Anxiety and Undereating
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Anxiorexic
Posts: 4
As you can guess by my username, I have an anxiety/panic disorder. Recently it got out of hand, so I started seeing someone and it's getting more manageable, but my therapist became concerned one day when I showed up light headed and losing my train of thought and I realized I hadn't eaten all day (this was after I'd gotten out of work at 5pm).
We spoke about it and she realized how often I just skip out on eating because my anxiety makes me lose my appetite. Just this Monday I felt dizzy and realized I hadn't eaten since Saturday afternoon. I'm trying to take care of myself mentally, but I'm completely neglecting myself physically.
I need help getting into a healthier lifestyle. Any suggestions?
We spoke about it and she realized how often I just skip out on eating because my anxiety makes me lose my appetite. Just this Monday I felt dizzy and realized I hadn't eaten since Saturday afternoon. I'm trying to take care of myself mentally, but I'm completely neglecting myself physically.
I need help getting into a healthier lifestyle. Any suggestions?
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Replies
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put 'eating' on your list of chores. you remember to do your laundry? vacuum the rug? shower every day? etc.? you have to remember to eat, too. your hunger/appetite signals aren't working properly, so you have to engage yourself another way. get in the habit of asking yourself: did I eat? several times daily.
eat whenever you see food. stepped into the kitchen? grab something out of the fridge. even if you're not hungry. just make yourself eat so you get used to doing it.
I'll think of more later, or you can PM me.0 -
I have awful anxiety too, and I don't like to eat while I'm having an episode, the above poster is right, you have to put it on your list of chores....
I always drop weight when i'm stressed, but tracking my calories helps in the sense that I know i'm supposed to get to my calorie goal, so it forces me to eat.1 -
Also, you can try to put on some alarms during the day to remind you of eating. What advice did your therapist give you?0
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Set an alarm on your phone at what you consider 'meal times" so it goes off at 12:00 so you eat something at lunch time, and again at 6:00 so you eat something at dinner. Maybe you can get into a HABIT of eating at certain times that way.0
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I'm just going to leave these here...
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
www.youreatopia.com0 -
I was so bad for almost a year. I couldn't drive, I couldn't be by myself. I was basically lying on my couch every day thinking I was dying. Went to emergency room 10 times in that year, probably had 200+ full blown panic attacks. They were happening multiple times daily for a while. Tried different drugs, they just made it wayyy worse for me.
Anyway I finally got over it, by eliminating most of the stressors in my life, therapy, lots of reading about panic disorder, eating well and probably most importantly exercise.
You need to do all of these things to really treat your anxiety. It's great you're in therapy that's so important. You need to understand your anxiety and how it escalates. Everything just starts with a simple feeling/thought and your mind escalates it so quickly and your body releases a bunch of stress hormones to deal with whatever it is your freaking out about.
I know for me and most people it's usually a physical response to a physical symptom escalated by your thoughts so obviously you treat it by being cognoscente of your thoughts. Your therapy will cover that.
it's way easier to deal with when you eliminate the physical part of it and have less physical symptoms, less physical symptoms = less triggers.
Now how you control those physical symptoms is through diet and exercise. You need to eat regular meals. Every 3 hours to stabilize your blood sugar. Eat lots of veggies and fruit, panic disorder is very demanding on your body and uses a lot more vitamins and minerals then normal.
You have to exercise every single day. Start off small, do as much as you can even if it's 5 minutes of sit ups and push ups. Try and do it with a good intensity even if it's for a short duration and just increase the time as you get more comfortable. Eventually just work up to being as active as possible.
I think it's pretty common for people with panic disorder to become exercise junkies, 15-30 minutes right after an intense workout is the most anxiety free you will ever feel and you will learn to love it.
I started off with very light exercise eventually I felt comfortable enough to do more intense exercise, once I did that I started feeling somewhat normal again, still had some panic attacks though but way less. Finally I read a book on anxiety(I had reads lots online in the year before that but its not laid out as well as a good book), then finally went to therapy. Now I exercise basically every day probably around 6-10 hours a week and try to do as many physical things as I can.
On a final note make sure you eat before you exercise every single time! Use your anxiety free window following your exercise as a good time to chow down lots of calories
Good luck!1 -
I have had a lot of stress for the last 20 years and get anxiety attacks. I also would go days without eating and then when I did eat it would just be to grab something quick...like anything with sugar (candy, cookies, cake). I wasn't overweight so I never worried about it. However, I had a heart attack a couple of month ago, and I am fairly young...early fifties. They said stress had a lot to do with it, along with bad eating habits (sugar turns to fat and blocks the arteries) and no exercise. I still haven't conquered the anxiety but since I have been using this app to track what I do everyday, including exercise, I have only missed eating one day in three weeks, which is amazing for me. This is like another task for the day for me and I always stress about getting all my tasks completed, so this is absolutely helping. If you are compulsive, like I am, about getting everything done during the day, just add this to your list of things to do and it should help. However, I still can't seem to eat the recommended amount of calories since I have to worry about the type of food I eat now, but at least I am eating every day :-) I guess stress is the next thing to work on.0
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If you are attempting to do this 'yourself' (ie - 'taking care of yourself'), this might work (the alarm).
