I can relate to this. I definitely eat when I'm bored or annoyed.

I've found it useful to distinguish between "mouth hunger" and "stomach hunger". When I'm actually hungry, I feel sensations in my stomach, and will often burp or feel like I'm about to reflux.

The "mouth hunger" is when I think of a croissant and start salivating, even though I wasn't hungry a moment ago. Or that store checkout-line "hunger" when you see all the tempting treats they've put there. So, not hunger at all, but craving.

Yes true hunger feels different. You also aim at different things, less about taste but more about actual nutrients. Even as a kid I never drank 2L of sodas when I was deep into soccer or running. It was straight to water.

Similar experience here, perhaps. Wife and I run and our training involves running in the morning before work. I've done a couple runs, up to ten miles, before breakfast and not eaten afterwards until lunch (typically 1100-1200.) I was surprised that following the runs, I was not starving. It really was no effort to not eat. On the ten mile runs, I put a sports drink in my water bottle which includes carbs as well as electrolytes, so I suppose that's not really fasting. Pre and post run I do drink water and black coffee.

And then there are mornings like today where I ran 10 miles and then had 2 eggs, 2 strips of extra thick bacon, two buckwheat pancakes (with butter and syrup)and a piece of rye toast with marmalade. Definitely not fasting!

Similar to my experience. I live in the mountains and if I go on a strenuous hike first thing in the morning then it takes a while until I get my appetite back. This applies any time of the day: following a strenuous hike, I am just not hungry for an hour or two.

is it hard on your bones and joints ? I wondered if hikes in the hills would be too tough 24/7

I cannot prove anything but it feels that modern lifestyle was seriously absurd. It was just comfort pushed to eleven. Since I took jogging back, I can also go 5 km or even 10 km by foot with ease. It's "worse" than that, I actually crave doing so. It's more pleasure than effort. Mind and body. Maybe that's just me...

Industrial revolutions required us to specialize and not spend time walking or working hard physically, but now that we're so comfy we're somehow deprived.

ps: I'd say it's super healthy to get some big big meals at times just because you enjoy it so much. Life's not just about being on a tight rope.