Not asking for medical advice here. Just wondering if any other middle-agers and heading toward senior status-ers have experienced this.
My appetite, (not that it wouldn’t be beneficial for me to miss a meal or 10), has nose-dived over the last week. I thought it was just the heat. I just returned from a field job working outside in 95+ heat. But I’ve been back for a week now and it seems to be holding.
I don’t feel nauseated and I am not having other ahem digestion problems. It doesn’t seem to be part of any sort of cold/flu like problems either. I just seem to get full REALLY quickly and with a lot less food than is normal for me. And for regular meals, that wasn’t a big amount in the first place. (sweets are my weakness :D).
I know that seniors (though I’m not quite there, I’ve got a few years), often have greatly reduced appetites, has anyone else experienced this? Not that it would break my heart, but it seems awfully sudden.
My husband and I have both experienced a dwindling in appetite. It’s gotten to the point where one regular restaurant meal will be more than enough for the both of us. In my case, it’s at least partly because I quit taking antidepressants. In his case, well, he’s no longer 17 years old and very physically active.
There’s a chain of all-you-can-eat Mexican restaurants here called Pancho’s. My husband and his five brothers went there one time when they were all teenagers…and managed to eat the place out of food.
I’m 41, and I can definitely tell my appetite isn’t what it was when I was in my 20s, even though I’m probably more active now. I remember cooking a pound of pasta for my boyfriend-at-the-time and I to eat; it would make 3 portions, 2 to eat, 1 for lunch tomorrow. Nowadays I cook half a pound for me and Mr. Athena, and have 2 portions to eat and at least 1, maybe 2 portions for lunch tomorrow. And neither of us are hungry at the end.
Consider yourself lucky.
If you look around a the enormous girth of most older Americans, it’s pretty apparent that they could do with a little less appetite.
As can I! This isn’t a bad thing by any means. Just the suddenness with which it came on made me a little curious. I welcome my new appetite suppressant overlords. (yes, yes, I know, grouchy old dopers HATE that overused saying…:D)
While it’s true that people often have less of an appetite when they are older, be aware that early satiety can be a symptom of various health issues too. If you begin to notice any other symptoms like bloating or abdominal pain then I’d definitely bring it up with your doctor. I’d also suggest keeping tabs on your weight and if you notice you’re losing weight without trying to, then I would definitely bring it up with your doctor ASAP since in an older person unintentional weight loss can be a sign of serious illness.
Not trying to scare you, just wanted you to be aware so you can watch for any other signs. Unfortunately, back before I had the medical knowledge to realize what a warning sign it can be, my mother experienced some new weight loss. We later found out her decreased appetite and weight loss were from advanced ovarian cancer.
Don’t forget that your stomach will self-adjust. If you were working out and had a change of diet at all, then your body might just be adjusting to that. I am going to guess you’re male, because I am comfortable claiming that a lot of women go through appetite changes monthly. Not necessarily in the ‘OMG CHOCOLATE!’ way, but there might be a week of no hunger at all, and a week of ‘GOTTA EAT EVERYTHING!’ in a month without it being at all out of true. I have always wondered if men went through that, but I have no idea if men have regular hormonal cycles. It might well be true. Regardless, if you changed your exercise routine at all <working in the fields would count, I’m thinking> then your body is going to adapt a bit. Enjoy
I’d perhaps worry a little about a sudden lack of appetite such as you describe. Not worry enough to go to the doctor if everything else was fine, but enough to start paying attention to other subtle changes.
I’m in my 50s and active, weigh what I weighed in high school as well, but over the last couple of decades have seen a gradual dwindling of appetite and the amount of food I want to consume in one sitting. I probably eat half what I used to eat daily 20-30 years ago but the appetite diminishment certainly wasn’t within a week…gradually over years, I think.
Echoing that sudden changes can be a medical issue, but also, a question: has your diet composition changed at all? I experience far less hunger if I decrease carb consumption, especially sugar. Plus, if you’re drinking a lot of water from working in the heat, that fills the stomach, too.
I know that I did get really super dehydrated from working outdoors in the heat. We were trying to drink a ton of water, but for the first time in my life, I experienced the “if you’re dehydrated enough, you won’t have to pee” syndrome. (I’m originally from Alaska, it doesn’t usually get hot enough for that).
I too would look at the heat. Today I’ve had a handful of mini chocolate chip cookies, a serving and a half of rice and a serving of steak tips. Oh, and a glass of lite “fruit juice” (the rest of the day water.) I cannot even imagine amping myself up to eat anything else because of the heat robbing me of my desire to eat.
I can always manage to get down my breakfast [most days oatmeal with a couple tablespoons of raisins and some cinnamon] but sometimes I lose my appetite later in the day if it is too warm. I have the only AC in the bedroom to keep my temp controlled.
I sometimes revert to chemo eating if it gets too hot - ice cold grapes, watermelon balls, cantelope balls, slices of apple…