I know when I was admitted into hospital and then into the OP program (for anorexia), they advocated 'mechanical eating'. We would all eat Breakfast at 8am - 8:30am - snack would be 10 - 10:15 am, lunch 12noon - 12:30pm, snack @ 3 - 3:15, dinner @ 6pm - 6:30, snack at 8:00pm - 8:15pm. We would have to complete EVERYTHING included in the meal or we would have to have 'Ensure' (a horrid, nutritional 'shake').
Glad you are already seeing someone for your anxiety, but you sound like you should try to seek out your city's support for ED.
Set an alarm on your phone at what you consider 'meal times" so it goes off at 12:00 so you eat something at lunch time, and again at 6:00 so you eat something at dinner. Maybe you can get into a HABIT of eating at certain times that way.0 -
Thank you for all the suggestions and support! I would like to assure you that I eat and thoroughly enjoy eating foods I like, it just seems to completely slip my mind....often.
I work in a busy restaurant running the counter and I'm pretty active during the day. Most days when I work a double I only eat once and I end up just picking at it before I go back to running around like a maniac. Sometimes I get light headed and think I'm hungry, but I get hunger and nausea confused sometimes so I don't always eat.
I think setting an alarm to have a snack every so often would help. My anxiety has unfortunately also taken a toll on my stomach which is usually in knots, which just adds to my lack of appetite. I don't think I realized how much it was affecting me until I started therapy again. I really want to learn to not let it control my life anymore.0 -
Typically with anxiety, I found I would have more panic attacks because I was under eating. So if your calories are low...I am sure it is contributing to the anxiety big time.
One book that really helped me was the "Anxiety and Worry Workbook" it was yellow with blue writting on the front.
David Clark and Aaron Beck.0 -
Perhaps you could also keep something in your purse, like a Ziploc baggie of almonds or a Luna bar - something that doesn't need refrigeration and can survive a bit of neglect here and there - and associate grabbing your keys and purse with grabbing your snack. I know that when I leave the house for the day, I toss something in my purse because I will get busy and not think about food until I've got a headache and start wondering what happened. It's usually forgetting to eat because of The Big Busy-ness of Busy. Now I associate 3PM with 'check your purse and eat something, silly'. No more feeling like passing out in the middle of whatever I'm doing.0
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I'm just going to leave these here...
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
www.youreatopia.com
^^^ This. And keep talking to your therapist. This sounds like a therapist kind of issue.0 -
I don't have anxiety but when I get very busy or kinda down or something upsetting happens in my life, I lose the urge to eat much.
Opposite of emotional eating I guess. I get like a nervous tummy or something.
Anyways long story short, I set a watch I have to noon. IT goes off at noon daily. I wear that watch when I feel anything is making me not feel like eating. I've got chosen foods that I eat at times like these to maximize what I'm gonna eat if I know there's a chance I might forget to eat later. Noon is my chosen time because it's easy to remember to eat in the morning getting kiddo to eat, and in the evening at dinner with the family. it's those in between hours when i'm at risk for a headache from not eating.
for you a functional solution might be:
-to tape a protein bar to your front door, so you have to eat it before you leave for work.
-set a watch alarm during the day like I described.
-set your home alarm for a half hour after you get home, change, and rested, so you don't end up dozing off or daydreaming dinnertime away.
just some practical ideas until whatever therapy you go to kicks in.0 -
Pack food- pack enough food for the day so you can eat when you need to eat and there is something there to eat.
I mentally know- what I'm eating and when I'm eating it.
If I go home with food- that's a bonus- because I prefer eating later- and I don't have a food issue... but in your case- you can use it as a thing- okay- I need to go home with NO food. Pick things that are easy and non complicated- I have certain foods that are more labor instensive ot make (my yogurt I have to blend with powder and heat berries) I like it- but I realize if I'm in a hurry it's not something I reach for... a sammich- hard boiled eggs- a protein bar- something like that- easy to grab and put down 200 calories quickly. So consider TYPE of food as well.
So lunch is my meal- at 2 I have X snack and at 330 I have Y snack and if I leave work/school/home with extra food- I need to eat it.
The repeating theme on several posts (even mine) is having structure. That should really help you out as well- but definitely keep seeing someone and getting help.
Good luck!!0 -
Recently having problems with anxiety too, my worst panic attacks were due to under-eating and was constantly feeling lightheaded and dizzy. The symptoms of low blood sugar can be quite similar to those of anxiety, so I just forced myself to keep eating anything I could (past the nausea) for a couple of weeks until I felt less anxious! For me an increase in carbs made the difference (annoying because they were also causing problems with IBS... c'est la vie). My doctor said it's because your body treats them as comfort food (i.e. it craves the glycogen when you are feeling stressed!)
