Does anyone else have trouble eating enough food?

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I know that when I feel bad and can't think well, one thing to try is to get some decent food down me.

Unfortunately, my appetite is shot, has been for 10 years, made worse by the bereavement, and I always had a bit of a problem with eating anyhow.

I can understand kind of viewing it as a medicine, but after a while, it gets really tiring, and I remember when I stopped eating for a couple of days, it was like taking a holiday. It shouldn't have felt so good, I know that.

It's not that I hate food per se. When presented with a dish I really like, I'll wolf it down, and I love cream. I just don't encounter really nice food or cream a lot.

Does anyone else have anything like this? I'd like to overcome this. It really shouldn't be so difficult, just to exist.

Some people deliberately stop eating for a period of time. It's called fasting and can feel quite good. I have a day or two without food if I get ill, it speeds up recovery. If you think it should feel bad, but it actually feels good, what does that tell you?

I wouldn't worry unduly unless you become dangerously underweight. But, If you do need to eat more for your health, keep in mind the reasons why you want to eat more, and why not eating has negative effects for you. Buy foods that you enjoy, and eat them. If you like cream, get some.

I think it tells me that I am really unmotivated, and lazy to boot, as it was such a release from all the effort of getting the food.


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That works for a while. A while back, I was getting strawberries and cream in my weekly/fortnightly shopping, and having them every day before the strawberries and cream went off. Then I got a bit sick of them, and couldn't think of a substitute.

And that's the story with my food. I have such trouble with thinking up "new" stuff. Even with lists, they kind of don't work after a while. I don't know why it's all such an effort, when other people seem to enjoy and relish it. I wish I could do that.

You should go to your GP and make sure that your not underweight, & then maybe get an appointment with a nutritionist who can help you work out a meal plan. Research recipes online, see if there's anything that makes you think "Hmm I wouldn't mind eating that".
Also sometimes you have to make yourself eat even if you don't feel like it. Drink protien shakes if you don't feel like eating a full meal, but at least eat something...a sandwich, a banana, ice cream, anything you feel like.

I don't think there's any solution for motivation problems, except forcing yourself. Make a table of pros/cons of not eating, and put it on the fridge or something. Maybe try to create a proper routine, and stick with it so much that it simply becomes habit.

Saying that you're lazy seems a bit harsh on yourself.

It sounds to me like you may have executive function problems... do you have any friends or family that can help keep you on track? Have you any support from medical or social services?

I will say again; I wouldn't make it into a problem if it's not one. Are you actually malnourished/underweight? The way you describe it, it seems that it's only a problem because you think it is. Don't worry about what you think you should be doing or not doing, unless it's actually hurting you.

Banana! I've got one in the kitchen. Thank you. Forgot about it.

Spot on about the executive function problems. I was tested by a neural psychologist a while back and scored high average to superior on all kinds of areas from education to general knowledge to the different types of processing.

But my executive function and short term memory are shot, scoring low average. This is due to the breakdown I had 10 years ago trying to stop my now dead husband from committing suicide.

So while I appear really quite normal and articulate to some, the reality is that I can't remember all sorts, like well, that bananas are available to me in my kitchen.

I am underweight. Haven't weighed myself, but I used to be a size 12. In the six months since my husband's finally successful suicide, I have gone down to a size 8, and may be getting thinner. I know it's not good as what meagre bosom I once had is now vanishing fast.

I am skinny and underweighted. I like to eat but can't eat enough.
... but when I was eating enough (several years ago) I was as thin as now.

I love food, but I find eating to be too time consuming, so I put it off alot. I normally only get one real meal per day, and that's usually within the last 2-3 hours of the night, right before I go to sleep. I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do about it yet, but I have been trying to come up with some kind of plan. Hmm....

I enjoy eating, but I forget at times. I've tried to get a little bulkier since my best friend began to worry about me. I somehow gained a few pounds over the last few weeks, but I'm prone to losing it again.

My appetite is very low, I have a high anxiety personality, and my digestive system is very inefficient. All this combines to make it very hard for me to gain weight. I was once 105lbs at 5'9". I've gained a couple inches and 55lbs since then but it's a constant effort just to keep my weight stable which is a great hurdle for my weight training aspirations. Also, I'm fairly certain I have executive function problems too. I eat the exact same things everyday (that is if I don't decide I don't want to eat a particular thing) because otherwise I'll get overwhelmed trying to decide what to eat. I think this ties in with my busy academic, piano, fitness and social schedule though.

In any case I can definitely relate to having trouble eating enough. If you're underweight then you'd be surprised how much gaining weight has an effect on your health and more importantly your happiness. You'll feel more vigorous and hopeful. Eat pizza if you have to (even though healthy things are preferable). Get plenty of carbs, fat, and protein. It's worth it.

From time to time, I just don't feel like eating--usually it coincides with depression. What I usually do:

1) Buy foods you really like
2) Drink lots of juices or liquids (Soy milk, protein shakes, orange juice, tomato juice and such)
3) Simply force yourself to eat something

Occasionally exercising helps bring my appetite back. I've had problems keeping weight on for awhile [I'm 5 ft 8/9 and weigh about 120 lbs right now, which seems to be about average for me].

Hope some of this helps!

--David

Lots of times I forget to eat, but a rumbling feeling in my stomach reminds me to eat something.
But sometimes I do not and the rumbling feeling goes away and I can get back to my games,

ummm.................ok.........u seem pretty laid back about it.......why did he kill himself? what did u think about that? i mean, what is going on?

of course, its non of my bizznes. but its always weird when someone decides to kill themselves. And it always makes me wonder about it. Like whats wrong, why did they do it.

I suppose that I am sometimes laid back about it. It gives me a short break between the wanting to scream and the crying and wanting to destroy his stupid mother who made him unable to love himself.

And yes, I agree that it was weird that he wanted to kill himself, just as he was getting really successful as an IT consultant. The coroner hasn't yet had his say, but the current train of thought is that he literally just suddenly went mad - from "I don't feel well" to dead in 5 weeks.

thanks for the info.

must be hard for you to deal with that stuff. I guess it feels good to blame someone for all of this, like his mother. Maybe she deserve to be blamed for this. But I guess, in the end, it´s just life happening. im sry.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband, SilentScream. Have you received any bereavement counselling?

I was wondering how you handle other things that require functioning executive function? Do you have anyone to give you a hand, or do you muddle through? I'm a bit worried about you.

Do go and see your doctor about things, if you need help.