Anxiety and Undereating

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  • Ulwaz
    Ulwaz Posts: 380 Member
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    make a meal plan, prep your meals and decide what times your going to eat/when :)
  • Sparky1030
    Sparky1030 Posts: 163
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    I have had anxiety & depression since I was 5 years old after suddenly losing my father and am now 60. I've been on medication because without it I can't function or leave the apartment. It's genetic in the women in my family. Hopefully, you feel comfortable with your therapist and also think she/he is truly in-tune with how you are feeling; if not then I would try to find a person who's really listening to what is making you anxious. I guess basically what I'm saying is if you can get to the bottom of why you are feeling anxious and get that under control my hope is that you will get your appetite back. Usually one connects with another. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, BUT I HOPE IT HELPS

    Maybe you could set your alarm, which is a terrific suggestion on here, to eat smaller meals and more often. If you have a good friend who understands what you are feeling ask them to go with you on a walk. You'll have someone there to support you if you start to feel anxious and my hope is getting fresh air, exercise and pumping adrenaline into your body will help ease your anxiety. I use meditation and deep breathing to help me when I'm starting to feel anxious.

    I just moved about 40 miles away from my family, which are part of my stressers, and I feel like a bird that was set free. They thought I needed someone to "control me" and I was suffocating. Now I'm able to do more driving than I have in many years. I would love for you to have the same freedom and be released from the anxiety you are feeling. Remember to keep telling yourself that you are worth fighting for so you can be healthier. Please feel free to request to be my friend if you choose. Sometimes mental health issues are left unsaid because of what other will think; we have to take care of ourselves and try not to worry about the people who are not educated to understand how we feel! I wish you the best because you deserve it.

    Chris :flowerforyou:
  • HopSkipJumpEatRepeat
    HopSkipJumpEatRepeat Posts: 5
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    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.

    I think the alarms can help you with that too - if the alarm is going, then you should also say to yourself alarm = compulsory eating time! At those times eating is the ONLY "real" thing that you should be doing right then - besides you need to eat to get the energy to be productive/have fun at any other time right?! :smile:

    If the not doing something "real" bothers you, then plan an activity for after you eat, I don't know what you like doing, but if you are alone, you could listen to music, watch a film you love, or read a book - that's a least a thing, you will not just be sitting around being anxious about not doing something. The internet is actually really unhelpful when I'm feeling like I should be doing something else, try to avoid Facebook and stuff, because it's really easy to flit back and forth between it's various distractions, find something that involves a decent amount of concentration and your mind won't have a chance to get too anxious.
  • Anxiorexic
    Anxiorexic Posts: 4
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    Well. After speaking to my therapist yesterday about my eating habits, and getting in depth about how picky I am (incredibly) and how much of my meals I usually finish (less than half of appropriate serving sizes), she said that it does seem like I have some kind of eating disorder. So I'm pretty bummed out right now. I thought I was doing ok this week, and then we spoke about what I ate.

    I've had four meals since Saturday.

    I'm really confused. I don't mean to starve myself. I never ever think about purging, or even purposely skipping a meal. It's just so easy to skip meals and I don't consider myself as having a disorder and it's so hard to find something I want to eat. There's two granola bars in my bag and I'm going to go eat some broccoli right now, but my stomach has been churning all day and I'm nervous it's going to bother my stomach and I feel like I just realized how much anxiety food causes me.

    Is this how eating disorders usually happen? Do you think you have it under control? I'm 128.5 pounds, it's not like I'm underweight. I feel like I found another section of my life I can't be trusted to take care of.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    First off, it's wonderful that you spoke with your therapist about this! I think that first conversation can be the hardest part, and that's over.

    If it helps, try not to think of yourself having a disorder. That comes with a lot of societal baggage and, frankly, is probably just going to increase the anxiety you have around eating and make it worse.

    Based on what you've told us, you are exhibiting a disordered eating pattern. That needs to be addressed. It's up to you and your therapist to determine if it's just the pattern that needs fixing or if there are underlying disordered thoughts that need to be addressed -- there could be different recommendations based on the root cause of the pattern. However, it's really important that you figure out how to move to a healthier eating pattern before you start getting sick.

    P.S., I would consider changing your username. If you're trying to move away from disordered eating, identifying yourself as an "anxiorexic" isn't a good idea. Pick something you like to identify with, not a negative trait.
  • bciloveme2014
    bciloveme2014 Posts: 213 Member
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    Bump, my brother has anxiety and I want to know how to help him, but he does the opposite he eats a lot.
  • summerbreez1132
    summerbreez1132 Posts: 4 Member
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    I too need to learn how to minimize anxiety and not react to it through eating. More tips about how to deal with it. Thx
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
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    I commend you on your stance against anti-anxiety drugs! I never have resorted to any type of anti-anxiety or anti-depression, etc., drugs, and I never will!

