I woke up this morning feeling okay, but after eating an apple, started to very hungry and sick. I started thinking back, and realized that yesterday I’d eaten- a cough drop. That’s it. It usually takes a couple of days for me to feel this sick, and I don’t remember eating much of anything the day before yesterday either. This happens to me all the time, though it seems to have gotten worse in the last year or so. Apparently, I don’t get hunger pangs as often as most people do, and often don’t remember to eat, or eat enough before I get to the point of feeling ill.
Do you have a history of eating disorders at all? I’ve dabbled with eating disorders and found that the less I ate in general, the less hungry I’d be. If I went an initial couple of days without eating, the next few were relatively easy. I don’t know if this counts as “forgetting” to eat, though.
Often, when I’m working on something that involves physical labor and mental labor, I will simply forget or subconciously override the thought of eating. It isn’t till later that evening that I realize I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch.
Not realizing I need to eat for days – that’s another process altogether. I have gone without eating for days, but I knew about it, and was generally stress or illness related.
NightRabbit, I don’t enjoy eating*, but I’ve never had an eating disorder.
I remember asking a nurse practitioner about it at the health center awhile back, and she just recommended a schedule. Now, I’m more concerned and will look further into it.
*by which I mean, I’m not against eating, and I do like some foods, but I eat to stay alive, rather than the joy of the tastes and experience.
If you’re not underweight, I wouldn’t worry about it. Take a multivitamin and eat healthy meals. If you don’t eat all day and then have a salmon fillet, that’s miles better than a small salad or a doughnut.
I second this idea. “Forgetting” to eat is not normal and we do need to eat at least a little something everyday to keep our bodies fueled. See your MD.
For an entire day? No. But if I’m particularly engrossed in something, I will usually not think to eat or drink until there’s some break, even if it’s eight or ten hours in duration. And though I’ve gone one or two days without eating a dozen or more times in the past few years, I’ve never done so accidentally.
I do that. I really don’t eat at work because I’m busy and don’t have set breaktimes, (I do drink coffee/milk/whatever all day), then I get home and I’m tired, so I veg for awhile and then go to bed. Repeat this process for a day or two, then start to feel odd and think, “hmm, when’s the last time I ate…?”
Rather often, I have to remind myself, ‘you really should eat something’. It’s much like FourPaws being distracted away, and not wanting to spend the time. If I wait for actual hunger pains, It’s almost too late, and a headache will soon be coming on. Sometimes the headache and dizziness come before the hunger pangs. That sucks.
Once back in my first year of college I got really distracted and as near as I could tell I went 3 days without eating anything. I didn’t get sick but I did sleep a lot during that time.
Even today I rarely get hunger pangs. For my first year at my current job I worked about 11 hours a day and put off my lunch break until 2 or 3 so that I wouldn’t have too long to wait from then till I went home. I didn’t eat breakfast either. Maybe occasionally I’d get hunger pangs but I’d ignore it and they’d just go away. When I told a doctor this she acted really skeptical.
Yea, I do know people need a certain amount of calories every day. I just get caught up in other things, often drinking stuff that has calories, like **Mrs. Pumpkin ** and without those signals, don’t get around to the actual meal.
Fern Forest, your post reminded me of when I was in college with classes all day long and no time for lunch. I realized that I wouldn’t be hungry during lunch if I didn’t have breakfast, and started only eating dinner on those days. Bad idea, but that may be when I inadvertently screwed up my hunger signals.
Add that 2007 has been the worst year ever, so stress could be making it worse. I don’t know. I am normal sized for my height, though I’m short, so I don’t weigh that much. I’ll probably still get checked out whe I get some time though.
You might try making healthy smoothies, if you find yourself drinking rather than eating. With whole fruit and dairy or soy milk you can definitely make something healthier to drink than juice, soda, or coffee.
You remind me of my mother. She easily forgets to eat and does not appear to feel hunger like the rest of us. She’s been like this all her life. When she was a child, the doctor told her mother, “I normally tell worried parents that no child will starve themself. In her case, I’m making an exception. Sit her down 30 minutes before mealtimes and make her drink a jelly glass of beer. It will give her the munchies and stimulate her appetite.” She doesn’t remember if it worked, but she does remember the beer.
When she was dating my father she passed out in line for the movies. When questioned, she realized that it was probably because she had forgotten to eat for three days.
As an adult, she does not enjoy food. She eats because it’s a necessity. She’s said many times that if it weren’t for having a family to feed, she’d never remember to bother with meals. She is 5’3" and hovers around 108-110lbs.
We figure she’s just wired differently than other people. If I could figure out what it was in her brain that made her like this and bottle it, I’d be rich many times over. I’m actually glad you posted this, Omega Glory, because until now we’ve never known anyone else with so little appetite.