I am not hungry :/

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Thaelvyn
Thaelvyn Posts: 67
in Food and Nutrition
Hi,

So I am pretty new to trying to lose weight, and it could be a completely stupid question. I have started using MFP about a month ago and lost roughly 4.3 kg (9lbs) off my 20kg target. For the first 3 weeks, I was super hungry most of the day and was trying to calm down the hunger levels by snacking on some fruits and/or drinking black tea. It was a struggle to stay below my 1830 Cals/day. I am also exercising 3 times a week (usually 60 minutes of stationary bike).

About a week ago, I had a little binge and ate a large domino's pizza on my own, sky rocketing my intake ;)

But since then, I am not hungry, ever... for a couple of days I was at roughly 1000 cals, and since then I am forcing myself to eat to try and reach at least 1200/day. Even when exercising, I am not hungry after.

Is it normal for the body to react that way? Should I continue to force myself or should I just eat when I am hungry? The reason I am "force feeding" is mainly to avoid being in starvation mode (looked at wikipedia for the description, and I don't think I am in there, but tbh I don't know...).

Thanks!
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Replies

  • Tony_Brewski
    Tony_Brewski Posts: 1,376 Member
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    I've been having spurts like this myself.

    When I do not feel hungery I eat light foods, green salads or tuna salad. Something with taste but not a filling effect. If I have NO taste for something I'll gulp down a protein shake just to get the calories I need.

    I'm also working out 7 days a week for 2 hours or more at a stint. I'm averaging around 1300 to 1500 calories intake a day.

    Theres nothing wrong with a binge once in a while as long as you maintain your diet and exercise routine, and LIMIT the binges.
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
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    Eat when hungry, don't when not. It's all good.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Your metabolism is probably highly downregulated (hormones etc) due to eating so little. The minimum recommendation for a man is 1600, not 1200 and at 31 you should be eating quite a bit more than that.

    To be full on 1000 calories a day, as a young male, IMO, isn't very healthy. I highly doubt you're getting all the nutrition you need beyond calorie intake.

    Research BMR and TDEE and reevaluate your plan.
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
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    Eat when hungry, don't when not. It's all good.

    I agree with this... we have to learn to listen to our bodies. I know I didn't get fat from eating only when I was hungry, I ate ALL the time so learning to listen is a great tool for the future.

    I think our bodies go through cycles like this. If it lasts too long, I'd be worried. If you're eating nutrient rich foods with a good mix of macros, you should be fine in the short term
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
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    Eat when hungry, don't when not. It's all good.

    Agreed.

    If you're not hungry its (and you're not sick) then you probably shouldn't eat.
  • Thaelvyn
    Thaelvyn Posts: 67
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    Cool. Thanks for the replies!
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    I totally disagree with the don`t eat if you are not hungry thing (this is because of the low amount of cals you are eating) Maybe you are drinking more fluids and you feel fuller? Sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst and eat...sometimes we drink a lot and it fills us up.

    But, you need to eat your BMR at least to feed your organs. If you don`t feed them, then it naturally follows that they won`t function well.

    If you are struggling to eat the food then try to add protein shakes, or you can find other high protein/high cal/healthy fat foods to add.

    I do not advocate eating such a small amount, eat when hungry yes for sure. But eat enough to be healthy at least!

    If you are exercising too then you definitely need to up it some!
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
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    when i used to binge i was like this, i think it was my body's way of saying WHOA. CHILL OUT. lol usually after a long streak of unhealthy heating my body just naturally decides that its over it and i stop craving the junk (but of course once i cut the crap the cravings come back but thats a whole different story).

    use this opportunity of low appetite to establish good eating habits like proper portion control and cleaner eating. :) by the time your appetite returns your stomach will be used to the good stuff. and hopefully you wont crave the junk as badly. :)

    23mAiZR.jpg23mAm7.png
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    i don't force myself to eat. i don't get why anyone would.

    when you get hungry, eat.
    just be sure to drink lots of water.

    have a protein shake?
  • Thaelvyn
    Thaelvyn Posts: 67
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    Nope, not using any shakes, but changed a lot the type of food I was eating in the past 4 weeks, nearly completely cut out cheese ;). Moved away from being almost vegetarian to eating a lot of chicken/turkey, not many carbs (save from sugars from the fruits) and even less fat.
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    All I can say is that you must do what you must do! Keep using the forum and reading stuff. Eat more to lose weight!

