What if I am not hungry?

Someone asks "what if I am not hungry?"
When your brain thinks that you need to migrate it is going to pitch a fit if you eat when you are not hungry.
You have to do it anyway.
It is not "normal" to feel like the world is ending just because you have to eat when you are not hungry. Your brain is doing this because you are in energy deficit. When you are no longer in energy deficit, your brain won't make a big deal out of eating when not hungry. To get here, you need to EAT more food!

[@friendoftherese1]

I also think that even when you are weight restored, if you have suffered from anorexia, it is still important to eat regularly even when you are not hungry. It is so easy to say "Oh, I'm not that hungry; might as well skip this meal (snack, whatever), and wait until I'm really hungry." Pretty soon you're skipping meals left and right, cutting out snacks, thinking about calories, and sliding down that rabbit hole in double quick time. I eat three meals a day NO MATTER WHAT, and eat snacks too. I have gained beyond what used to be my absolute maximim comfort level, and I have to say, I feel even better at a higher weight than ever. I'm not "fat" by any stretch, (and what is so blasted wrong with fat anyway? Is it the end of the world? NO!) and I certainly don't ever want to be in that anorexic hell again. I tell myself "Would I rather be "fat" and happy, or skinny and miserable?" Easy answer!

[@hdhshsh]

I'm in the same boat I weigh more now and i still never feel hungry havnt had hunger cue . When will i finally get hungry ?

[@TheMarbellous1]

friendoftherese1 your words and experience are brilliant xxxx You are an inspiration 😊

[@chrissy_south75]

If I relied on my "hunger cues" as to when I should eat, I'd go days without eating as those "cues" are so intermittent & unreliable. I wish I had this ravenous hunger that everyone is going on about in ED recovery. When I AM hungry it's the best feeling because I feel like a normal human being & that my body is functioning "normally" - so enjoy my food SO much more when I'm hungry & it's easy to give myself permission to eat when I feel hunger. But this happens so infrequently and it feels like I'm going to have to keep eating in misery (eating without hunger and hating it, constantly having digestive issues) for the REST of my life. So it makes me question my decision about recovery😫😫😫

[@BlackOreoCookie]

Hi Tabitha! I'm obese (9 years of anorexia + dieting) and started my recovery about a week ago. Truly, it hit me when you mentioned getting hungry _after_ you start eating. Yesterday i experienced it for the first time when having lunch. I had a (i think for normal people) small breakfast, and I was still full after 4 hours when i had lunch (fish and chips) with my mom. I went in thinking "this isnt intuitive, im still full" etc etc, but as i was eating, it was as if this entity inside me was awakened and suddenly i felt a super stong urge to keep eating (even though the fish tasted like the paper underneath it). I was confused but i forgot about it until now. Thank you so much!

[@katkatfrost1978]

Yes! Thank you for covering this Tabitha. This is a problem I've had for a very long time.

[@saff1257]

i’m trying to be in the mindset of ‘i should eat what i want’ but thing is, i’m not hungry. i tell myself ‘if i do eat, it has to be something i WANT to eat’, but i don’t find myself wanting anything. and i spend all day thinking what exactly do i WANT to eat? what do i want? what do i want? it’s at such a pedistool to eat, it has to be perfect and something i want. because i don’t do it often.

[@katherinescott6855]

I have exactly the same thing. I keep trying intuitive eating, which works great when I feel hungry, because then I get pleasure from eating my favourite foods until satisicion on good days. But some days I'm just not hungry at all. Because of this my calorie intake dropped to around 1600, so now I follow a meal plan on days I don't feel hungry to make sure I don't unintentionally restrict, and eat what I want, when I want when I am hungry. Sometimes you just have to eat to fuel your body. Good luck, I hope this helps!

[@chrissy_south75]

It looks like everyone else has this uncontrollable hunger in recovery but I must be the only one NOT experiencing this. My physical feelings of hunger are intermittent & unreliable & still RARE. I don't understand. I wish I had a ravenous hunger all the time. Would make eating soooooooo much bloody easier................😔

[@tasseysaavedra8368]

Christine Southwell once i eat,i get full very quickly.Then inseem to get hungry not long after that.My body is confused.

[@katherinescott6855]

I never seem to feel hungry until after forcing myself to eat, and then I get extreme hunger and just can't stop. Don't worry you're not alone in this, loads of people in recovery have messed up hunger cues.

