Should I eat when not hungry, if I have yet to reach my required caloric intake?

Okay, I know how many calories I need (no, the info I posted about my body on this site is not acurate. I don't have a scale or measuring tape/ruler) per day, and eat healthy. Lots of protein, complex carbs, veggies, some fruit, raw nuts, and as few added sugars as possible. Lately, I have been  trying to eat only when I am actually hungry. However, today, after a long day of riding my bike (6 hours uphill) I came up 400 calories short, even though I had a calorie-packed lunch. The thing is, I was absolutely not hungry in the least. I waited about 2 hours, then made myself eat(which forced me over my preffered sodium limit). My question is, in a situation like this, is eating the right thing to do? Or should I just listen to my body, and throw the calorie count out the window?

Hmm, in order to keep your metabolism working, you need to each sth in every 3 hours...THat's all I know...

Do not force yourself to eat if you are not hungry. There is nothing worse than feeling uncomfortably full! Everyone's body is DIFFERENT so eating every so many hours & calories changes for every one! 

no, just eat when you're hungry.. don't mess with nature.

I agree eat when you're hungry.  If you're worried about not getting enough calories have a calorific drink, make a smoothie or fruit juice.

I disagree....if I ate when I was hungry, I would be eating maybe once a day if at all. 

I think you need to eat every few hours just to keep your metabolism in sync with the body.  You dont want it relying on muscle for preservation, you want it using stored fat.

If your not meeting your caloric goals, eat more less filling calorie dense stuff, such as peanut butter..

this is a totally individual decision.  only you know your body and your appetite.  for some people, not eating enough today can turn into eating even less tomorrow; for others, appetite comes and goes. 

there is no answer that's right for everyone.

Bring this back to what's 'normal' for a second.  'Normal' people i.e. those that haven't been overweight or underweight in their lives don't count calories as a rule.  They tend to eat regular meals.... bigger ones if they're hungry or especially active, smaller ones if they're not so hungry or not especially active.   Their weight stays roughly the same - no problem.  And if  this situation for you is a one-off, equally there's no problem.

BUT...  (important) if you're someone that has a history of over/undereating, if you've been very overweight or underweight and/or if this situation happens a lot then you have to make more of a conscious effort to fit all your energy needs into your day.  Start earlier, eat a little more, have a few more snacks...  plan it out better, in other words. 

Well, here is what it is with me. When I first started to actually care what went in my mouth, I ate like the vast majority of the American population, and, looking back at photo's, I was well on my way to becoming like the vast majority of Americans. My life was ruled by food, and I snacked all day long. I never knew why (I now know about the whole sugar addiction thing), and felt disgusted with myself because I couldn't go from meal-to-meal without eating junk food. So I set out to stop snacking. Since then I have learned much, kicked my sugar addiction, and at this point, all I am trying to do is eat healthy food while still getting the energy I need. This is hard, because healthy foods seem to have less calories, by and large, and the rest of my family still eats like crap (In fact, they are growing increasingly hostile towards me for "not being normal"), and so they buy lots of crap. Thus I have to keep careful track of everything;sodium, sugar, sat and trans fat, and calories; and stop eating the moment I have enough, or else the numbers for the bad stuff go off the chart.

So you need to rethink a little.   First one... snacking isn't bad.  What you snack on determines whether it's healthy or not.  If you're eating fresh fruit, for example, a snack can be an intelligent way to keep your energy levels up between meals.

Next one to rethink is the definition of 'healthy food'.  Yes, things like vegetables have relatively few calories but if you fill up on bulky low-cal foods and don't get the energy you need that's not actually a healthy diet.  So if you find you're undereating on a regular basis it's going to make sense to include some healthy high-calorie foods in your day.   Things like nuts, for example, are rich in protein, E-vitamins, a host of minerals and are also a useful 150 cals per ounce...  Other good foods are olive oil, oily fish, dried fruit, avocados.  Or simply have slightly bigger portions of what you eat now... pasta, rice, potatoes, breadk.   If you map your meals out a little in advance you'll be able to see where to plug the gaps.

Be careful not to get totally sidetracked with concerns for sodium, fat etc.  When food starts to become nothing more than a collection of nutrients and calories you risk losing one of the main benefits... i.e. the pleasure of eating.  If a desire to eat healthily crosses a line and becomes an obsession then it's not good for your mental health either....  It's not a crime to join your family from time to time and have a piece of cake, for example. 

I do eat the high calorie foods, this situation actually does not arise often. When I say "healthy food" I mean anything that isn't loaded with trans fat, sadium, simple carbs, and sugar (AKA the stuff my family eats all day). And for me, the occasional treat is just not a good idea: once I have had the first bite, I tend not to stop (which, as I said,  is why I started changing what I eat in the first place)

just eat more, even if your not hungry, you should be eating, as long as you dont go over by too much. dont listen to these people saying dont eat unless your hungry- some people dont feel hungry at end up eating under 800 cals, thats kind of dangerous.