How come I have more energy the less I eat?

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Replies

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Reiterating the need to see a doctor pronto. But in the meantime as Nutmegoreo suggested go for high nutrient liquids - make smoothies; protein shakes; ensure etc - small and often. It will take time for your digestive system to get used to doing what it's meant to again.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
    I can understand not wanting to eat because it leads to painful digestive symptoms. I suffer from a digestive disorder and often get the symptoms you describe after eating. But I don't not eat. I eat small amounts,more frequently (as suggested above) of foods I know my body can handle but it takes trial and error to work that out. And I've been professionally diagnosed,am receiving treatment and can talk to my medical team when symptoms flare up.
    I'd suggest eating bland foods little and often and seeing a doctor as soon as possible.
    I do know what you mean about having more energy when you don't eat, but it's temporary and eventually you'll hit a wall.
  • sbrandt37
    sbrandt37 Posts: 403 Member
    I disagree with those who have said that it isn't possible that all food is causing the OP stomach distress. Of course that is possible. It just doesn't seem likely.

    BUT, no person thinking rationally about it would use that as an argument for simply not eating. Nor would they argue against seeing a doctor about it because it is inconvenient.

    KrazyKrissyy, the way you talk about this does not sound healthy, it sounds disordered. I recommend you work with your doctor to get the medical and psychological support you need to deal with this problem. I do not think you can get the help you need on this forum.
  • MichelleLea122
    MichelleLea122 Posts: 332 Member
    KrazyKrissyy wrote: »
    MichelleLei1 wrote: »
    I'm not assuming you have an ED, just sharing my experience having had one. When I was anorexic I always felt better without food. I felt better being hungry, in fact I thrived off that feeling. I used to get such mental clarity and energy from not eating for 24+ hours. I convinced myself that my extreme hunger was nausea, ergo I should avoid eating because it will worsen the nausea. Physically I was dying, but psychologically I was accomplishing my goals.

    What did you end up doing about it? Like I mentioned earlier, when I do eat, I'm prone to cramps, fatigue, diarrhea, headaches, distended stomach, etc. even impaction (worst pain ever). It's a catch-22.

    I addressed the underlying psychological issues. I recognized why I didn't feel the need to eat and why I felt sick whenever I did. I used to never finish meals because it made me sick. But it wasn't the food that made me sick, it was the guilt and anxiety that turned my stomach in knots. Psychologically I couldn't eat, but physically I was damn well capable of finishing more than half a packet of oatmeal.
  • Jem_Girl
    Jem_Girl Posts: 102 Member
    Just wanted to add a suggestion for getting calories/protein without the "roughage" since insoluble fiber can be a problem for those with gastroparesis. For anyone with GP, I would expect high fiber foods to be potentially uncomfortable (and the more major cases just wouldn't be able to digest it... but that usually ends up with a feeding tube). During my worst GP flares I used Unjury's Chicken Soup Flavor Protein powder. It's a good source of protein but not of fat or carbs. Solid protein is one of the hardest things for me to keep down when my GP is bad, along with oils and fibrous veggies. I also juiced (not smoothied) my veggies to get soluble fiber. Pretty much a liquid diet. Stuff like milk would come back up as separated liquid fat, so getting my fats was probably not done in the healthiest of ways.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    KrazyKrissyy wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    If you cannot eat enough by mouth I would be discussing tube feeding or tpn with my doctor

    This is actually a great idea/suggestion!

