Lack of appetite

ciarasheep

Hey, I’m young (18), and I’ve been especially skinny the past ten years of my life. I’ve struggled with a low appetite so I never ate much. Socially, it bothers me because I get full so fast. It’s become concerning, though. I start to feel as if I’ll vomit if I eat “too much”. I’m not scared of gaining weight, it just makes me physically ill. I was probably getting 1000 a day max, and my BMI was 15.8. I can’t work out without getting exhausted.

Can anyone else relate to this? You want to eat more and gain more weight but you just get full? I feel so alone...

livingleanlivingclean

Unfortunately for some, their struggles are in eating enough as opposed to those needing to lose weight often struggling with eating less.

You have to make the effort to push the calories - snack often, drink calories, choose low volume calorie dense foods. If it is honestly a problem, seeing the Dr for calorie supplements may be a good idea.

comptonelizabeth

I have this problem too, most of my life (I'm now 62!) So yes, I can relate.
What has helped me is ditching the notion that I have to eat 3 large meals a day, as I just can't get the calories in that way. I have to start early in the day, so have breakfast as early as possible. I find eating 5 or 6 smaller meals easier to manage and I aim for foods that are high in calories but won't bulk me up top much - nuts and nut butters, full fat dairy, adding oils, butter and cheese to meals, etc. And if I can't face eating, I make a shake with full fat milk and add protein powder, peanut butter, bananas and even ice cream.
I can relate to the feeling sick issue too, and I'm actually almost phobic about vomiting! Just take it slowly and increase your calories gradually and, as said above, your stomach will adjust and you'll find you can eat more before that feeling of fullness hits you!

comptonelizabeth

Ps also if it continues to be a problem, you might want to see a doctor to check there's nothing physical causing the fullness

TavistockToad

i would start with seeing your doctor to check there's no medical issues

TavistockToad

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read

Lizakabibbis

Check with your doctor.

My husband basically eats one meal a day and even then it's not massive. Most of his calories come from what he drinks. His is a daily struggle as he wants to gain weight but just doesn't have an appetite.

jseams1234

...barring medical issues (do get it checked out)

I've always had a very small appetite. I've also always been incredibly skinny most of my life. So much in fact that there would hardly be a day that went by without someone commenting on that fact... and as a dude it wasn't typically a type of comment I enjoyed hearing.

I'm not skinny now. Far far from it... but it took me a lot of effort. I had to treat eating like a job. Enjoyment of my food became secondary. Eventually, my natural capacity to eat without feeling "ill" increased but there is still some of that going on, particularly when I bulk. I just deal with it and force myself to eat - liquid calories if that's the only way I can get them down.

AnvilHead

Eat more calorie-dense foods. There's a great list of them here, courtesy of @diannethegeek -

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1

jessef593

It's a struggle for many of us. I am a 180lb guy who worke 12 hour days ontop of intense workouts and I still find it hard to do more than a coffee before work followed by a few pieces of fruit and acouple granola bars at work. Anything more than that is honestly nauseating for me.

You'll have to figure out how willing you are to put in the time to eat(1st world problems). My largest suggestion is a good blender. Whole fat milk. Peanut butter. Fruits. Oats. Protein powder.

Add a shake consisting of all that to your diet ontop of everything else and see where you are after a month. That'll be an easy 600-1000 calories.