Generally I'm against eating when I'm not hungry, and I'm talking anything under a 4/10 on the hunger scale (5-6/10 = have a snack and 7-10/10 = meal). For the past three days, going by that I have only been eating one meal a day in the middle of the afternoon, and it only equals about 200 calories because even then I can't seem to finish it. Sometimes I have a yogurt in the mornings as well, but only once in the past few days.
I don't want to force myself to eat when I don't feel hungry, because I feel like that enforces the eating out of boredom portion of my mind. ie. If I wasn't hungry then, and ate, then this unnecessary snack is allowed too... which for me, adds up far too quickly.
Any ideas on why my body is seeming to starve itself? and any suggestions on how to increase my calorie intake, while staying nutritious?
I'd say that you're so afraid of eating out of boredom that your mind is convincing your body that you aren't hungry. I've had much the same thing before.
Basically, in the morning have a liquid breakfast drink like Up & Go or make a banana smoothie with bran in it.
Make all your snacks like a trail mix, and always mix honey or dried fruit into your yoghurt...
Good luck!
I kind of wish I had your problem, my stomach seems to want to eat all the time.
if you are never hungry then just schedule when you are going to eat. Have a breakfast, lunch and supper every day at the same time and try to make them at least 400 calories each. For breakfast I would suggest dairy, fruit and a source of fiber. For lunch a source of protein and some veggies and same type of thing for supper. if you aren't hungry for snacks in between then no worries, at least you're getting a good amount of calories from your meals. If you do want to snack there should be room for a couple of fruit during the day.
Agree with the planning. Schedule your meals ahead of time. When I packed my bag this morning, I decided what I would eat for breakfast, snack 1, lunch, and snack 2. I also discussed tonight's dinner with hubby last night so I also know what I'm having for dinner. By 6:30 this morning, I knew where all my calories were going to be coming from - barring some sort of unforeseen hunger, which does happen from time to time. The dinner menu is planned out 1 week in advance. Monday night is grocery night and we get enough for as many meals as we need. So my advice is to come up with a plan, and stick to it. It makes life so much easier.
Elizabeth - I'm not convinced on liquid breakfasts, I've always been of the opinion that you shouldn't drink your calories. (But Caramel Macchiatos are SOOOOO good, I can't resist sometimes )
I do have to agree with setting a schedule. It won't reinforce the "bored" part if it's part of a schedule. Then you'll start thinking of food as a fuel rather than a comfort. Actually, now that I think about it, eating when starving would reinforce the "food brings me comfort" part of your mind. If you eat when you're not hungry, that is, at specific times in the day to keep hunger from popping up, you won't experience the pleasure of having your hunger sated, and won't attach food with pleasure, and not feel the "urge" to eat as much.
Of course, I'm no psychologist, and Pavlov was a long time ago. ;-) It seems to make some sense to me; anyone else?
Lately I haven't even been able to eat half of a 6" subway sandwich without feeling so full I feel sick. I can't even eat a whole salad. I think it's nice that my stomach has shrunk but how in the heck am I suppose to eat 400 clean calories in less than ~1 to 1.5 cup of food?
Why is no one saying the obvious? Go see a doctor. Such an extreme lack of appetite could mean there's sometjing wrong. How are you feeling aside from the appetite?
If nothing is wrong, you should know that not eating tends to kill your appetite after a few days (ask anybody on a hunger strike). In which case I would eat small meals of neutral foods (like eggs which are easy on the stomach) 3-5 times a day. And I agree that you need a schedule. Oh, and if there's one meal you should force yourself to eat it's breakfast.
BTW, are you excersizing?
Why is no one saying the obvious? Go see a doctor. Such an extreme lack of appetite could mean there's sometjing wrong. How are you feeling aside from the appetite?
If nothing is wrong, you should know that not eating tends to kill your appetite after a few days (ask anybody on a hunger strike). In which case I would eat small meals of neutral foods (like eggs which are easy on the stomach) 3-5 times a day. And I agree that you need a schedule. Oh, and if there's one meal you should force yourself to eat it's breakfast.
BTW, are you excersizing?
Tara, are you nervous about anything? Anxiety or even excitement can suppress your appetite. I know I lost about 10 lbs in high school when I started dating the guy who is now my husband.
I don't necessarily thing anything is wrong... (though I'm no doctor). But I went through that same appetite issue a few weeks ago. I'm sure others remember me saying that I felt like I couldn't eat enough even though at the time I was only taking in about 1700 calories per day (very little for some one that weighs 330). I've since upped my caloric intake a little.
I think my body was just going through an adjustment to my lower cal intake. I was and still am eating a lot of really clean foods and lots of protein and fiber with a good mix of complex carbs. I think it's amazing how much further real food will take you vs boxed processed food.
Bourb is right about the nuts too. I'll add some almonds to my oatmeal for my mid afternoon snack.
3/4 cup dry oatmeal + 1/4 cup raw almonds = 395 cal, 46 carb, 20 fat, 15 protein and 10 fiber.
yes, I am, yesterday I rode a total of 7km on my bicycle and walked 5km, and still after that, I had a salad, which was about 3-4 cups of stuff, and couldn't even eat half, and I hadn't eaten anything all day.
I'm not stressed, and was excited last night, (I found out that I got accepted into the degree program I wanted to start in September) but beyond that, my life is mostly work, and hanging with friends. I've never had this happen, and my family doctor is a ten hour drive away, so going to the doctor's is a little more complicated...
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