Dr Amy Shah, leading medical doctor and Instagram personality @fastingmd, shares her proven 5-step programme for battling excessive hunger and food cravings by harnessing the power of psychobiotics and intermittent fasting.

‘My mission is to revolutionise the way we think about hunger and nutrition, and to help people manage hunger and cravings to break free from the tyranny of diets and battles with food. I’ve seen my programme work for people all over the world. And it will work for you, too.’ - Dr Amy Shah

Dr Amy Shah kept hearing the same complaints from her patients: ‘I feel hungry all the time, even when I just ate.’ ‘My cravings are out of control.’ Too many of them were white-knuckling it through yet another exercise and diet plan, only to feel depleted, frustrated and really effing hungry.

So she created I’m So Effing Hungry, a science-based plan designed to help you take charge of your health and your cravings, without feeling deprived. As Dr Shah explains, cravings aren’t your fault, and eating a healthier diet isn’t just a matter of self-discipline or willpower. There are powerful biological forces at play in your body that govern your hunger levels and cravings.

Dr Shah explains how the complex relationship between your gut, your hormones and your lifestyle choices govern hunger levels and cravings. Drawing on the emerging science of psychobiotics - healthy gut bacteria that help improve mood and regulate hunger, weight, and cravings - she’s created a 5-step plan to help you make peace with food and your body:

Replenish your body by eating more nourishing, mood-balancing foods that encourage healthy gut flora. Rewire your brain to undo the addiction pathways and cravings for processed foods. Reset your circadian rhythm to activate hunger hormones that powerfully reduce your appetite. Refresh with a good night’s sleep, using Dr Shah’s proven good sleep habits. Retrain your body with exercise that regulates key neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA that are intimately involved in our hunger response.

Complete with simple meal plans and more than 30 delicious recipes, and peppered with easy Hunger Hacks and Craving Crushers, I’m So Effing Hungry is a complete guide to help you stop decades-old dieting patterns and stop fighting the scale.