Help me eat.

[IlikeyouIlikeyouIlikeyou]

Daft thing that I am.

I'm having a bit of a mental health relapse at the moment. I'm coping with most things, but thinking of eating makes me feel sick. I don't fancy anything to eat and can't really bear the thought of cooking much. I would live on toast, but my toaster is broken.

I don't fancy anything at all, which is unhelpful. I eat mostly anything when I am not all the crazy, except baked beans, because you know, they are evil.

Last time this happened, I lost a vast amount of weight which was fine, because I was very, very fat. Now I'm only a bit fat, and though there's part of me that doesn't mind the weight loss because I'd like to be not fat at all, the last time this happened, the not eating made everything much harder and I can't afford my mental health to spiral as badly as before.

So please tell me easy things that make little mess, and might actually make me want to eat otherwise I just won't bother and for a bonus might provide some sort of nutrition.

Can you graze on picnic style stuff like cheese, olives, an avocado? Nuts?
Little and often may help.
Also high cal drinks like real hot chocolate?

Complan?

I’ve used them to get my appetite back. The chocolate one.

After an illness I had zero appetite but knew I had to eat and the only thing I could manage was a small omelette every day.

Instant noodles aren't necessarily great health wise - but chuck in raw spinach, peas, some Tabasco to liven it up and it's a nice cosy meal with minimal mess and made in minutes.

Toasties made in the pan American style are quick and not too much mess - butter the outside of the bread and fill with whatever you've got in the fridge - cheese ham tomato (vegan versions) are my favourite

Micro rice on top of spinach / broccoli with tofu and hot sauce is another very quick easy dinner

Cheese crackers with veg and grapes

I hope you feel better soon

Do you have any specific dietary needs or are a vegetarian or anything like that?

I'm autistic and food preparation causes me quite a bit of distress. Things I find easy are - omelettes, bacon sandwiches, those bags of microwaveable vegetables, ready cooked chicken, yoghurts, little individual cheeses, bags of salad, cereal bars and hot chocolate.

Jars or little tubs of pasta sauce stirred into cooked pasta with a microveg bag and cheese sprinkled on top.

Cheese omelette with microveg and full fat cottage cheese.

You can also get microrice and mixed veg - only takes three or four minutes and it's nice with chicken.

Mixed nuts and dried fruit for a snack.

What is it about toast that works for you. Do you like the crunch, flavour; do you put anything on it?? Is it food prep that puts the brakes on your appetite? Totally agree about beans - revolting little bastards.

Do you have any specific dietary needs or are a vegetarian or anything like that?

Nope. Normally I'm an equal opportunities muncher.

I'm autistic and food preparation causes me quite a bit of distress.

Thanks. My DD is autistic and this food prep/eating thing I think makes me feel very like she does sometimes about certain tasks. It's a weird inexplicable anxiety. Those are really helpful suggestions, it's as much the prep as the actual eating that's causing me a problem. Saying that, I tried to get a sandwich for lunch from the staff restaurant and all the choice made me feel equally overwhelmed.

What is it about toast that works for you.

It was my fallback last time. It's easy and I can put marmite on it....

Maybe I should just start putting marmite on a variety of foodstuffs.

Picky things is also a good idea.

A few years ago I had a really bad episode of anxiety; felt nauseous all the time. I found crackers and cheese worked for me, fruit was quick and easy and milk stopped me from getting shaky when I'd left it too long until I ate. Nuts are good too, probably unsalted are best but eat them whatever way you fancy just to get food into you.

For the sandwich problem, when I am in that place I usually reduce to one or two options that I know I will eat in some form & then ignore all others. So for eg, I know I will eat tuna unless something weird is in with it, and also I will eat egg, and if there’s something with that I can usually pick it out if necessary.
And these are things most places will have however odd their other combinations are.
Makes me more likely to choose something.

I find carbs best when I'm not in the mood for eating.

Toast (or just bread is also ok), corn cakes (usually with butter - maybe you could put marmite on?), oakcakes, maybe cereals.

I would go ready-meal and easy option until you feel better.

So soup from chiller section (tomato, mushroom) - can have with toast!

Microwave meals - choose a few.

Possibly tortellini fresh pasta & jar sauce?

Then picky bits - prepped roast chicken, salad veg, hummus etc.

Don’t stress about nutrition.

Maybe I should just start putting marmite on a variety of foodstuffs.
Marmite mixed into pasta is amazing, it's my meal I have whenever I'm really struggling with my mh and having to cookml.

Ready meals have been what I've tried to work with, but they seem like so much food sometimes. Plus I wander round the supermarket and don't want any of them.

Sorry, I feel like I'm being very 'yes, but...' about this. I don't mean to be, it's a weird old hurdle.

Takeaway of some sort?
Cheese and marmite on toast

Takeaway of some sort?

This happens when things get desperate, but limited choice hereabouts and last time this went on for about 4 months and suspect that would bankrupt me. It's a fallback option. But it's very easy to decide not to bother while halfway through the ordering process. Pathetic right?

No worries - I do understand. As PP says, marmite spaghetti is the bomb - spaghetti, marmite, butter, Parmesan if you want. You could eat a salad on the side.

Soup I still think is a good one.

Boiled egg & marmite soldiers?

With you on the evil baked beans!

Cereal.
Any kind of egg dish.
Fish fingers/chicken nuggets.
Could you get a new toaster?

Can you buy a toaster?

Quesadilla in a frying pan is toast-like ... 2 tortilla wraps, stick cheese/tomato purée in middle, dry fry. No mess. (Buy ready grated cheese).

Actually thinking about it, it's the decision making process that's a massive problem. Maybe I should just get some things in, give DP (away at the moment) the list of what I've got and he can tell me what to eat. He will likely think me even more confusing than he does now, but I think it's that choice aspect that's so problematic. The last two times I ate someone else made me a sandwich and handed it to me, and yesterday DP made me something, so maybe that's the answer. Then the initial eating is hard, but it's easier than when I've had to do all that thinking (I know it's not really much thinking).

Who knew this could happen? I used to weigh 22 stone. I didn't get that way with this attitude.

What about crumpets with marmite to change it up a bit? You can also get marmite cashews and marmite rice cakes if you are fancying picky marmite type bits.
Flavoured milk or milkshakes to sip on.
Something from the chilled ready to eat snacks that are picnic type things that you could just grab 1 or 2 bits out the fridge as and when.

Would getting your groceries delivered help? It would at Ieast avoid the 'not fancying anything' feeling in the supermarket. Perhaps fill your online trolley with some of the suggestions above, and then once the food is in your house you might feel more like eating it?

Other marmite relayed things.

Boil some potatoes, skin on if your not up for peeling, throw some frozen veg in a couple of minutes before done, mash with butter and marmite.

Frozen veg boiled with a bit of marmite, bread to dip in as a very basic soup.

Have you got a grill on your oven? You can toast bread in that, that's how I do my toast as I don't have a toaster, I like toast with marmite spread ontop with boiled spinach and scrambled eggs.

I'm the queen of marmite basic meals

Buy a toaster. Loads in the back to uni sales now.

Chicken soup is comforting and nutritious. Hope you feel better soon.