Is it possible to curb my cats' fixation on food?

I have two cats, aged 4 or so, brothers named Vasco and Nacho. They were born feral, but my family has been taking care of them since they were 3 weeks old (first as foster “parents” until we adopted them). They are pretty well-behaved and extremely social cats, but they have one major flaw that can be kind of maddening: they are obsessed with food.

Now I know it’s not unusual for cats to constantly want more food, but I feel like it’s quite excessive for Vasco and Nacho. They constantly act hungry, and every time someone walks anywhere near the kitchen they dash over and circle around them like piranhas. We can’t leave out food (cat food or otherwise) or they will gorge themselves until they get sick (Vasco is already overweight since he steals Nacho’s food).

In the morning, Vasco will scratch at my bedroom door incessantly starting at around 5:30 am until I feed them, and sometimes start at it again within the hour for more food. Vasco has started to get more and more aggressive when he wants food; he will get in your face and start chewing on your hair if he doesn’t get what he wants. It’s pretty gross.

Has anyone else had experience with such ravenous cats? What, if anything, can I do to make them more… normal?