always hungry

hi, im 18 and a student. im so confused cus i always seem to be hungry. im not one to just eat due to boredom, but its actual hunger. ive tried drinking cus i no u can sometimes confuse hunger for thirst. but even after drinking im stil hungry. i can only go about 3 hours MAXIMUM without feeling hungry so i normally eat every 1-2 hours. so, if you body says your hungry, should u just ignore it or eat? i cant possibly need all this food can i? might it be because im about to grow? but i thought 18 was too old. i was the one who wrote about the growing pains in leg, but i havnt actually grown lol! any advise/explanations would be greatfully appreciated
thanks!

Reply 1

shinyhappy

My biology teacher once tried to explain that hunger was fuelled by the kidneys, because they need sodium as part of a pump action, which helps keep the kidneys doing their job. This always struck me as very odd, because we're always told to eat less salt/sodium. But I guess it could be one explanation. However, snacking on salty things isn't the best idea. I suppose that if you're eating regularly, as long as its healthy stuff, fruit and raw veg and all that, it can't do you much harm!

Reply 2

Barny

You might not be eating that much, theres a reason you get hunger pangs, you know :smile:

Reply 3

domie

hmm yea ive heard somethin bout salt levels as well, or maybe it was glucose or somehtin! i have no idea lol. erm ive felt like this probs about 3 weeks now :s-smilie:

Reply 4

Love_Hearts

as long as what your eating is healthy, your only snaking "comfort" food in moderation and your not putting on vast amounts of weight i dont see much of a problem.

Reply 5

hugatree

Maybe you do have a medical problem though. :smile:

Or some kind of worm inside you... Not trying to scare you, it happens.

Reply 6

Ferrus

I used to be like this too. But then I went to university and had to save money...

Reply 7

boho

i was like this for about two years, then my period stopped and my mum decided to take me to the doctors. turned out i had an exceedingly overactive thyroid, which basically meant my body was working at 4 times the speed of the average person and was just guzzling food. it was a bit of a family joke as i was eating 5 big meals a day, still being hungry, but never putting on any weight! I'm not saying this is what you have, but if you genuinely think you have a problem, i'd go get it checked out. Something like that can be quite bad if you don't get it found out xx

Reply 8

Fleece

maybe you have prada willie :biggrin:

Reply 9

Quick_Silver

It's nice to know there are others like me :biggrin:

I wish I could help but I'm experiencing it RIGHT NOW!!!

Reply 10

Col-C

boho

turned out i had an exceedingly overactive thyroid, which basically meant my body was working at 4 times the speed of the average person and was just guzzling food.

This happened to me too. The amount of food I was eating was just unreal! I'm on medication now, and put on lots of weight, but do go and get it checked out!

Reply 11

random123

Probably worms. Don't worry it's quite common.

Reply 12

saoirse

You might be diabetic like me...prolly not tho. Check it out for peace of mind!

Reply 13

boho

Col-C

This happened to me too. The amount of food I was eating was just unreal! I'm on medication now, and put on lots of weight, but do go and get it checked out!

lol really? if anything i've lost weight since i started taking tablets

but when you look back at things, the amount of food consumed is just hilarious. i used to work a 6 and a half hour shift and get one 20 minute break, during which i'd eat enough food to last me the rest of the shift, otherwise i'd go mad with hunger! HA