Losing Food Enjoyment

blthulhu

I'm just looking for a bit of advice.

I am struggling quite a bit with food. It’s as if nothing I eat is satisfying. Even when I’m hungry, I’ll sometimes put off eating because I don’t fancy anything at all or I just don’t know what to eat. When I finally do eat something I feel hollow because I’m just so unsatisfied. You know when you’re craving pizza and you eat a droopy salad and you just feel all kinds of disappointed? Like that but it’s happening with every single meal. I don’t know what to do anymore. I just don’t know what to do and it’s having such a negative impact on everything.

Edit: Also, is it normal for your appetite to decrease as your exercise levels increase?

I’ve never ever experienced this before and I just am at my wits end. Does anyone have any advice? Could it potentially just be a phase that I'll come through?

Unknown

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oh_happy_day

I put effort into planning my meals by the week - I try to mix it up, try new recipes and make things as delicious as possible while still fitting in my calories and macros. My salads certainly aren't droopy - there's honey roasted vegies, fetta etc.

In answer to your other question - I exercise a lot, I don't feel hungry straight after but then I'm ravenous. Or occasionally I don't have much of an appetite but the following day I'm extra-hungry.

rhyolite_

I also plan out my meals, but I've also experienced what you are describing, OP. Sometimes planning out my meals just makes it worse, because I feel so unsatisfied with the meal before I even eat it. In my experience, it usually works itself out and I'll get my appetite back. If there is any one food you are craving, it might be a good idea to go ahead and eat it within your calorie budget.

Kalikel

Learn to make healthy foods that you like to eat.

You can work some high-cal treats into your diet if you have enough calories to be able to do that and remain healthy, but they shouldn't be the only things you like to eat. That's just the most depressing idea! You should enjoy eating the healthy stuff, too!

Start preparing healthy foods in many different ways. You'll find some that you like!

Eating healthy doesn't mean "droopy salad" all the time. You can - and should, IMO - enjoy eating the healthy stuff, too. Put some work into finding healthy things you enjoy eating. You'll be glad you did!

Need2Exerc1se

Is the problem that you think you can't have anything you really want? Or do even your old favorites like pizza no longer hold any joy?

If it's the first, then try incorporating your favorite foods into your diet, even if they are high calorie. You can prepare them yourself with lower calorie ingredients, or just have a small portion, or you can eat a little lighter for a couple of days and save up some calories for your normal portion.

If it's the latter then it's probably just a phase. If it continues you might want to speak to your doctor as loss of appetite can sometimes be indication of a medical problem.

jemhh

Cardio can have appetite suppressant effects on some people. The studies I have seen included people doing steady state cardio (e.g., walking on a treadmill) and not HIIT. In my personal experience, I have found that I react in the same way. Easy running and fast walking for 30-45 minutes suppress my appetite a bit. Sprinting makes me ravenous.

amelialoveshersnacks

I have been feeling like this lately. I do my meal prep the day before...
I know I don't want what's right in front of me, but I don't know what I want. Or, one day I might eat like I've been starved, and the next day don't want to eat at all.
Exercise generally makes me ravenous but then have a bite of sushi and I feel overfull.
I figure this will pass if I just hang in there, grit my teeth, and eat what's in front of me anyway.

NJGamerChick

Exercise does suppress my appetite I find, so you're not alone there. Sometimes it's the only motivation for me to work out.

As for food, if you're craving something, eat it within your budget. The way I see it is, if you truly want it, you're going to want it for days. If you are eating and are unsatisfied, bump up what you planned for the day and make it worth the meal. My salads are never droopy. They're full of crispy greens, veggies, nuts, cheese, home prepared meat, and one of my favorite dressings. So good I don't even consider going out for a salad. This is where the meals and habits are made and your ingredients have to be great. And if salads aren't your thing, then maybe find what is within your food budget. On days where you don't feel like eating, a smoothie, a yogurt, runny oatmeal in a mug all work. It's not about fighting your body, but learning to work with it.

nyponbell

Maybe it's something as simple as needing more spices? It depends entirely on what you eat of course, but for me, even when I enjoy my bean soup, I know it will taste a whole lot better with spices (even if they add more sodium etc etc). Different textures to what you are eating might help to, if it's all in your head (which it sounds like you think it might be) and a bigger rotation of food. And with cravings, I'm not sure if you're an all or nothing type of person, but a lot of people do have great success with working in their cravings into their daily budgets (or even weekly budgets, allowing for say two slices of pizza one day and logging the calories over the course of the week; both a way to keep your spirits up without feeling like you wrecked one day and as a blockade to add more craved for food that's not in your budget, because you're still logging those pizza slices).

As for the hungry question; I get hungrier a few hours after a good work out (or walking to work, which takes about 30 minutes of mostly fast pace walking). If I do my gym work out in the evening, I tend to be hungrier the day after, if I do it in the morning, by the time lunch rolls around I'm often starving (but then it's gym + walking to work, and not always time to eat enough for breakfast, so it might have more to do with that).

bebeisfit

This ^^^ Flavor! Roasting vegetables gives them such a depth of flavor... I'll never steam anything ever again! Spice blends can be low sodium - I go to the Spice House in Chgo...also on line. They make a number of Indian, Ethiopian, Mexican etc. mixtures that I use in vegetable / bean mixtures. My newest favorite is red lentil soup with an Ethiopian berbere spice blend. Fantastic, low cal, high fiber and cheap!

sheldonklein

Does "picky" and dieting mean that you have eliminated all the food you like and won't try new things? If so, of course nothing sounds good to you. You need some give on both sides of the equation.

piheart

There are ways to satisfy your cravings for things with higher calories by using lower calorie substitutes - slices of zucchini to make mini pizza bites, pizza with cauliflower crust, pizza with tortillas as the crust as a quesadilla, etc. It seems like you are kind of giving up on yourself and honestly this is not a good enough reason to do that just yet. If you don't like salads, you don't have to eat them. Find other ways of making vegetables a part of your day, there are many online resources and websites that can help you find things that you enjoy (check skinny taste, pinch of yum, etc.) Try something new. Devote some extra planning and time to your meals and you will be more satisfied with them in the long run.