I agree with others about setting an alarm to remind you if you are simply forgetting, but if you know that eating during the day at work will be difficult, why don't you try getting up earlier and have a BIG breakfast before leaving then sort yourself out another BIG meal when you get home (at least!) - pasta was great for me, it's super filling but I would advise keep the sauces light and simple if you are getting nauseous, tomato and basil or something - I found cheese sauce or anything spicy a bit too sicky... Also high sugar things (like sweets and even to some extent, fruit) gave me too much of a sugar rush followed by a crash the next day which meant panic attacks caused by the rush symptoms followed by more panic attacks caused by the crash symptoms (horrid).
So I would suggest that you aim to eat healthy "clean" and home cooked food for a bit. I think once you start feeling better (less anxious) your attitude to eating might also change.
N.B. this is just what helped me, but you should definitely talk to your therapist more about it, and maybe someone who can help to advise you on nutrition too...0 -
Boy, I know what you're talking about. I'm so happy to read all these responses from other people who know what you're talking about! I'm not alone!! I've had anxiety and panic for 18 years now. It gets really bad when change is happening at my life and settles down when things are calm and steady. That's tough esp because I have a special needs daughter. LOTS of ups and downs at my house. I've developed IBS which is a big pain in the butt (literally)!! Drs will always say to try antidepressants. My counselor says don't unless you absolutely have to because its a bandaid. In the end I've never taken the meds because I felt the same way. Band aid. My friends who take them have so much trouble if they try to get off. So why take them if I can still basically function?
Exercise and cutting out caffeine and processed foods helped me tremendously! Exercise in the morning burns off my extra adrenaline and cuts WAY down on the anxiety. I never realized how much caffeine effects it either. But it really does.
As far as eating goes, when I'm anxious my IBS flares up and I eat very little. It's a vicious cycle. I feel in some ways that I've cheated with my weight loss. In the beginning I was just sick a lot and couldn't eat and dropped a lot of pounds. But as I kept exercising and eating healthy I felt so much better and more in control and confident. My IBS would settle and I could eat more normally.
Logging in your food several times a day is a MUST. Many, many days I got to the end and realized I really hadn't eaten enough. I had lightheaded and dizzy days too where I'd check my log and realize I wasn't eating. So yes, log in and log in your exercise too.
If you want to friend me you can!!0 -
Oh!! One more thought. I have a driving phobia that gets worse and better too. I've learned to stop feeling guilty for not being able to drive places. It is what it is and my husband doesn't mind. Don't focus on what you can't do because of your anxiety attacks. Focus on what you can do. Exercise and especially weight lifting is very empowering. It gives you confidence. Eventually your phobias will get better. Mine did.0
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The more I read all of these tips and suggestions, the more I understand how much it's taking over my life. I really didn't think my eating habits were so bad, but clearly I need to get into a healthier mindset. I tend to get offended when people who know me ask if I have an eating disorder, because I don't wilfully starve myself, but.......most people don't forget to eat food for days at a time, and I'm starting to see where they're coming from.
I had a couple of episodes of really low blood sugar while at work this past Christmas, and I don't think I realized how similar those episodes felt to an anxiety attack! That's actually fascinating to me right now and I'm going to try in the future to differentiate between "I haven't eaten in two days" and "I'm going to cry and try to hide under the pizza oven because I'm scared of everything".
I am going to try the alarm trick this weekend while I'm working, and I have therapy in an hour so I'm going to talk with her about all this. Unfortunately, I've been on edge all week so I'm in the grips of a complete lack of appetite right now, and my stomach feels knotty and nervous, so I'm going to have to force something down. I should really have a snack before I go since I haven't had anything yet, so I'm going to look for something to shove in my face.
For other anxiety-sufferers, since there's so many offering help, how do you deal with intrusive thoughts? Very occasionally, if I'm alone and I try to eat something, I will get caught in a vicious cycle of "you're just eating because you're bored, why don't you go find something real to do?" and if I'm by myself, it's very difficult to try to tune it out.0 -
I think therapy is the best way to help with your anxiety. I have same issues when anxiety gets high. I just..."forget" to eat. But being in recovery from anorexia i just can't skip meals.
I worked with a dietitian and got a meal plan and when I couldn't remember to eat I used an app on my phone called Recovery Record that actually has alarms reminding you to eat. Maybe you could do something similar? Unless eating causes yoour anxiety.0 -
And with the intrusive thoughts...the meal plan helped with that too. Because I knew what I needed to eat so when mind got going or said I was too lazy to eat or whatever..I just said...nope this is my meal plan, I am just eating my meal plan. I have ignored hunger so long I need to honor it even when I just think its hunger so my body can learn to trust me again. Feel free to friend me/message me for more.0
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