Tips for gaining mass with bad anxiety that renders it difficult to eat?

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Hausisse1
Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi! I have bad anxiety, and the less I eat the worse it gets. But eating is really difficult. I'm seeing a psychologist and I feel.somewhat better but my chest and my throat still feel tight, most of the time the thought of eating makes me want to gag. I force things down and I certainly haven't lost weight, but I'm not making any gains either.
Can anyone help me out? I've been drinking mass gainer shakes and that's a little better but I want to be able to vary my diet in a healthy way and eat solid food. It's really frustrating.

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  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    Is there anything that you like to eat that doesn't cause anxiety? Do you like shakes and smoothies? Its easy to add variety to what you put in them. Are you under weight?
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    How about soups (with added oil),smoothies,yoghurt (full fat) and home made shakes,full fat milk,ice cream?
    I have a chronic condition that sometimes makes it hard to eat or swallow solid food but find these things go down more easily. As you build up confidence you'll probably find you can add more variety.
  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
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    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    Is there anything that you like to eat that doesn't cause anxiety? Do you like shakes and smoothies? Its easy to add variety to what you put in them. Are you under weight?

    I dont think I'm underweight, but I'm trying to gain mass and build muscle. I can eat crunchy things like apples and celery but those are all relatively low calorie :( Anxiety makes it hard to sleep or eat, when I'm tired it's hard to eat, when I'm hungry it's hard to sleep, and all of these things put together compound the anxiety. I'm sorry to tell you all of this, I'm just stressed and upset.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    I know you're seeing a psychologist. Are you on any medication ?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Hausisse1 wrote: »
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    Is there anything that you like to eat that doesn't cause anxiety? Do you like shakes and smoothies? Its easy to add variety to what you put in them. Are you under weight?

    I dont think I'm underweight, but I'm trying to gain mass and build muscle. I can eat crunchy things like apples and celery but those are all relatively low calorie :( Anxiety makes it hard to sleep or eat, when I'm tired it's hard to eat, when I'm hungry it's hard to sleep, and all of these things put together compound the anxiety. I'm sorry to tell you all of this, I'm just stressed and upset.

    What about root vegetable chips/crisps? They'd be higher cal, and you could make your own or buy the "healthier" ones. Or roasted chickpeas? Nuts?

    Add Pb/nut butter to your apple and celery.

    Make your own smoothies instead of mass gainers to get a wider range of nutrients
  • RedSierra
    RedSierra Posts: 253 Member
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    Hausisse1 wrote: »
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    Is there anything that you like to eat that doesn't cause anxiety? Do you like shakes and smoothies? Its easy to add variety to what you put in them. Are you under weight?

    I dont think I'm underweight, but I'm trying to gain mass and build muscle. I can eat crunchy things like apples and celery but those are all relatively low calorie :( Anxiety makes it hard to sleep or eat, when I'm tired it's hard to eat, when I'm hungry it's hard to sleep, and all of these things put together compound the anxiety. I'm sorry to tell you all of this, I'm just stressed and upset.

    If you like crunchy things like apples and celery, can you eat salads with celery, carrots, green peppers, etc. and add higher calorie food like almonds or walnuts, black olives, avocado slices and a creamy salad dressing?

    What about a nut butter like almond or cashew on crackers? I had a high-calorie Triscuit mini-binge this week. Those crackers are crunchy and delicious.

    So sorry you are stressed out. Hope your situation improves soon.

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    See a psychiatrist to be evaluated for medication.
    Also see your general practitioner if you not done that already.

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