I hate eating

trixie108

trixie108

Cathlete
Hi all! I have been struggling with this issue for a while, and wondered if anyone else had experience with this. The fact of the matter is that I hate eating! I hate making food, I hate eating food. If I could live on a liquid diet, I would. It has nothing to do with body image or weight loss or anything like that. I eat simply because I know I have to.

I guess this could be classified as an eating disorder? Although since it has nothing to do with weight, I'm not so sure. I just wish I could enjoy cooking food and eating like a normal person.

Plus when I do eat, it's convienence food-either frozen dinners, sandwiches or fast food-so it's not the healthiest stuff in the world. I do eat fruit a lot, simply because I don't have to prepare anything. But if it can't be made in five minutes or less, I won't eat/make it.

I'm really not sure what to do about this problem, or even what it stems from. Any thoughts would be great.:eek:
 
Nicole - I totally understand. If I never had to eat, I would be happy...well, except for chocolate ;) I just don't LOVE food. People who do love food don't get it. I also hate the feeling of being full. I hate being hungry too, so I eat, and I eat because I work out so hard, and want the most out of what I am doing, and the way to do that is through eating. The choices I make are clean, and calorie laden when possible - nuts, almond butter, etc. And there are a few things that I do really enjoy but for the most part, it is just a life necessity. Like you, it has nothing to do with body image, or wanting to lose weight. Food just does not bring out the joy in me, except on very rare occasions and then, compliments to the chef :D
 
I feel sorry for both of you. I have a friend who suffers from severe achalasia (with complications) from which she has nearly died. She subsists on milk and corn flakes and for the times when she is really craving food (and normalcy...since eating is normal) she has to stick a morphine patch on her arse to get through the pain of eating a meal. I recall having the rare opportunity to enjoy chicken korma with her. We savored every bite....to be lucky enough to enjoy a meal.....
 
trixie108 said:
Hi all! I have been struggling with this issue for a while, and wondered if anyone else had experience with this. The fact of the matter is that I hate eating! I hate making food, I hate eating food. If I could live on a liquid diet, I would. It has nothing to do with body image or weight loss or anything like that. I eat simply because I know I have to.

I guess this could be classified as an eating disorder? Although since it has nothing to do with weight, I'm not so sure. I just wish I could enjoy cooking food and eating like a normal person.

Plus when I do eat, it's convienence food-either frozen dinners, sandwiches or fast food-so it's not the healthiest stuff in the world. I do eat fruit a lot, simply because I don't have to prepare anything. But if it can't be made in five minutes or less, I won't eat/make it.

I'm really not sure what to do about this problem, or even what it stems from. Any thoughts would be great.:eek:
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Since you eat, it sounds like you just don't like to cook. Did your mother/father cook?
 
Hugs! In some ways I can understand how you feel, since I got sick, eating is much less fun than it was (I had a flu which degraded into a special kind of IBS.) Since it seems to be the time spent preparing food that really keeps you from eating, have you tried some of the low sodium organic canned soups? Those are pretty quick to warm up and I get them on sale. Does the very idea of food turn you off or is it having food in your body? I have trouble with food being in my body because it just doesn't feel good. I do have broth, yogurt and kefir because its liquid and doesn't seem to make me feel poorly. Have you tried the raw foods style diet? Much of those recipes require very little prep time and can be highly nutritious. The advantage of the raw foods is that without heating it you get the benefit of the plants enzymes so that the food digests itself and you don't have to do the work of digesting it yourself (if that makes any sense.)

Are you a super taster and taste everything (not fruit) as being bitter? My brother has that problem.
 
Beavs said:
I feel sorry for both of you. .We savored every bite....to be lucky enough to enjoy a meal.....
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Gosh I'd have to agree with Beaves, .. . that sounds horrible. My parents grew up in a very poor farm/village, . . .yes, . . village where food was very scarce and if you had it you had better damn well appreciate it. I've always dismissed it as cultural but for all my youth and growing up food was always supposed to be pleasurable. Even as an adult and when my parents visit they never come empty handed, . . they always come food in hand.

I'm thinking that maybe you've never really had the pleasure of a really great restaurant meal? I've been fortunate the my husband being in the hotel industry has made connections and I've had the luxury of having some really great fine dinning that I typically would never pay for if I had a choice. I'm not a big wine drinker but I found that the pairing of wine with food truly scratches that pleasure center in my brain that I equate to my runners high, or finding a great deal on a pair of shoes, or the happiness I feel hearing my kids laugh. When I read your post I was so shocked because I have the complete opposite problem. I love food! I love cooking and eating dinner with my family, and although the kids, and husband don't always enjoy everything I make when I make something great it always adds to the enjoyment that the food has brought us together.
 
