if I am alone in never having felt hungry in my life?

[itsallsohard]

TW for anorexia and apologies for those with weight struggles, but I'm not and never have been a sufferer from anorexia nervosa. I've been steadily BMI 20 or so all my life, without much effort, and am nearing 60... and looking at my husband, who has weight issues, and my children and siblings, who are like me, it has recently dawned on me that I have no idea at all what people mean when they say they "feel hungry." I say it when I see something I want to eat, but I want to eat it because it looks delicious, not because I feel anything else. I eat when it's conventional to do so (lunchtime/ dinnertime) but I am entirely capable of totally forgetting if I'm on my own, and so are my siblings and now apparently my kids. I'm not sure I've ever felt hungry (and we were poor growing up - food-bank poor). I think somehow I just don't have those sensors. Is this possible? Anyone else out there?

This is definitely something that is in your genetic makeup. I am like this, as is my son and two of GDs.

Very interesting thread. I get starving hungry, real pain discomfort and inability to function. But, never thirst. I’ve never felt thirst. Every fluid I drink I have to force it down to the point of nausea. Even in 40 degree heat!
(Edited to add I am overweight and have been all my life ☺️ surprisingly…not!)

One of the school mum's was slight and thin, had an over-active thyroid, and had no interest in food; said she just never felt hungry but she did eat to be sociable, and at family meals. She would have preferred to just 'take a pill' rather than eat.

She's the only person that I've ever known like this. I'm the opposite!

Sorry, didn't mean to post and run. This is very interesting! No, to PP who asked, my stomach doesn't hurt when I haven't eaten. I don't really feel any different physically, though I sometimes, not often, notice myself getting irrationally depressed or irritable and have learned that this is a signal I need to eat.I learned this by watching my father, who never learned it about himself... and in my case, it doesn't get to that point till I'm 24 hours or more without eating. My brothers are also like this, and I've recently realised so are my DC, but my husband seems to me to be inexplicably always hungry, while he gets a bit annoyed at me for not wanting to stop for a meal! I do get thirsty, and I drink a lot of water.

I agree there might be a hormonal link to this lack of appetite. In fact precisely because of my own experience, I have never had much faith in the notion that people's weight is totally under their control. I know I don't control my own weight, long periods when I'm eating more (eg holidaying with people who expect regular meals) or eating less seem to make no difference. Also, if it's any comfort to those of you with weight issues, I am not in any way good-looking, and have terrible, frizzy hair that breaks as soon as it gets below my earlobes, so I didn't actually win all the lotteries in life or looks. It's even inconvenient at times, because I tend to forget to plan meals for the rest of the family. And no, most food doesn't particularly interest me -- though I do have a big sweet tooth!

I do get hungry, but am almost never thirsty. I struggle to drink water as I seem to have very little capacity for liquids, if I drank two glasses of water in a row for example I would feel like I am going to explode.

Maybe there’s a reverse Labrador gene we need to identify.

Oh, haha! Also (same thread) I've been quite up and down, in my case by 2 1/2 stone.

It doesn't detract from the overall theme of different experiences with hunger - but it might be best not to brag about effortlessly maintaining your perfect BMI, especially if you haven't 🤣

I eat all the time (I mean 2 meals a day, every day)

Heh, my 'all the time' makes your 'all the time' look downright puny!

I have felt hunger, and I've felt severe hunger from poverty.

But when I had children my appetite got zapped. I can eat 500 calories in a day and never feel hungry all day long. I have to force myself to eat now and it's bloody annoying.

I do still feel hungry at times, but then mostly I know the feeling of just not feeling hungry, when I should be.

Bless you op for feeling the need to mention your frizzy hair 🤣😍 you sound fun, and good company

That’s interesting🧐

How are you 60 and also used food banks in your childhood? Something that wasn't introduced in the UK until the 2000's and was invented in the US in '67? And how have you always had a steady BMI of 20 but also gained 3 stone in the last decade?

Like honestly if you're going to post a bullshit post at least name change and research first?

