Is it normal to physically feel hunger but have no appetite?
Something happens to me that everyone tells me is unusual. I almost never feel hungry or have the desire to eat. I can go many hours without eating and not even notice it. I can even have food right in front of me and not feel like eating it. Most of the time, I eat because I know I should, not because I actually have an appetite.
However, after several hours without eating, I sometimes start to feel something in my stomach. It feels like an empty sensation, as if my stomach were being squeezed or contracting. Sometimes it also feels somewhat like a burning sensation or just something strange inside my stomach.
The weird part is that I don't really associate that feeling with being hungry. I don't think, "I'm hungry, I want to eat." I just notice the sensation in my stomach, while still having no desire to eat.
But if I eventually eat even though I don't feel like it, the sensation goes away.
Does anyone else experience something similar? Is it possible to feel the physical signals of hunger without actually having an appetite or wanting to eat? Or does hunger normally come with the mental feeling of wanting food?
I want to clarify that I don't do this intentionally. I'm not trying to avoid eating, lose weight, or hurt myself. I simply almost never feel hungry or have an appetite, and I can forget to eat. I normally go to the gym, although I haven't been able to go lately because I don't have enough time due to university.