ok to eat if i'm NOT hungry?

Hello everyone,

I am new to this community, and sorry if this is a silly question - but I'm trying v hard to gain weight, and I find that on some days, I'm hungry ALL DAY and other days, i have no appetite at all! except for maybe once or twice in the day and that's about it...

my question is, is it OKAY for me to continue to eat and drink all day even if i have NO appetite whatsoever? I mean, nothing bad is going to happen to me right? sorry, I guess I am just a little nervous because I always think well, normal people actually eat when they are hungry! and I wish i had a better appettite since that would make the eating part a little easier, and less discomforting!

Thank you everyone, and I wish you all the best of luck as you progress with your journeys to recovery. we can do it!

Hey, I'm also kind of new here.

It is definatly ok to still it when you're not hungry - you need to eat when you are not hungry. At first our stomaches have shrunken and we have lost our fullness and hunger signels so mechanical eating is the best thing.

Once you eat regually for a while you will start to feel more hungry at meal times.

To make this a simple answer: Big, emphatic yes. When your body is not used to being fed much, it can take a very long time for normal hunger cues to return. Your stomach gets shrunken and it takes time for it to adjust to a normal amount of food, let alone what is needed to gain. On top of that, sometimes we end up with such enormous calorie needs, we don't really get the opportunity to feel hunger.

Are you in recovery from an ED? If so, you may want to try setting up a meal plan for yourself - 3 meals/3 snacks. And stick to it so your body will learn to be hungry at certain times and fall into a pattern again. If you have a hard time getting enough calories in with food - its a wise idea to drink whole milk, juices or milkshakes/smoothies with or in between meals.

Yes you definately need to keep up your eating. If you find some days you really just arent hungry then opt for more calorie dense foods, theres a big list on this forum of foods that are really good for weight gain, peanut butter, dried fruits, whole milk etc, you should check it out. Also for days you are struggling to eat try drinking some of your calories like Rebel said, smoothies are good idea as you can pop into lots of different things and make them to suit your taste.

For now just focus on keeping your calorie intake up, all the best with your recovery.

Okay to reiterate was has been said..YES it is okay...in fact it is absolutely necessary and shouldn't even be a question.

If you don't eat then you're compromising your goal of gaining and many times you won't be hungry so you have to push through the discomfort. When you aren't hungry have nuts or dark chocolate or some ice cream..this way its enjoyable to eat since the foods are tasty and not too heavy on the stomach.

You can't compare yourself to "normal" people because "normal people" have normal appetites and would eat regularly to satisfy that hunger. Your appetite is not normal so your intake can't be expected to match hunger signals.

Congrats on wanting to recover. If you need support message me!

What if you're trying to lose weight? It feels wrong to eat right now, I'm not hungry, but I'm only at about 1000 calories. I should be getting at least about 1400. That thought is vaguely exhausting, even to someone who is 100 pounds overweight.

Original Post by upsidedownkitten:

What if you're trying to lose weight? It feels wrong to eat right now, I'm not hungry, but I'm only at about 1000 calories. I should be getting at least about 1400. That thought is vaguely exhausting, even to someone who is 100 pounds overweight.

 You are hungry. In this case, you are eating so little your body is trying to help you by lessening your hunger, whilst trying it's best to lose as little weight as possible. The tiny amount will make your brain think you are in a famine situation, and losing lots of body weight is the last thing that will keep you alive. As you are this much overweight, you definitely need a LOT more than 1000 calories, I'm glad you realise this but you must achieve it also. Up the calories, you don't have to add ice-cream or chocolate as said above if that would feel like cheating (although it is good to treat yourself!), you can easily add some wholesome and nutritious food in your calorie gap, such as wholegrains, fruit and more proteins/fats. (Fats keep the body healthy and keeps hair/skin/nails looking good.) Good Luck.

Original Post by biscotti_e_panna:

 I guess I am just a little nervous because I always think well, normal people actually eat when they are hungry!

 

This is a bit of a myth and one that I've noticed a lot of people with eating problems get rather confused about.    'Normal people' eat for all kinds of reasons besides hunger.  We eat because it's a regular mealtime (habit).... We eat because we 'fancy' something (pleasure)....  We even eat to be sociable e.g accepting a slice of pie that granny made specially even though we're not hungry, it's not a regular mealtime and it looks bloody awful.   

If you were very overweight and were losing weight by being on a reduced calorie diet you would often feel hungry but have to ignore it slightly in pursuit of your goal.  You're just 'on a diet' in the other direction.... so you have to ignore the lack of hunger-pangs and eat anyway.

Like normal people try to keep to a regular mealtime schedule and don't be afraid to eat something because you 'just fancy it'.... the more you do this the more you'll find you start to anticipate mealtimes and you feel nicely hungry in preparation.

 

Original Post by upsidedownkitten:

What if you're trying to lose weight? It feels wrong to eat right now, I'm not hungry, but I'm only at about 1000 calories. I should be getting at least about 1400. That thought is vaguely exhausting, even to someone who is 100 pounds overweight.

Yes, you should eat something. Your metabolism can slow down from undereating, making you feel less hungry.

If you don't want to stuff yourself, eat a small portion of some calorie-dense foods: hummus, granola, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, cheese... and have a drink of milk or juice.