Should I eat if I'm not hungry?

nettiklive
nettiklive Posts: 206 Member
edited November 26 in Food and Nutrition
I've been kind of stressed out lately and not getting enough sleep and just feeling blah, and when I get like that I don't really want to eat except a bite here and there. Is it okay to go with intuiitive eating and just not eat much for a day if I don't feel hungry or will that impact my progress? I'm trying to lose a bit of fat and build a bit of muscle and am doing some moderate/ beginner lifting. Like right now all I had today was Greek yogurt with granola and lots of coffee with milk, went to gym, came home and not really feeling like dinner... should I force it?

Replies

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Depends on your goals. If you want to recomp (lose fat and gain muscle), you need to get adequate calories and protein on the regular. A day here or there is okay. You can also eat more tomorrow.

    I personally don't understand the predicament because I eat when I'm not hungry all the time.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    How many calories do you have left? I think there's a difference between having, say, 50 vs. 500 calories left over. It sounds like you have a lot left for today. You need food to fuel your workouts, and if your body is under a lot of stress, I don't think that undereating will help. You don't have to eat every single calorie, but I'd try to eat something.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    For a day, fine. On a regular basis, you should strive to achieve your goals.
  • angelsja
    angelsja Posts: 859 Member
    I'm having this issue I usually don't have breakfast till 10-10.30 and it's usually overnight oats fruit and yogurt but then I don't want lunch because I'm still full then 90% of the time when I log my evening meal and after workout snack I'm way under my Calories but not hungry should I eat more even if I'm not truly hungry???
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    A day here and there is nothing to worry about. If it's a temporary situation and a few days, I wouldn't worry over that, either. Beyond that? Yes, eat.

    If you're having trouble getting to your calorie goal, chances are that you're being too restrictive on what you're eating. If you're trying to lose weight, you were eating enough before to gain it.. add some of that back in. There is no "bad" food that needs to be cut out completely.

    rddy1jx4ebu9.jpg
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    I'm with the "Do you have 1,000 calories left or 100?" camp.

    My bestie has a really bad habit of not eating, but once she sits down in front of a meal she realizes how hungry she is. Which explained why she was spacy, disorganized, and crabby.
  • angelsja
    angelsja Posts: 859 Member
    serindipte wrote: »
    A day here and there is nothing to worry about. If it's a temporary situation and a few days, I wouldn't worry over that, either. Beyond that? Yes, eat.

    If you're having trouble getting to your calorie goal, chances are that you're being too restrictive on what you're eating. If you're trying to lose weight, you were eating enough before to gain it.. add some of that back in. There is no "bad" food that needs to be cut out completely.

    rddy1jx4ebu9.jpg

    I'm eating the same as I was before just less and still coming way under my Calories just eat more of what you are before is a mute point the question is if I'm not hungry should I eat for the sake of eating?? I used to have a big bowl of cereal for breakfast then maybe a full English breakfast or similar for lunch then my evening meal + dessert now I know better
  • janicelo1971
    janicelo1971 Posts: 823 Member
    why force it? if your not hungry, dont eat!
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    edited May 2018
    nettiklive wrote: »
    I've been kind of stressed out lately and not getting enough sleep and just feeling blah, and when I get like that I don't really want to eat except a bite here and there. Is it okay to go with intuiitive eating and just not eat much for a day if I don't feel hungry or will that impact my progress? I'm trying to lose a bit of fat and build a bit of muscle and am doing some moderate/ beginner lifting. Like right now all I had today was Greek yogurt with granola and lots of coffee with milk, went to gym, came home and not really feeling like dinner... should I force it?

    Based on what you said here, I think you should try to eat something. When I exercise I'm often not hungry for a few hours after and I'm also tired so I don't want to fuss with it, but then I don't feel at ALL well later if I don't eat. I agree with whomever said you might feel differently once you actually get food in front of you.

    Maybe make something simple, tell yourself you only have to have a few bites of it and if you're really not hungry, you can pack it for lunch tomorrow? You never know, you might surprise yourself and finish the whole meal.


    ETA: just realized this question is a month old...OP I guess it's okay if you didn't eat. :wink:
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    serindipte wrote: »
    A day here and there is nothing to worry about. If it's a temporary situation and a few days, I wouldn't worry over that, either. Beyond that? Yes, eat.

    If you're having trouble getting to your calorie goal, chances are that you're being too restrictive on what you're eating. If you're trying to lose weight, you were eating enough before to gain it.. add some of that back in. There is no "bad" food that needs to be cut out completely.

    rddy1jx4ebu9.jpg

    B)

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I have days where my appetite is very little to none. I can't remember it ever happening more than 2 days in a row (unless I was sick) and usually no more than once a month. Even still it is more regular than I would like from an energy management perspective so while I don't force myself to eat all the daily calories I do have a set minimum of about 60-65 percent. If it happens a second day in a row I force myself to eat the MFP minimum which for me is 1500.

    I am not worried about any damage I am only concerned with feeling "low" the next day which does not help my weight loss efforts.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    janicelo1971 wrote: »
    why force it? if your not hungry, dont eat!

    If it is an every day thing yes force yourself to eat. I have a disease that results in my gaving no appetite and I am never hungry.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    janicelo1971 wrote: »
    why force it? if your not hungry, dont eat!

    Let's flesh that answer out with a bit of context. If it's an occasional thing, no big deal. If one is hugely undereating on a consistent basis, getting adequate nutrition could become an issue.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    janicelo1971 wrote: »
    why force it? if your not hungry, dont eat!

    Because food is fuel, and for many of us in the modern world where we are constantly surrounded by cheap, yummy food, our hunger signals are broken.

    If it's every once and awhile, but you are getting on average a good number of calories, it's not a big deal. Many of us eat 200 calories under one day and 200 cals over the next. But if you are consistently undereating, and you lose weight aggressively, you can be malnourished, lose muscle, and do some serious damage over time.

    Also, consistently getting full on an unnecessarily small amount of food can signal a medical condition that needs treatment.
  • nicolehorn0114
    nicolehorn0114 Posts: 51 Member
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    What is this not hungry thing you guys are talking about?

    I’ve never heard of or experienced such a thing. :p

This discussion has been closed.

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