What to eat when you're so stressed you can't eat and food turns to cement in your mouth?

[GetAFurqingCompass]

I want to eat, and I feel faint from hunger, but for several weeks I've been living with an intolerably stressful situation that I cannot change, and my appetite has just gone. I absolutely do not have an ED or any desire to lose weight etc - but everything I put in my mouth just revolts me when I start chewing it and has to be washed down with a gulp of water.

I've been managing to force down a daily yoghurt with ground flaxseeds, and the odd bottle of Huel 🤢 plus a tiny portion of our evening meal because I don't want my DC to notice something is wrong. If I don't have to chew it it's easier for me to eat but soup hasn't worked, I don't really like soup at the best of times tbh.

I've lost a stone in the last 8 weeks (yep that's how long it's been going on, and there's no end in sight) so I absolutely have to get a grip on this. But I think my stomach is shrinking or something as I just feel like I am able to eat less and less.

You need to see your GP. Hugs for whatever is making you feel so awful x

I went through something v stressful and lost 2 stone ( 9 down to 7 v rapidly). I couldn’t eat. I looked ill. In the end my mum bought me v expensive nutrition drinks from boots for anorexics to weight gain. Might have been £18 for 4. It worked though

Smoothies? Or even just juice to boost your blood sugar a bit.

I’d forget trying full meals - make a snack plate of whatever you like - cheese, crackers, some fruit, some cooked meat, some flapjack and just pick at it, with no pressure to eat more than a nibble at a time. Put on a favourite film or sitcom or something to slightly distract you, and see if you can sort of mindlessly graze a bit.

I was going to suggest protein shakes or make your own smoothies with bananas protein yogurt other fruit or milkshakes with ice cream.
Try to take some vitamins or use vitamin sprays.

Custard? Rice pudding? Scrambled egg? Comfort food like macaroni cheese?
But I don’t understand how your DC aren’t noticing, assuming you eat meals with them.
I hope your stressful situation resolves soon.

Sorry that you are going through at tough time.
When I went through my marriage breakdown I could not eat for a few months, the stress affected my body like nothing I had ever experienced. The only thing I could tolerate was small portions of fruit, such as apples and watermelon, I think it was because it wasn’t like eating carbs or a heavy meal which I just couldn’t physically eat.
I hope things get better for you soon ❤️

Haha, if only. I managed to get a phone appointment a few weeks ago with the world's most disinterested locum who didn't listen to me, cut me off mid sentence, and prescribed sertraline but I don't think I'm depressed, I'm just in a shit situation. I don't want to take ADs.

@Theonebutnotonly I never eat breakfast anyway so they wouldn't notice that, I usually have black coffee in the morning then brunch after the school run. I'm still cooking proper meals every evening (up until this I've always been a bit of a foodie and cooked mainly from scratch) and just doing my best to eat as much as I can at the table with them. Tbf they're autistic and not the most observant anyway!!

Soup
smoothies
Rice or rice pudding
custard

Soup might be an easier thing to swallow. I hope you feel better soon, @GetAFurqingCompass.

Every now and then I suddenly crave something ridiculous like salt and vinegar pringles or pistachio nuts, and I've started just driving to the shop to buy whatever it is I want at whatever time I want it! But even then I can only eat a bit before it just starts being impossible to swallow any more.

I'm taking iron bisglycinate tablets, drinking fizzy multivitamins, and also a daily pumpkin seed oil capsule (which apparently will sort out my irritable bladder but I guess is generally helpful atm too).

Sorry to hear you’re going through such an immensely difficult time op, people are here to listen if you do want to talk anything through or just get it off your chest.
I’d recommend some Coca Cola to get some immediate sugars in. And crisps if you can manage them. Electrolytes in your water.
Snack food like mini sausage rolls, pepperami, baby bel etc, pots of pre prepared mango/pineapple, tinned peaches, all tiny and almost bite sized.
Obviously none of this is suggested for long term sustainability but in the short term I’ve leant on some of these to help me
through similar times of stress with no appetite but experiencing dizziness with low blood sugar.

Hobnobs with a cup of tea were the only thing I could eat for months after a traumatic bereavement.

This happened to me after I had a breakdown after my daughter's dad left me with our 28 week premature baby. I couldn't eat nothing for months on end. Everything I ate turned into cement in my mouth. I remember one day being so starving that I ate a steak and it came out in the toilet. Exactly the looking the same as I ate it. This was the strangest experience ever
In the end all I could tolerate was milkshakes. This sounds like anxiety. You can get build-up shakes and nutritious shakes from boots) super drug but I will definitely speak to a GP. I didn't speak to my GP because I was scared because I had children and I did not want to be judged But in hindsight, I wish I did and maybe some talking therapy will help, I do just want you to know that that things will get better that when you are rock bottom things can only go up. Please speak to people and surround yourself with people who care about u, Do you have anyone that can cook for you? And spend time with you

Juice toast grapes

Chicken cup a soup

Not great but on low energy/low appetite days it at least means I have consumed something resembling "food" 😬

A small piece of toast and honey and muller rice puddings were best when I had awful depression/anxiety. So sorry you’re feeling so horrid right now x

Breakfast shakes. Complan. Fortisip drinks.

Oh cheese is sounding appealing actually! I could buy mini cheeses and some grapes.

Carbs definitely seem the hardest thing to get down. Bread and potatoes are both an absolute nope, shame as I'm usually the carb queen 😔

Unfortunately there are absolutely no practical solutions and I don't really have any family or friends I can ask for much in the way of help. I've just got to sit this out and wait for something to change. Or win the lottery 😂

Cup a soup!! I used to quite like them as a teenager but forgot they even existed. I'll buy a pack tomorrow and give them a go.

I’d suggest tiny portions of very high calories foods.
e.g. Tiny cubes of full fat cheese.
fudge
chocolate
full fat dairy drinks such as proper hot chocolate, latte
or Frappuccino if you prefer cold
greek yogurt with honey
nut butter maybe with a few slivers of apple
couple of ritz crackers with full fat Philadelphia
high quality ice cream one small scoop in a bowl.

I’ve had shorter periods of food aversion not as bad as you. Sometimes eating out of the house helped e.g. full fat Starbucks coffee with a snack on the side. Sometimes all the steps of deciding, going to shop etc before you even cook food is just too much so having something when out helped to avoid that. Same with portion size that’s why my examples are tiny portions.

Ice cream?

Is it definitely mental health related? I had these symptoms and 1st doctor fobbed me off. When I went back a couple of weeks later having continued to lose weight, I was put on the 2 week cancer pathway and then thankfully instead diagnosed with Crohn's that was in a massive flare

I have recently been through jaw surgery so physically could not eat anything other than mush for six weeks.

My advice: find a meal replacement shake that is tolerable. I have tried a couple, ended up settling with ready made Yfood. My favourite was peach.

OP you got yourself in a cycle where you feel crap because you haven't been eating enough, which makes you want to eat even less. Cup a soups are not going to cut it, lacks any proper (macro)nutrients.

I had a period of appetite loss with high anxiety. Completely opposite to my usual self!

I think your approach of having whatever you happen to fancy is good.

There are some good protein drinks on the market nowadays - Bol brand is really nice.

I hope things improve for you soon.

Can you do small portions of easy non chewy food and add butter / grated cheese/ sugar - whatever is appropriate.
I think you need to try GP again, mention weight loss and that you have caring responsibilities for children.

I usually quite the opposite and eat a lot but only certain food and I'm too tired to chew or to eat something complicated so it’s usually a lot of cheese sandwiches. Ice cream also helps me when I’m stressed, it’s like I need very cold food to feel something.

Hope things will get better soon.