Stress and appetite loss?

LaurenAOK

Hi everyone! So I have been on MFP for a while, using it on and off over these past couple years because my weight has been fluctuating. Right now I am trying to lose a little weight I gained last year - about 10 pounds at this point. I've been having a problem with eating too little lately, though, and I was wondering if anyone had advice on that. I've had absolutely no appetite, and I think it's a side effect of stress. I know how much to eat for my body and I used to have absolutely no problem eating 1600-2000 calories a day of (mostly) healthy foods. Now that seems impossible.

A little background: I'm a second-year law student. I started this school year a little less than a month ago, and it has already been ten times harder than my first year (which I thought was impossible). Not only do I have school, but I'm also doing an internship and have leadership positions in several student organizations. On average, I'm gone from around 10am-10pm every day, sometimes longer, working my butt off the whole time. I've been so stressed I can barely think straight. And along with that, I've had zero appetite. I've been eating at meal times (lunch and dinner - I've never been a breakfast eater) only because I know I "should" eat then, not because I'm actually hungry. And even then I eat sparingly because food is the last thing on my mind. Sometimes I force down a couple of snacks before bed if I feel like my calories are really low.

So I started tracking on MFP again a few days ago, to see if I really was eating too little. Sure enough, looks like I've been netting around 1200 cals most days, and I would estimate that there's been plenty of days where I've been under 1000, which is obviously not good. The only reason I wasn't ridiculously under yesterday was because my friend wanted to go out for dinner so I got a burger; otherwise I would have cooked at home (chicken and veggies) and probably would have ended up 1000 cals under my goal.

I know the obvious answer is like "eat Taco Bell for lunch instead of a salad" but I don't want to do that because I really am trying to be healthier (I didn't treat my body great last year). I know there are healthy foods that can have more calories, but that usually requires eating a larger volume of food, and I don't have the appetite for that. I've been trying to eat more stuff with avocado because I love it and it has good fats, but I can only eat a little before I just feel so full.

Has anyone here suffered appetite loss from stress? How do you handle it? I'm used to actually eating MORE when I'm stressed out, so this is new to me. I know a lot of people say "just listen to your body and eat when you're hungry" but if I did that I'd probably only eat a few hundred calories a day at this point. Any tips (other than "eat a spoonful of peanut butter" - I've been around here for a while and know that one :happy: ) are greatly appreciated!

La5Vega5Girl

if you are stressed, it can cause either over- or under-eating depending on how your mind is dealing with the stress. I have been through stressful situations where I didn't eat anything and lost like 10 lbs in a week and then I've had other times where I eat myself into a crazy 10lb weight gain because of different stress.

if you are not hungry, then just eat something simple like a banana or a handful of nuts. maybe a protein shake or bar. I think the key is really to make sure you have something to just grab and go. when i'm super stressed, I do not want to cook, so you don't have to go "all out" on a meal, but you DO have to eat.

violasmith85

cottage cheese has quite a few calories and is healthier than taco bell. Not really sure though, not stress, but grief, but I can somewhat understand. last year my daughter passed away after she was born. I lost all appetite and everyone kept trying to get me to eat mcdonalds. I dropped a lot of weight (which later i put back on and then some). but I'm guessing it works the same way in the fact that if you just don't want to eat, you just don't eat. Honestly, maybe some of those shakes that have nutrients in them they give to underweight kids? Maybe if it was a drink you could handle it and help get you through this point.

La5Vega5Girl

cottage cheese has quite a few calories and is healthier than taco bell. Not really sure though, not stress, but grief, but I can somewhat understand. last year my daughter passed away after she was born. I lost all appetite and everyone kept trying to get me to eat mcdonalds. I dropped a lot of weight (which later i put back on and then some). but I'm guessing it works the same way in the fact that if you just don't want to eat, you just don't eat. Honestly, maybe some of those shakes that have nutrients in them they give to underweight kids? Maybe if it was a drink you could handle it and help get you through this point.

sweetie I am sorry for your loss. we have lost 4 babies at various stages of pregnancy and for a variety of reasons. I know our last loss (which resulted in a hysterectomy for me) caused me to put on a lot of the weight I had previously lost. grief and stress are awful. blessings to you.

Liftng4Lis

Your diary only has a couple of days and only one of those was 1300ish. Try peanut butter, its a great filler.