Can you loose a lot of weight just from stress?

[beingabanana1]

Not really an AIBU. My 46 yo Dsis has lost approx 2 stone this year making her very underweight (BMI 16). Definitely no underlying illness as had extensive blood tests etc. She insists she is eating 3 good meals a day. I find it hard to believe this can be true but don't know if IABU.

In the six weeks leading up to my wedding I went down two dress sizes despite eating like a horse.

You can only lose weight via a deficit in calories - but it is easy to have a deficit without even noticing, because you are too stressed and lose your appetite.

When I'm really stressed I don't want to eat and sometimes realise at the end of the night that I have eaten literally nothing that day.

Also to add, my sil is almost 51. She lost a similar weight and looked very underweight at about the same age through stress. She's never gained it.

She insisted she was eating. We went on holiday with her this year and her eating is very, very different to mine. Breakfast she'd have a piece of fruit and maybe half a yogurt and a green tea. Lunch she'd have fruit and a piece of meat and a few veg. Dinner was the same but it was tiny portions, then fruit and a couple of cheese and crackers. That was a good day some days she'd not eat lunch as she wasn't hungry apparently. She never ate any sugary things like dessert other than the fruits. Drank loads of water. She defo wasn't eating what she was burning.

" she won't take anti anxiety tablets recommended by doctor "

Why is that? Presuming they're tranquillisers is it because she's scared of becoming addicted to them? Would it help if you told her that you can take them as an when, that they don't need to be taken every day for a while. They can be highly addictive, but they can also 'save' you. When I used to suffer from anxiety, taking them for a day or two would be enough to calm me down until the next problem arrived.

My mother lost almost a stone very quickly after my father died, despite eating, albeit less than usual. Can you talk to your DISTRICT to find out what's going on? Do you see your sister at meal times?

Yes I did through extreme stress and anxiety.
I did not feel hungry at all.

You can loose weight through stress but its normally because you are eating less, for example she might have snacked a lot before but due to stress she is either too busy to eat or doesn't want to. And I think stress would raise your heart rate and your metabolism but I wouldn't think that would effect your weight significantly, more like a few pounds.
If I were you OP Id be worried , thats a lot of weight and its been quite a long time, not a sudden period where your appetite is reduced. She's had time to adjust her eating etc, so for me id be worried about other reasons.

That must be so worrying for you - I'm sorry this is happening to your sister.

We have eating disorders in my family so of course that's the first thing that comes to my mind. Stress can certainly trigger this problem and the patient might not be fully aware of or able to admit what is happening. Please show her your love as much as you can - I think people in distress can sometimes struggle to really feel and believe they are loved even when they are. My heart goes out to her, whatever she's going through.

Everybody here who has lost weight b/o stress states that is affected their appetite and they ate less.

She is either eating less than she is letting on, or there is something else going on.

I don't know what you can do, other than express your concern and making sure you are there for her.
How v difficult for you

I hope your sister is ok.

I'm 5ft 4 and weigh around nine stone. Almost a year ago with the stress of breaking up with DH and almost divorcing I lost two stone in about four weeks. I was eating less but was shaking with the amount of adrenaline running through my body and was just generally incredibly twitchy and couldn't sit still even for a minute so must have just burned up lots with all that movement as well.

I was convinced I ate more than I did

For years I thought I was one of those skinny people who had a fast metabolism and couldn't put on weight

Then I had to make a concerted effort to put on weight to start fertility treatment and I started tracking what I ate using MFP. Turned out I ate way less than I thought I did. I was massively undereating. And that was my normal state - not my acute stress and sadness state. Then I'd stop eating almost altogether - though I'd probably still have said I ate more than I did