Lack of appetite when stressed.

runwithtoppa
runwithtoppa Posts: 50 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have had an amazingly stressful day today, due to having to deal with the audacity of an idiot.

A lot of people comfort eat when they get stressed, but I am the opposite. When I am stressed I completely lose my appetite and don't even realise I have not eaten. And today was no exception. I wouldn't have realised and I would have gone to bed on an empty stomach had it not been for the food diary log... I went to check in and noticed I had not eaten anything since breakfast, and my last drink was a cola at lunch time.
This lead to me getting told off by an MFP warning sign... because I was under a healthy calorie intake :neutral:

I still don't have an appetite! But now I feel like I should force something down, just to get to at least 1200, for he sake of my health.
I never even thought about this before. So I am glad I remembered to log in to log my diary.
Normally when I get this stressed and lose my appetite I just pick at food, and try to make sure I get a bite to eat 3 times a day, even if it's just a bite of an apple, or toast.

Why does stress cause a lack of appetite? I feel like my stomach just goes into hibernation!
Does anyone else lack an appetite when stressed? Do you still try to make up your calorie intake?
Will having one day of low calories really be anything to be concerned about? It isn't a regular thing for me to be this stressed, I think the last time I lost my appetite this badly was over a year ago.
The thought of trying to eat something with at least 400 calories is just making my stomach turn.
But I do have nutella in the cupboard and a spoonful or two will go down if needs be.

Replies

  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
    I'm the same way and I just don't complete my entry for that day.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    I can't eat when stressed. I don't force my body to accept food when it's yelling "No" as loud as it can. To my way of thinking that's just as disordered as binging or purging.
  • runwithtoppa
    runwithtoppa Posts: 50 Member
    Pawsforme wrote: »
    I can't eat when stressed. I don't force my body to accept food when it's yelling "No" as loud as it can. To my way of thinking that's just as disordered as binging or purging.

    This is how I thought of it, but I was stressed when I read the warning, and that stressed me more.

    I am off to bed to rest my stressed out head. I'm sure rest will be more healthy for me right now than a ladleful of nutella!




  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    It happens. When I grieved a death, I had to take pills to stop myself from vomiting and I wasn't crying or anything. It was a stress reaction.

    I did lose a few extra pounds, so I guess every cloud has a silver lining.

    If it's a regular thing, you might want to work it out. If it's a rare thing, no big whup.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    You don't NEED to fix one day of undereating but maybe the Nutella would be nice?
  • runwithtoppa
    runwithtoppa Posts: 50 Member
    Cheers peeps, I woke feeling refreshed and recharged.
    The stress and not eating enough is not a regular thing, so, I wont worry about that. I was just so stressed yesterday, that the MFP warning seemed a bigger issue than it actually was :unamused:

    I didn't have the nutella, but I did get some much needed sleep. And, I woke to a nice healthy appetite once again.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    Yay! Glad you're feeling better. And today maybe you can enjoy some of those banked calories from yesterday!
  • icck
    icck Posts: 197 Member
    I'm so glad you feel better today. :)

    I find my reaction to stress varies - some times I will comfort eat, another time I will have zero appetite and really struggle. Currently I am under a lot of a stress (terminally ill family member, leaving work, finances, the list goes on) and find that I am yoyoing back and forth between no appetite and overeating day by day.
    Ultimately I'm still losing weight at the same consistent pace, so it must balance out, but it just adds to the stress doesn't it?
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    FTR, you don't need to complete the food diary to save your logging for the day. I haven't completed my diary in over 2 years and the info is still there. If this is a one off, I wouldn't worry. You'll probably be hungrier later this week.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    @runwithtoppa
    Why does stress cause a lack of appetite? I feel like my stomach just goes into hibernation!
    It doesn't for everyone. I have to stay conscious around food when stressed because I can eat too much.
    Does anyone else lack an appetite when stressed? Do you still try to make up your calorie intake?
    Nope.
    Will having one day of low calories really be anything to be concerned about? It isn't a regular thing for me to be this stressed, I think the last time I lost my appetite this badly was over a year ago.
    I would not worry about it too much. It will all come out in the wash, so to speak.
    The thought of trying to eat something with at least 400 calories is just making my stomach turn.
    But I do have nutella in the cupboard and a spoonful or two will go down if needs be..
    It's one day, and one day of not eating, or of overeating, will not ruin your progress. Be patient, tolerant, and kind with yourself.
  • runwithtoppa
    runwithtoppa Posts: 50 Member
    Cheers SLLRunner :)

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