Are we supposed to eat even if we're not hungry?

Sometimes I don't really feel hungry.

"Hunger" is a new feeling for most of us and to be honest I even think it feels good.

I really want to learn to eat only when I'm hungry, like most thin people do and not for some other reasons.

Are you really hungry everytime you eat?

I try not to eat if I'm not hungry, I actually love that hungry belly growl. Before surgery I could not tell you the last time I was hungry because I was always eating!! Now I try not to snack and wait until my scheduled meal time. I don't always accomplish that but when I do It is a good feeling!!!!

I try to stay on a pretty tight schedule and eat at the same time each day. What I do if I am not hungry is drink fluids. I have a protein lemonade instead of my meal and then wait until the next time I have scheduled myself to eat. If I get hungry in between then I figure it is my own fault and I suck it up and get my mind off of it by doing something like hitting the treadmill or doing a chore I have been putting off. I got to clean out my closet for the first time yesterday and boy did it feel good. I tried everything on because I wasn't sure about some things that had been in there awhile and I was stunned at some of the things that fit me really well that I had not been able to get into for a long, long time. It helped energize my determination.

This early in the game, I also try to stay on an eating schedule. I don't like to go longer than 4 hours or so between eating, because then when I do get hungry it comes on very suddenly, I get really cranky, nauseous, and tend to not make the right choices.

I've read different things on here about skipping meals. Some people say why eat if you aren't hungry. Others, like myself, believe that eating every 4 hours or so really kick starts your metabolism and gets it going.

I'd ask your doctor what he suggests.

I'd like to read some current views regarding an "eating schedule." The hospital gave me a sample schedule but my surgeon hasn't (I'll ask at my next appointment).

I was just wondering what your opinions are. I'm learning if I wait until I'm growling....It's not a pretty outcome.