I don't like real food?!?

jenniebee19 · May 2012

Hi
I was never was overweight until I went on medical leave for 9mos. Now I'm back and looking to lose the 30-40lbs I put on.
I never realized until I started tracking my diet. I don't eat.
I never crave or desire real food. And with the exception of a small dinner (salad and veggies usually) i never ate..breakfast and lunch was substituted with candy and cookies!!
I hate chicken, turkey, steak and most fish. And I'm severely lactose intolerant.
How do I increase my stomach size?? Im full after eating an apple lol..im still just snacking but just a wee bit healthier
And how do you start enjoying eating real food?
I'm barely consuming 1200 calories now and its still not well balanced.
I know I didn't gain weight magically, but I didn't do it eating meals. Was with low estimate of 150gm of sugar a day.
Am I the only one who's like this??

valerie521 · May 2012

I am not like this ...

However, my brother in law is and he swears if there was pill he could take once a day to give you all
the nutrition you need, he would take it.

I have not answers on how to help... but there are people out there like you. As a matter of fact, if my
brother in laws wife didnt get pregnant last year and began loving food -- she was just like him. I'm
not saying by any means that you have to get preggers though

good luck

morgansmom02 · May 2012

Your diary makes me so sad. You are probably not getting enough vitamins or protein!! Can you at least try some protein powder??

erickirb · May 2012

drink more caloires, juice, smoothies, milk substitutes etc. This will give you more cals and will not fill you up nearly as much as solid food.

gogojodee · May 2012

I used to be like that, especially when I was vegetarian. I loved processed food and still do to an extent. My caveat is fried stuff. I looooove chicken nuggets and fries. And like the poster above said about her brother - I'd take that magic pill. It's about incorporating foods you do like and trying new ones. I love veggies now more than I did when I was a teen vegetarian. :] I hope you find those foods or someone with more insight. I know I could use it haha.

JoniBologna · May 2012

Not everything I eat I really enjoy, but I eat it because it is good for me. Make small steps at incorporating fruit and veggies into your diet. Lean meats are important too. I can tell you I have seen a lot of people in your position.

Suzanne77598 · May 2012

Yeah, I hate real food, too! You make me feel better.

Unfortunately, I CAN eat a lot - just not healthy stuff. I don't like veggies. I hate fruit (yuck!), and I really don't like much home cooking. I do, however, like protein, fat, and carbs. That's my problem. I only want to eat steak, prime rib, and bread.

My only advice would be to get a Starbucks drink (if you like them) and have them add protein powder.

Good luck!

jenniebee19 · May 2012

Your diary makes me so sad. You are probably not getting enough vitamins or protein!! Can you at least try some protein powder??

Made me sad too lol. It's blah, boring and your right it's completely lacking vitamins and protein
And I'm still not hungry!!
(I've been trying to eat nuts to add some) but your right never thought abt adding a protein powder.
I wanted to start going to the gym. But didn't want to start until Im getting a better balanced diet. At this point my body going to go into starvation mode.

chrisb75 · May 2012

Your diary makes me so sad. You are probably not getting enough vitamins or protein!! Can you at least try some protein powder??

Made me sad too lol. It's blah, boring and your right it's completely lacking vitamins and protein
And I'm still not hungry!!
(I've been trying to eat nuts to add some) but your right never thought abt adding a protein powder.
I wanted to start going to the gym. But didn't want to start until Im getting a better balanced diet. At this point my body going to go into starvation mode.

Make it a goal to add 100 calories a week from good sources. Go slow if you have to. Your metabolism is slowimg way down.

MDyck1979 · May 2012

Funny, the more we tell ourselves that we have a certain trait/behavour/lifestyle, the more feverently we tend to hang on to these things. Unless your parent never fed you any "real food" growing up - entirely possible given the pre-packaged garbage geared towards toddlers on store shelves - I would venture to suggest that you DO KNOW what real food is, but just aren't too keen on eating it. Sounds like more of a palate issue than a dietary one - cookies taste better than lean turkey. And that old adage that if you are craving something specific, it must mean that your body needs it? Total BS. Don't fall into that trap.

As for the weight gain with "no food" - the easiest analogy: if you put cheap gas in your car it will run poorly. You put garbage in your body and it will not perform at it's peak, making weight managment and exercise very difficult.