    This is the idea you like?!? :o:#
  • KrazyKrissyy
    KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
    edited January 2017
    mommasamfa wrote: »
    I wish more people knew about gastroparesis, the comments on this may seem to have "good intent" but it can actually be quite harmful to those who are genuinely trying to seek help. Gastroparesis is a rare condition from damage to the vagus nerve for a myriad of reasons. Its name states exactly what it is... "gastro" referring to the stomach, "paresis" referring to paralysis. With gastric paralysis, a person cannot digest food to retain enough nutrients. You can have weight gain, from your body being in starvation mode, or weight loss, from not getting food and nutrients like you should. For example, my last endoscopy showed food from over 13 hours prior still remaining in my stomach. I do not qualify for tube feeds yet because my body stays in starvation mode and my labs aren't that bad YET. A gastroparesis flare consists of incessant vomiting, pain, and many more symptoms. Some flares can last hours, some can last months. Some people have digestive tract paralysis and can't even absorb tube feeds or fluids. I've spent years throwing up being accused of an ED due to all the vomiting and not eating because it hurts too badly. A gastroparesis diet consists of not eating: whole grains; fruits and veggies, mostly those uncooked and with skins; nothing with too much acidity; nothing too high in fat; not too much meat; and keeping fiber to 5g or less. A lot of people develop fear of food, medical PTSD, etc. It's extremely difficult to explain and understand gastroparesis, but it isn't an eating disorder. I have to have fluids administered at a hospital with nausea meds throughout the week. I am hungry but I don't think my body can handle more food right now so I have to wait. I can't even drink protein shakes because they are too nutrient dense for my stomach to handle. I'm not sure that many of you could handle the constant vomiting, the fear of the radioactive eggs/oatmeal, the belly distention that comes with one bite of food and leaves you looking like you're 9 months pregnant with twins, the amount of doctors who are clueless in regards to DTP,and the hateful comments you get from others.
    The OP, I'm not sure what you've been through and what treatments you've tried. If you can inquire about nausea meds, Reglan or Domperidone, tube feeds or even TPN to get your weight up if necessary, a nutritionist, following the gastroparesis diet and with every flare go back to step one, protein shakes diluted with the milk of your choice (I love rice and coconut), follow the low FODMAP diet too, and call your doctors office for advice if they have nurses they can help or the doctor might have an afterhours number. Best of luck.

    ...oh...my...GOD. This sounds exactly like me! :open_mouth: 1 little high fiber granola bar = huge stomach distention 10 minutes later. High fat intake = cramps/pain. Moderate calories = too stuffed (and hesitant) to eat because I'm still full from earlier. And to add a few things, I've noticed I feel better when eating overcooked food like slow-cooking soups/stews. Or refined carbs. I can't handle medium to high protein diet either by the way. The less animal products, the better. And I can't handle raw veggies/fruits well, with the exception of melons. I really don't think I have an eating disorder. In fact, yesterday I got another body fat check since the last 3 to see how my fitness progress is going. Am down another 3% despite gaining 10 pounds of weight over the past several months which I'm pretty sure is from some "build up" left behind since the rest of my body looks leaner (except for my frequent bloated stomach). I probably have what you have. Just need to find a GI doctor in this area who takes my insurance :(
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I would also suggest not working out until your body can get fed and absorb nutrients.
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
    You might try following the same guidelines to re-introduce food after a fading cleanse. Start by introducing orange juice with pulp. The juice has a good amount of easy to digest calories and the pulp starts waking up digestion slowly with just the slightest bit of solids. The second day stay with the juice again and add a small salad and vegetable soup. From there stick to mostly fruits and vegetables for a few days and very slowly start incorporating grains, then meat.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    demorelli wrote: »
    You might try following the same guidelines to re-introduce food after a fading cleanse. Start by introducing orange juice with pulp. The juice has a good amount of easy to digest calories and the pulp starts waking up digestion slowly with just the slightest bit of solids. The second day stay with the juice again and add a small salad and vegetable soup. From there stick to mostly fruits and vegetables for a few days and very slowly start incorporating grains, then meat.

    wakening up digestion?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    What on earth causes something like this? Is it brought on by years of ED behaviour?

    OP why are you faffing about on an internet forum? You've had this problem for a substantial amount of time, right? Why haven't your doctor's got you on a treatment plan?
  • lennysperson
    lennysperson Posts: 2 Member
    While it's always important to have doctors that understand all aspects of what your struggling with, it's ignorant to assume that a person with a history of mental health issues couldn't possibly have a very serious and frustrating physical condition as well. I understand what you're going through too well. I came down with Lyme disease seven years ago and by the time I got the proper treatment I was completely disabled. One of the first and still lingering symptoms was gastroparesis. To those who don't fully grasp what that is it means partial or total paralysis of the nerves that make digestion possible. It has many possible causes and is most commonly related to dysautonomia, diabetes, and, yes, sometimes eating disorders. Often though it has no clear cause. It can slow your metabolism and destroy your energy. During the eight months it took for a doctor to believe that it wasn't all in my head I actually did develop a fear of food because literally everything I ate was uncomfortable, painful, and drained my energy in the process. When that becomes your whole life of course it's going to leave you vulnerable to develop an unhealthy relationship with food. I'm so sorry you're going through this and if you don't have them already I highly suggest you look for a doctor, nutritionist, and therapist that all understand complex multilayered diagnosis. That's a pretty tall order but it's the only way I survived. I actually started mfp just so I could make sure I was getting enough to eat(most days I still do not). I also tried a low fiber elimination diet to rule out particularly triggering foods. I still have really slow digestion but cutting out certain foods and intensive stretching really helped me. Hope you start feeling better soon.
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