Starving One Day - No Appetite the Next

Lady_Grell

I've had this problem all of my life, although it's more noticeable now that I'm trying to eat in a healthier manner. On some days, I'm so hungry it's like I just can't ever feel full. On other days, I have absolutely no appetite. If I'm not careful, I'll barely eat 500 calories, but I won't feel hungry. (On those days, I also don't get thirsty and will forget to drink.) What I've been trying to is to spread out the calories on the days I'm hungry so I can feel like I'm eating more while still staying in my range, and basically force myself to eat a healthy amount on the days I don't feel like. It seems odd to make myself eat when I'm not hungry, but I know I need enough fuel to keep my body going. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there any way to handle it other than what I'm doing? Thanks.

Smallc10

Well I do this but that's because on the days I don't feel hungry I don't eat enough so the next day I'm starving all day. Basically I've just started making sure I eat enough every day and that has calmed the swinging appetite. I do get hungrier the day after I work out but not ravenously so.

ana3067

Weekly intake is what matters. If you are consistently finding that you lack an appetite 3x a week then just give yourself 3 days a week to eat low cal, then eat higher calorie on your hungry days, making sure that at the end of the week you are within your total weekly goal.

Lady_Grell

The funny thing is that these days don't always go together. The last two days it's been a struggle to eat and drink. I made sure that I did, but I wasn't hungry in the least. I simply had no appetite. I'm worse to do this in the summer. About a week ago, I took one of the spells where I simply felt like I couldn't get enough to eat. I held it in and ate normally, but I'm not sure what's causing it.

Lady_Grell

Like I said, I've done this ever since I could remember. It's more common for me to have the I just don't have appetite days then the hungry ones. One issue of my weight was never the quantity of food but the quality. I didn't eat much, but I ate foods that added up to be too many calories. Now that I've cut back on too many snacks, sweets, and colas, it seems to be harder to eat enough. I'm doing my best because I want to stay healthy, and this isn't an every day thing. I might look into the weekly totals. That actually might help a lot.

ana3067

What is your daily calorie goal and weekly weight loss goal? what is your exercise routine like? macro goals and general patterns of consumption? Again, weekly average intake is what matters. If you are regularly feeling like eating low cal, that's fine.. as long as your weekly intake is high enough. So you can have 500 calorie days, then maybe your other days will be 2000+ calories depending in your calorie goal.

Lady_Grell

My daily calorie goal is 1500 and I'm trying to lose 1lb/week. Right now my exercise routine is on hold due to health issues. I have a large hernia on my right side that prevents a lot of movement and another issue that I'm seeing the doctor about tomorrow which leaves rather weak and dizzy. When I do exercise, I enjoy hiking as I have a 35 acre farm in the hills. I don't really have macro goals other than the ones listed here and I don't have a set pattern of consumption. It switches wildly from day to day.

ana3067

I looked at a few recent logged days, I noticed that you're consistently under your goal? 1500 should be the amount you eat every day, even if you don't exercise (as this would be your net, i.e. non-exercise daily living intake needs). Many people only eat back half of those calories, so e..g if you log 300 calories from exericse then you'd be eating 1650 calories that day. I also noted that your protein and sometimes fat tend to be on the low side, and both help with satiety. So on days you want to eat a lot, is it possible that your low protein/fat intake compared to carbs is just leaving you hungrier than on days you have a lower discrepancy between the three macros?

There's nothing wrong with eating "junk" while losing weight. I eat it regularly... I ate a bunch these last few days with lots of stress and being on my period. If you're not one to eat large volumes of food then your best bet is to simply include higher calorie foods into your day. Things like peanut butter/spreads, jams, butter/oil, avocados, fatty cuts of meat, and treats like donuts, cookies, chocolate, pop, etc would all be higher in calorie for smaller volumes of food.

Lady_Grell

I haven't given up 'junk.' I just cut back on it considerably because that used to be all I ate. I used to drink 2 or 3 bottles of Dr Pepper almost every day. That's where a lot of my calories came in. This is all about teaching myself to eat differently, and you're being incredibly helpful. I need to look at food differently. It's still hard for me to eat 1500. While it's my goal, I'm still scared of it for some reason. I need to remember that good food is not the enemy. I need the calories, as long as I don't go overboard.

I have trouble with protein because, while I love meat, I always tend to go over on the fats. I'm searching for the balance there.

A lot of my current weakness is due to the fact I've been on my period for 16 days straight - heavy. I feel very tired, which is why I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. That may have something to do with my current situation, but I never have an appetite in the summer. I simply cannot eat if I'm hot. It used to scare my mom when I was a child.

You have been very helpful. I'm looking through your suggestions so I can find ways to improve my eating habits.

ana3067

Since your overall issue seems to be with getting enough calories on average, it might be worth adding an extra helping of pop or chips etc until you can find other foods that you enjoy to fill that gap. If you would prefer to eat high calorie but still nutrient dense foods, then healthy fats (nuts, avocados, oils) and grains would be good choices. Of course also sugary fruit like grapes or even bananas would be good ways to add more calories without being too volume-heavy.

As far as protein and fat though, being high on fat intake is fine. It's again all about calories. My fat goal is ~65g but I can easily wind up at closer to 80g, just means my carbs are lower that day. Lean pieces of meat are worth trying if you want to increase protein without significantly increasing fat -- turkey, chicken, non-fatty fish, pork. Egg whites are also a good source, I usually bulk up omelets with some egg whites.

Have irregular periods been something you've dealt with for a long time? Perhaps the two are related (periods and lack of appetite). I mean, I don't lknow how they'd necessarily be related but you should perhaps ask your GP about this. Also birth control can be great for heavy periods, maybe going on it would help with your appetite as well. Or looking into those IUD ones or shots instead of pills.

Also re: calories, liquid calories would be an easy way to get in calories with minimal satiety. A few glasses of milk, some juice, a beer or wine sometimes...

Lady_Grell

I do love grapes and nuts. I've been eating both lately, so maybe I'll increase those. I was working to keep all of my numbers at or below goal, which is difficult. Sugar is a problem when you love fruit. I was trying to focus on all instead of just calories. If my bigger focus is on calories, that's actually a lot of relief. I love meat.

I've had irregular periods since I first started. I was 13 or 14 when they put me on birth control pills, which stopped me from having 2 or 3 a month. My one was still rough, but it was just one. Then, I went into kidney failure about 4 years ago and was on dialysis. During that time, I simply stopped having periods. I got a kidney August 29th (yay!) and my periods came back with a vengeance. I had just finished my last one about three days prior when this one hit. It keeps getting heavier, and my gynecologist scheduled an ultrasound for tomorrow.