Hate to sound so callous, but really, it all comes down to making better food choices. Though not as tasty as cookies an' chips, try eating salads and fruit (WITHOUT DRESSINGS AND DIPS) - you'll be amazed at the energy you have for things like regular exercise.

myfitnessnmhoy · May 2012

All I can say is to go for very calorie-dense foods that have the nutrition you need, and eat as much of them as you can manage. If you have to use protein shakes, fruit smoothies, vegetable juice, etc to get your nutrition in, then that's what you have to do.

I suspect once you start feeding your body more properly, you'll start building some more muscle and your metabolism will start going up and stabilizing a bit - then your appetite might start coming along for the ride.

Jezebel9 · May 2012

Lifting weights makes me hungry. When I eat the good food, even if I don't enjoy it at first, my body finds out what the good food does for it and then I actually start to crave it. Healthy skin, my teeth stopped hurting, energy, alertness, not sluggish any more... I want salads with olives and onions and nuts and raw veggie and fruit smoothies. It is possibly a matter of fake it til you make it... Make it!

WhatDoesLisa · May 2012

I think you should watch some of the YouTube episdoes of that show Freaky Eaters on TLC. They have some good strategies for overcoming your aversions to foods. Granted some of the freaky things are indeed freaky but they devise strategies for people to try things.

jenniebee19 · May 2012

No I was never beatin with a chicken as a kid-- Lol
My mom was a great cook -- well balanced. I mostly would eat the veggies --vegetarian but not by principal, desire.
I never eat prepackaged food actually never had a frozen dinner until I was in my mid 20s-- still don't care for it..
To show you how bad it is, ive been nursing a 6oz yogurt for almost an hour!
I need to increase my stomach size--Sounds wrong when your heavy but it is a common problem.
I'm amazed I'm not anemic --- until I started counting I never put two n two together that I don't eat. It was 90% junk food!
Like above said. It's a lifestyle change, least I'm learning now.
Thx guyz!!

iwillsoonbeslim · May 2012

However, my brother in law is and he swears if there was pill he could take once a day to give you all
the nutrition you need, he would take it.

I was exactly the same from the age of about 15 til 30/31. Had little to no interest in food, and often moaned that I wished there was a pill you could take instead of having to eat. Still ended up 251lbs, despite being fairly active. I used Slimming World to educate and inspire me in the world of food, and after a year or so I began to enjoy and look forward to food like, I presume, 'normal' people do. I then found CCing, and have never looked back. I relish 1200 days, cos I don't have to eat too much, but at least now on my super high calorie days (sometimes with 3000 eat backs), I finally have foods I enjoy cramming down my neck once in a while lol

kasebrad · May 2012

There's some good advice in this thread, but one thing I might add is that you can make more nutritious substitutions. For example, you could swap your light yogurt for greek yogurt. In the same 6oz you'd get double the calories, extra protein (around 16g) and fat.

Polly758 · May 2012

Hi
I was never was overweight until I went on medical leave for 9mos. Now I'm back and looking to lose the 30-40lbs I put on.
I never realized until I started tracking my diet. I don't eat.
I never crave or desire real food. And with the exception of a small dinner (salad and veggies usually) i never ate..breakfast and lunch was substituted with candy and cookies!!
I hate chicken, turkey, steak and most fish. And I'm severely lactose intolerant.
How do I increase my stomach size?? Im full after eating an apple lol..im still just snacking but just a wee bit healthier
And how do you start enjoying eating real food?
I'm barely consuming 1200 calories now and its still not well balanced.
I know I didn't gain weight magically, but I didn't do it eating meals. Was with low estimate of 150gm of sugar a day.
Am I the only one who's like this??

Okay wait-- you were on medical leave for 9 months and DURING THAT TIME you lost your appetite? or you never have had an appetite?

