I like to starve

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am afraid my problem is very silly. The title says it all. I don't like to eat. The problem is, I act on it. I don't eat, or at least I don't eat well. If I am really hungry, I usually have some sweet chocolate bar or something like that.

It's been going on for ten or so years and I feel like my body is slowly giving up. I am so used to this style of eating that I could go on for several more years, but I am starting to doubt my body would.

I am afraid that the problem lies in my mind. But I don't think that I am anorectic.
I like that people are telling me that I am slim. I like watching TV shows about the people who try to lose weight because I don't have their problems.

On the other hand if someone makes me a meal, I will eat it. I don't think anorectic people do that.

I don't like to cook. I don't like being in the kitchen. I get dizzy when I am standing for longer time, so standing in front of the stove is a pain. I have big problems with touching raw meat. So, no, I don't like to cook.

There was a time when I seriously considered the idea that this was my way of abusing my own body. Because sometimes it's afternoon, I haven't eaten anything yet, my stomach is all upset and I tell myself, Oh you can manage for a bit longer.

I don't know. I understand that I eat chocolate and cookies to keep my brain going. I thought that if I addressed the problem, it would get better. But it hasn't helped much. Perhaps because I don't mind that much. It's just my body that does :frown:

I don't mind eating raw vegetables and fruit. But I doubt I can live on it.

Has anyone have a problem like this? Is there a way out?

A therapist will push me into eating a lot more and into cooking and :frown: I don't feel like going to a therapist.

I do feel hungry, but I don't feel like eating. Does it make a sense? I don't quite enjoy the process of eating. It's like I don't have a taste or something. Usually I say that I am fed just from the smell of other people's meals.

Thanks :frown:

[LONDONER]

Whqat is very obvious is that you do have an eating problem and that just keeping yourself alive on sweets and chocolate is not going to do you any good. You may not want to but you should consult your doctor. There are therapists who can help you and it won't be just telling you to eat more. The root of the problem would be to find out why you don't like food and go on from there, but for therapy to work you must want to find the solution.

It's Saturday afternoon and not many people on line at the moment but I am sure that others will give their opinion. Be patient.

[princealbertofb]

Anonymous, I think that you do have a problem, because eating just chocolate and cookies is not really healthy (although you say you'll eat food that's prepared for you). You don't have to have meat, nor cook it. There are plenty of vegetarians and vegans who eat perfectly healthily, but they watch what they eat to make sure they're having enough protein and all the necessary vitamins.
The unhealthy part of chocolate and cookies only as a diet is that they contain mostly sugar and fat. Maybe you starve yourself because you know these foods, in abundance, would make you fatter and you enjoy being slim.

May I suggest that rather than seeing a therapist (which sounds like it might be a good idea, by the way), you could try to see a nutritionist, who could tell you what your body needs to restore itself?Basically it needs water and all three of the nutritional groups: protein, fat and sugars in various amounts, plus vitamins and minerals and fiber, most of which will be brought to you by varied food sources. The problem with your diet is that the food doesn't sound very varied. You are at risk of giving yourself cancer.

[Lilmy87]

Hi anon,

I can relate to your issue to some extent, I was straight forwardly anorexic for years, so I know that is different, but now I am sort of functional, but have a real anti cooking, anti food bias. Like, if we could just take a pill each day, I would definitely prefer it!

I suppose it can be a bit of a chore can't it? Planning, shopping, preparing, cooking, the whole ritual of eating etc. To me, it doesn't seem worth the bother, rather just grab something on the go (my brain sees sweets as much 'safer' than meals, even healthy ones!)

I think it is OK to not be interested in food. There is so much focus on food, endless cooking programmes and recipes, restaurant reviews waxing about what a certain dish 'should' be like, and trends in food, down the the fixation about diets and moralising about weight. It can make you feel as though food ought to be really important to you, rather just important for you

I could be wrong, because I am not well placed to give a rational account about food, but I think that you don't need to learn to enjoy cooking or eating. You just have to fulfill your basic nutritional requirements. Just grab a cereal bar in the morning, maybe later you can boil some pasta and empty a can of tuna on top. Eat a raw tomato or two while you are at it. things like that. I don't think you need to do loads of cooking if you don't want. Most people who enjoy eating would find such a diet really sparse and boring, but it sounds like a diet that is as simple as possible might suit you. I would probably advise getting support from a dietitian to plan a diet that is hassle free, yet meets your needs.

If you don't like eating large amounts, maybe look at calorie dense foods; eg. pick a cereal bar that is high in cals (some are, despite the pretense of being healthy!), 'high quality foods' as the eating disorder therapists will euphemistically call them, ha ha!

Just worry about a plan that works for you, even if it is not really usually. It sounds like you aren't disordered, or even fussy, just not bothered. Most of the population find it hard to understand how some people just don't get much pleasure from food, but it is true, and there is nothing bad about that.

Hope that helps, and wasn't just a load of eating disorder bias!
xx

[pellaz]

chocolate is great but this stuff is easy to eat too:

get a bag of whey or better yet Casein Protein:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/ca...3888904346

buy some tofu, best to microwave it with some soy sauce, locally they sell flavored tofu which is super great.

get a box of Ramen Noodle Soup packets, i think the flavor packets glow in the dark, discard them, but the noodles them selves, when un-cooked are crunchy:
http://www.soap.com/p/maruchan-ramen-noo...agpspn=pla

buy some larger baking potatoes and microwave one a day. again put soy sauce or just salt on them.

get a junk cycle and ride or start running, maybe a dance class. exercise will push you body one way or the other. Hang out with friends more and or social things like volunteering, join a club centered around music, dance, football, or a sportbike club.

be careful

[MisterTinkles]

I do understand this problem. Although I love to cook for other people, I HATE cooking for myself.
Ive never starved myself over it though, but I do understand whats "going on".

