You’ve been busy all afternoon. Running from errands to a work project. You finally stop to look at your watch and it’s almost 4 o’clock. Wow, you think – when did I eat last? 10? No. I was running into the store… wow, I don’t think I’ve eaten since like 9.

“Why am I not hungry?” you wonder, feeling confused and maybe even frustrated.

If you’re already working with intuitive eating concepts, this can feel confusing. The idea is to trust your body and eat when you’re hungry. So were you supposed to stop and eat? Why didn’t your body stop you? Or, do you just trust that your body is fine and move on till you feel hungry?

Friend, there’s a couple reasons that you might not be feeling hungry in a predictable way or timely way. Let’s look thru a couple of them together.

Medications or Illness

Lot’s of times when your body is getting sick, one of the first things to go is your appetite. When your body feels better your appetite typically comes back, too (sometimes with a vengeance!). How to navigate this nuanced, just like most things in nutrition, such as what’s making you sick and how long has it lasted.

It is also worth mentioning that medications can alter your appetite. Some might make you more hungry, e.g., steroids and antidepressants, and others can squash your appetite, e.g.,stimulants and even some antibiotics.

Emotional Overload

Another common reason you might find yourself without an appetite is because you’re experiencing super strong emotions.

While you might know some friends that turn to food during emotional times, you might swing the other direction if you’re stressed, anxious, nervous, or even happy and excited.

Think about some different days that you’ve gone long periods without eating – is there a common denominator? Maybe overwhelmed with how much needs to get done? Hyperfocused on the tasks at hand?

Your Body is Satisfied

It is 100% normal for a well fed body it ebb and flow with hunger. Despite what calorie calculators want you to believe, you’re not actually a robot and your needs can change daily!

You may have less hunger for a longer period after a big meal and your hunger might ramp up after a vigorous workout. You may also notice fluctuations in your hunger during different weeks of your cycle – totally normal too!

Disconnected Hunger Cues

One of the most common reasons you don’t feel hungry is that you’ve learned to ignore it. Constant diets, fear of weight gain, subscribing to the idea that less is always better… messages are always coming at you about how to eat less and why that’s the superior option.

Your brain shouted “I NEED FOOD!” for quite a while before taking the hint and making adjustments. Some of these adjustments could be more loud and noticeable like a missing period, and some are a bit more subtle like increasing sadness.

The thing about disconnected hunger cues is that, even though you don’t “FEEL” hungry, your brain is still trying to nudge you back towards food. You’re likely thinking about food all. the. time.

What do I do now? Eat or move on?

It depends.

Sometimes, you just have a day that got away from you. And now you’re crazy hungry and you need to feed your body.

If you continuously go too long without giving your body the energy it needs, you’ll likely have more intense hunger later (and binge!) or you’re on a slippery slope towards hunger disconnection. 

If you’re not consistently feeling your hunger right now, I’d get curious on why. What would it feel like to schedule your meals and snacks for the next week or two as an experiment? Imagine feeling more productive and energized!

If that brought up a ton of nervousness or anxiety you at the thought of eating more often, what’s worrying the most?

If you want to chat about it, drop us a note…