, researcher Ancel Keys and his team at the University of Minnesota investigated what happens to healthy young men when their calorie intake is reduced by half for six months. Their findings were eye-opening:
The Minnesota Starvation Study revealed how severe restriction can trigger food obsession, mood changes, and rebound eating.
Sound familiar? Many of these behaviours mirror what happens when someone “breaks their diet” and finds themselves elbow-deep in a packet of cookies.
What This Tells Us About Cravings and Binges
From Keys’ work and decades of nutrition science since, we can draw some powerful lessons:
- 1Preoccupation with sweets signals real hunger. When you’re under-fuelled, your brain and body fixate on food.
- 2Binges are a symptom of deprivation. The more you restrict, the stronger your biological drive to overeat becomes.
- 3Moderate restriction works better than extremes. Cutting calories too hard almost guarantees rebound eating.
Simple changes like eating enough and avoiding extreme restriction can make cravings far easier to control.
In other words, the way to stop feeling out of control around cookies isn’t to avoid them - it’s to stop starving yourself.
Living Without Hunger
Diet culture has convinced many of us that “food is fattening” or that being hungry is a sign of progress. In reality, constant hunger is counterproductive.
You don’t need to slash your intake by half to lose weight or maintain a lean physique. A modest 10–20% calorie reduction is more sustainable - and far less likely to trigger cookie-monster behaviour.
A Quick Way to Estimate Your Energy Needs
Here’s a simple formula:
- 1Multiply your bodyweight in kilograms by 22 – this gives your estimated Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR).
Example: 64 kg × 22 = 1,400 calories - 2Add half again for general daily activity (non-exercise movement).1,400 + 700 = 2,100 calories
Example: 64 kg × 22 = 1,400 calories - 3Add your exercise calories. Roughly 300–400 per 30 minutes of moderate training.
Example: 2,100 + 300 = 2,400 calories total to maintain weight. - 4To lose weight: reduce by about 20%.
Example: 2,400 – 20% = ~1,900 calories/day
That’s enough to keep hunger in check while still making progress - no deprivation required.
Living With Cookies
If you “love cookies too much,” the secret isn’t to ban them. It’s to normalise them.
When you tell yourself certain foods are off-limits, they gain power. But when you give yourself unconditional permission to include them in reasonable portions, that power fades.
Try this:
Just as you don’t obsess over apples or carrots, you’ll find cookies lose their allure when they’re no longer forbidden.
Take Home Message
If you struggle with cravings, binges, or “cookie monster” moments, the solution isn’t more restriction - it’s better nourishment.
Eat regularly. Fuel enough to support your lifestyle. Include the foods you love in moderation.
When you honour hunger instead of fighting it, food loses its power - and you regain yours.
