not quite a binge and really strange...

so today i found myself ravenous at one point for absolutely no reason (maybe im pms-ing- i hope so cuz i've never gotten a period b4) - ravenous, as in my stomach wasn't growling but it wasn't just craving either- it was like my body just needed to eat.  so anyways, i ate a lot more than usual- after my regular lunch i had 3 kids cliff bars, 1 banana granola bar, 1 bag of potato chips (i NEVER eat chips- im generally super health conscious, this was just a rare treat), a fruit, and some trader joes cookies (i didnt have the best foods on hand cuz i was in school and the only source of food was teh snack machine), and raisins.  the strange thing is, usually this would make me nauseatingly full but today it just satisfied me- i wasnt stuffed at all.  so my question is, does the fact that i wasnt stuffed from all of this, merely satisfied, mean that my body really needed that food? im not worried about gaining weight from this of course cuz it was just one day (and it doesn't matter anyways cuz i happen to be a good weight and generally eat very healthy) but as a general rule, if you really are just eating to a point where ur stomach is just satisfied and not uncomfortably full, does it mean your body is USING the energy ur consuming and not storing it? like if it happens again tomorrow and the next day and so on that im ravenous like this, should i continue to eat or just hope it passes? 

well first of all, i think we need a little more background.  what'd you eat for meals before and how many calories do you usually eat?  age, weight & height?  i don't want to give you any faulty info or an inappropriate response.

im 16, 5"1, 96ish pounds, and dont count calories, just eat healthy and sorta watch myself... today i had yogurt with oranges for breakfast, then some cereal, then lunch was a container of steamed squash and snap peas, an apple, a bag of whole wheat pretzels, and a plum.      

Hey, at your age it is normal to feel extra hungry at times because you body is still growing! Trust me, growing teenage bodies get hungry sporadically, so don’t stress it IS normal to feel ultra hungry when you’re a teen!

You need to analyze what you eat BEFORE you got so hungry. Even if you ate enough food, you may have needed more of a certain thing, like carbohydrates, protein, and fats.

You sound like you have a great attitude to food so please keep it up, you don’t need to count calories or worry about your weight because you are very slim already! Just try to eat when you are hungry and stop when you feel satisfied

Make sure you drink plenty of water, mix in cordial if you have trouble drinking a lot of water, if you don’t drink enough water it is easy to feel hungrier then you really are so next time after lunch, have some water and wait 20 minutes. It takes about 20 minutes to register that your body is full. If you are still starving then go on and have a little more food!

Original Post by homesick18:

im 16, 5"1, 96ish pounds, and dont count calories, just eat healthy and sorta watch myself... today i had yogurt with oranges for breakfast, then some cereal, then lunch was a container of steamed squash and snap peas, an apple, a bag of whole wheat pretzels, and a plum.      

what are you having for protein? sometimes when we are lacking one of the nutrients our body needs, whether that be fats, proteins or carbs, it goes for those infamous binge episodes. Make sure you're getting plenty of each so that you can balance your meals out..this will probably help a lot.

btw u mention saying that you havnet had your period before, which m eans your body is still growing...either that or you are underweight.

at 5'1'' and 96 pounds you have a bmi of 18.2...the lowest you should ever go is 18.5....so be careful this  may be the reason why you dont have your period yet.

bananee- check a bmi calculator for ppl under age 18- according to that, 90 pounds is the lowest someone of my age and height could be and still be healthy.  as for protein, i usually have a couple yogurts in the day and then for supper i have either fish, meat, or chicken

it sounds like at your age and weight, if you're hungry, eat.  eat away at healthy protein bars and what not.  last thing you want to do is stunt your growth.

Original Post by homesick18:

bananee- check a bmi calculator for ppl under age 18- according to that, 90 pounds is the lowest someone of my age and height could be and still be healthy.  as for protein, i usually have a couple yogurts in the day and then for supper i have either fish, meat, or chicken

yes it goes by percentiles, but as you get older, which is what is going to happen, a bmi of 18.2 is underweight and it is not enough to be healthy so expect to see moments when you just wanna eat because that is your body wanting that nutrition so that you can grow healthily and gain the weight you need. Either way watch out for that and make sure that you are eating enough.

gl

if you're feeling hungry, then it's definitely not a binge, but your body telling you that you need more food. If it does continue this way though, you'd probably want to swop the granola bars, cookies and chips with healthier/cheaper alternatives! (:

Could I just mention something? At sixteen, if you have never had a period, you have a type of amenorrhea. It's not the type that occurs in anorexics and major athletes, but the kind that occurs frequently in third world countries due to malnutrition.

malnutrition?! whoa thats a big assumption dont you think? i mean, seeing as you know nothing about me except for some 15 lines about one incident that happened the other day... it just so happens that its not so strange in my family to get it late- the earliest of my sisters was 13, the latest was 15, and my mother got it at 16.  im not saying that there's no other reason for it because maybe there is.  but with all the effort i put into making sure i get fruits, vegetables, protein, fats, and at LEAST 1000mg of calcium, i am seriously doubting the whole malnutrition theory... just my opinion

and btw, thanks to e/o for the advice

I have amenorrhea, so I recently read up a ton on it. So I basically just told you what I'd read, because it might apply to you...? I'm not calling you eating disordered, or anything like that, I'm just saying its something I'd noticed.

"There are two types of amenorrhea: primary and secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhoea is the absence of menstruation in a woman by the age of 16."