Have you ever just... stopped eating?

[Faerenach]

Because that's what I have a tendency to do. Especially during the worst flares, where eating anything hurts, trying to digest it hurts more, and then hurting to get it, mostly undigested, out of your system hurts again.

I love that everyone cooks from scratch and has recipes, etc. to share, but I work a fulltime job, commute 1.5 hours each way to it, and then feel incredibly exhausted when I get home. I live mostly on rice, the very occasional piece of meat and whatever vegetables I can cook thoroughly (when I'm up to cooking). Most recently, it's been soup or liquids, because the very texture of the food usually makes me want to reject it.

So I find myself often just not eating. I'm pretty sure this caused me to lose 15 lbs. (more than 10% of my body weight) before Christmas, and I really don't have that much to lose again. But I have no appetite for ANYTHING now.

Help? Support? Advice that doesn't make me feel like I'm just being stupid?

[Joefnh]

Faerenach I have a similar situation. I commute at least an hour each way and am exhausted at the end of the day. What I do now is a large 'cook-up' on the weekend. I will cook all of the rice, potatoes, vegetables and meats on the weekend and make up all of my lunches and even some emergency meals that I freeze. I always keep at least 5 days emergency meals in the freezer just in case.

I keep enough out in the fridge for the week for both lunches and dinners, and just reheat a good meal each night and have a lunch all made that I just grab in the morning. For me this is the only way I can eat well enough for MC. The price for not doing this is a steep one involving pain and D. Yep I know what its like to just not eat.

This was just another adjustment I had to make in my life to deal with MC

--Joe

[harma]

do you have a freezer and a microwave, what some members do here is cook on Sunday for the whole week, divide it in smaller, one mail, portions and freeze it. I know for sure Gabes does this or at least did this in the past. Also in Jordan I did the same, not because of a lack of time, just because it was easier, cooking a whole pan of carrots and broccoli and have portion ready for 5 days ahead. It's also easy to take with you when you're won't be home for dinner and/or lunch time. One of the things you have to become with a MC diet and that's practical.

[Kari]

Faerenach,

I can relate 100% - I had MC for 10 years without managing it!!! My "gut" told me that my D. was diet related, so I was forever trying to figure out what I could and could not eat. The closest I got was to eliminate all heavy sauces, etc., and trying to eat plain, unprocessed foods as much as possible, but because I had no clue about gluten, I ate bread every day, so the D never ended. Last July I got to the point that I said "I'm allergic to food", and I'll just stop eating - nothing in nothing out!!! That's when I started losing weight, and have now lost a total of about 23 lbs., which I really didn't need to lose to begin with.

Like you, when stressed, I tend to lose my appetite, which started when I was very young (a little girl), and when this happens, it is almost impossible for me to get any food into my system. I gag on just about anything and it's even hard to swallow liquids. With my intense diet management over the last 7 months (after I discovered the "gluten connection" as well as other intolerances), I have been very worried that I will lose my appetite. It has been quite a balancing act, and there have been many times that I have choked on food. I'm still not totally comfortable, as I'm forced to eat foods that I've never cared for. One thing that seems to help, is to make an effort at "presentation" - if at least the food looks appetizing, it's easier to get it down.

Also, I can totally understand your time constraint. When I was working with MC I had close to zero energy when I got home from work, so I mostly ate lunch and dinner, and many times even breakfast out. As we all know, this just won't do if trying to manage MC. Fortunately, now that I'm retired, I can afford to focus a lot of my "limited" energy on diet management, and step by step, day by day, I'm getting the hang of it. I think Joe and Gabes and others here have the right idea about cooking on weekends - it seems to be the only practical solution when you spend a lot of energy at a full-time job.

I'm not sure my post is helping, but just wanted you to know that you're not alone with your problem about not wanting to eat.

Lots of luck to you and I can say that I definitely "feel your pain".

Love,
Kari

[klhale]

don't give up! Eat girl...find some soup you can eat. I buy this frozen soup at Krogers that is really good, it's split pea soup made by Tabatchnick and sometimes I put ham in it. Can you eat Sourdough bread. Again, I buy it at Kroger's and bake it in the oven. So good with the soup.

Buy some fresh Shrimp and have a shrimp cocktail. Or make shrimp scampi. You can also buy this in the freezer section.

Buy some frozen Sweet potato fries and cook up fries in the oven.

I think you just need some ideas, about what you can eat, right?

Keep trying things until you figure it out.

Don't give up. You have to eat to keep your strength up and get well.

Let me know if I can help...

karen

[Jan]

One of the things I did when I was working was to put my dinner on in the a.m. before I left for work in the slow cooker. That way when I got home it didn't take long to get it on the table. If you look in Dee's Kitchen there are several slow cooker recipes there. Also, when I make rice I make a double batch. It makes an easy breakfast in the a.m. Just throw a handful of raisins and whatever kind of milk you can drink (are you dairy free as well as gluten???). I found Silk (if you aren't allergic to soy) to work. Pour a little on and heat it on medium heat in the microwave for about 1 minute, stir and do this again and you have a breakfast you can eat.

