Feed me.... feed me...

March 30, 2008 6:06 PM

My appetite has been spiking over the past few months, and I don't have the parts to be pregnant. Should I be worried?

I've checked previous posts referencing hypoglycemia, but they don't shed any light. I eat a pretty balanced diet and, though I'm slowing down a bit in my 30s, I still do a lot of walking. It's a bit disconcerting for a skinny guy who used to be able to go without dinner some days (and once fasted for five days in a survival exercise). Now I can't go a few hours without feeling woozy. My gut is starting to show the effects too :(

I recognize that these "diagnose me" questions usually lead to the "Get thee to a doctor" answer, but I'm hoping askmefites can come up with techniques and/or self-tests to help before I sacrifice hours of work time to go to a clinic.

posted by Popular Ethics to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Are you drinking enough water? Oftentimes what you think is hunger can actually be just thirst.

Have you changed anything about your daily activities? Are you finding you're hungry because you're bored?

If you're finding yourself famished and eating yourself to the point of over-fullness, that will certainly get you gaining weight. One thing that might make you feel more full is to take a sip of water between each bite.

Of course if this is something that is very intense, a huge change in your appetite, you're right to think that you should see a doctor.
posted by pazazygeek at 6:36 PM on March 30, 2008

IANAD, and this is purely anecdotal, but the past few months in Ontario (as in Michigan) have been wintertime, when our bodies try really, really hard to make us pack on the insulation. Or at least mine does. And this winter has been a tad relentless, which seems to exacerbate the issue. I briskly walk 5 miles every morning, in every season, and so you'd think my appetite and metabolism would be pretty steady, but for whatever reason, I feel sluggish and starving every few hours in the winter months (perhaps in part from tedium or moderate SAD). See what happens as things warm up?, and if you don't feel better or start feeling worse, then of course, get thee to a doctor!
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:37 PM on March 30, 2008

Best answer: Off the top of my head, possibilities include diabetes, pancreatic insulinoma, intestinal parasites, tumors or trauma to the brain, thyroid disease, drugs, mood disorder, or just plain getting old. I'm sure there's lots more that aren't coming to mind. Outside of the drugs which people probably aren't slipping you without your knowledge, and the getting old which sadly I'm sure you are, you can read up on the rest but the best way to get reliable peace of mind is probably to see a doctor about it. I suppose short of seeing a doctor, you could buy a glucometer or have a diabetic acquaintance check your blood sugar during these episodes and while fasting, but that's a poor substitute for a regular checkup which you should probably be getting anyway.
posted by drpynchon at 6:51 PM on March 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I'll try the water trick, and maybe I'll get my diabetic buddy to do a fasting glucose check. Most effectively, I'll use drpyncon's scare list to motivate myself to go to the clinic. Thanks folks.
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:22 PM on March 30, 2008