Sometimes I think I don't really listen to my body and eat when I'm not really hungry. What does true hunger feel like? I know that eating when not hungry just stresses my body and I would like to stop doing that!

Try fasting for a couple weeks. "True hunger" kicks in when your body doesn't want to fast anymore. It'll also help reset that whole mess of a cycle you're on.

What most people think of as hunger is really a secondary emotional panic from feeling detox arise as soon as there is no food to distract us from our emotional and physical detox. True hunger, or in my opinion what could be interpreted as such, is what happens when food has mostly left the system after about 48 hours......and the digestive tract is flexing and pushing to eliminate the last bits (that's the 'growling' and noises we hear)....but even this passes.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I find hunger to be a craving for food that varies in intensity depending on the of craving for food up until about the 3rd or 4th day without food (but still supplying the body's need for water) at which time the body switches to internal feeding in a condition or state known as water only fasting.
When hunger first occurs it comes as a very slight or weak signal that the body is ready, willing, and able to replenish its fuel. If the first slight hunger signal is not responded to then it quickly goes away and then latter it re-appears a bit stronger and stays a bit longer. This cycle is repeated until fuel is supplied. The signal never becomes overpoweringly strong and constant but rather always remains reasonably comfortable and intermittent until the fasting mode kicks in and hunger disappears.
I use the first slight, weak, brief signal daily as part of my raw food lifestyle to insure that my body is ready, willing. and able to digest more food. It is the best way IMO to clear the stomach before eating more and is the opposite of "mindless eating". I like to separate mono meals with a slight hunger signal.

I've found that delaying breakfast to 2pm, or even noon, will really let you know what hunger feels like. This helped me to appreciate a growling appetite ready for input!

10am: Mmmm... the THOUGHT of some ripe, juicy mangos sounds appealing, and I am accustomed to eating in the morning before work (not real hunger)

Noon: My body is starting to move around, get things going, burning... still no real desire for food

2pm: Wow! I've been working, I am awake, my body is READY for some nourishment and hydration! A nice fruit breakfast is the perfect thing. There are still no hunger pangs or craving, only the feeling that this is a perfect time for some energy. My body also really embraces the food in a different way if I wait until now, instead of eating at 10am in blind habit.

Meals after breakfast are sometimes trickier to discern.

when I wake up I feel HUNGRY! but this goes real soon - when I work out or something,

It's stronger after I've only eaten a light dinner.

True hunger for me is feeling very weak, shivery knees. But that's just low blood sugar I guess.

Also - I feel hungry effects when I look around and things aren't that sharp and a bit dizzy like. It's more than just my belly being empty - it's like my whole body is ready for food.

But this does go too I suppose. I guess I feel ready and open for food when I've really worked for it.

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