Stomach cramps from not eating?

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I have a terrible habit of skipping breakfast, purely out of lack of hunger. I also have a terrible habit of skipping lunch as well. I used to save the lunch money I was supposed to use and save it for other things, and the habit stuck with me ever since. So on most days I eat for the first time around 2:30 pm and I would have been awake for about eight hours. It's pretty common that by this time I experienced cramps, stomach pains and even bloating.

I'd never considered this to be the reason until recently I remembered before these bad habits were set into place I would have a decent breakfast and large lunch and wouldn't experience any of this!

Could there be other reasons or is this most likely it? Has anyone ever heard of this or experienced it themselves? My mother said it might be the lack of fiber, which is almost obsolete in my diet...another possibility?

Please help! And thank you in advance! xo

PS. Feel free to add :)

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Only you can know the answer. If not eating early in the day makes you feel bad, why not try eating????
  • wittlelacey
    wittlelacey Posts: 412 Member
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    I don't think that's necessarily true! I don't feel bad eating early, it's just not in my routine. Although, I plan on picking up some sliced fruits and vegetables and healthy crackers to snack on throughout the day in replacement and see if this makes a difference :)
  • okininjakitty
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    I agree with Rubybelle. Just because something is your routine doesn't mean it's what is right for you.
    I would try going out of your way to eat something for breakfast and lunch. That does not mean go out to BK for lunch every day or anything like that but have something that can fuel you for the day. I am sure you will see changes.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I don't think that's necessarily true! I don't feel bad eating early, it's just not in my routine. Although, I plan on picking up some sliced fruits and vegetables and healthy crackers to snack on throughout the day in replacement and see if this makes a difference :)

    Your initial post said that when you don't eat breakfast or lunch you get cramps and pain and bloating - this sounds like feeling bad to me!
    Everyone's body is different - the best thing you can do is try eating something small and simple and see if this makes you feel better. If not, maybe go to your doctor to see if there is something medical happening.
  • sarahbear1981
    sarahbear1981 Posts: 610 Member
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    You should make eating at intervals your routine. Small meals throughout the day. Some habits are ones we need to break.
  • LeahFerri
    LeahFerri Posts: 186 Member
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    I know that if I don't eat for a certain interval of time--I don't remember exactly what it is because it doesn't happen very often--I get stomach pains. If I try to eat while I have them, it just makes it worse. I have to wait for them to pass, which can take an hour or so. I'm not sure exactly why this happens, but I make sure I eat often enough to avoid it!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
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    You should make eating at intervals your routine. Small meals throughout the day. Some habits are ones we need to break.

    I agree. I peaked at you diary. I think you need to eat more in general hun!
    500-800 calories a day, skipping breakfast and lunch, and asking if it stomach pain could be from something else?
    Up the food intake and you will feel better :D
  • mcschu
    mcschu Posts: 20
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    I agree. I peaked at you diary. I think you need to eat more in general hun!
    500-800 calories a day, skipping breakfast and lunch, and asking if it stomach pain could be from something else?
    Up the food intake and you will feel better :D

    I agree. It looks like you need to eat more in general.
  • wittlelacey
    wittlelacey Posts: 412 Member
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    I guess I'm being a little stubborn. Thanks so much everyone! It shall be my new mission to make better decisions throughout the day :) Thanks again!
  • Oo_BrookeNicole_oO
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    Same thing used to happen to me last semester everyday. I would eat breakfast around 6:30, but wouldn't be able to eat lunch until around 1:30-3:00 depending on when my classes let out. I would get this awful stomach cramps everyday around 11:00-till time for lunch. If you don't want to break your routine I'd suggesting packing some nuts or crackers in your purse, and munching on them before the time the cramps usually start.
  • wittlelacey
    wittlelacey Posts: 412 Member
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    Same thing used to happen to me last semester everyday. I would eat breakfast around 6:30, but wouldn't be able to eat lunch until around 1:30-3:00 depending on when my classes let out. I would get this awful stomach cramps everyday around 11:00-till time for lunch. If you don't want to break your routine I'd suggesting packing some nuts or crackers in your purse, and munching on them before the time the cramps usually start.
    Glad to know someone can relate! It's not a good feeling so I'll definitely be taking all this advice! :)
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    I started a weightlifting plan that is pretty challenging. The book urges you to only have at most a 300 calorie deficit and makes a really good argument against starving yourself of the kind of severe calorie restrictions you're talking about. So I nervously upped my calories using the formulas in the book. Didn't really gain weight. Sometimes got hungry (that's what those cramps are btw). Then I added back in my 10k running plan. I had a long run that ended up after I'd really pushed myself to new highs on my lifts. I felt awesome and had a bunch of calories and felt like I couldn't eat them all.

