Food just doesn't taste good.

Two weeks ago I came home from working at a summer camp with extremely low quality food. I gained a lot of weight--desserts came in bulk, fried foods came almost every day for lunch, routinely dull breakfasts. Anyway, none of it really tasted all that good, and I ended up hardly eating anything for the last few weeks. And then I came home and expected food to taste good again-- healthy foods like carrots and spinach, etc. And it did...but food has just lost its excitement. I end up routinely undereating during the day, bored with food and able to ignore being hungry because no food seems appealing. But then at night I'll slowly rack up calories-- I try to stay healthy, but even still. Even simple foods at night like carrot soup end up adding a lot-- and its hard to ignore. And even still, it doesn't taste good.

I dont really know what to do about it. Nothing seems to taste up to par--I dont think I'm sick. Granted, I've also been sleeping a LOT-- 9 hours minimum, which I know is healthy, but oftentimes it will creep up to 10, 11, 12 hours a night. Which is fine, but.... something just doesn't really feel right. =( I dont quite know what to do. Cooking has been bringing about a huge onslaught of dishes also, which get overwhelming very fast. Also, I'm on a gap year between High School and College, and will be going to Europe in March. Which is exciting, but also really lonely becuase there's no one around. So going out to dinner is hard-- its so awkward to be the only one at a table, and my parents are on a low-carb diet and are often reluctant to come out with me. =( Any suggestions?

Go out alone with a book and order really good, healthy food you're excited about! It used to be really awkward for me too, especially right after high school when most of my friends were gone and I was staying in town for school. Now I love eating out alone. It can be so relaxing, you can just enjoy your food and take your time. Don't worry, nobody is looking at you thinking you're some lonely pathetic person. Nobody cares. Seriously, give it a try.

Maybe you are suffering from anxiety or depression.  This can alter your eating habbits and sleep.  It is o.k. if you are, as lots of people do at one point in their life.  If you think this may be the cause maybe you can talk to a friend or counseller?  Otherwise, I am not sure what may cause the change in food taste for you. 

Also, maybe you want to invite your parents over and cook them a low carb meal?  or research what restaurants have low carb menu items as some do offer them.  If your parents see you put this effort in it, they may make a bigger effort themselves to go out.

Original Post by katiedoe:

Maybe you are suffering from anxiety or depression.  This can alter your eating habbits and sleep.  It is o.k. if you are, as lots of people do at one point in their life.  If you think this may be the cause maybe you can talk to a friend or counseller? 

 

I definitely second this. Major life changes can cause different levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. This can be something obvious like depression or anxiety, or it can be more a more subtle reaction to stress in general. Especially if you're feeling lonely.

The symptoms you describe are often related to some of these (or other) mental health concerns. I'd talk to a doctor about it right away.

Don't you just hate the fact that cooking causes work......like doing dishes........I remember going to camp every summer and having a hard time getting enough food into me to maintain my weight.........I guess I just moved around too much during the day from all the activities........Look on the bright side, now that food tastes like syte maybe you'll lose some weight.

Thanks for your responses =) I live with my parents still--I'm just on a gap year-- but they're taking time to go on vacation a lot also. So they'll be gone for a few weeks at a time-- but that can be nice. Just really quiet. But maybe I'll try to do some low-carb things for them--that sounds like a good idea =)

I considered the anxiety/depression concern--I have had anxiety issues in the past, and I guess this could be that again. I know its important but I just feel awkward seeing a doctor about it. Although it would probably be a good idea to get over that... =S We'll see. Thanks for your input =)