Not knowing when you’re hungry?

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Anyone else get this? I don’t feel hungry until I feel faint

I have problems with hunger cues, especially when I am overwhelmed or stressed. I also have issues with knowing when to stop eating/drinking (fullness cues) and can make myself feel sick.

Do you have an alarm you can set on your phone to remind yourself to eat? I have to do this a lot.

Yes.
It was much stronger when I was younger. Now I'm a bit better tuned to my body.

Training.
Spending quite a lot of concious time on identifying how I feel.
I had to do it to regain sanity after a major breakdown.

Interoception

Until last year, I hardly ever got hungry. But I still ate.

Maybe try eating at an obsessive compulsive schedule. Then try changing one variable at a time

Controlled experiment

Phone alarms for eating did help me at some stage.

Often. I tend to hyperfocus and lose track of hunger. I also tend to compulsively eat same foods so I don't look like I've missed any meals.

I always know when I'm hungry and what hunger feels like.

If I'm focussed on some vital work, I can forget to eat. It buys me more time before dumping my short-term memory banks, but it costs me dearly the next day. Now, I try to maintain a schedule for meals, as it helps me sleep which I usually lack more than food. I'm even more fussy about keeping hydrated by drinking a daily minimum.

Maybe a form of alexithymia. Or some introceptive issue.
Of course super focus factors with basic needs in favor of whatever focused activities.


I don't have said issues of knowing whether I'm hungry or not.
But I rather choose to ignore hunger.

Yet there are times I can't distinguish between real hunger from fake hunger.
Fake hunger for me may or may not to do with digestive issues and hormonal cravings.
Except that I can usually distinguish if I'm hungry because I'm bored or from stress.

If I intentionally never ignored every cues of hunger... I'd probably burst.
There are actually days without said fake hunger.

And days with no hunger cues at all -- usually in days when I'm very relaxed with nothing too physically heavy to do plus focus.

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I had to learn Interoception skills from an Occupational Therapist last year. I didn't know when I was hungry or full. I didn't know the difference of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, etc. I only knew if I liked a flavour or didn't. In terms of hunger, I thought that headaches were my cue to eat. I stopped eating when I'd eaten as much as the people around me, or when it seemed like a normal sized portion. I've never really had stomach feelings when I'm hungry or full.

Occupational Therapists offer lots of useful training for Interoception awareness as well as Proprioception.

I have the opposite i.e I find it hard to tell when I'm full up. Also prone to dehydration because I'm not good at knowing when I need to drink.

very few cues to eat , especially if distracted ...... dehydration seems to be regular for me.
have figured that there might be some kind of adrenal function involved , especially if apetite is suppressed . Might beware of of adrenal insufficiency issues might exist .If there is some extra nerves , activating the adrenal gland . Adrenal fatigue is a real thing , Was diagnosed , but was only recommended adrenal supplement . Some right proper doctors may possibly identify this situation as Wilsons disease.If there is thyroid involvement , i think ?