[mercury96]

Hey, y'all,

I've been concerned about my appetite. My main concern is that I can hardly ever get myself to finish a meal, but I can snack like hell. I'll make a happy plate, like, maybe 5% of the time.

I eat 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes, I'll snack in between. When I snack, I snack a lot. I'll eat a bunch of Goldfish or Cheez Its crackers or chips, mainly. When I eat, I don't ever eat that much. For instance, today, I just ate half of a biscuit for breakfast, 2/3 of a breakfast sandwich for lunch, and I've been trying to eat all of my dinner (one pork chop) for the past hour. I just can't, and I don't know why.

I don't have a history of eating disorders. I've always been normal weight for my height. I'm 5'1" (1.55 meters) tall. I've always weighed between 97-100 lbs (44-46 kg), but as of late, I've been weighing 110-112 lbs (50-51 kg). I've never been insecure about my weight, and I'm not insecure about this newfound weight gain. In fact, I like how I look more now than I did before.

I used to smoke cigarettes. I quit 6 months ago, which is probably how I gained weight. I did some reading on that, and the information I gathered was that nicotine is considered an appetite suppressant, and when one quits smoking, their appetite expands; thus ensuing weight gain. However, my appetite has been the same before I started smoking, when I smoked, and after I quit.

I also exercise once or twice per week on average. One reason why I wanted to pick up exercising is because I heard it would expand my appetite. I've been regularly exercising since August 2017, and it's still been the same.

I put this in the depression section because I've struggled with depressive episodes and suicidal thoughts for about 11 years now. Maybe that's why I can't eat as much as I would like?

I did used to have a habit of forgetting to eat, but I've eradicated that. I always make sure I eat something, but I can't make myself finish it most of the time. It's especially bothersome because I always feel a sense of hunger to some extent, but it's like my body won't let me completely satisfy it.

I'm truly at a loss here. If anyone has any input, I'd greatly appreciate it.

- Hg

[smallbluefish]

I'm glad you're at least able to snack in between--that's definitely important and I hope you're able to keep that up in addition to keeping hydrated.

maybe you've already considered this, but would it be helpful to ask either a mental health professional or general doctor specifically about any connections between your depression and more recent changes like taking up exercise and quitting smoking? I'm not a health professional, but I know sometimes even positive changes can be a lot for the body, especially with depression.

it sounds like your appetite is related to somewhat emotional feelings too--that inability to feel satisfied--so depression might have something to do with your appetite as you've said. personally, my appetite fluctuates because of my depression regardless of how well I'm doing in other areas like exercise, etc.

good luck!!

[mercury96]

Thank you. I appreciate your input!

[Skeezyks]

Hello mercury: I noticed this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find PC to be of benefit.

I don't know as there is much of anything I can suggest here. Perhaps I misunderstand your post. But it sounds to me as though maybe you're just eating enough snacks that you're not really hungry when meal time rolls around? I know, myself, I like mixed nuts. (Hey... you are what you eat...) And I will sometimes munch on mixed nuts in the afternoon while I'm here on PC. But I have to be careful because it doesn't take all that much munching before I've pretty-much lost my appetite for dinner.

You wrote that you've always been normal weight & that you've actually gained a few pounds since quitting smoking. I've never smoked. But I have the impression that gaining weight after quitting is to be expected. And, besides, you wrote you actually like the extra few pounds you're carrying. That's not a concern for you. So it sounds to me as though the main concern here is with regard to nutrition. There's not a lot of nutritional value to Goldfish, Cheez-its, & chips. So if you're eating enough snacks to spoil your appetite for meals, then you're likely losing out nutritionally. Plus, if you're ramping up your exercise regimen, then you're asking your body to do more while not providing it with sufficient vitamins, etc.

You also mentioned depression & suicidal thoughts as well. Certainly those things aren't going to help either. And given that you have struggled with those, it's even more important that you eat a balanced diet. This can become a vicious circle. You struggle with depression & so you don't eat properly, which just makes your depression worse, which then causes you to not want to eat properly... & on it goes. At some point, you have to figure out a way to break the cycle, abandon the snacks, & eat nutritionally balanced meals. And as long as your weight is stable, the amount you're eating is not so much of concern, it seems to me, as is simply the fact that what you are eating is nutritionally healthy.

Here are links to some articles, from PsychCentral's archives, regarding the link between mental health & nutrition:

https://psychcentral.com/lib/can-nut...ff-depression/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/10-nut...se-depression/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/7-food...dium=popular17

https://psychcentral.com/news/2015/0...lth/85591.html

https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-su...mental-health/

My best wishes to you...

[mercury96]

Thank you for your insight as well as the extra resources!