Morning Dilemma :(

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Stary714
Stary714 Posts: 110 Member
edited December 2014 in Food and Nutrition
Hello all!

I've been struggling the past week or so in the morning and was wondering if anyone else has had the same issues. When I wake up in the morning, I cannot eat first thing. The thought of food just makes me really sick and so at 8-9am when I wake up, it just doesn't happen. So I'll wait a few hours, maybe go to the barn and ride my horse, maybe walk the dog, something like that and come 11:30-12:00 my stomach will feel really empty and I'll feel I guess like an instinct to eat food but just nothing seems appetizing. However within an hour of force feeding myself brunch/lunch I feel great and have no issues for the rest of the day.

The whole process is really painful, and such a hassle, and since I eat so late in the day, and such an insignificant amount (normally soup) that after dinner I'll have another 500-600 calories that I need to eat and at that point I'm force feeding myself WHICH IS INSANE! I've never been able to pass up food and I've always had an overeating problem. I brought home a Mint Chocolate Chip cupcake from the bakery last night and felt sick as I tried to eat it, and then around 11:00pm I still needed to eat about 350 calories. I really don't know why my appetite has suddenly become so... normal lol

BTWs I've been using FitBit's calories guidelines so I have to eat back all my calories, I've been needing to eat about 2,200-2,600 calories a day. For those of you who haven't used/heard of fitbits program you must be +/- 50 calories within a -1000 net calorie daily intake.

Any suggestions to get around this would be great- a friend already suggested drinking a Boost or two in the morning.

Replies

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Either wake up earlier so you are hungry around 8am or stop doing physical activity before eating (as this can sometimes make people lose their appetite).

    And eat higher calorie foods. no one is forcing you to eat soup. Or... make a higher calorie soup. Seriously, last few times I've made soup (enough for one or two giant bowls) it's been one serving at over 600 calories.
  • njmark72
    njmark72 Posts: 99 Member
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    What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to lose weight? If you are trying to lose weight then scrap the Fitbit "plan". All you need to do is take in less calories than you are burning and you will lose weight. Add exercise and don't eat back the calories you burn through exercise and you will lose weight that much faster.

    See a doctor. Maybe you are sick. Loss of appetite could be a number of different ailments some normal and common and some could be the early warning sign for something worse, so go get checked and have bloodwork drawn.

    Good luck!
    Mark
  • FitFitzy331
    FitFitzy331 Posts: 308 Member
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    When I try to wake up and work out before work I have trouble eating something that early, I usually try to have a smoothie to start my day, for some reason drinking some calories is much easier than eating them at 5am. You could try that, then when you get back from your morning activity then try to have a larger meal.
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
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    Are you trying to lose weight or gain? I can't tell from your post. If you're not eating enough focus on calorie dense snacks like nuts/trail mix and maybe more caloric meals [no low fat/low cal stuff] or drink juice.

    Don't worry about when you eat, that's not important. Eat when you're hungry and don't force yourself when you're not. Also, if you stop eating earlier you'll get hungry earlier. I eat an early dinner and usually stop eating after 6-7pm to make sure I'll be hungry for breakfast at 5:30am when I get up, and I usually am. But yeah, trust your body and don't eat when you're not hungry [unless you're trying to gain weight, then eat whenever you can!]
  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I sometimes feel like that. When that happens, I prepare a breakfast that is 40-50% of my daily calories - knowing that I will only be able to eat 2 meals that day. Then I just keep it available for when I'm ready to eat and get on with my day. Or I might graze on it throughout the morning. Sometimes I'll even prepare all my food for the day, and bundle it in small packages so I can eat it as snacks throughout the day.

    I also find some foods make me hungry: Coffee (though I seem to be a minority on this point) and fruit. So if I have no appetite, I'll just eat some berries, or have a cup of coffee and I'll be ready to eat shortly after.

    Are you on a low-carb diet by any chance? I ask because this never happened to me before I went low-carb.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Sometimes if I skip a meal or let myself get too hungry my regular foods don't seem appetizing, but if I eat a little something it will go back to normal. Thus, although I don't think you need to eat in the morning if you aren't hungry, I'd try eating a little something that might go down more easily--the smoothie is a good idea, or maybe just a banana or a yogurt or protein shake. See if that helps at all.
  • nellyett
    nellyett Posts: 436 Member
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    I never eat when I wake up. I have coffee. I am usually up before 7am and I eat breakfast around 11am after I've gotten the kid to school, worked out, and gotten to my office.

