I do. Sometimes I will eat because a food will go bad if not eaten soon. I dislike throwing food away. And preserving it isn’t practical.
If I haven’t eaten all day, I may think “my body needs nutrition”, and will eat something.
How about you folks? Do you eat when not hungry? If so, how often is that?
I eat at regularly scheduled times. If I get hungry in between meals I drink water or green tea but dont snack! If I stick to my schedule Im fine. And I dont eat food just because it might go bad otherwise… thats what the DH is for!
I have to admit that I pretty much never eat because I’m hungry. I eat at mealtimes because it’s mealtimes. When I snack, it’s more often because I’m bored than because I’m hungry.
I’m roughly ten pounds heavier than the height/weight chart says I ought to be. I wonder why?
When alone, not much. If I’m only a little hungry, I’ll eat a little. If I’m not hungry at all at mealtime, I usually will also eat a little, just because I know that if I don’t, I’ll be hungry later, at an awkward time.
But there are many social circumstances where eating is expected, so I do (and then often end up eating less the next day).
I think a fair number of people eat when not hungry, and for lots of reasons: bored, tired but need to stay away, it’s meal time, someone made food for them, it’s a birthday, just want the taste in their mouth, they’re trying to fill a psychological hole, everyone else is eating, etc.
I sometimes eat when I am not hungry, but not as often as I used to. I am learning to say no thank you when people offer me food, find something else to do when I’m bored, and not feel bad going out with friends and just having coffee or a soda if I’m not hungry, but they are.
I also schedule my eating, I am diabetic and keep to a fairly strict menu as well - we plan our meals a week in advance. If I am due a snack and am not hungry I might modify it to something else like a single hard boiled egg.
Whenever I have a general feeling of ‘badness’ but I don’t know what exactly is causing it, I’ll troubleshoot. First have a sip of water, then try to sleep, then have a bite of something to eat, etc. Lots of times I’m hungry, but past the ‘gnawing hunger’ stage so I don’t immediately recognize it, but right when I eat something, the hunger comes back.
Apart from that, I’ll eat chocolate and cheesy crunchy things in vast amounts, not because I’m hungry but just because I love the taste.
If I am going out and won’t be home until late, I will eat something small like half an apple before I leave so I won’t be stuck somewhere later hungry and without food.
I don’t like wasting food. That’s where freezers and pets come in handy.
Yeah sometimes when watching tv or doing something mindless I will snack on chips or something like that.
Really, there are only 3 reasons to eat:
- you’re hungry.
- it’s delicious
- bored or emotional.
I try to eat delicious foods when I’m hungry so that I’m not doing the others. However, I often eat delicious foods for that reason alone. I rarely eat from boredom or to salve some emotion.
I used to be much heavier, but lost 50lb, getting the last part off over the course of 2010. I never want to be fat again, so I watch it pretty carefully and am honest with myself. When I do eat when not hungry, I know I’m going to have to not eat when I am hungry later to make up for it…or to be more accurate, eat less when I’m hungry and not be completely satisfied.
What is this “hungry” you speak of? 
TBH, probably more than I should. Some boredom eating, for instance. No comfort eating that I know of.
And then there’s obligation eating, like when Mom has brought some of her extra-special ethnic food and I pretty much have to eat it or insult her. Of course, I really do enjoy it, so it’s not a real chore, but still, it qualifies as “eating when I’m not actually hungry”.
“I don’t stop eating when I’m full. I stop eating when I hate myself.” - C.K. Louis
I eat when I’m not hungry. I love to cook whether I’m hungry or not, and I will eat what I cook regardless. I’m also a bored/downtime snacker. Love love love the salty crunchy snacks, unfortunately. No doubt this is a good portion of the reason I’m overweight.
Before I figured out that I needed to be on a low carb diet, I was always fighting reactive hypoglycemia, so I would eat because I was afraid of getting hungry while food was inaccessible.
Now that I’m getting that straightened out, no, I don’t eat when I’m not hungry.
Yep. To keep the peace in my household. It’s a major issue with my husband - and he gets on my back big time if I don’t eat when he thinks I should. So if he’s being an asshole about it, I’ll eat to shut him up. He knows he’s acting like a control freak about it - he is working on it and doesn’t get in my face as often about it as he used to. But every once in awhile he acts up.
Yeah, I do sometimes eat when I’m not hungry. Mostly, this is motivated by not wanting to “miss out” on something. Maybe there’s something in season, or getting together with friends, or a trip has taken me near a restaurant that’s too far away to be worth a trip normally, or those onion rings that just won’t be any good reheated.
The other issue for me is that the first symptoms of heartburn feel to me exactly like being hungry. So sometimes I’ll eat a little something and then realize later that I just needed an antacid.
If I’m going out on a long bicycle ride (50+ miles) or doing a half marathon, I certainly eat something in advance even if I’m not hungry.
I’ll also eat a little if not hungry at things like family meals and other social events.
Some people eat to live.
Some people live to eat. ← this is me… ::: sigh ::::
Yes I do. It’s why I’m fat. I’m working on it.
Rarely. If I do, I don’t each much. I also often skip breakfast or lunch, so it’s no big deal for me to wait until I’m really hungry to eat.