I did not grow up in the UK and we definitely had food banks. We didn’t need them all the time but there were months. And yes, the only time my weight has ever shifted was on SSRIs. Not my appetite, my weight, which dropped right back to normal when I got off the SSRIs.

I also feel like this.... but yet I can fit plenty of glasses of prosecco in !

My appetite has dropped substantially now that I'm probably in perimenopause, has anyone else had that other than the previous poster who mentioned it?

My mother was never thirsty either and lived until 95.

Personally, I'm always thinking of food. I reckon I could get extremely fat if I allowed myself to eat what I'd like to. Can scoff a whole cheesecake already and I'm not overweight.

I get hungry - but it doesn't bother me much. I really am just not that bothered about food - I have preferences for some things, and just absolutely won't eat others (this hasn't been tested to starvation point, but I did once go three days eating only two slices of toast a day - it was fine). While I do enjoy some foods, I don't think I have ever experienced the pleasure in food that many experience on a daily basis.

Hasn't stopped me being very slightly overweight most of my life, and very definitely fat twice. Even without being particularly interested in food, I have, for most of my life, eaten a touch more of it than I need to. Very easy to do, in our world.

For me, I have accepted that if I don't exercise regularly, and vigorously, I will put on weight. I could diet instead, but the disinterest in food encompasses all thoughts about food. And I actually enjoy vigorous exercise, so...

On the other hand, I am very glad WLI exist - they wouldn't work for me, but they clearly meet a real need, and while we are all different, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight brings so many benefits.

I used to be like this as a teen - but I also think it was partly habit. I used to forget to eat, my stomach would grumble/hurt and I would think I felt sick and didn't want to eat even more.

Anyway, during that time I was underweight, weighed about six stone, and ate "anything I liked". I often forgot to eat though, and never felt any hunger sensation.

Now I'm older I definitely feel hunger! And enjoy food. And am a lot bigger.

However, I recently had to diet after pregnancy, and after a few days I started forgetting to eat again and not noticing hunger properly... So I wonder if it's partly hormones, but also partly eating habits.

When I eat more, and eat regularly, I get hungrier than when I don't eat.

I used to have to stuff my face before school just to get through the day without feeling horribly hungry and my stomach growling. Of course I didn't realise at the time that all the bread or toast I was eating was making everything worse and that I needed to fill up on protein instead. I still have that issue now, it's carbs carbs carbs.

This is fascinating. I'm not like you @itsallsohard I feel hunger (& thirst)...When I'm really hungry the hunger pangs honestly feel as if my stomach is starting to 'eat' itself, which is physically painful.

Also, and this isnt hunger, when I am merely reminded of a desirable food my mind summons the smell, taste and even feel of it in my mouth. It makes it hard to be disciplined!

Experience tells me my body can adapt to feel less hunger, that fasting or eating less over a period of time will in turn reduce the feeling of hunger but it never stops completely.

I ensure drink enough during the day, not only because thirst can be intense enough to drive one to distraction but because it prevents cravings for junk food. For me, both hunger & thirst can be all-consuming sensations, making it hard to think of anything else but slaking them.

I can ignore pain for days or weeks on end but hunger & thirst and be incredibly disciplined with anything else but not these.

I do feel hunger but it takes around 30 hours of not eating to kick in. I don't ever feel thirst though. It's a nightmare as I fully forget to drink and I'm always at least a little bit dehydrated.

I mostly only eat once a day. Usually because I have a medication that has to be taken with food and the side effects force me to eat just to get rid of them.

I'm still fat though.

My grandmother was like this, and it became a real issue when she got dementia and couldn't remember that time convention to eat. I'm the opposite, constantly hungry but forget to drink until I am really quite dehydrated.

But someone else has quoted where it says the OP was on medication that made her gain weight. It's not the same as her natural appetite is it?

I don't get the "ha" you've hardly caught her out on anything. A weight gain from medicine is not the same as weight gain from having an appetite

You mention food bank use in your childhood, I wonder did you have trauma around hunger that you don't remember?