I recently had the shocking realization that some people—normal people—actually feel hunger cues. Like, they just… know when they’re hungry?? And then they eat?? Wild.
Meanwhile, I’m out here either forgetting to eat entirely or binge eating like I’ve never seen food before. There is no in-between. I can’t rely on my body to tell me it’s hungry, because it literally doesn’t. I don’t get gentle reminders like a little tummy growl or some polite brain fog. I get slammed with “Oh hey, you haven’t eaten in ten hours, enjoy your migraine and rage spiral.”
So I’ve basically had to hack my way through eating like a functioning human. I set timers to remind myself to eat every 3–4 hours, because if I’m doing anything remotely interesting, I will absolutely hyperfocus and forget that food exists. My body doesn’t nudge me—it just silently suffers until it collapses.
And to make it even more fun, I’m constantly wanting to chew on something when I’m bored, which is… often. So now I keep gum on me like a survival tool. It’s a little thing, but it helps with that restless “I want to eat but not really eat” feeling.
I genuinely didn’t realize this wasn’t how everyone lived. I thought this was just being human. But apparently, there are people who notice they’re hungry before their body is in crisis mode, and I’m honestly jealous. If you’re one of them, please know I admire you. Deeply.
If you’re like me, though—living in the land of forgotten meals and chaotic eating—you’re not alone. It’s not a failure, it’s just how some brains work. Sometimes our bodies whisper and our brains are too loud to hear it.
So here’s to timers, snacks stashed in every bag, and chewing gum like it’s our full-time job.
