Why Am I Not Hungry?

Why Am I Not Hungry?

Food is very important when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. It gives us the energy and strength we need to survive, and continue doing all the tasks that life asks of us.

If you find that you are not hungry, it can be incredibly frustrating. There are some telltale reasons as to why some women experience episodes of decreased hunger, which we will discuss together.

As always, consult your doctor if you are concerned about your health, as it could be linked to a different and more serious problem.

So, Why Am I Not Hungry?

Why Am I Not Hungry?

When it comes to analyzing why you’re not hungry, there are a couple of different variables to consider.

Foremost, you may want to question the duration of your decreased hunger levels. Has it been weeks? Days? A couple of hours? These are all vital when it comes to narrowing down a lack of appetite.

You should also reflect on any recent events in your life. Were they upsetting, stressful, anxiety-inducing? What is your day-to-day routine like, do you ever get a minute to just breathe?

Next, you will want to examine your relationship with food, and whether it is truly a healthy relationship, a point which we will discuss below.

Reasons Why You May Not Be Hungry

Diet Culture And A Lack Of Hunger Cues

If you are prone to diets or have a past history of diet fads, then listen up, because this part is directed at you.

Diet culture is incredibly damaging to our bodies. It teaches us that our hunger cues are not important, because what is important, is losing weight.

If this teaching is repeated, it will slowly become natural for you to dismiss your body’s natural hunger response. The body, instead of wasting energy to signal us to eat, can begin to stop signaling natural hunger cues.

It could also be, that you do not know your own body’s natural hunger cues. Some people believe that they are hungry when their stomach hurts so much, they have to eat everything in sight.

Think about that logically. Do you think your body may have shown you signals that you were hungry before you reached a point of extreme hunger?

In most cases, your body does show signs of hunger, and it just might not be in a way that you recognize.

Hunger can show up differently in everyone. We are all unique and have different hunger cues. With that said, there are some common signs of hunger, and we can examine those:

You might be hungry when:

  • Your stomach feels a little empty;
  • You start getting cravings for sugary food;
  • You become irritable;
  • You become tired;
  • You have little energy;
  • You do not feel like speaking;
  • You begin to have less motivation (which would be, energy);
  • You start to feel emotional.

While some of you may look at the list and relate to it, others may not realize that these are signs of hunger.

That is because as a society, diet culture has made us so out of tune with our bodies.

This means for some women, you might actually be hungry, but you could be so used to the sensation of physical hunger in your body, that it has become a suppressed signal.

Be mindful of how your body feels when you feel like you should be hungry.

If you relate, know that this is a problem for many women, and not just you, and it is fixable with mindful approaches to eating.

Lack Of Hunger Due To Emotions

As stated, it is important to reflect on how you have been feeling, and the events that have recently taken place in your life.

This is so you can work out whether the circumstances of your life have impacted your emotions, and had a further impact on your appetite.

This is a very common occurrence, and can sometimes happen without our direct knowledge of it.

When we go through stressful, or overwhelming situations, even situations that cause great upset, or anxiety, it can impact our appetite.

If you notice you are less hungry ever since these issues arose, it could be that you are being affected by these emotions.

This works because when people feel emotions of stress, anxiety, distress, and so forth, it directly impacts the nervous system.

The fight-or-flight response that is experienced, impacts the central nervous system, and as a result, a stress hormone is released.

This hormone can have a massive effect on digestion – causing compensation and diarrhea, as well as an increased, or decreased appetite.

To help bring your appetite back to balance, try to tackle the stress in your life. If your situation is not an easy fix, then do what you can to look after yourself during this period of your life.

Try a mindful approach to eating, and do not be too harsh on yourself.

You’re Not Hungry, Because You’re Not Hungry

Sometimes, you might not be hungry, just because you are really not hungry.

This is especially true if it’s a one-off experience, and your hunger cues are a little off-balance than they usually are.

In this case, it could be that your body has enough energy, and it simply does not require further energy (food) at that time.

Think about the food you have eaten. It may be that the food itself was not large, but the food itself was very energizing. For example, meals that have a high amount of fat and protein, and that are healthy, tend to keep people fuller for longer.

When we pair fats and proteins together, we tend to have more energy, for a longer amount of time. This might just mean you have eaten a very energizing meal, and nothing is actually wrong with you!

I Want To Eat, But I’m Not Hungry?

If you want to eat food, but you are not hungry, this could be for a few different reasons.

Firstly, we all know that food is delicious. Most people, in most places, eat when they are not hungry. Sometimes, people just want to eat because food tastes nice.

It could also be because of boredom. Before you go to eat, check in with yourself whether you really want the food. It’s fine to eat if you aren’t hungry, just be mindful about your choices.

It is only a problem if it happens all the time, and if emotions are involved.

In this case, it could be a sign of emotional eating. Emotional eating refers to eating for comfort, as the food makes you feel better.

While this is normal, emotional eaters tend to do this every day and can go through phases of binging on food, which can make them feel very unwell. If you relate to this, please consult a doctor, or a therapist, who can help you on your steps to recovery.

Summary

To conclude, if you’re not hungry – it could be due to a multitude of reasons. It may be that you’re not in tune with your hunger, it could be from emotions, or you just might not be that hungry, on that day.

We have only covered some reasons on this list, as there are dozens of reasons why someone may have a lack of appetite. If you are concerned about your health, please consult a doctor, who can examine your symptoms.

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