Help me start eating
February 10, 2016 7:14 PM Subscribe
I'm a bird eater... I pretty much eat throughout the day in small portions. As in I take a bite at my desk and then I walk around with my mouthful and fix things. But if I skip a meal, it's *really* hard to start eating again.
Takes me about 2 days to ramp up to speed. Not eating leaves me so exhausted that I can barely get out of bed. This has happened more often this winter. I don't think it's SAD... but it could be. I'm hoping someone other than me has experienced this before. What do you do?
Takes me about 2 days to ramp up to speed. Not eating leaves me so exhausted that I can barely get out of bed. This has happened more often this winter. I don't think it's SAD... but it could be. I'm hoping someone other than me has experienced this before. What do you do?
I have a bird mom and she schedules mealtimes (about 5 a day) and it's a pretty firm schedule.
When she has some kind of schedule crisis, she uses a spoonful of peanut butter. It's enough to stave off the shakies for a little while but it also spikes her appetite about 45 minutes later. She keeps a small jar of PB by the bed so she can eat some before she gets out of bed if she's nauseated or shaky.
She also has single-serving shelf-stable nutrition shakes (Ensure, in her case) stashed all over the house. They are not exactly delicious warm, but they are chuggable, especially if you have a mouth full of peanut butter.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:47 PM on February 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
When she has some kind of schedule crisis, she uses a spoonful of peanut butter. It's enough to stave off the shakies for a little while but it also spikes her appetite about 45 minutes later. She keeps a small jar of PB by the bed so she can eat some before she gets out of bed if she's nauseated or shaky.
She also has single-serving shelf-stable nutrition shakes (Ensure, in her case) stashed all over the house. They are not exactly delicious warm, but they are chuggable, especially if you have a mouth full of peanut butter.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:47 PM on February 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
I should say that for her regularly scheduled meals, she does a good bit of pre-prep. Every couple of days she cooks and packs up ready-to-nuke meals and makes a couple of sandwiches (bagged in halves, as that's about all the sandwich she'll eat in one sitting), along with the protein drinks and peanut butter.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:50 PM on February 10, 2016
posted by Lyn Never at 7:50 PM on February 10, 2016
I'd suggest moving your meal to the break room, even if it's just for 5 minutes to eat an apple. Don't get distracted, just sit down, eat and when you're done, return to what you were doing.
You can be spared from your desk for 5 minutes.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:30 AM on February 11, 2016
You can be spared from your desk for 5 minutes.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:30 AM on February 11, 2016
Keep Hershey kisses near you at all times. Eating chocolate will stimulate your appetite. Finish every tiny meal with a kiss.
posted by myselfasme at 5:10 AM on February 11, 2016
posted by myselfasme at 5:10 AM on February 11, 2016
Fresh ginger tea will stimulate your appetite. You can make a batch in the morning (peel and chop an inch sized nub of fresh ginger root and boil for a few minutes, strain into a thermos). You can add honey or another sweeter herbal tea if you find it too strong. Sip throughout the day and before meals.
Pay attention to hunger signals, likely you're missing the early signals that indicate hunger. Scheduling meal times will help your body adjust.
posted by lafemma at 7:06 AM on February 11, 2016
Pay attention to hunger signals, likely you're missing the early signals that indicate hunger. Scheduling meal times will help your body adjust.
posted by lafemma at 7:06 AM on February 11, 2016
My personal advice is to not force yourself to eat if you are not hungry or to overeat. Listen to your body. There are chemicals at play that signal satiety and if you ignore those signals it'll be much harder to recognize them when you are full or have had enough. I used to be ridiculed for my (strange to others) eating habits. I chew thoroughly, eat small portions and take almost twice as long to eat as others. I have leftovers at every meal. Which is great because then I have snacks to eat throughout the day. I usually keep protein bars or trail mix and water and tea with me at all times. Make sure your meals are full of protein and as healthy as possible. If you can, see a nutritionist to help you plan your meals to ensure you're eating a balanced diet.
In regards to bird eating, people would frequently mention to me that I ate like a bird, probably because I enjoy salads and nuts and eat small portions at frequent times. My personal story: due to my small frame and eating mostly vegetarian growing up in a culture that emphasizes a woman's voluptuousness as an ideal, people started calling me anorexic. In an attempt to combat this negative attention, I would force myself to eat every single morsel on my plate in hopes of gaining weight. My grandmother would tease me as a child saying I had a tapeworm, because I would eat and never gain weight. I used to have pride that I ate healthily, yet in my attempts to gain weight I would eat cookies, cakes, ice cream and donuts, anything to gain even 5 pounds. I stopped exercising completely, not even long walks. Still, I did not gain weight. I struggled with stomachaches, feeling emotions I'm still processing as an adult.
That was a dark period in my life. I no longer knew when I should eat, how much or when I was full. Before I let other people's opinions get inside my head, I was happy. I ate nutritious meals and felt happy about my body. I knew when I was full. I have a fast metabolism and a slight build. My body does not conform to others' expectations and I wish I hadn't let others' opinions affect my eating habits and my relationship with food. The fact of the matter is, I love food. Nutritious, tasty, well cooked food. I love cooking for myself and other people. It brings me joy when I bake a pie or a lasagna and my loved ones enjoy it. I love baking cookies and brownies with my nieces and nephews. There is something special about trying a recipe for the first time and getting a delicious result.
