How to deal with indigestion symptoms?

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I have been chronically underweight since I was a young teenager and have always had trouble gaining weight. In the last few days I have been trying again and reaching over 2,000 calories (which is my goal). However, I find myself staying up til 1am to reach this number and then waking up to stomach pains and nausea. I get very VERY hungry in the early hours of the morning but throughout the day my appetite diminishes and today I'm forcing myself to eat because of this nauseous feeling I have. It's very disheartening and this is not a first time occurrence - over the years I have attempted to gain weight and always face these uncomfortable symptoms. It's like my body is telling me to stop eating this much and wants me to maintain the low weight I have been at since I was a kid!

Doctors have done tests to see if I have any physical problems and everything comes back fine. Blood test results are completely normal, everytime! I live a sedentary lifestyle and the only exercise I do is walking, so I can see why I can get by on less than 2,000 calories everyday. But I hate feeling so weak and lethargic. I want to finally overcome this weight problem and be healthy. I need some advice on what to do to ease these symptoms in the morning, as I find myself having breakfast very late and not when I am completely starving at 6am! Could it be what I'm eating everyday that's causing it? Or my physical inactivity? Any help is greatly appreciated :)

Replies

  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
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    Congratulations because you are trying to become more healthy. I wonder if you have support or guidance of a person who knows about food it is harder if you are going it alone.

    I am assuming you are cooking your eggs in olive oil, I wonder is this is a little rich for you? Also are you used to having so many bananas? Some people can find them indigestible especially in quantity. I know they can be nutritious. You could try avocado pear as a change, it just needs to be slightly soft at the stalk end and you can add calories with mayonnaise.

    All the very best in finding what works for you.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    If you are "completely starving at 6 am" why not eat then?

    If you are not wanting to get up that early, can you chug a quick nutrient supplement like ensure and go back to sleep?
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    Try getting more fiber and protein to balance out your fats a bit more. Fat is good, but in a disproportionate amount can leave your stomach in knots.

    Rigger
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    i've always had problems with a variety of foods. being able to eat normally meant finding out what foods were comfortable to eat. for me, baked and mashed potatoes, some brands - not all - of greek yogurt, toast with the right bread, oats made with milk, are all comforting to my tummy and easier to eat. adding a tablespoon or two of light sour cream makes things feel better to eat. chicken noodle soup used to be a good one for me. i suspect everyone's most tummy-comfortable foods are different, so it makes sense to come up with your own list, and stick to those when possible.

    and don't forget acid blockers like pepcid. they really help me, and they do help not only with a sour feeling or painful stomach, but help with nausea for me, as well.

    anytime you're hungry, why not go ahead and eat?
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
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    I agree increase protein, fiber, and add

    ginger spice and/or ginger-ale to suppress nausea. Weed is also supposed to suppress nausea and improve appetite.

    Pepto-Bismol / generic pink stuff / bismuth? works to suppress nausea in me.
  • p8liwag
    p8liwag Posts: 919 Member
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    My goal is to gain more weight and it's hard to consume so much calories in a day.
  • mszsun
    mszsun Posts: 12 Member
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    I haven't paid a lot of attention to how much fat I've been consuming but I can see that it is slightly disproportionate, so I will work on adding more fibre rich foods into my diet. I normally consume enough protein because I eat a lot of meat, but for the last few days I've been eating leftover stuff in the house (this could be why I'm not eating enough).

    I cut out all junk food in my diet years ago and I've just got into the habit of snacking on banana's. They fill me up and used to greatly improve my stamina and mood, but recently they've lost their potency at doing that. Regardless to say, I realised the main cause for the stomach trouble/waking up to nausea: eating 2 - 3 banana's late at night - mainly to reach my calorie goals. I didn't do that yesterday and I feel great today! I think I'll limit myself to having 2 everyday and vary what I snack on from now on. I bought avocados, just waiting for them to ripen up.

    Thank you everybody for your advice! When I posted this topic, I was very distressed with my situation. I persevered and things are looking more positive now that I've overcome this hurdle.
  • Owlibee
    Owlibee Posts: 138 Member
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    I have the same problem as you and was diagnosed with IBS and anxiety

    I found that adding lots of fibre helped and cutting out red meats or hard to digest foods.

    Try cutting out dairy too to see fi your symptoms improve

    You could be just intolerant to a certain food
  • mszsun
    mszsun Posts: 12 Member
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    I have the same problem as you and was diagnosed with IBS and anxiety

    I found that adding lots of fibre helped and cutting out red meats or hard to digest foods.

    Try cutting out dairy too to see fi your symptoms improve

    You could be just intolerant to a certain food

    I've also been diagnosed with IBS in the past but it was a misdiagnosis. I agree with you, I think my diet is limited in fibre and higher in fat so I definitely need to fix this! I'm fine with eating meat in large quantities but dairy is a problem. When I drink milk or eat anything with large quantities of milk in it, I get cramps and a severe burning sensation in the abdomen area. I tend to avoid drinking milk but I can tolerate things like cheese, it's strange.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    I haven't paid a lot of attention to how much fat I've been consuming but I can see that it is slightly disproportionate, so I will work on adding more fibre rich foods into my diet. I normally consume enough protein because I eat a lot of meat, but for the last few days I've been eating leftover stuff in the house (this could be why I'm not eating enough).

    I cut out all junk food in my diet years ago and I've just got into the habit of snacking on banana's. They fill me up and used to greatly improve my stamina and mood, but recently they've lost their potency at doing that. Regardless to say, I realised the main cause for the stomach trouble/waking up to nausea: eating 2 - 3 banana's late at night - mainly to reach my calorie goals. I didn't do that yesterday and I feel great today! I think I'll limit myself to having 2 everyday and vary what I snack on from now on. I bought avocados, just waiting for them to ripen up.

    Thank you everybody for your advice! When I posted this topic, I was very distressed with my situation. I persevered and things are looking more positive now that I've overcome this hurdle.

    Glad to hear you are figuring it out. Thanks for the update!