    I woke up the next morning STARVING. Sooo hungry. I ate.. an hour later, I'm really hungry. Drank some water but couldn't get away to eat. Still hungry. Soon as I can I start eating the lunch I brought. Still hungry. Spend some time trying to make good choices at the vending machine. Still hungry. It went on like this all day. I was at my original calorie goal by noon. It wasn't enough. I kept eating because my body kept telling me it needs more food. I researched and found several formulas that pegged my BMR close to my calorie goal, which meant the goal mfps formula gave me was way too low for me. I decided to up my calorie goal again but that night I even went over that. The next morning I woke up starving again and dreading it. I ate to my new goal and didn't have a repeat bout of fighting debilitating hunger pains all day. It hasn't happened again since I upped my calories. That was a couple weeks ago and even though my focus is on body composition not weight loss any more, I was pleased that I lost a couple pounds since upping my cals again. Mostly I'm thrilled to get stronger and thinner and not be ravenously hungry.

    I eat, apparently 3-4 times more calories than you. I can do this because my metabolism is humming along, and, I suspect, is increasing as I lift and eat more. Those pains are your body screaming for food. Its miserable. I hated every moment of my 36r so hours of starving hungry. It sounds like somehow you're under tje impression that starving yourself is part of weightloss and is an everyday experience. It isn't. Don't train your body to think it has to survive long term on one meal of 500 calories. A day. Thats a miserable way to live and isn't even the quickest way to get to the goals you want.
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    Point of information to clarify :

    I talked abou BMR being close to the calories I was eating. Let me be clear I'm using that term to refer to its correct meaning of the bare minimum of calories to keep my body alive. It doesn't include the calories to move around for my desk job nor to digest food I eat or fuel my work outs. That all together is called TDEE or total daily energy expenditre. To lose weigjt have a reasonable deficit from TDEE but never so its less than BMR for any significant time. (Maybe when you have stomach flu never because there's an event coming up)
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    No offense, but your starvation diet is VERY unhealthy.
    Forget the cramps - just eat, and eat to goal every single day - no skipping breakfast.
    Just eat.
    Your health is at risk, so any further dialog that would encourage you to continue down this road is moot.
    Give the MFP recommendations a go, and work on your health before it's too late.

    I suspect there is much going on here, and I wish you well in your journey.
  • wittlelacey
    wittlelacey Posts: 412 Member
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    Thank you both very much! As well the others before who answered my question.
    Bottom line, I guess this was the wake up call I needed.
    But before anyone goes and assumes I'm under the "impression that starving yourself is part of weightloss and is an everyday experience", because that's not the case or anywhere close.
    I won't spend a lot of time defending myself, because regardless of what I say I'm sure anyone who's peeked at my diary has made their judgments already.

    Nevertheless, upping my calorie will be challenging, but bear with me! Thanks again for the feedback!
  • bms34b
    bms34b Posts: 401 Member
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    I looked at your diary, and honestly, I'm not sure MFP is the place for you. Here people are more focused on health, and you seem to need help getting MORE calories into your diet, not losing any weight. Just my opinion.