these past few days. Should I force myself to eat anyway?

It seems so counterintuitive to eat when I'm not hungry. It's what I've been fighting against for so long. Yet, I am satisfied with 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal for breakfast at 7 a.m., then I don't have any desire for food until late afternoon, and I am again satisfied with a very small amount, after which I don't want to eat again at all that night. This adds up to very few calories, and I've read enough posts on this board to know that extreme calorie restriction impedes weight loss and shuts down metabolism.

So, do I relax and trust my body's cues enough to just follow them - assuming that this is only a temporary thing? Or do I force myself to eat when I just don't have any hunger or desire for food? I also exercise, and I want to make sure that I'm fueling that with food rather than encouraging my body to cannibalize muscle.

Never thought this would be an issue, by the way.

Gee. That has never happened to me, so I don't know.

Are you feeling fine otherwise? If so, I wouldn't worry too much unless it continues. If loss of appetite continues I would get it checked out because it can be a symptom of something more serious. But for just a few days, I wouldn't worry.

you go through stages like that i have some thick oatmeal and call it a day and make sure you take vitamins

I agree with Claire on this one. If it's only a few days where you're satisfied with few calories, don't push it. I know I have days (many times weekends) where I'm just so busy and get maybe 1100 calories in if I don't eat out ( a good 900 below my max). Other days I'm ravenous.

But if it goes on for a week or more, I'd call your doc and get a checkup.

Lynn

You aren't alone. I am not hungry for things anymore. I have been trying to add calories to my diet for a couple of months. There are days when I still don't get enough in.
Nothing sounds good.Ice Cream, Chocolate, chips and hot sauce, gooey brownies aren't even a problem. Those were my old vices.I made a diet dessert last night and it wasn't that good.
For a while I snacked on a low fat granola bar in the afternoon which added 100 calories- but I got bored with them.Now I eat an orange or some other type of fruit. I also add 100 calories a day by eating a few Walnuts- which give me the oils I am supposed to have. I can open a can of soup which helps on days when I don't feel like eating as it's more like drinking.I have considered trying to do some shakes or something- just so I can get my protein in. I do take vitamins.
When I go into Dallas it is an all day trip to several places.I typically don't get to eat. The kids might get a something and I have a diet soda. I ate a salad last night at McDonald's not because it was something I wanted- but I needed to eat something or I would have two low calorie days in a row.
There are people who don't understand-but you are not alone. Last month was the first month for me to average 1200 calories. I don't feel hungry and nothing really sounds good at this point other than a diet soda.

Are you taking any new medications? Pain pills do that to me, as do a few antihistamines, oddly. But I agree with others in that, if it lasts more than a couple of days, i would get it checked out. Might be diabetes issues, ect.

But on the days that you aren't that hungry, i would make sure what calories i do take in, pack a punch. When i have days like that, i make sure to eat a lot of cheese, nuts, extra glass of milk. Stuff that i normally have to limit but is good for me, to make up for the loss.

I'd just go with it for now. If there is nothing wrong your appitite will return within a few days.If in a week you still dont get hungry then perhaps seek medical advice.

I never considered that it could be medical. I'm not taking any new meds, but I am under stress at work. Perhaps it's related to that...

Thanks for the tips and the advice and for the information on the experiences of others. It's still a fairly new way of eating for me, and things happen that I don't anticipate. I love coming here to talk about it. Like Robin mentioned in another post, if I were to talk to my family about all of this weight / food / exercise stuff as much as I would like to, they'd soon be avoiding me. Not that I shouldn't talk about it occasionally, but it's obsessive for me, so it's great to hang with similarly interested folks.

You don't feel guilty when you eat do you? It's insane to imagine but there have been people who substitute overeating with the opposite eating disorder. Not suggesting that this is your problem btw. The girl next to me at work lost 50 and is down to 125 and can't stop.

I was not hungry when I had a cold, maybe you are getting a cold. Also, it could be a hormonal thing, opposite of PMS. Anyway, when I had my cold I did try to make sure I stayed above 1000 which was hard.