Can’t tell whether I’m hungry or not?

Hi, I can relate to this. I also struggle to tell when I am hungry and I can find it very difficult to tell apart hunger, stress, nausea and fullness... At the moment my hunger cues are very unreliable. I often rely on more subtle signs for example if I am constantly thinking of food but do not feel hungry, I might actually be hungry. Or if I am feeling weak or tired, I might be hungry. But those signs on their own are not enough (for example I could just be tired because I had little sleep and it could have nothing to do with eating), so I also try to look at the context eg. when did I last eat etc. At the moment I just try to eat regularly and do my best in figuring out what is hunger, nausea or fullness. It's difficult to know and I want to gain weight so eating if in doubt would be sensible for me but I also have IBS so I also have to be mindful of not setting the IBS off. 

I can also relate to feeling hungry but full at the same time. This can be due to several reasons in my case. I often experience this sensation when my digestion is upset and I am very bloated- the bloatedness and air creates a feeling of pressure and fullness and when I then get hungry/ need food that can create a weird mixture of messages. I also have had the issue where I don't really feel hungry when I start eating (but I just know that I need food), but then afterwards I am more hungry than before- it's almost as though eating somehow then triggers my appetite/need for more food. But as I also get full very quickly, that then again can lead to a feeling of hunger and fullness at the same time. I think when underweight it is worse as my body wants/needs a lot of food, but that outstrips the capacity of my stomach and digestive system. Finally I think if you eat something that isn't high in protein, it is less likely to fill you up and that can also result in the mixed hunger/fullness signals. I find it helps to have balanced meals with plenty of protein, some whole grains and fruit/veg. 

The other thing I have noticed is that when you don't act on hunger cues, then they go away/ become even more unreliable. So I would say it's important to eat when hungry even if that is at night. Things will normalise over time in my experience. It's important to eat when you do feel that physical hunger- when I do that then the signals get more reliable over time. If I don't act on the hunger (eg. as busy or not home etc) it often goes away and I feel even less able to eat. 

Finally stress/ anxiety can completely mess up hunger signals as well as digestion. At least for me. 

I know that at the moment I cannot solely rely on my hunger signals to tell me when to eat (especially as I need to gain weight), so I also make sure to have regular small meals/ snacks (as smaller but more frequent meals work best for me). 

Hi, I can relate to this. I also struggle to tell when I am hungry and I can find it very difficult to tell apart hunger, stress, nausea and fullness... At the moment my hunger cues are very unreliable. I often rely on more subtle signs for example if I am constantly thinking of food but do not feel hungry, I might actually be hungry. Or if I am feeling weak or tired, I might be hungry. But those signs on their own are not enough (for example I could just be tired because I had little sleep and it could have nothing to do with eating), so I also try to look at the context eg. when did I last eat etc. At the moment I just try to eat regularly and do my best in figuring out what is hunger, nausea or fullness. It's difficult to know and I want to gain weight so eating if in doubt would be sensible for me but I also have IBS so I also have to be mindful of not setting the IBS off. 

I can also relate to feeling hungry but full at the same time. This can be due to several reasons in my case. I often experience this sensation when my digestion is upset and I am very bloated- the bloatedness and air creates a feeling of pressure and fullness and when I then get hungry/ need food that can create a weird mixture of messages. I also have had the issue where I don't really feel hungry when I start eating (but I just know that I need food), but then afterwards I am more hungry than before- it's almost as though eating somehow then triggers my appetite/need for more food. But as I also get full very quickly, that then again can lead to a feeling of hunger and fullness at the same time. I think when underweight it is worse as my body wants/needs a lot of food, but that outstrips the capacity of my stomach and digestive system. Finally I think if you eat something that isn't high in protein, it is less likely to fill you up and that can also result in the mixed hunger/fullness signals. I find it helps to have balanced meals with plenty of protein, some whole grains and fruit/veg. 

The other thing I have noticed is that when you don't act on hunger cues, then they go away/ become even more unreliable. So I would say it's important to eat when hungry even if that is at night. Things will normalise over time in my experience. It's important to eat when you do feel that physical hunger- when I do that then the signals get more reliable over time. If I don't act on the hunger (eg. as busy or not home etc) it often goes away and I feel even less able to eat. 

Finally stress/ anxiety can completely mess up hunger signals as well as digestion. At least for me. 

I know that at the moment I cannot solely rely on my hunger signals to tell me when to eat (especially as I need to gain weight), so I also make sure to have regular small meals/ snacks (as smaller but more frequent meals work best for me). 

If I am unsure I sometimes also look at some food to see if I am in mood or I might have a taste (if feasible). I also sometimes find that it helps if I nibble on some carrots or fruit to see if I am hungry- that can sometimes kickstart my appetite for some proper food