Besides the psychological counseling.....here are some suggestions on what you can do to keep food around you and have something to eat---

Frozen dinners - there are many different styles, varieties, and price ranges on frozen dinners. Keep some in the freezer, or you can keep a couple in the fridge, if you know you will eat them that day.

Take Out - Not good for you to eat every day, but there are all sorts of take out you can get.

Peanutbutter and Jelly - keep some peanutbutter, jelly, and bread in the house all the time. You get the urge to eat, but dont want anything heavy or want to stick something in the microwave.........eat a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich.

Nuts and Seeds - keep nuts and seeds in the house. You can munch on these all through the day or have a couple of handfuls for a light lunch or something.

Popcorn - If you ever do feel like "cooking", you can make a lot of popcorn ahead of time and put it into ziplock baggies, or an airtight plastic container. So you can have an instant snack when you feel you should eat something. And they now sell different flavored powders to sprinkle over popcorn too!!

Potato chips or Crisps (depending on where you live) - Keep a bag of these in the house for snacks too.

Small Fruit - small apples, grapes, berries.....keep some of these around too.

Other things you can keep in the fridge, that are good for you and you dont have to cook:
Yogurt
Cottage Cheese (dairy free cheeses and yogurts are made now, if you cant have dairy)
Meat spread (for sandwiches)
Milk (or Almond Milk, Soy Milk, or Rice Milk...if you are lactose intolerance)
Sliced cheese (also keeping crackers in the house...I love cheese and crackers)
Fruit
Protein Shakes
Fruit Juice (all natural fruit juice, not that cheap crap thats mostly sugar)


Put yourself on a schedule. Make up a schedule and hang it up on the wall or a door where you will see it EVERY day, all day. And whether you feel like eating or not, eat SOMETHING, even if its handful of popcorn or nuts.

Get an alarm clock thats just for meals. Set it three times a day for you to eat something, so you dont forget.

After about a year of living on an eating schedule, you will pretty much do it automatically, and not have to rely on the schedule or alarm clock.

From what Dr.s have told me over the years, all you really need is one cup of food every two - 4 hours, depending on how active you are. The more active you are, the more often you need to eat.

The "secret" to someone with this problem, is to eat/drink a lot of protein. Carbs would be helpful too, but the more protein in your food, the more your body will work right (from medical info Ive been given). If you dont like meat, try to eat fish. If you dont want either, there are substitutes for these -- nuts, mushrooms, beans, tofu, etc...

Hope that helps

[Nick9]

sigh.

Yes, it's me. Thank you for all your answers. I started the thread as Anon, because I was afraid you would tell me either to see a psychiatrists or to simply shut up and eat. Because that's what I hear all the time. The people around me like to eat and me telling them that just the idea of having food in my mouth is sometimes repulsive is simply alien to them.

I got back my blood tests the other day, and they are not very good. And I finally realized that they wouldn't get better on their own. But I have no idea how to change my eating habits :frown: I had a big portion of sweetened cocoa powder for breakfast today (umm I needed a big plate). Topped with whipped cream. Yes, it's supposed to be mixed with milk and drunk, but I eat it like this, sometimes instead of breakfast, sometimes instead of dinner.

Because, Lilmy, yes, eating is bother. Making meals for myself is bother and not worth it. If I can't find any yogurt in the fridge or something I can just grab and go, I don't eat. Luckily, I don't like salty chips etc.

Once, the doctor put me on pills to increase my appetit. I gained 18 pounds in one month...
Sometimes I feel like nuts to tell the truth. I know that what I am doing is not good, but I am not able to stop. Over the years I have bought about fifteen cookbooks in hope that I can make myself interested in eating.

Yes, there is a lot of cooking shows on TV. I don't like to watch them because they make me feel guilty. I know very well that I will never try those recipes.

I realized that the people who have problems with loosing weight, have similar eating habits as I do. I just don't eat fat and don't drink coke or beer.
The nutritionists usually say that "fat" people are often starving - they eat a lot of calories but not enough "real" food. I do the same. I admit that I am a bit afraid of changing the eating habits, because what I am doing now keeps my body slim and I am glad. So, probably there is that mental block too.

I think that Megumi once said that she is vegan. It seems ideal to me, but I've heard so many times that even vegetarians have problems with balanced meals. When the "clever books" got to vegans, they waved them off as even more dangerous...

Thank you for taking the time to give me tips how to start. I am supposed to have another blood test in September. I think I will get rid of everything with too much sugar in it and set the alarm o'clock...

Thank you

[Bowyn Aerrow]

This will not end well.

In fact since you are getting dizzy/weak while standing tells me this has gone on long enough to be a serious medical problem. This has gone beyond therapy and has entered the 'Medical Emergency' state.

What you really need to do is see a doctor this coming week and get this addressed.

This isn't a forum help sort of situation this is a medical problem. You need a dietician in your life now. Not a few paragraphs of suggestions.

[Nick9]

Bowyn I really really don't like doctors or therapists. I try to stay away from them at all costs

[Bowyn Aerrow]

^^^ Hmmm.

Well I don't like doctors either, so now that I am armed with this bit of information I now have something to throw at you the next time you get on my case for not going to a doctor or getting the health care I need.

So there. :tongue: