Before I did my first 72hr fast, hunger was like a thousand little tiny needles bouncing around inside my stomach stabbing me, drinking water reduces the pain and if ignored they go away after an hour. If I still don’t eat then I get lightheaded, then I get a headache, and it became hard to think or do anything. If I eat it goes away but if I wait too long before eating then I’ll get a headache for the rest of the day.
Now that I’ve done a few 72hr fasts, hunger just feels like this urge that I should eat something. It doesn’t hurt like it used to, I do get lightheaded if I don’t eat after ~20hrs and if I don’t drink snakejuice.
Thanks to fasting I’ve really been able to figure out the difference between low blood sugar and true hunger. I used to think what I know now as low blood sugar was “hunger”, which always seemed weird because it would come like an hour after eating. It was this feeling like I needed to keep eating but only certain foods like starches or dessert (shocker). The best way to describe the feeling is like my stomach is being pulled downward, but also sort of like a cramp? I can feel it go through my body like a wave, starting at my shoulders, down to my stomach, and back up to my head. Also my attention immediately shifts from whatever I’m doing to my stomach and thoughts of food. Very hard to ignore. The feeling usually goes away as quickly as it comes on.Contrast that with what I’ve found to be true hunger: it’s more like a dull ache in my abdomen. The psychological need for food is really strong, but not the same carby foods as low blood sugar. I crave nutrient dense things like meat and dairy. The feeling comes on gradually and is less intense. This feeling is much easier to ignore.