So I’ve recently gained employment again and this seems to be an issue every time I become busy in some way. At my job, I work as a cashier and we’re not allowed to have water on the floor with us, or food. We have a 15 minute break if we work for 6 and a half hour or less, and 2 15 minute breaks for 7 hours and up.

From the time that I get up in the morning, I’m usually right off the bat getting ready for work. I have to leave an hour early to get there on time, so I’m generally not thinking about food. Yesterday I managed to grab a granola bar before I headed out, but that was it.

At my break, I drank a bottle of water during the fifteen minutes.

And then when I got off work around 8pm, I stopped at Taco bell for some tacos. I’m not fussed about stopping at Taco Bell. There are only two fast food places I still enjoy and that is one and Zaxby’s is the other and I hardly ever eat at them. My issue is with how much I am eating/drinking.

I’m not feeling hungry at all generally until an hour before work stops or right after I get off. I’m definitely feeling thirsty, but that is usually helped by the water I‘m drinking on my break. I really want to be drinking water while I’m working, but it’s cooperate and it’s not allowed.

The biggest thing is, I just DON’T feel hungry. I’m not thinking about it, so at the time it doesn’t bother me. I’m doing intuitive eating, so I eat when I’m hungry. But the thing is, by the time I AM hungry, it’s at the end of the day and a little something usually tides me over.

Thing is, even though I’m eating just when I’m hungry, I KNOW there’s no way I’m eating enough calories. I don’t calorie count with any sense of regularity, but I usually do some sort of vague estimate in my head and I knew that yesterday I hadn’t eaten any where near enough food. Just to be sure, I counted the calories today to mull it over.

It came out to 665 calories for the entire day. Jeez. I know one day or two of really low calories isn’t going to kill me, because on days I don’t work, I’m fine. I also try to implement low and high food amounts to stir up some confusion so my body doesn‘t become used to one set amount of food. I just don’t want this to become an issue.

Anyone have any experience with this? Any ideas or suggestions.
I know one thing I’ll have to do is bring a lunch to work with me. Anything else?

I'd suggest calorie counting for the next week or so to get a feel for how much you tend to eat on a regular basis. That way you can see if you're consistently eating so few calories or if you just occasionally have low days. Another thing you might want to try - strategically plan some sort of healthy, low-cal snack at a time when you theoretically *should* be hungry. Even if you don't think you're hungry, try eating the snack. I know that this goes against intuitive eating, but I've found that sometimes I don't even realize that I'm hungry until I start eating something. A little bizarre, and this might not be the case for you, but it's pretty easy to test out!

Good luck figuring things out!

I'm doing IE as well, and its seem to be hard at work when I'm on a fixed schedule of when I can eat. So I do calorie counting during work. I pack a breakfast and lunch and try and back whatever calories I'm aiming for. I pack 1000-1200 calories worth of food, (fruit, 100 cal snacks and a lean cuisine). Sometimes I eat all the food, sometimes I only eat some of it.

My problem was I wouldn't get hungry till I was at work, but then couldn't eat till lunch and was over doing it. No I eat breakfast, I'm not super hungry, but it takes the edge off so I can work, and I'm not obsessing over being hungry.

The rest of the time (when I'm not at work) I practice IE.

I found I would lose pretty good on weekends, but would seem to gain during the week and realized I needed to be a little more focused on when I ate and how much I was eating at each meal.

Hope this helps even a little bit.

I would suggest getting up a few minutes earlier than you normally do and prepare a snack or lunch you can take with you for your breaks at work. I do this every morning and it only takes about 15 minutes to get everything sorted and tossed into a lunch tote. Or do it the night before if that helps with timing. I take a mixture of fruit, yogurt and cheese. Eating after work when it starts getting late is not good for your body. Especially if you're eating within a couple hours of when you go to bed — then the food just sits in your gut! You really don't want to be eating too late or eating at fast food joints, that is one of the fastest ways you'll put on weight. So try eating small snacks or a lite lunch on your breaks to help prevent hunger taking over when you're off work.

What happens the days you are not working? Do you still lack hunger or not take time to eat? Or does your body suddenly shout "Feed me!" and then you overeat?

Basically, 660 calories a day is a typical range people with eating disorders 'strive' to attain. Its difficult. Plus, its literally not enough to keep you moving for an extended period of time. You have to eat some time. I would guess that when you do actually eat, your body stores it all.

I also don't believe in eating when you don't feel hungry. So it is an interesting problem you have.

However, I actually think your biological forces will kick in and your body will naturally want to eat normally again. It will probably even demand it. I don't think this is a problem you will have for a longer period of time. Your body is in a somewhat stressed/distracted phase. It will eventually find its equilibrium again.

Ah the cashier conundrum. I used to work at Target - mainly at the Pizza Hut Express - but sometimes I'd be called up to ring register all day.

Where you work, are there microwaves or anything available? You're currently eating about half of what is generally considered healthy caloriewise. Some things are really easy to make/prepare, even if it's buying stuff from the ready-made section of a grocery store.

Thanks so much for the suggestions guys. I really appreciate it.

I think I'll be packing a lunch from likely the night before I go to work, that way I can just grab it as I go out the door. I'm not a morning person, so I sleep right up until I HAVE to get up.

I think the calorie counting for the lunch is a good idea as well. I may try that depending on what I can afford to pack for lunch in a week.

The days that I am not working, AND days that I start work later (around 3PM), are my days when I consider myself a normal "fat girl". I have to be conscious of what I'm eating and how much and be on the look out for that "I'm full" signal.

The days that I have to wake up early and be on the go during the AM hours is usually when the busy, not thinking about food, thing kicks in. It doesn't just apply to work. There was a day a month or so ago when I got up early with my mother and sister and we worked in the yard ALL day. We were drinking water, had a Mike's Hard Lemonade at one point, and in general doing some pretty strenuous work. Some of which involved dragging dead, fallen trees, after we chopped them up, to a fire pit. It got to be around dinner time and it occurred to me... Holy crap, I haven't eaten all day.

Basically, it's when I get extremely busy or focused, I'm just not thinking about food or feeling hungry until I've completed that task. It's not an every day occurrence or that I'm willfully starving myself. While I wouldn't say I could never subject myself to a eating disorder (never say never ), it's certainly not in my plans for the future. I LOVE food far to much to consider doing something like that. I also have far too high an opinion of myself to let myself drop to that low a point in my self image.

That said, I can see the concern of letting it become a habitual, every other day occurrence when working, which was why I asked for suggestions. : I appreciate the concern.

Bingo Crampus. I'm cashiering (among other things) at Target. I'm pretty much all over the place, depending on what they need. We do have a microwave! As far as leftovers go, I'm not fussed about eating most things cold, but as far as the prepared meals go, I have seemed to have formed this stigma about them.

I like the fresh foods approach, but I can't always afford to get what I want at the store and have to resort to other things according to pay and what I have left. Maybe I just need to get over that stigma and put stock into those little prepackaged meals. I'll have to look more into it.

Like I said, I don't eat at fast food joints often (nor do I like most of them), but when I do I consider it a treat, so I'm not worried about those.