    There are all kinds of different eating styles....you don't HAVE to eat breakfast first thing if it doesn't work for you. Have a look at the intermittent fasting principles. There are people who eat one large meal a day and that's it. Others who only eat lunch and dinner. They all eat their specific calorie goals for the day but condense it into a smaller meal "window".

    Do whatever works for you. It really doesn't matter when you eat....only how much. (for weight loss). If you are following your Fitbit, then that will give you your total calorie burn for the day. You should be eating 20% less than that number to lose fat. If you're burning 2600 cals per day, you should be eating somewhere around 2080.

  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Here is a bit of an odd question: Are you eating foods you like? When I was trying to cut for an event this summer, I started eating all "healthy" food, and like you, couldn't get anywhere near my calorie goals because I never felt like eating. I thought it was a loss of appetite, but it was just not really wanting to eat food I didn't like (go figure!). I constantly felt like I was force feeding myself, even if it wasn't terrible, just kind of unappealing.

    I like to have a protein smoothie in the morning with a sweetened vanilla whey protein powder and frozen cherries or other fruit. It tastes really, really good, so I don't have to be starving before I'm willing to eat it, lol. Try mixing in some of your old favourites until you can get to the point where your calories balance out.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,712 Member
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    Without knowing if you are actively trying to still lose weight it's kind of hard to answer, but to put it simply: if you keep up the same routine just try to sip on a protein shake in the morning or an hour or so before your brunch/lunch. It will help calm your stomach and tell your body that you are ready for food soon.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    odddrums wrote: »
    Are you trying to lose weight or gain? I can't tell from your post. If you're not eating enough focus on calorie dense snacks like nuts/trail mix and maybe more caloric meals [no low fat/low cal stuff] or drink juice.

    Don't worry about when you eat, that's not important. Eat when you're hungry and don't force yourself when you're not. Also, if you stop eating earlier you'll get hungry earlier. I eat an early dinner and usually stop eating after 6-7pm to make sure I'll be hungry for breakfast at 5:30am when I get up, and I usually am. But yeah, trust your body and don't eat when you're not hungry [unless you're trying to gain weight, then eat whenever you can!]

    I've eaten dinner at like 10pm, woken up for 6am and been hungry for breakfast by 7am. If I eat dinner at pm I tend to get hungry before bed.

    These are large dinners. 1/3rd of my daily calories, so at least 600 calories.
  • Katie_Norton
    Katie_Norton Posts: 26 Member
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    As a lot of the folks mentioned - it might be best to get some blood work drawn, talk with a doc, or simply adjust the plan that fitbit has for you. Most weight loss goals/plans have you eating within the first 30 minutes of waking up. I'm a girl that has to get up at 4 am sometimes, so I know the difficultly of eating early (and when your body is on a different cycle). On those days and most days I do a meal replacement shake or a bar ... something to get food in me. I also focus on those foods mentioned above like nuts, lean meats, and my favorite peanut butter!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    I only eat breakfast if my sweetheart and I are eating together, usually breakfast/brunch out. If you don't feel like breakfast and you know it might be a while before you have a chance to eat lunch, just bring something small with you. A meal replacement bar...a packet of oatmeal in a bowl with a thermos of hot water...there are even protein shake blender bottles which have freezer packs and separate compartments for the powder so it stays cold and you don't have to mix it before you're ready for it, like this:

    http://www.iherb.com/Fit-Fresh-CleanTek-Shaker-Cup-with-Ice-Wand-Agitator-Storage-Cup-1-Cup/9053
  • Stary714
    Stary714 Posts: 110 Member
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    OMG. Was not expecting so many responses (just got off work, so that's why I've not been responding.

    To answer the above questions, I'm trying to lose. And I'm *loving* fitbit so far so I'm not ditching it.

    I like the idea of a protein shake, I've never tried those before and I feel like that besides getting me calories I need it'd also be one of the healthier things I eat.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    It is o.k. to skip breakfast. If you are trying to lose weight there is no need to force yourself to eat because of the clock.
  • pammyspice
    pammyspice Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm currently following the 5:2 diet, two fasting (non-consecutive days) of 500 cals per day and the other five days around 1660 cals per day. I must admit I'm finding the fasting days easier as I make home-made soup which is approx118 cals per bowl. On the non-fasting days I find I'm not totally starving in the morning, but I do look forward to a lovely mushroom omelette :-) and I go to bed early on fasting days so I don't snack on a night. Perhaps this may be a plan that could work for you as it makes your metabolism work for you.

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