Odd hunger question...

[Emme]

I seem to be constantly hungry. All day. Every day. It has probably been this way for at least 6 months. My "fullness center" doesn't pick up readings of fullness.

You know that strong hunger pang you get right before your stomach growls? That's what I feel constantly throughout the day. Yesterday we went to breakfast and I kept eating and eating because my body still felt hungry, but then all of a sudden I had to stop eating because I felt nauseous from eating too much food. But the hunger pangs never went away. They stuck around even after I was stuffed to the brim, and I still felt starving after eating. I recently had my yearly bloodwork done and my doc said I am a-ok, so I am wondering if I am the only person who feels this?

When I eat my regular, everyday meals I don't get stuffed because I am used to the size of the food and I feel satisfied after eating them (but my body still has the hunger pangs going on). But, when we go out to eat (like yesterday at breakfast), I eat to the point of being so stuffed that I feel cross-eyed because my body isn't telling me that it's full in the proper way. My stomach doesn't feel full, I just literally can't eat anymore. But the hunger pangs will continue even after being so full that I feel nauseous. Any ideas? I'm getting pretty frustrated.

[Angie]

That's very strange. It's good that your blood work is all clear, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor to refer you to someone specializing in gastroenterology. There must be some reason for that and it must be very frustrating to live with all the time.

I found this article which lists some conditions that might cause constant hunger, maybe you can relate to some of the other symptoms of one of these?

[zoodoo613]

I'm guessing they're not actually hunger pains, that it's some other kind of pain going on.

I know when eat an apple, about 30 minutes later I get a gnawing feeling that I generally associate with hunger. The fact is, most feelings I have in my stomach feel like hunger. I realize now that they're not. I rarely get growly stomach hungry, but it does feel subtly different.

What you do about it, I have no idea. Maybe ask a doctor? Maybe it's too much acid?

[beerab]

Yeah I'd have to wonder if it were a pain from something else? I'd tell your doctor you constantly feel what you thought was a hunger pain but realize it can't be that.

[Emme]

I think I will contact a gastroenterologist and ask about it. I just didn't know if I was the only one who had this feeling...it really stinks! It's not a pain or anything sharp, it's just an annoying "I'm hungry NOW" feeling that I constantly have. It gets pretty annoying. Sometimes it doesn't bother me, but other times it really angers me. I hate eating too much to the point of feeling sick, but my body doesn't have the "off" switch to tell me to stop. I just have to stop because I feel sick and then the hunger pang is still there. WTF.

I googled a few things related to hunger pangs and acid, and some people were stating that they felt hungrier after they ate because the acid was breaking down the food. This is what happens to me, too. I finished my lunch today and had a "hungrier" feeling after eating than I did prior to eating. Thanks for the advice, everyone. Gosh, I love this board.

[QuilterInVA]

You are experiencing mind hunger, not true hunger pains. Are you eating a lot of carbs? They make you hungry and don't fill you up for long. Try eating a little more protein with every meal and snack.

[Emme]

Originally Posted by QuilterInVA

You are experiencing mind hunger, not true hunger pains. Are you eating a lot of carbs? They make you hungry and don't fill you up for long. Try eating a little more protein with every meal and snack.

I don't think it's mind hunger...I work through those feelings. This is something different because even after I am completely stuffed, my stomach still feels this way...and it's constant. It never goes away.