I can believe I let it get this bad

[TheRats]

I just realized how bad my eating habits really are. Over the past 3-4 months I’ve been eating less without realizing it. I’ve been throwing out my food more often and sometimes I just don’t eat at all. I didn’t notice how bad it was getting until I completely stopped being able to eat enough. The other night I ate 3 bites of dinner and couldn’t eat any more.

I’m just stunned I let it get so bad. I always thought I’d notice if I had an eating disorder but I guess that’s not the case. And now It’s really bad and I’m scared I won’t be able to fix it and it’s horrible. I want to be able to eat without feeling sick again. I have to force myself to eat just a bit more than I can stomach each night and I feel so sick all the time and every time I eat it makes me nauseous.

I made a schedule for when I eat each day so that I start being able to stomach more food. 3 meals, 3 snacks, each at a set time. I have alarms on my phone so I don’t forget to eat. Hopefully in a few months this is better and I don’t feel so sick all the time.

[Wings]

I suggest seeing a doctor to ensure there is not a physical reason why eating is causing you discomfort. When I was younger, many times I would forget to eat, and go without sleep as well. Typically, when a person goes without eating for more than a day, feelings of hunger diminish. Sometimes a feeling of euphoria manifests, and with it, a reluctance to eat, as eating would diminish those feelings.

You might be experiencing the discomfort of having excess stomach acid, because without food, there is nothing to neutralize it.

I had an illness that caused me to lose a lot of weight, and not be able to tolerate much food. To help out, I started drinking the generic equivalent to Ensure, which is a liquid nutritional supplement. There is also a large variety of smoothie recipes. You might find something like that helpful.

Digestion and appetite works best when you’re okay emotionally, so if something is bothering you, take whatever steps you need to in order to resolve it. Eating on a schedule is a good idea. The timing of your meals makes a difference too. For me, I’m better off being awake for a while before having breakfast. Sometimes I have a snack for lunch other times, I don’t. I do dinner around 5 PM, and on rare occasions have a snack around 9 PM. I’m older, so my system processes food more slowly than when I was young. My weight has not changed in years, even though according to the calorie charts, I’m eating about half of what I should.

My breakfast includes a bowl of bran, a protein, blueberry, banana and almond milk smoothie. I also do a multivitamin. Vitamin B relates to metabolism, so if it’s in short supply for you, that might explain feeling nauseous when you eat.

It’s really good that you recognize that your eating patterns need to change. A lot of people suffer with self-denial, which ensures that they will continue to suffer.

I think you’re going to be okay. I’m glad you stopped by to talk about this. I think it helps.

[TheRats]

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and there’s nothing wrong. I just haven’t eaten much for a really long time and now I can’t handle any food. If it doesn’t get better after a while, I’ll probably see the doctor again just to ensure that there aren’t any other issues with my stomach because my body just loves to give me stomach problems.

[Wings]

A few bites every few hours may help. Don’t do sugary stuff. It’ll cause you to have excess acid in your stomach, cause a blood sugar spike, followed by it being lower than it was to begin with. Skip the greasy stuff too.