I'm one of those who loves eating, and like some of the others, it's a bummer that you don't when so much our lives is made up of it. :)

That said, if you are OK with it, I don't think it's a big deal. People have different appetites and interests and as long as you are consuming enough calories, no big deal. Do you feel like you *should* be interested in food and eating for some reason? If it's just a matter of dreading the cooking, take the pressure off and go with healthy quick options, no?

:)
 
Nicole - I'm wondering if you hate eating because you hate cooking and preparing the food, or even if someone prepared a really nice, homecooked meal for you, would you still hate it?

I don't like cooking much at all, but I do appreciate the results. I'm single, so if I don't cook, I don't eat - or like you, I'd subsist on frozen entrees, etc. I decided a long time ago that for me, the benefits of a good homecooked meal were very much worth the effort of cooking. But instead of torturing myself with having to cook every single night, I cook a big pot of something on the weekends and enjoy it for several days. Anyhow, that works for me.

I hope you find a solution that works for you.
 
I agree w/others that your issue may very well be WHAT you're eating. I'll tell you a story & try to keep it brief.

My dad started losing a lot of weight a few years ago. Like you (and me) he's single & lives alone. His diet consisted of Stouffer's frozen dinners & Big Macs. I was begging him to eat, & maybe see a nutritionist, & def. see a doc. He refused. The result was a 20 lb weight loss. He's 5'9", he went from 145 lbs to 125 lbs. :eek:

The same month he hit 125 lbs he went into 7 cardiac arrests in 3 hours. Now, I'm not saying that'll happen to you (he also smoked a pack of Marlboro reds a day & was 69 years old), but I am saying not eating enough & not eating right can have some pretty severe health effects.

When he was released from the hospital he started learning how to cook. Broiling or roasting meats, steaming veggies--basically the stuff I do, which is super easy & usually tastes pretty darn good. And of course I made him add in some pasta, fruits, breads & cereals, stuff I don't eat but that he needed to gain back some weight. He was really surprised at how his appetite increased when he started eating fresh, tasty & wholesome foods. He was also really suprised at how easy it was to make his own food. He went from dreading meals to loving them.

OK so this is getting much longer than I expected. I was just struck by the similarities of your lack of appetite & similar diet, so I thought I'd share. :)

Now, stick a chicken in your oven when you go home tonight @ 350 for 20 minutes per pound. I guarantee you it'll be scrumptious!
 
Wow thanks for the responses!! Maybe I will try to make some quick and easy healthy meals. Perhaps it will jump start my appetite.

It is both the thought of eating, as well as having food in my body that turns me off...but maybe it's just that I'm not eating the *right* foods? Well off to find some easy recipes!!
 
I have no idea what you're feeling, but I've read that both starving and stuffing oneself with food have been shown to activate brain chemicals that produce feelings of peace and euphoria, which may alleviate distressing moods, such as anxiety or depression. Some researchers believe that patients eat large amounts of food or starve themselves as a means of self-medicating. When I was anorexic as a teenager, I was addicted to the "high" that came from starvation. Any chance that's what's going on?

As for food preparation, I don't like it either, but it is possible to eat well with minimal preparation.
 
Nicole I can totally relate part of my problem stems from an eating disorder and the other part of my problems is I am totally allegeric to the kitchen. Domestic diva big mama ain't. I much rather eat snack foods or make a salad then to have a meal. Too much time and energy.
 
Eh, as long as you DO eat, and eat heathfully, I don't think it's any big deal that you don't actually enjoy cooking and eating. It's hard to feel normal in a world where so many people are truly obsessed with food! I feel similarly - I get no joy from cooking - not at all - and find it a HUGE time sink with no great upside. Sure, a really good meal is good, but it's not worth the time/effort to me. If someone told me tomorrow I had to live on premade, perfectly balanced shakes, I'd be thrilled.
 
Interesting. I actually like cooking and entertaining, but I don't really enjoy cooked food even when it's healthy. I'd rather eat raw veggies and fruits, shakes and fish with some occasional chicken. I don't think I'd miss cooked food much for the rest of my life.
 
Nicole,

Definitely try to find something easy and healthy to make for yourself. I hate cooking, but love eating. I've got to admit I wish I didn't like eating quite so much. One quick meal I feed my family at times is a roaster chicken - already cooked at the grocery store. You can have some salad to go with it or a potato of some sort, whatever sounds good to you. If you have a store that has some prepared food, that could help you out if cooking just really isn't your thing. Sometimes the easy 5 minute meals are not that good for you and that may be part of the reason you don't like to eat. Please realize I do cook (I am actually cooking a chicken tomorrow night for dinner), but there are nights I just don't want to and don't.

Good luck!

Sherry
 
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