[@hunterfagan6272]

What if we constantly have physical hunger, but feel grossed out around food when you eat a certain amount?

[@georgiagidney4412]

Hi Tabitha, first Thankyou for you videos ! ! You are like my crazy recovery aunty ! Love how you take no BS and just find a way for us to understand what the hell is happening ! You I was wondering how you deal with eating more than others, whilst responding to your extreme hunger ? And also dealing with other people's "diets", this is because I have been away from my sister for a while and she has just come back to live with me and my family and I can see she is displaying a lot of restrictive behaviours and she is exercising a lot (she is reminding me of myself when I started to develop ED habits) ? I find it hard to eat more, and I doubt wether or not my hunger is valid when I am eating a lot more than her and resting ... Help me please ! She is worrying me and I am scared I'm doing this wrong ...

[@TabithaFarrar]

I'll do a vid on this soon

[@georgiagidney4412]

Awesome ❤

[@Onigirii222]

Is it actually possible to trigger extreme hunger at some point if u haven't been experiencing it since the start of your ed recovery? Or do some people just have to force feed themselves till they're fully recovered?

[@kelsosunshine3400]

My brain usually tells me I'm not hungry even if my stomach is crying out for food. And then the food feels/tastes like sand in my mouth, and cement in my gut..

[@umaDB101]

Hi. I do not have a eating disorder. I am fairly healthy. I just tend to not feel hungry for most part of the day, I would start feeling hungry early evening. Do I still eat when the "normal eating times" come around? I do not fear food or becoming fat, I just don't like feeling stuffed

[@cassidywooldridge2676]

If you don't mind, I have another question... Even though I am always hungry and thinking about food, I become overly full and bloated when I am eating no matter how much or what I am eating. I am pretty sure that many years of starving and abuse destroyed my digestion. I am just to heal my stomach so that it can stretch out and digest food properly. That being said, do you or anyone else have any simple, quick, calorie-dense, and moderately "healthy" meal and snack ideas for me to try. Eating loaded oatmeal and GF almond butter and jelly or banana sandwiches can only go so far, and gets old really fast. Running out of ideas....Thank you!

[@ramiradawar162]

some calorie dense food ideas could be olive oil, avocado, nuts, cheeses, etc

[@choosingrecovery1683]

Will you make a video about why we shouldn’t fear fat like you talked about in the beginning in this video. Also you talk about about anorexia. Can you do a video on bulimia and how recovering from bulimia is different?

[@choosingrecovery1683]

Lilith Delgado thanks

[@TabithaFarrar]

Totally. Bulimia is still a restrictive eating disorder. All the same. xx

[@choosingrecovery1683]

Thank you

[@eloise-mariebamford1737]

I just hate the feeling of feeling sick and shaky because of all the sugar I’m eating, it makes me second guess if I’m hungry or not even if I think about food, but what if I just think about food because of all the recovery stuff I watch. Anyone have any advice?

[@ania1642]

What if I am normal weight??

[@TabithaFarrar]

Same applies. I'm a normal weight and I still eat a lot of food! Eating is for life, not just for recovery.

[@cassidywooldridge2676]

Hi Tabitha! I am recovering from anorexia and exercise bulimia. I am in the early stages of recovery, and have many pounds left to gain. That being said, I am always thinking about food before and after I eat. I am still thinking about food and eating at the end of the day after I’ve already consumed 2,700-3,000+ calories. What’s going on? Does that mean that I am still hungry and should continue eating? I don’t want to feel or look like I’m binge eating to my family if I continue eating. Please help! Thank you.

[@friendoftherese1]

Look up the "extreme hunger" phenomenon in anorexia recovery. You are not binge eating; your body is trying to repair itself from months of abuse. KZbinr Alice Olivia has some videos about this that my help you.

[@TabithaFarrar]

tabithafarrar.com/?s=EXTREME+HUNGER

[@cassidywooldridge2676]

Thank you for your comment! Much appreciated.

[@bi-polarbear5727]

I am slightly overweight, have had ED since I was 8 years old (31 now). I am in recovery 2 weeks now after quasi recovery for 4 years (was still "dieting"). How will I know when I have recovered? I am not underweight so I cannot use that as a gauge, and I have never in my memory eaten "normally" so I have no idea what to look for.. Will I be ravenously hungry for piles of tater tots every 3 hours like I am now always? Is that how normal people eat? I'm so confused by it all :(

[@sarahbartlett9870]

Just wondering how you are now? How did your recovery go?