What do you do on the days you're just not hungry?

simplyychaos

I woke up this morning absolutely starving so I went to pour myself a bowl of cereal and instantly felt my stomach flip over. Suddenly I just didn't want to eat it, despite my growling tummy. I have these days occasionally, where I'll know that I'm hungry and I need to eat, but when I do I feel like I'm force feeding myself which isn't pleasant at all. Help?

Acg67

you don't have to eat breakfast if you're not hungry, eat a bigger lunch/dinner/dessert to make up the calories

KarenLipana

i dont eat or drink anything in the morning unless i hear my tummy growl. So most of the time, i eat brunch @ 1pm.

bcattoes

If you truly are not hungry, then don't eat until you are. If you are hungry but have an aversion to eating once you prepare food, or you are not hungry all day, then you could be developing an eating disorder.

gsager

If you start skipping meals your metabolism will slow down and you will burn calories at a slower rate. Maybe you just didn't want cereal.

Lula16

you dont have to eat bkfst, drink a cup of coffee

IrishChik

Breakfast is important and many will tell you it is the most important meal of the day.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/most-important-meal

When I have mornings like that I have a protein shake instead. That way I am still getting a meal and nutrition and wont go overboard with calories later in the day.

sweetiepie31612

When I don't feel like eating full meals, I find myself grazing. I'll munch all day sometimes. A handful of almonds, a fiber one bar, some crackers. Its certainly not healthy to do every day, but its better than not eating at all.

bentobee

Breakfast is important to get your metabolism fired up for the day. If cereal wasn't sounding good, try yogurt, oatmeal, heck even a sandwich!

I got very fat not from overeating constantly. I got fat from never eating breakfast (because I never felt hungry in the morning), rarely eating lunch, and then eating one big meal at dinner. I was probably only consuming 1000-1200 calories a day, but my metabolism was at a standstill. I just stored everything I ate. (not to mention even 1200 is not close to what I need for healthy maintenance, my BMR is over 1800).

Acg67

If you start skipping meals your metabolism will slow down and you will burn calories at a slower rate.

nonsense, research has shown metabolism will start to slow after 48-72 fasts, not missing a single meal here and there

wickedcricket

that has only ever happened to me once in my entire life. My first husband is from corbin ky & he took me to his granny's house. I was starving & naturally country folk invite you to eat. when I went into her kitchen ... filth everywhere- a day old pot of beans on the stove, some cold corn bread and fly tape hanging from the ceiling (over the stove &table) with so many flies stuck to it they were dripping off & falling on the stove & table - the entire ceiling was crawling with flies .. not only could I not eat, I looked for the bathroom to throw up but all they had was an OUTHOUSE!
I couldn't eat for DAYS!
but other than that, my appetite is always good

howeclectic

I would eat something no matter what. Maybe just a breakfest bar (150 calories) or something small. However, Not being hungry in the morning is a bad sign that your metabolism is slowing down. This can be caused by not eating regularly (skipping meals can make things worse). Adding a little bit of exercise in to your routine (and making sure to eat the calories back) should rev up your metabolism. Feeling a little hungry in the morning is a good thing! It means your energy state is high and your body is burning fuel.

AHealthierRhonda

I do ahve days like that too. I jsut went through about 4 days in a row where eating 1,000 cals was tough! How about a Carnation breakfast drink or a smoothie made with fruit, yogurt, milk,.... something to drink that is loaded with the nutrients your body needs. One other thought, I was like that when I was first pregnant.

Tonnina

When you first wake up your body is dehydrated... You don't need food you need water! Drink at least 20oz, 30oz is better, when you first wake up. You won't be hungry and you'll feel better.

howeclectic

If you start skipping meals your metabolism will slow down and you will burn calories at a slower rate.

nonsense, research has shown metabolism will start to slow after 48-72 fasts, not missing a single meal here and there

You are correct- however, miss the point. A diet **IS** a controlled fast. Eating irregularly or reducing calories further changes how your body fuels itself. You ideally want to keep your body burning Carbs and Fat and reduce the amount of protein your body uses as fuel (prevent the body from burning up muscle). Regular, healthy, balanced meals with a moderate calorie deficit has been shown to be protein sparing.

Acg67

If you start skipping meals your metabolism will slow down and you will burn calories at a slower rate.

nonsense, research has shown metabolism will start to slow after 48-72 fasts, not missing a single meal here and there

You are correct- however, miss the point. A diet **IS** a controlled fast. Eating irregularly or reducing calories further changes how your body fuels itself. You ideally want to keep your body burning Carbs and Fat and reduce the amount of protein your body uses as fuel (prevent the body from burning up muscle). Regular, healthy, balanced meals with a moderate calorie deficit has been shown to be protein sparing.

actually ideally you want to ensure adequate protein intake to spare lean mass, which is more important then either CHO or fat to spare muscle and...

http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/19943­985
This study shows there was no difference in weight loss between subjects with high/low meal frequencie­s.

http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/91554­94
Evidence supports that meal frequency has nothing to do with energy in the subjects.

http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/11319­656
Yet again, no difference in energy in the subjects compared to 2 meals/d to 6 meals/d.

http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/19059­98
Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Mar;45(3):­161-9.Link­s
Influence of the feeding frequency on nutrient utilizatio­n in man: consequenc­es for energy metabolism­.

http://www­.ncbi.nlm.­nih.gov/pu­bmed/11319­656
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Apr;25(4):­519-28.Lin­ks
Compared with nibbling, neither gorging nor a morning fast affect short-term energy balance in obese patients in a chamber calorimete­r.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I eat anyway because I know that despite the fact that my body is saying it doesn't, it actually really does need it. I just try to be as effecient about it as possible.

bcattoes

Skipping one meal, even breakfast, is very unlikely to hurt your metabolism as long as you eat when you are hungry.

But everyone seems to have missed the part where she said she was hungry to the point that her stomach was growling, but then didn't want to eat when she saw food. That is concerning because it could indicate an eating disorder. Or pregnancy. Or several other things.

kristydi

That only happened to me when I was pregnant. I couldn't really eat in the morning, but if I didn't get something down I felt really sick. I found that I could drink, but not eat. So I made smoothies and drank them slowly.

cervenec

Since I've changed my diet, I've found I don't get hungry that often. I just try to have set meals every day because it's something my body needs, even if I'm not super in the mood for it.