Loss of appetite and hunger

alwaysbloated
alwaysbloated Posts: 458 Member
edited August 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
I have nearly completely lost my interest in food. I can't be bothered making it, cooking it, sitting down to eat it, or chewing it. It takes too long. It doesn't interest me.

I went to a conference a few weeks ago were they caught us life skills such as cognitive behavioral therapy. One of them was overcoming obsessions and addictions. I was obsessed with food. Now I get enjoyment from art projects, hanging out with friends, church, music etc...

Food has lost its appeal. I've had chocolate and icecream in the house and I've forgotten it's there. I've eaten food that I usually like and I don't really enjoy it- it tastes the same but the dopamine hit has gone with half the taste.

I should mention I have a cold, but I've been like this for a few weeks.

My mum who is a nurse is not concerned at all. But I am. Sometimes my food diary tells me to eat 3000 calories that day because of all the exercise I've done and I struggle to eat over 800 calories. I can just think of better ways to spend my time then eating. And I still really enjoy exercising, that hasn't changed. I'm not doing to punish myself or lose weight fast. I don't care how fast I lose the weight, as long as it comes off.

I used to think I had to be perfect and be skinny for any guys to like me. But I'm currently hanging out with 2 guys that are perfect to me (despite me having a hippo butt and stomach), I've gotten constant male attention for the last six months or so despite not changing anything about myself, I've been making lots of friends and doing really well in my studies/work stuff.

So what's wrong with me? why am I like this? did the cognitive behavioural therapy work too well? or do I have cancer or something? do I need to do reverse CBT so I will eat the minimum amount of calories I need? Is this a normal effect of CBT and does it wear off after a while?

Like, my life has never been better, but I'm just not interested in food. Don't feel hungry, don't have a roaring appetite. Still walking 10,000 steps some days.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2018
    I think it's about finding balance, and before you do find your balance, you have to sway a little, hither and dither. Going from one extreme to another is normal in the beginning.

    You're even having a cold, which probably impacts your sense of taste/smell.

    I feel a heads-up is in order, though: Are you aiming to "eat healthier"? "Typical" healthy foods work by the (perverted, imo) principle of reducing desire; the idea would have worked great, if it wasn't for how humans work - we need great tasting food, and if we can't get it, and even more so when we can, but tell ourselves we shouldn't, we will crave it and obsess about it, and feel agitated and depressed, and in the end, cave and overeat, and feel even more agitated and depressed, leading to not only restricting more and then seeking out more food and eating more, but also being really scared of the food, and ourselves, and eat more to quell those feelings and so on and so on.

    So are you just a little bit happy about your loss of appetite?
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  • CrazyPixie12345
    CrazyPixie12345 Posts: 11 Member
    One of my friends sometimes gets this problem too, she also has bipolar- maybe it could have something to do with the high and low moods? They could possibly have an impact on your appetite.
    Hope you find a solution soon :smile:
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I was sick for a few weeks and lost interest in chocolate. All I wanted was spicy Asian soup. Now I'm back to normal and eating chocolate again.
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  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    alwaysbloated wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    alwaysbloated wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Ok. But self control and eat the right things indicates (to me) that your relationship with food is strained, and loss of appetite can be a "natural" effect of that. Even do all my workouts sounds a bit "forced" - is this prescribed exercise, by physical therapist or similar? Exercise should ideally be fun and rewarding in itself, not used as a weightloss tool. Are you actively working on enjoying food, too?

    Ok
    exercise- I walk the dogs because it's my role as part of my household. Sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I don't. I like being in the fresh air and listening to music on my podcast. Also like stopping to talk to other dog walkers.
    I have a treadmill set up at home, and I sometimes set up my laptop infront of it and watch music videos or movies. I love singing along to songs on the screen, it's like I'm playing singstar, but I'm going for a walk at the same time. I always feel really good while I'm doing that.
    I occassionally hope on a bike. I don't like it so much because the seat hurts my butt and it's boring, but if I do 30 minutes it burns a lot of calories and means I don't have to control my food intake as tightly. It gives me freedom.

    The exercise is not prescribed. But all humans need movement. I read somewhere that humans should move for at least one hour a day, and half of that should be fast paced cardio. I also have Bipolar, so I need exercise and sunshine to maintain my weight and help regulate my moods.

    I never had to work on enjoying food because I always liked foods. I tend to eat the same things everyday because I like those things. Before when I was having trouble eating, I mashed some pumpkin and potato together, then added some salt and cheese. It was delicious.

    1. If you like singing along... Go for your life, you don't need to walk to do that.

    2. You don't like riding. You do it to earn calories - this sounds slightly disordered. You can't eat enough calories right now, so stop riding the bike.

    3. You get out to walk your dog - sunshine, tick! And exercise, tick! You don't need exercise to control your weight.

    Exercising more is not always good--it creates stress in your body which can be unhealthy. I've been limited to 30 minutes a few times a week (no cardio allowed) by my Dr to reduce physical stress in the hope that it alleviates other issues I have.

    I would have thought some of the enjoyment from the singing and walking were from endorphins being released as I was exercising?

    do you normally enjoy walking that much? I'd say its the freedom of singing and expressing yourself by belting out some tunes

    Don't people do some exercise they dislike to get the results they love? It does make sense to stop using the bike in the meantime though.

    perhaps - maybe if they're getting paid to do it.
    If you don't enjoy how you spend your time it's a bit sad imo

    Don't some people (usually me, but not now), need/use exercise to control their size? since when has that been unhealthy?

    they might use it to help create a bigger calorie deficit if they can't control their eating. Or if they have disordered thoughts about creating massive deficits to lose weight. Exercising for health doesn't mean going to extremes, nor is it necessary for weight loss

    I can cut back on what I'm doing. What is expected of me by my family is to take my dogs outside for at least 10 minutes a day and make sure THEY run for the duration of that time. Anything else is extra. I think I'll cut down to a 20 minute walk a day, until I feel better and my appetite/hunger has returned

    sounds like a great plan :).

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