[hamster-bamster]

I drastically reduced my intake because I am not hungry. This is very unusual for me. I am not restricting - I am not hungry. I throw away food at mealtimes. Right now I will drink some milk for dinner because I take a medication that is only absorbed with food; otherwise I'd go to bed without dinner. This is very much unlike me.

At first I thought that it was a mental game. I expected Topamax, a weight loss medication, to arrive in the mail. It never did, but I thought about it so much that I stopped being hungry. That was my theory. At the same time, I started commuting to and from work by bike. I remember my ex husband saying that when he starts running, he eats LESS - he does not want to eat. I am wondering if that is what is happening.

[precious things]

I went through a big exercise/ health kick when I recovered from anorexia last time. I worked out cardio 5-6 times a week for a year and half, and despite my many years of smoking, became a runner. My appetite skyrocketed and I gained a ton of weight.

When I am into my ED I dont fit the mold of compulsive exerciser because for me, exercise makes me gain weight/ huge appetite.

[eskielover]

For me, exercise always made me loose weight....just like stress does. When I first started working after getting my degree, I worked for an awesome company that had for it's benefits, membership to a gym.....we played racquettball during lunch & after work & any time we could get there to play.....I because addicted to playing racquettball.....next company, found many guys who also played & we had a racquettball club. We would even have tournaments & I remember playing so many games when I was the winning person that I couldn't even thinking about eating the food they brought in for the evening. I didn't really loose a lot of weight because my muscles were building up which was strange having one huge right arm.

Ended up blowing out my ACL on a challenge court one time after work...ended up carried off the court on my winning point......not evercising like I was used to the appetite came back. Five years later, they finally realized what was wrong with my knee & I had it reconstructed. I went into the physical therapy 200% so that I could be back skiing & playing racquettball within 6 months....which meant major exercise 7 days a week......with all that exercise, there went my appetite.

For me however, everything effects my appetite.....stress about anything causes lack of appetite....long term turns into major weight loss.

What I have found is that for all of us who react in one way to something there are just as many who act in the opposite way.....so it's hard to determine if it's really a cause of weight loss or not because it's so dependent on how the person's own body reacts to it.

[hamster-bamster]

I have lost a couple of pounds only. My clothing has become looser around the midsection so I have probably lost some fat and gained some muscle which is good. My question is not so much about weight loss but about eating less.

[AngelWolf3]

I usually end up eating more when I exercise, which I guess defeats the purpose, but I try to remember muscle weighs more than fat and that I am burning more calories when exercising and my body needs it to stay strong while doing that. So, if I could just listen to myself now, lol!!!!

Hamster, Congratulations on getting more muscle tone (and it sounds like the healthy way too!) That is awesome!

[hamster-bamster]

Thank you, Wolfin! I was going to add swimming, but someone who is a health professional on the bipolar forum recommended that I wait until I plateau on biking and THEN add swimming.

[AngelWolf3]

that's a good idea, about waiting on the swimming. I would have never thought of that, but it makes perfect sense! Keep us posted !

[whoswho]

Well, this is kind of a trick question for me. In the short term I eat less, if nothing. If I keep up the exercise for a while though, my metabolism starts going nuts and then I can't stop eating. Which is really stupid and defeats the purpose... ugh.

[hamster-bamster]

I have justed added a low dose of Topamax so it would be hard to say what is causing appetite suppression now. Oh well.

[Miswimmy1]

I usually am not hungry after I work out. But I eventually get hungry. So I put less, but I guess its sort of... lol

[noname1000]

Exercise makes me feel really really hungry for carbs. I hate it. I hate that doing something healthy and being more active makes me crave bad foods.