Why don't I want to eat anything? Is it dangerous?

becomingbeautifultoday

Hey guys, quick question. I’ve had very little appetite the last few days. I’ve been missing meals just because I haven’t wanted anything. Yesterday all I had was an Atkins shake, a chicken salad, and ¼ of an avocado… and that it. I just haven’t been wanting to eat. And I’m feeling the same again this morning. So far I’ve skipped breakfast and I just don’t want any food. What’s the go? Normally I LOVE food and can’t get enough! Should I be forcing myself to eat? I just don't even want to think about food.

Basilin

Are you feeling sick? Have you been less active lately? Something emotionally distressing? Those things can affect your appetite. If you're not hungry but know you should be eating, do small portions through the day of fairly simple foods, drink water with some lemon and a little sweetener, or tea if you like tea... hopefully it'll stimulate your appetite. If you start feeling faint or light-headed or your energy level drops, you know you're not getting enough to eat and should definitely force something down. Let us know...

becomingbeautifultoday

No, I haven’t been feeling sick, and I drink 4-6 cups of tea/ coffee a day no problem. I guess I’m pretty stressed at the moment… I have a full time job, and I’m looking for another one, so I’ve had lots of interviews and that, plus we’re trying to move house because our landlord has screwed us over… and on top of that, my partner hasn’t been to work in 6 weeks because he’s depressed and is on the brink of losing his job…. And I’m getting a pet bird in December (which I’m really excited about, but I don’t have any of the stuff for it yet… and with my partner not working… and a brand new car to pay off, with no money to pay for it….) okay this is getting silly. Yes, I’m going to say that my lack of appetite is probably due to stress. Oh dear. It’s like going to a therapist talking on here haha.

habit365

I have had this happen before, and I try to force myself to eat at least 1200 calories unless my digestive system is way out of whack. If I don't eat, other bad things start happening (extreme tiredness, spaciness, clumsiness) and it's just not a good scene. I also *really* don't like the rebound extreme and insatiable hunger that sometimes happens because once that starts it's usually 3 days of misery for me before my appetite settles down.

LoneWolfRunner

Food is highly overrated. Eat when you are hungry.

NBENG

Not eating enough food/calories in a day could actually set you back on your weight loss goals. Starving your body of proper nutrition can have undesirable effects such as lower energy, blood pressure, and etc. If you don't want to eat I would try making calorie/nutrition dense shakes to offset the amount you don't eat until you regain your appetite some.

GetSlimEquestrian

I don't think you should force yourself to eat when you're not hungry or don't feel like eating (unless you have an eating disorder, which since you're concerned about your decrease in appetite, I don't think you do). Eating less than you should isn't dangerous short term, so don't be worried about it unless it lasts more than a week or so.