Now, after all that, I'm still the same size and still get some comments, but I have some emotional scars to remind me that I know what is best for me in the body that only I live in. I hope you find a way that is healthy and works best for you.
posted by lunastellasol at 7:29 AM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
In regards to bird eating, people would frequently mention to me that I ate like a bird, probably because I enjoy salads and nuts and eat small portions at frequent times. My personal story: due to my small frame and eating mostly vegetarian growing up in a culture that emphasizes a woman's voluptuousness as an ideal, people started calling me anorexic. In an attempt to combat this negative attention, I would force myself to eat every single morsel on my plate in hopes of gaining weight. My grandmother would tease me as a child saying I had a tapeworm, because I would eat and never gain weight. I used to have pride that I ate healthily, yet in my attempts to gain weight I would eat cookies, cakes, ice cream and donuts, anything to gain even 5 pounds. I stopped exercising completely, not even long walks. Still, I did not gain weight. I struggled with stomachaches, feeling emotions I'm still processing as an adult.
That was a dark period in my life. I no longer knew when I should eat, how much or when I was full. Before I let other people's opinions get inside my head, I was happy. I ate nutritious meals and felt happy about my body. I knew when I was full. I have a fast metabolism and a slight build. My body does not conform to others' expectations and I wish I hadn't let others' opinions affect my eating habits and my relationship with food. The fact of the matter is, I love food. Nutritious, tasty, well cooked food. I love cooking for myself and other people. It brings me joy when I bake a pie or a lasagna and my loved ones enjoy it. I love baking cookies and brownies with my nieces and nephews. There is something special about trying a recipe for the first time and getting a delicious result.
Now, after all that, I'm still the same size and still get some comments, but I have some emotional scars to remind me that I know what is best for me in the body that only I live in. I hope you find a way that is healthy and works best for you.
posted by lunastellasol at 7:29 AM on February 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh, I hear you. I think eating is a waste of time, I don't particularly enjoy it, and if I skip a meal it becomes 10000% harder to convince myself to start again. I am a bird eater and have actually been through treatment for anorexia--which made me very ill, and was altogether a miserable experience, so I take a very not-fucking-around approach with myself about this. Here's my method, which has kept me healthy so far:
1. Structure: set food times and I plan the meals ahead of time. If I let myself make it up as I go it won't happen, so I set a specific time and come up with my food plan every week. That involves some prep work but I do it all ahead of time to make it easier for myself later. This means I chop up everything, precook some things, and pack it into single-serving Tupperware so that later all I have to do is take the top off and insert fork/spoon.
2. I eat what I like. I don't worry too much about whether it looks like a "real meal" or "goes together," if I like it and will eat it, it's OK. So what I eat looks like snacks to most people but if it's in my plan it's good. I do try to eat "real food" but I don't always cook and they don't always look like meals (e.g. a packet of instant oatmeal and a carrot is OK by me).
3. Stern talk. I tell myself I have no choice. I don't have to like eating, maybe I do think it's a waste of time, but it is necessary and important and I am going to do whether I like it or not. This works maybe 50% of the time but the other 50% my routines make it easy so mostly I don't skip meals anymore. I remember what having an IV is like and I scare myself with that to motivate myself, plus, I hate the taste of Ensure.
4. That said, liquid foods. If you don't hate the taste of Ensure, that's a fine option. Otherwise protein powder and a banana, or Carnation Instant Breakfast, etc. No shame here.
5. Eating while distracted. This goes against all of the "intuitive eating" advice, but I'm not really trying to do that anyways. I find that a distraction can help me get through so I don't feel so much like I'm wasting time. If you can fix things and keep eating, why does it matter? I just make sure I finish the whole snack (see #3). If you can't do that and wander off instead, then maybe you need to make yourself sit down, set a timer, pay attention, and eat as much as you can before it goes off.
This has worked for me for years with a pretty good success rate. Some people might think it's kind of dull or severe but they are probably people who think that eating is a Great Pleasure and well, that's not me. I do what works for me. Maybe it will work for you. Good luck.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:58 AM on February 11, 2016
1. Structure: set food times and I plan the meals ahead of time. If I let myself make it up as I go it won't happen, so I set a specific time and come up with my food plan every week. That involves some prep work but I do it all ahead of time to make it easier for myself later. This means I chop up everything, precook some things, and pack it into single-serving Tupperware so that later all I have to do is take the top off and insert fork/spoon.
2. I eat what I like. I don't worry too much about whether it looks like a "real meal" or "goes together," if I like it and will eat it, it's OK. So what I eat looks like snacks to most people but if it's in my plan it's good. I do try to eat "real food" but I don't always cook and they don't always look like meals (e.g. a packet of instant oatmeal and a carrot is OK by me).
3. Stern talk. I tell myself I have no choice. I don't have to like eating, maybe I do think it's a waste of time, but it is necessary and important and I am going to do whether I like it or not. This works maybe 50% of the time but the other 50% my routines make it easy so mostly I don't skip meals anymore. I remember what having an IV is like and I scare myself with that to motivate myself, plus, I hate the taste of Ensure.
4. That said, liquid foods. If you don't hate the taste of Ensure, that's a fine option. Otherwise protein powder and a banana, or Carnation Instant Breakfast, etc. No shame here.
5. Eating while distracted. This goes against all of the "intuitive eating" advice, but I'm not really trying to do that anyways. I find that a distraction can help me get through so I don't feel so much like I'm wasting time. If you can fix things and keep eating, why does it matter? I just make sure I finish the whole snack (see #3). If you can't do that and wander off instead, then maybe you need to make yourself sit down, set a timer, pay attention, and eat as much as you can before it goes off.
This has worked for me for years with a pretty good success rate. Some people might think it's kind of dull or severe but they are probably people who think that eating is a Great Pleasure and well, that's not me. I do what works for me. Maybe it will work for you. Good luck.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:58 AM on February 11, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone, I'm going to try all of this. I appreciate that I'm not the only one who goes through this kind of thing.
posted by one4themoment at 7:03 PM on February 11, 2016
posted by one4themoment at 7:03 PM on February 11, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by wwax at 7:35 PM on February 10, 2016 [2 favorites]