    Here is a link you can look at tht may give you an idea of how to work out your cals.
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
  • kendrart
    kendrart Posts: 49 Member
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    I wonder if actually switching from being mostly vegetarian to eating a lot of chicken is affecting that. Had you been eating any meat? Had you been mostly vegetarian for a long time?

    That sounds like a big change - could just be your body readjusting.
  • JamesDonato76
    JamesDonato76 Posts: 5
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    I wish I had this problem! But I would side with most everyone here. Don't worry about not being hungry.
  • bbbsmama
    bbbsmama Posts: 96
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    Eat when hungry, don't when not. It's all good.

    AMEN!
  • lowpro1983
    lowpro1983 Posts: 305 Member
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    I agree with listening to your body and eating only when hungry - BUT you also need to make sure that you are providing your body with the nutrients that it needs. I have weeks where I'm not as hungry as others as well....seems like it all equals out eventually.
  • Thaelvyn
    Thaelvyn Posts: 67
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    I wonder if actually switching from being mostly vegetarian to eating a lot of chicken is affecting that. Had you been eating any meat? Had you been mostly vegetarian for a long time?

    That sounds like a big change - could just be your body readjusting.

    Yes I was having meat sometimes, or replacement like Qorn (so some sort of protein stuff). I have been mostly veggie for about 4.5 years on and off. (Not really by ethical choice but more by convenience :p)
  • Mayraapoppp
    Mayraapoppp Posts: 10
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    I don't agree with the whole "don't eat if you're not hungry" comment. Your metabolism will definitely slow down if you're taking in a lot of calories in at once (binging) and then starving it. Even though your body is not telling you it's hungry, does not mean you will lose weight that way. I'm not saying go eat an entire meal either, but you should definitely snack in between healthy meals ( a piece of fruit, some almonds, yogurt etc.) Something small to keep your metabolism going. Remember your hunger levels and metabolism are two completely different things; especially when dealing with weight loss. (:
  • inagaddadavegan
    inagaddadavegan Posts: 46 Member
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    I have a smaller appetite during the heat of summer... I take advantage of it for my fitness and weight loss goals ;)
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    Nope, not using any shakes, but changed a lot the type of food I was eating in the past 4 weeks, nearly completely cut out cheese ;). Moved away from being almost vegetarian to eating a lot of chicken/turkey, not many carbs (save from sugars from the fruits) and even less fat.

    fat is good, you need fat!

    i don't either carbs either, but i eat mostly fat, then protein.
  • Lily2123
    Lily2123 Posts: 1
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    Nope, not using any shakes, but changed a lot the type of food I was eating in the past 4 weeks, nearly completely cut out cheese ;). Moved away from being almost vegetarian to eating a lot of chicken/turkey, not many carbs (save from sugars from the fruits) and even less fat.

    protien tends to make you feel more full. if you are eating it more now then that could explain why you are full all the time. maybe cut back a little on the protien and eat more veggies? then see if your appetite comes back? I am not saying stop eating protien, but cut back on it.. it sounds like a huge change for your body and if you cut back on carbs and veggies and replaced it with lean protiens your body is probably adjusting. I know you are worried about the low calories, but if you feel more hungry then maybe you will consume more over all throughout the day.

    my other question to you is are you losing weight during this time? or have you plateaued? if you are losing weight is it a healthy loss? 2-3lbs a week? or is it too fast.. if it is healthy I would not worry too much as long as it does not continue for long periods.. if it is too fast then you will probably gain it all back when you start getting an appetite back and so I would definetly try to make an effort to consume enough calories in healthy foods. if you have not really lost anything during this time, your body is probably already in starvation mode and is storing every calorie to fat for the times when you are not eating. I would try to cut back lean protiens and give yourself some healthy carbs so you can get the energy your body needs to function.

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