I remember how hard it was trying to figure out what to eat and what I could eat when I was first diagnosed. Keep reading the old posts and you'll get some good ideas.

Also, know this is a good and safe place to vent when things get bad. It will always seem the worst at first. It will get better and you will get your life back.

Jan

[MBombardier]

Cooking meals in advance is an excellent idea. I have the same problem. Sometimes I wonder if my fatigue and nausea comes from not eating enough.

Another good site for gluten-free crockpot meals is http://crockpot365.blogspot.com.

[explosive]

I get to that point somtimes. I am actually there now. The Entocort is doing nothing for me this time around and even though I have now started the "free" things I guess I am still in the trying to let my gut heal phase and not much is helping so I am sick of eating and being sick. I know that I am just fueling the flame of my own discouragement as well as yours but sometimes it just feels good to know that there are others feeling the same way at the same time.

That being said, I know that I will someday feel good again and regain the quality of life I deserve. There are too many people on just this board who have done it. Just know the frustrations are there and even though they are not always easy you can and will live through this.

Sharon

[Zizzle]

I'm with you right now. Totally stressed and busy at work and at home and barely eating. I keep frozen Udis bagels at work and toast them to eat with Earths best fake butter, peanut butter or sunflower butter and jelly. I'm finally making hard boiled eggs a couple times a week to keep in the fridge and grab and go. I've eaten far too many GF nut bars lately when a meal wasn't available. Too much salami too! Bananas are probably the healthiest thing i eat. But i've lost 5 lbs the last few weeks. It doesn't help that hubby is questioning my GF diet, saying " if it is the gluten, why aren't you better by now?". Ugh. He also refuses to eat white rice or rice pasta or well cooked veggies, so someone is always cooking for themself. Usually me since the kids prefer gluten in their meals. I can't even get to a health food store lately to buy my staples, so my diet in increasingly limited and teetering closer to carelessly contaminated restaurant foods. I'm inspired by these posts to shop and cook for the week tomorrow. Thanks!!

[hoosier1]

I know it is not the best idea, but I tend to not eat a lot through various situations. I simply don't want my system to be any more active than it has to be when I am away from the "facilities". I do tend to "catch up" on the weekends. I know, I know, this is not the best idea but it is one of the few ways I tend to cope with both MC and work.

Rich

[harma]

Rich how do you do it without eating? I wonder the same about people how survive without breakfast in morning. If I wait to long, my body will kindly remind me of putting some new fuel in. If I don't, I get a low blood sugar level, start yawning, can't concentrate, get dizzy and I think eventually I would faint. I seem to be very sensitive to it.

But with MC also a problem when I am away from home, always have to make sure I bring survival food with me.

So eating or not eating, MC always seems to have an influence on our lives.

[TooManyHats]

I'm definitely there.

[tex]

One time back when I was reacting, between hospital/clinic tests, I didn't eat anything for 2 weeks, except water, plain jello, and Sprite or 7u-Up soda water. I developed the world's worst case of hiccups, and I lost a hell of a lot of weight, (I was hide and bones), but I can't recall deriving any benefits from it.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

Harma - yep i still do my cook ups on the weekends.

I make a bread replacement which is a cross between a savory muffin/scone which in oz land we call damper. I make enough that i get 8 serves and freeze them individually, i have this warmed in the oven with 2 poached eggs for my breakfast each day

I slow cook half leg of lamb, keep 75% of the stock (which i use to make the next damper) and then cook rice and veges in the stock. this becomes my lunches and there is enough rice for dinners as well.

having a good breakfast, and a good midday meal means that when i am tired of a night i can have a light meal, i have been having salmon (cooked) with some of the rice and vege. or if i dont have salmon i will just poach a couple of eggs. With the pre-cooked riced and veges, it only takes about 10 mins to prepare evening meal/dinner, and 5 mins to clean up.

for days when i might be at offsite meetings for work, the damper can be eaten cold/room temp.

Thanks to Lyn (Bifcus) i now have some potato/rice biscuits that i can use for snacks or to take with me to meetings etc where others will be eating. I always have portion sized apple and black current juice with me as well


I can not skip meals, on weekends i will have days where i eat smaller meals, reading the other thread about richs travels etc i wouldnt get through the first 12 hours!
Especially at work, if i dont eat well for most of the day, i really struggle to concentrate late in the day, where i work it is the head office for global operations so the day can be teleconferences at 7am with the America's and then more at 4pm with Africa/Europe.

[Gabes-Apg]

i should mention

- the reason i do lamb as the red meat is, well cooked lamb freezes and reheats quite well i find steak or veal is tough and not as nice.
and of couse here in Oz, lamb is cheaper than beef.

then i use chicken in the damper and with the eggs and the salmon it means i have a variety of protein sources.