Appetite struggle

CharlieICURN

Some background/history:
I’m 33 years old and I’m in surgical menopause due to a Hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo oophorectomy earlier this year.
Since surgery and recovery I have really kicked *kitten* at the whole health game.
I’ve lost 45 lbs, went from very sedentary to pretty active (average 15000 or more steps a day) and due cardio at least 4 times a week with full body strength training twice a week.
I am still limited in some areas of physical activity due to multiple major abdominal surgeries this year and have been gradually working my way up as tolerated.
I’m obviously doing something right though considering the progress I’ve made.
Anyway, before my hysterectomy I had a biiiig problem with binge eating. I’m gonna guess a lot of it had to do with way out of control hormones since once I had surgery I don’t have this problem anymore.
I’ve overhauled my diet big time and eat a lot of Whole Foods and rarely eat out or processed stuff anymore.
Here’s my big problem though- my appetite has significantly declined. I went from always being hungry to having to force myself to eat. My goal is healthy weight loss and I want to build muscle and gain strength and all of that so I know nutrition is the cornerstone to this.
I find myself consistently going below my calorie goal by a large margin though. The thing is, even after a small meal I feel absolutely stuffed and I feel that way for hours. I don’t want to force myself to eat when I don’t have an appetite to do so but I definitely feel the effects of not consuming enough. I make myself eat AT LEAST 1500 calories but I’m probably in a deficit of at least 1000-1500 daily considering how active I am. I feel sluggish and fatigued so I know I’m not getting the right fuel.
I’m not sure what I can do about this. I know I have a huge problem with abdominal adhesions so I’m wondering if that’s slowing down motility and making me feel full but apparently there’s not much I can do about this.
While losing weight is a major goal of mine, being healthy is my priority. My body was apparently a great environment to grow cancer at one point and I want to do what I can to mitigate any modifiable risk factors for that to happen again.
Any advice to help stimulate appetite would be greatly appreciated!

concordancia

Have you tried adding in more calorie dense foods, like nuts and nut butters? Are you using the full fat versions of everything? Adding oils and or butter when cooking?

CharlieICURN

concordancia wrote: »

Have you tried adding in more calorie dense foods, like nuts and nut butters? Are you using the full fat versions of everything? Adding oils and or butter when cooking?

I am definitely a nut butter fan and I do use olive oil and stuff when I cook but that’s a great way to make sure I’m getting more calories. I don’t really snack on nuts a lot but that’s a pretty good idea.

FlyingMolly

CharlieICURN wrote: »

concordancia wrote: »

Have you tried adding in more calorie dense foods, like nuts and nut butters? Are you using the full fat versions of everything? Adding oils and or butter when cooking?

I am definitely a nut butter fan and I do use olive oil and stuff when I cook but that’s a great way to make sure I’m getting more calories. I don’t really snack on nuts a lot but that’s a pretty good idea.

Also avocado, dark chocolate, cheese, dried fruit, jerky, mayonnaise... there are plenty of whole foods whose calories add up quick. I’m pretty active, and sometimes a meal that meets my calorie needs is just plain exhausting to get through. There comes a point where I just don’t WANT another bite of chicken breast or arugula or whatever. 200 calories for a quick spoonful of peanut butter can be a real sanity-saver. 🙂

thisPGHlife

I know you said you don't really snack on nuts and I don't know if it's a matter of not being a smaller or that nuts aren't your snack of choice, but maybe try adding the higher calorie items into your meals. If you have other maybe add some chopped almonds. If you're having a salad you can add olives. Maybe add antipasto salad as a side. It even making pasta salad in the fridge to add to meals. If your a meat eater you could add in some higher fat fish. Calories from salmon add up pretty quickly and it's versatile. Also, you have a great excuse to add cheese to everything.

vggb

"I feel sluggish and fatigued" You didn't mention if you are doing HRT. If you aren't you should discuss this with your doctor, you are too young, just my opinion, to not have estrogen in your body.

I had a total hysterectomy when I was 38 and was fatigued to the point of unable to do daily tasks. When we found a hormone replacement that worked for me, that went away.

Now at 62 I am just starting to taper off my dosage as per gyno doc yesterday. But she did say that up to age 50 you should have estrogen definitly.