Because if you were quite sick for that long, your biology may be all confused. You may want to see a doctor to see what she recommends for your appetite. But then again it may be something you can plan out for yourself, gradual increase of calories, slowly introducing new foods, just like a newborn

Otherwise I'd say protein shakes, or better, meal replacement shakes. Alive makes a good one, sourced from whole foods, and it's well balanced. The only thing about getting a lot of your calories from shakes is ummm loose stools. But have some bread and veggies and that should help.

themommie · May 2012

I used to be like this, I really didnt eat alot of real foods skipping meals and eating alot of ice cream, I was over weight and not healthy
Your body gets use to whatever you do. start eating breakfast, it doesnt have to be a big breakfast a smoothie or protein shake, or nonfat yogurt or fruit. Eat 3 meals at regular times and eat 2 snacks a day. Once you start eating healthy foods you will actually start craving them , I never thought I would crave oranges and sweet potatoes....LOL

Gwoman2012 · May 2012

If you can barely eat why are you allowing sugar free jello? My grandma wanted to gain weight once and my mom said "well, then why do you keep buying nonfat pudding cups??"

Seriously, throw away the jello and replace it with a piece of fruit and some almond butter.

While your at it, get rid of the dannon and replace it with 2% fat greek yogurt.

slipandsink · May 2012

In a different vein, try making more of your food yourself. Experiment with tastes and colours and textures and see what you can make. Food always looks and tastes better if you've enjoyed making it!

momtokgo · May 2012

If you can barely eat why are you allowing sugar free jello? My grandma wanted to gain weight once and my mom said "well, then why do you keep buying nonfat pudding cups??"

Seriously, throw away the jello and replace it with a piece of fruit and some almond butter.

While your at it, get rid of the dannon and replace it with 2% fat greek yogurt.

This. Replace what you are eating with healthier versions of it. Including the monster energy drinks! If you eat some food, you'll have more energy.

TheFunBun · May 2012

I would become the smoothie king. Even loaded with vegetables, they taste like dessert.

Peanut butter chocolate breakfast. Carrot Apple for lunch. Super Berry mix plus leafy greens for dinner.. and then I'd eat one of those nasty-delicious designer proteins for lastmeal.. Mint chocolate chip or cake batter.

sirphilipe · May 2012

If you need to stretch your stomach a bit, try water... if you don't like the taste of just water try sqeezing in some fruit juice like lemon or orange. (just a little bit)

pamfm · May 2012

Here's the thing: You've conditioned yourself to not feel hunger. You'll need to condition yourself to eat again. It does not take long -- your body wants food very much-- but you have to take initiative! No excuses.

Way back when I was in high school, I got this idea in my head that I was only ever going to eat if I was hungry. A lot of my immediate family members were overweight over-eaters, and I didn't want to be one, too. The trouble is, if you get hungry at a time when you can't eat, then you have to ignore it, and as hours pass, you get beyond the hunger. It didn't take long before I was only eating supper each day. At some point my friends convinced me that this was stupid, and I started eating regular meals again, despite lack of hunger. It only took a couple weeks before my stomach started growling around lunch time.

As far as not "liking" real food goes... maybe move on from things you know you don't like, and try some real foods you've never had before. I saw that you ate avocado maki. Eat more avocado. Eat it plain. Dip crackers in it. Put it on top of a cup of steamed rice. Try tofu, tempeh, seitan. Try peanut sauce. Taste new fruits. And stop buying low-fat/low-cal stuff. You're eating so little, you have no need to cut calories/fat! You need all of your food to be as dense as possible until you are eating enough.

For good tips on resetting your metabolism, join this group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Good luck!

JadeRabbit08 · May 2012

No I was never beatin with a chicken as a kid-- Lol
My mom was a great cook -- well balanced. I mostly would eat the veggies --vegetarian but not by principal, desire.
I never eat prepackaged food actually never had a frozen dinner until I was in my mid 20s-- still don't care for it..
To show you how bad it is, ive been nursing a 6oz yogurt for almost an hour!
I need to increase my stomach size--Sounds wrong when your heavy but it is a common problem.
I'm amazed I'm not anemic --- until I started counting I never put two n two together that I don't eat. It was 90% junk food!
Like above said. It's a lifestyle change, least I'm learning now.
Thx guyz!!

Dont wait for your appetite to increase so you can eat more. If you delibrately force a greater amount each day you will feel overfull to start with but in a really fast amount of time your leptin levels balance out and your apetite will increase. So eat more and your appetite will go up.

As far as I know its correcting your body chemistry so you feel hungry again not "stomach stretching".

