i know this is going to sound weird. But bear with me please.
I don't get enough calories.
At first I was trying to loose weight. I needed to loose about 15lbs I was up to 140 and I'm only 5'4". I feel comfortable at 125-130. well I'm down to 123. I just don't eat. I was looking at my calorie count today and realized that as of now 9pm I've only eaten 800 calories all day. I know the simple solution would be to just eat more. I find I don't want to eat. I just don't feel like I need to. When I first was loosing weight I was watching my portions. I cut way down on what I ate. Didn't go back for seconds and I've been doing this for months. But now I'm too skinny. I Look too skinny. I don't like it. I think some of this is due to DH being deployed.
Now on top of it , I was over at my friends house, she is a nurse and she noticed that my feet were swelling. really badly. and then when I got home and took off my sandals I had bruises on the tops of my feet where my the straps of my sandals were. they were not too tight. She mentioned that it could be from lack of nutrition.
Has anyone else encountered this?
Any ideas about how to increase my calorie intake when I'm not really hungry anymore?
I hate this I hate feelign like this . Sometimes I even forget to eat .
Thanks ladies, I have a grocery run today and will get some dairy , and I am calling to get an appointment for the swelling.
Talk to the Dr. and work with a nutritionist. Calories are not what I look at, I look at healthy foods an d the nutrition from them.
Good luck
Make an appt. with your doctor to discuss this.
In the meantime, try to eat lots of high calorie, nutrient rich, healthy foods, like meat, eggs, avocados, milk/cheese/yogurt, nuts, etc.
You may need to see a therapist. Nothing wrong with that! Many of us have been there.
Do whatever it takes to stay healthy :-)
I would make an appointment with your doctor. This sounds like a lot more than just not eating enough and not enough calories. Not eating enough, or eating an unbalanced diet, can result in all kinds of nutritional deficiencies. I would also be concerned about why you apparently don't feel the need to eat. Please see a doctor ASAP.
I urge you to see your doctor. Swollen feet and bruises can have causes other than nutrition. A loss of appetite is usually caused by a medical problem. I would first rule out a medical cause of these symptoms before think it's an eating disorder.
Are the calories that you eat from nutritional food? If not, yes, this could be caused by a nutritional deficit. Even the loss of appetite.
Make an appointment with your doctor. He can measure your nutritional status as well as test for other medical conditions.
Make your calories count more. Do a Greek yogurt with granola in the morning, if you aren't eating breakfast. Do some peanut butter toast...lots of calories there, and plenty of protein for energy. If you really want calories and just don't feel like eating, try a shake like Ensure, etc.
Also, of course, speak with your doctor and consider that you may have something else going on.
We don't have the answers for you on here, except to tell you to call your doctor. You need blood work, and maybe a therapist. This sounds like a possible eating disorder.
Honey, any of us on here could give you great advice on how to make your calories count more and how to sneak more calories in without feeling like you're eating more... but the swelling and bruising mean you have more than just a "not eating" problem. Please do call your doctor -- don't be ashamed. You need to find out if your body has shut down some of it's functions and you're no longer absorbing the vitamins and nutrients you need. If that's the case, a nutritionist and doctor can help get you back on track. Once you're there - then we can help you with meal planning.
Don't ignore this... you need blood work done to see where your body is at.
I suggest that you drink some higher calorie vitamin drinks if they don't have salt in them. Also, you need to go get checked by the doc to make sure you don't have something else going on. If you were truly cutting back too much you can damage your body.
I work in the field and there are some fairly simple solutions you can try. You need ABSORBABLE nutrition - you aren't eating much, and it may be that what you are eating is being eliminated or just not processed effectively by your body. I think some of the solutions suggested here are not ideal - such as a processed product like Velveeta cheese, or taking multivitamins in pill form. I also would absolutely NOT take those vitamin drinks! They are loaded with salt and sugar, and just a few isolated vitamins - your body cannot use them. Ensure and Boost are liquid, but loaded with emulsifiers and a lot of stuff that is hard to digest.
I think Marilyn S. has it just right - that's the science of nutrition speaking. I've actually spoken with her before after I saw some awesome posts on Mamapedia, and she is incredibly experienced. I think you should message her for simple and safe advice.
Glad you are seeing a doctor.
In addition to the questions about calories, nutrition and swelling, be sure to mention your recent diet and hub's deployment.
In times of stress some people overeat, some fail to eat. Others eat the same amount but their body holds onto the calories; and some can eat the same amount, but have their bodies burn them all off.
good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
A slice of Velveeta is 80 calories.
A piece of toast with a tsp of butter on it can be roughly 100 calories depending on which bread you like.
They have snack packs that are 100 calories each.
It's not that hard to add a few more calories in to what ever you are already eating.
I'm following Dr's orders to lose weight.
I aim for no more than 1200 calories per day.
I drink eight 8 oz glasses of water per day and I take a daily multivitamin.
I started in Dec and I'm down 45 lbs (losing about 2.5 lbs per week), but I still have a long way to go.
At 5' 4", a weight of 123 lbs means your BMI = 21.1 which is well into the normal range.
2 lbs below where you like to be is not a whole lot.
I've been known to fluctuate 5 lbs give or take just in water weight around my period every month.
You'd have to be down to about 107 lbs before you were below normal range.
B., you may need to drink water to deal with the swelling. I'll just bet that you aren't drinking hardly any.
It might not make sense that you flush out your excess fluids by drinking more fluids, but it's true with water.
If you would write a menu of foods to eat each day, and have 6 small meals, you could get your calories in. I do understand what you are saying about not feeling up to eating. That happened to me several years ago when I was very ill. I lost weight in a very bad way, and WANTED to eat, but couldn't. I was really worried, too. I did not have the swelling you do, and I think that's actually a real concern.
You need potassium, so put a banana into your daily menu. You need fiber - an avocado has a whole lot of fiber, hard to believe! You need protein - try Greek yogurt for that. Look at the label on the yogurt and get the one that has 20+ grams. You need calcium BIG TIME, B.. If you break a bone right now, you could be in real trouble.
If you plan your food, things will go better. Once you are able to eat a little, you can eat a little more. That will start making a difference.
I know you hate feeling this way. I did too. I ended up having surgery to help me get healthy. Your problem isn't like mine, but I think the issue with the eating is comparable.
Good luck~
