# Why am I so freakin' hungry all the time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 21, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461 "2009-11-21T22:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/1 "2009-11-21T22:05:20Z")
Stop right there. I am not pregnant. At all. For the past two or three weeks, I have been a constantly-hungry eating machine. I’m not gaining any weight, I’m actually losing it, and I’ve been eating nonstop. This morning I cooked the same breakfast I’ve always made myself on Saturday mornings since Jesus, and I was hungry again less than two hours later! I threw some beef in a pan, tossed garlic and the usually seasonings over it, then ate it and I was still hungry. Then I ate a whole shitload of cheese, and was finally sated. Why am I this frickin’ hungry? And another thing, wtf is up with me and Egg McMuffins? Until Wednesday, I hadn’t even stepped foot in a McDonald’s in something like five years. I didn’t even know where the closest McD’s was. I knew there was one nearby because I frequently see people with McD’s bags and I assume they’re not busing them in, but I couldn’t have told you where they got them from. So Wednesday rolled around and I told my coworker, “I would kill innocent people for an Egg McMuffin.” She directed me to the nearest McMuffin dispensary, nobody got hurt, but that wasn’t good enough. The following morning, I required another one! What’s going on with me and food? I told my friend about this and she joked, “You’re a growing girl.” All this would be perfectly normal if I were, but I’m old and am not growing anymore. Totally bizarre, totally pointless, totally need to share. I want a cheeseburger now. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/2 "2009-11-21T22:16:47Z")
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but unusual hunger while simultaneously losing weight can be a symptom of diabetes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/3 "2009-11-21T22:19:26Z")
I’ll second possible diabetes. I am not a doctor. See a doctor for a full check up. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/4 "2009-11-21T22:24:30Z")
Diabeetus? Do I have to talk to that guy with the moustache? ---
**Author:** ![Finally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@Finally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finally)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/5 "2009-11-21T23:52:55Z")
Menopause? Me too. I’ve always been on the thin end of tall. Bring on the night sweats, chattel house periods and sleeplessness? Bring on the calories and the weight. Worst thing is, Egg Mc Muffins are NASTY! Velveeta cheese, on the other hand, can occasionally sooth the beast. Hope it’s not illness mentioned upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/6 "2009-11-21T23:53:51Z")
That was my first thought, too. Glucose meters are inexpensive (free if you can find the right places on the Internet to send one). I would advise doing a quick home test. Test before you eat, and then 2 and 4 hours postprandial. That should give you a good idea. Unless that pregnancy test is really an option… (I keed, I keed) ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/7 "2009-11-21T23:55:16Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Diabeetus? Do I have to talk to that guy with the moustache? Nah. We don’t claim him. He can’t even pronounce it right. Drives my daughter right up the wall. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/8 "2009-11-21T23:57:59Z")
Menopause? Not yet. I’m a little younger than my user name suggests. Now what’s all this about the diabeetus? How often do young, physically active, healthy people with zero family history of diabetes suddenly come down with it? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/9 "2009-11-22T00:03:09Z")
Could be thyroid function. I developed Graves disease a few years ago and before it was diagnosed I was eating – this is not an exaggeration – six meals a day with snacks in between, and losing weight besides. Ah, those were the days. Anyway. Go see a doctor. They can test for all this stuff. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/10 "2009-11-22T00:05:11Z")
Now I’m worried. I came in here to mention that I feel that hungry 90% of the time. I also stay fairly thin. The medicine I was taking last year made me gain twenty pounds, but even with that I’m still in the normal weight range. And yes, my blood sugar tends to drop wildly and fast. Um, yeah, I commiserate with you because I feel that way ninety percent of the time, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/11 "2009-11-22T00:05:28Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Menopause? Menopause? **Men** opause? That is _so_ sexist! Please say ‘personopause’. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/12 "2009-11-22T00:07:23Z")
Holy crap! I’m not at that level. In the three weeks or so that it’s been I’ve lost 4 lbs, and while I have been eating more, it hasn’t been six meals a day. Four lbs doesn’t sound like a lot, but if I’m eating more I wouldn’t expect my weight to stay constant, let alone down even if it is only a little bit. Directed at **Cliffy** , of course. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/13 "2009-11-22T00:07:24Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Menopause? Not yet. I’m a little younger than my user name suggests. Now what’s all this about the diabeetus? How often do young, physically active, healthy people with zero family history of diabetes suddenly come down with it? My 10 year old daughter. Family history on both sides of type 2, but none at all of type 1. Despite formerly being called juvenile diabetes, it can hit anyone of any age. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/14 "2009-11-22T00:11:29Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Now I’m worried. I came in here to mention that I feel that hungry 90% of the time. I also stay fairly thin. The medicine I was taking last year made me gain twenty pounds, but even with that I’m still in the normal weight range. And yes, my blood sugar tends to drop wildly and fast. > > Um, yeah, I commiserate with you because I feel that way ninety percent of the time, too. Up until a few weeks ago, I was almost never hungry. I ate because I was supposed to. Occasionally I’d feel hungry, grab something to eat ahead of schedule (I don’t have an official eating schedule, but I tend to eat around the same time everyday), then stay full for hours. This has only been going on for a few weeks. If this continues, I guess I’ll go see a doctor. I HATE going to the doctor. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/15 "2009-11-22T00:29:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Menopause? **Men** opause? That is _so_ sexist! > > Please say ‘personopause’. > > Thank you. No… it would be womanopause, men get meanoldmenopause. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/16 "2009-11-22T01:11:33Z")
Has your schedule changed at all? If you are getting more exercise you might be more hungry or have you recently cut something out of your schedule that could be causing boredom eating? It took me a long time to be able to tell the difference between actual hunger and boredom hunger and I find that I have to be much more aware of my diet if I suddenly have extra time off work or another part of my schedule opens up and gives me more free time. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/17 "2009-11-22T02:52:19Z")
Are you sitting in your house in Germany, surrounded by empty dishes? And now, for the serious answer – as a big 'ol “me too” to **Cliffy** ’s comment. I have Graves as well, and at it’s heyday, I could’ve made his exact post – six full meals a day (with copious snacking in between), but every time I stepped on a scale, there was a little bit less of me. I was 118 lbs. by the time I went to a competent doctor who figured out the truth. Might be worth mentioning to your doc… ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/18 "2009-11-22T02:57:18Z")
It’s a tapeworm. Definitely. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/19 "2009-11-22T03:01:44Z")
Or lupus. Oh, wait. It’s never lupus. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461/20 "2009-11-22T03:09:48Z")
Inexplicable weight loss (which weight loss while eating more would probably fall under) is considered a medical warning sign. Sign of what? Several things, a couple of which have already been mentioned. So go see a doctor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-so-freakin-hungry-all-the-time/518461.md?page=2)