If you dont like fruit and veg normally try green smoothies.

autumnk921 · May 2012

Hey there...I sent you a friend request b/c you sound alot like me....My weightloss has been so slow b/c I couldn't meet my calories - even when pushing myself to....Then I started drinking protein shakes to give me more calories & protein which has helped....I am trying now to re-boot my metabolism I guess you could say by upping my calories & trying to incorporate more 'foods' into my diet which is slow going....Also, when I do eat, I eat the same things daily as well....Hopefully if you accept my friend request maybe we can help each other out... :flowerforyou:

Also, sugar is my main issue but I have cut out much of it but it is really hard to stay away from....I have now been eating nuts ALL of the time to add calories as well...

vestarocks · May 2012

I'm proud of you for recognizing your poor nutrition and wanting to do something about it. I've never had the problem of not wanting to be bothered with food. I love food period - healthy food, junk food, doesn't matter.

I agree to start with smoothies - packing in as much nutrition as you can. Peanut butter is easy. My favourite snack is peanut butter and apple. I also like the idea of adding the 100 calories every few days as a goal. Baby steps right?

Good luck and congratulations on your desire for change.

Raddichio · May 2012

What did you eat when you were gaining weight? You could eat that, but not as much.

I am concerned that you may have an eating disorder. What is it that you dislike about food? The texture? The taste? Could this be a control issue that's gotten out of hand. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it seems very extreme, and eating disorders can be deadly.

You may need to meet with a dietician, regardless of the reason. I agree with others that you are not getting the nutrients you need to stay healthy. You may get by liked this for quite a while, but eventualy it will catch up with you. Please seek some one-on-one help from someone knowledgeable, such as a dietician.

jenniebee19 · May 2012

Think there is some confusion. I love to eat. But it was an overwhelming amount of junk food.
Cookies, crackers, candy then more candy. Did I mention candy??? Lol. I do like vegetables. I dislike meat. Hate chicken more than life, weird I know. Do I eat it sometimes, yes. But I cannot build a taste for it.
I do not have an eating disorder -- unless you count eating candy as one lol
When I decided to diet, that's when I realized I don't eat real meals.
I would have waffles or cereal for lunch and dinner.
One of the major issues is I'm lactose intolerant. Yogurt (light) only form of dairy I can handle.
If I eat a burger. I want cheese on it. So therefore I don't eat burgers. I would LOVE to eat pizza, can't.
So anything I do like is restricted. And what's left is just blah to me. Lactaid pills don't help.
I switched to sugar free jello because I am trying to reduce my sugar count. It's like eating one chip, u can't. It is like a drug for me, only way to beat the addiction is cold turkey.
That's my whole goal, cut out sweets...that's y I am where I am now. But when I did that I realized, wow I lived off of them. Literally! And now making my daily goals is a chore. I just need to re-learn how to eat.
I just ate, black beans, brown rice, avacado, flank steak strips and lettuce-- salad and string beans for dinner and I'm still 400 calories short. I am by no means starving myself. I just can't seem to make my goal.
Thx for the advice some is really good. I will start to incorporate healthier choices.

mollydubs · May 2012

I went through this. Really what helped me was planning my food diary in advance and sticking to my plan. I had to teach myself to see food as a fuel and the planning of a diary as a game that, if I tweaked just right, could be easily perfected. Otherwise, I'd be very likely to not want to eat at all. I'm not sure anyone can teach you to like food, but you can teach yourself to like being fueled in the proper way.

Maybe give thinking of food that and planning out ways to fuel yourself a try. I found that these go-to foods I worked daily into my diet became way more enjoyable and fun to tweak and perfect the more I did it.

Raddichio · May 2012

Jennie, Thanks for responding. I really was worried about you.

I think the idea of viewing food as fuel is a good one, because you really can't go on indefinitely eating only the things you mentioned. Congrats on having a decent meal -- it's a start anyway. I do sympathize with your dislike of meat, as I feel physicallly ill if eating a large portion of beef, and I've never cared for it much. I have learned to eat it on occasion, but only in small amounts. I do like chicken, though. I often have trouble eating enough protein, so I've started making fruit smoothies with protein powder. Today I made one with OJ, some protein powder, ice, a miniscule splash of agave, and frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries---I don't really like to eat any of them, but they made a delicious smoothie).

I do think you would do well to speak wtih a dietician who could help you design a meal plan incorporating your preferences and providing a better array of nutrients. Or maybe someone here will come up with some ideas that appeal to you.

I don't like real food?!?

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