    Loss of appetite due to stress is normal. When I am super-stressed, I hardly eat. Anxiety is normal if you have a difficult life.

    The only solution to your problem is to delete people or situations from your life that are creating your anxiety. It may not be possible to get rid of all of them. Delete as many stress factors as possible, so that you can focus on resolving those that remain.

    The only way to be delivered from anxiety is to resolve the issues that cause it. Focus on them and confront them head-on!
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
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    I commend you on your stance against anti-anxiety drugs! I never have resorted to any type of anti-anxiety or anti-depression, etc., drugs, and I never will!

    Loss of appetite due to stress is normal. When I am super-stressed, I hardly eat. Anxiety is normal if you have a difficult life.

    The only solution to your problem is to delete people or situations from your life that are creating your anxiety. It may not be possible to get rid of all of them. Delete as many stress factors as possible, so that you can focus on resolving those that remain.

    The only way to be delivered from anxiety is to resolve the issues that cause it. Focus on them and confront them head-on!

    THIS is a great response. Try to cut out as many things and people that cause you anxiety as possible.

    I too have suffered with anxiety and depression, and at one time had panic attacks. I had decreased appetite also. tried several different medications until I found one that worked....but I also didn't like being on meds, and I gained a lot of weight on them, so eventually I went off them all.
    I still get anxious sometimes, but it's no longer overwhelming, and I've learned to try to focus my thoughts elsewhere, as I can dwell on them, my thoughts become obsessive, and I just make my anxiety worse.
    I do think life is hard, and there are times you SHOULD be anxious or sad, but it shouldn't be debilitating. Perhaps talk to your therapist about cognitive behavioral therapy, or mediation? I do find yoga to be helpful in quieting the mind, and it's great for your body too!

    Good luck to you on your journey!
  • minusonali
    minusonali Posts: 65
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    I have anxiety just thinking about eating. But I used MFP as a tool, I stopped worrying about calories and started to think about nutrition. I started by eating 600 calories then once i was getting the hang of it, I started to eat 800, then 1,200. I am not at 1,400. Its really the constant effort that I take to really check up on myself. I do work out, but I really emphasize the diet part. I used to have a hard time eating with others, and I am a college student so that social scene is important. I am now able to eat out and have fun, but i just look online at the menu before hand and add it to my MFP that way I am not confused once I get there.


    Hope this helps
  • amanda4335
    amanda4335 Posts: 10 Member
    edited June 2016
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    My goal is not to gain weight, but I can understand what you are about not eating because of anxiety.
  • mreichard
    mreichard Posts: 235 Member
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    My teenage son also sometimes forgets to eat. He used to get headaches and went through a period where he was losing weight and growing at the same time, so his doctor got a bit concerned. We would remind him to eat, which helps, but is not great --- he's often not hungry when we remind him.

    One thing that's helped him is getting Mass Gainer from GNC -- they have various options ranging from 700 calories per shake to 1350. We opt for the 700 cal version b/c it doesn't have creatine and some other stuff that I'm not sure he needs. He has a mass gainer with whole milk for breakfast and still feels OK throughout the day if he doesn't eat or picks at his lunch. If you need less than 700 cal per serving, so you could just vary how many scoops you use -- 700 is 4 scoops. Tastes much better than ensure.
  • sdosdo
    sdosdo Posts: 3 Member
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    I would be remiss to not speak up here with a different perspective on the "medication as band-aid" issue. No one would ever say, "Oh, don't try that thyroid medication for your hypothyroidism; you're just masking the problem." Mental disorders like anxiety are neurobiologically-based illnesses, and both medications and therapy alter the neurobiological process that perpetuate them. Of course, I think the first-line treatment for anxiety should be evidence-based psychotherapy. That being said, if you and your doctor and/or mental health clinician discuss trying medication, I see absolutely no problem with that. Although the stigmatization of mental illness is decreasing, our society is still at a point where psychotropic medication usage is perceived as a manifestation of weakness or lack of effort. If anyone who is reading this takes anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants that mitigate their anxiety symptoms, I encourage you to feel no shame, and I admire your bravery in seeking treatment.

    Yes, I think the pharmaceutical industry is less than ideal, and yes, I think medications are often over-prescribed, and at the same time, I think psychotropic medications can be life-bettering and life-saving treatment tools.

    (And, side note: many selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) --antidepressants that are often used to treat anxiety symptoms -- often increase appetite, which could jumpstart your development of regular eating habits.)

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