Is it a eating disorder if I'm just never hungry?

@SilentVoices0178 I have a similar problem, I came here to see if its a ed as well.

@SilentVoices0178

Hey there, Silent!

That's quite an interesting question you raised there "Is it a eating disorder if I'm just never hungry?" which I'd love to explore more on without jumping to conclusions. Firstly, I'd just like you to know, you aren't alone. Many people struggle with consuming sufficient amounts of food that is sustainable long-term, and that behavior may be or may not be associated with having an eating disorder. It sounds like you've been eating less and less for a few years now to the point where your mother seems to be getting concerned about it.

I think it's important for you to note that if you don't eat much and regularly, your body gets used to that, and you start to feel less and less hunger pangs and more feelings of fullness after eating mere amounts of food, since your stomach size correlates with how much food you eat. I'm saying this because you said "Do I force myself, pretending I'm not feeling sick afterwards?" which tells me you often feel sick after you eat, initially when you start eating more you will feel sick and bloated but if you are consistent with it during meal times every day, it will change and your hunger will be stimulated again. At the moment, because you haven't been eating enough for quite sometime, your hunger signals have been interrupted which is temporary and can be changed with slowly changing your lifestyle and eating habits. does that make sense?

Now, as for the "Eating disorder" bits, it's important that you consider reflecting on these few questions to see whether that's a probable Eating Disorder behavior or not. Reflect on when all this began? Are you skipping out on social events to avoid food? Do you label foods as "good" or "bad"? Do you have compulsive behaviors surrounding food? Do you find a sense of control when you restrict yourself from having any food?

The more you understand where it stems from, the better you can plan on ways to tackle the situation!

I do hope I managed to give you a bit of perspective in your situation. I am no medical professional, so I can't diagnose you based on what you wrote, I would suggest you seek professional support if you think you need some sort of intervention.

(P.S With the amount of tea you're having each day, that definitely can curb your appetite for food, don't you think? Do you think you're replacing the energy you get from food by drinking so much tea?)

@SilentVoices0178

I would also suggest you check this video out "Disordered Eater vs. Eating Disorder - What's the difference?"

Hopefully it brings perspective to your situation.

Lack of appetitie can be a symptom due to many different causes, and it doesn't mean that one has an eating disorder. If it's persistent though, it's likely worth getting checked out.

Yo, like... I have the same problem, man! I'm never hungry and I wish I thought to ask this question myself. I cna go 2 or 3 days without eating and never feeling anything and most of the time I have to be forced to eat. People think I'm anorexic or that I have an ED but I really don't. I don't think I'm fat or have particular reason to not eat I just never want to.

@SilentVoices0178

I suffer the same exact thing and have been searching the web for answers. Many times I have to remind myself that human actually need food to live, especially me. I am already underweight from birth so not feeling hunger or wanting to eat is super bad. Not to mention when I DO get hungry, it lasts about 30 minuets and once its gone I dont feel hungry again for a while. Im also a very picky eater and maybe I also use that as an excuse not to eat but I dont really know.

No one I talk to seems to think it is a problem and Im just glad Im not the only one facing this. I can go for days with some water and maybe a small bite to eat. Some say its a sign of depression but others once again say its just my mind.

@SilentVoices0178

hey! Ive been experiencing the exact same problem for about 6 months now. I never feel hungry and almost feel full all of the time. Its AWFUL. Ive had so many tests and everything comes back normal. Im not sure how to deal with forcing myself to eat forever. Did you figure anything out?

-Veronica

@veeeronicac

It sounds kinda awful, but I've just ate how my body wanted me to. I'd try to push my limits sometimes and with time, I got better at eating more. Try eating small portions first, then slowly increase them, that's how I started eating breakfast, now I can't survive without it and I've used to live just on tea from 5am to like 12am. But never force yourself, it will just make you want to eat even less.

Basically, create a routine of eating. At first, you will be skipping sometimes, but if you commit, your body will get used to morning dose of nutritions.

Just remember that just because it worked for me, doesn't mean it has to work for you. You need to find your own way.

I'm much better at eating now, but I still don't eat as much as I should. But I do believe with time I will get there.

@SilentVoices0178

Thanks for the response! I try my best to eat small portions but its just such a bad feeling when you feel full all of the time and force it down which ends up making me feel a lot worse. The only time I ever feel like I can eat is after 4 pm, any time before that I feel like I will explode. Im not sure if youre male or female, but Im afraid this feeling will never allow me to have kids. I dont even drink alcohol anymore because Im afraid of how much worse my stomach would feel the next day. Its all really scary going through this in college. Hopefully this feeling will get better or my eating habits improve. Thanks again!

@veeeronicac

My body is female, but I've never been concerned with this causing me problems with bearing children.

But I do know what you mean, it can be really scary. That's when I was starting it was with ridiculously small portions, like half an orange, bread with butter. Never anything heavy, slowly making my portions better.

Earlier, you wrote that all the tests came back negative, do you take any meds now? Maybe it's a side effect of one of them and you should talk with your doctor about changing them. You might also want to think about visiting a dietician if that doesn't work.

I went through this in high school, I'm in uni now, so I'm basically forcing myself to live more healthy than before.

@SilentVoices0178

Yes literally out of thin air in June I started having awful digestive issues, for no apparent reason whatsoever then over the month it progressed to me never ever feeling hungry. I know its not anxiety related or anything because in the past Id get hungry throughout the day. Something like shot my system and its pretty much just stuck this way now. I hate thinking about it because I will never understand what happened to my body. I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, stool tests, blood tests everything is normal. When I stand up sometimes my heart rate hits like 130-140 so I feel like something happened to a nerve or something in my body. Its all just so mind boggling and frustrating because I used to be so healthy and everyday all I do is worry about what happened to me. At the start of all of this happening I lost around 15 pounds, but I brought my weight back up which is good. I usually just eat breakfast then wait until dinner time when I know I can eat. I totally know what you mean by how this has allowed you to focus more on being as healthy as possible!! I workout almost everyday to build muscle as well. Do you want to private message me!? I have some questions Im in school too and Im so confused w how to deal with all of this!! Thank you for responding to me!

@veeeronicac I'm glad you're feeling better now! I can't imagine what you went through with all that uncertainty. I've never got any tests done, I've just labeled it as another way in which my grandmother messed me up even more, so I've just tried to go trought it and don't let her bully me into anorexia (she was always trying to force me to eat it complaining I don't eat and it only made me want to eat less).

Oh, I'd love to talk with you more

@SilentVoices0178

I'm kinda definitely going through the same thing right now--like i don't feel hungry, i hate the feeling of having food in my stomach and honestly it's a miracle i haven't started purging yet. I don't know if this is an ED or what, and at this point i'd really just like to know so i know how to get help. So like.... can someone help?

@mattDonovan hello! Did it start suddenly or over some time? Cause if it started just like that, you might want to get it checked out. Of over some time, isI recommend trying to force yourself to eat. I know it sounds bad, but even just small, light portions should be enough to sustain you and not make you feel bad. Stopping eating is the worst thing you can do, or at least it was for me

@SilentVoices0178 honestly i don't completely remember--i've been like this for a while, but i think it started over time. I do try to force myself to eat, but never a lot. I hear 2% milk is helpful, and protein bars?

@mattDonovan I was never a fan of protein bars, but shakes did help me a bit, I guess. Protein powder help for sure, but we shouldn't rely on them alone. Getting a professional opinion might be the best idea for your overall health.

But, you know, I'm not a specialist, just someone who got a bit better and fights not to go down again. I don't want to give advice, but sometimes I can't not do that. And getting checked out is the best advice I can get