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.

That must have been so worrying for you, glad to hear it's "only" Crohns which sounds awful but compared to cancer I guess it's the lesser thing 😬

It is 100% related to stress and anxiety. I've always lost my appetite when stressed but usually it resolves quickly. But this situation is almost intolerable and there really is no end in sight. My appetite just went the day it started.

Cant eat when I am going through an anxious time. I have small and frequent. Even a couple of digestive biscuits with tea or ginger nuts which also help if you're feeling sick too, hopefully you're not. Soups, smoothies helped plus it's liquid which you need to keep your fluid intake up.
Small bowl of porridge maybe? Just go with what you can manage, doesn't matter if its junk, just as long as you're eating something. Been there a few times so understand what you're going through. Hope you get through this soon. 💐

I struggle to eat away from home due to anxiety and one of my go tos is Yfood. It’s the most palatable ‘meal drink’ imo and gets 500 calories in me. I use them at work and gradually sip it through the morning. I pretty much live on them on holiday. Other than that, I’d say small and often. If you can take a few mouthfuls, great, do that. Don’t worry about it being a meal. Maybe some cubes of cheese in the fridge and you can just pick one or two whenever you can. I always have dates and nuts in the cupboard - anything high calorie / small volume is great.

I have been like that at times. It really does not last but while you are like it, please make sure you stay hydrated, drink water.
If you can manage some fruit, that is good. I buy little fruit pots of various fruit in juice, they are small and pleasant. I have pineapple, mango, mandarin oranges and peaches. You can also buy little jelly pots.
How about cereal? Porridge for example.
This will pass.

Cubes of cheese
Nuts - walnut, pecan, almond, cashew
Dried fruit
Olives

All small but calorie dense. When my Dad was unwell, we did him tiny little snack pots so it wasn't too much food in one go.

Complan milkshakes may help, it’s what my dd has been on when she has gone through eating issues.

otherwise what do you really love that’s not tok chewy as that seems to be an issue, plenty of sauce?

I lost 2.5 stones when exh left me, I was overweight so a good thing (though following meeting now dh I piled it make on with extra for good measure) the only thing I was eating at home was scrambled eggs on toast though at least I ate with a friend at lunch time a couple of times a week at the local pub near work that had a lunch bar with home style food, I could eat the oap portion size only

I have had similar. Part of the stress was financial so I was barely eating to save money too. I would eat soft things like yoghurt, cheese, biscuits dipped into coffee and drank milk. I would have fruit juice to try and get some vitamins.

I feel for you. Been there too after my mum died suddenly. I remember sitting in a shit cafe in the local town with my sibling after a morning of funeral arrangements and he put a cheese toastie infront of me and said “eat it”. And I did. And it was white shite bread and loads of cheese and hot as anything and I ate it up. I didn’t even know I hadn’t been eating. I just stopped and then that was that for about 9 days.

Basically I ate what I fancied when I fancied it. Nursery food- cheese on toast, jacket potatoes with beans, comfort food. And. Spicy food. The hotter the better. Took ages though and I stopped cooking. I was just a shell.

Oh, poor you, OP! I was going to suggest yoghurts, as they were my main go-to during a stressful period, along with smooth foods that didn't require effort, as I was too "full" with stress and anxiety (which eventually culminated in a breakdown) to eat anything else. Weirdly, Coke was another thing for me, but it had to be the full-sugar stuff, and milkshakes.

I don't know what is going on in your life to cause you so much stress and anxiety, but I hope that you have good support around you, and that it all dies down soon. If it doesn't, then perhaps a trip to the GP might be helpful, even though it's hard.

Some great suggestions here.
I"be been there ... those levels of anxirty/fear, and the not eating which goes with it.
It's an experience I would not wish on anyone.
I hope things ease for you, and that you find some ways to make it more tolerable xx

It's hard. When I'm very stressed I eat what I call baby food. Soup. Yoghurt. Porridge. Scrambled egg. Things that didn't need chewing. Are very easy on the stomach. Bananas. Very small amounts. Just try to eat little bits as I know I need to.

I agree with PP saying smoothies. When I had this due to a breakup it was like I physically couldn’t swallow due to the lump in my throat. Yoghurt, handful of blueberries, half a banana, flaxseeds, a tiny bit of vanilla essence and some cold water so not too thick. Or swap the blueberries for half an avo and the vanilla essence for a spoonful of cocoa powder. Found I could mindlessly sip those through a straw. I went to see a therapist once a fortnight which helped and did meditation / breathing exercises too. There’s loads on YouTube that help ease the pressure even for 30 seconds or so that’s enough to give you some hope. Very best of luck getting through xxxx

Chocolate milk
Salted nuts

Rooting for you OP!

I go thru this pretty much daily as it's part of my autism so live on soup mostly and yogurt drinks. And even those have to be brought to me as I never think of eating or want to tbh. When I visit family often it's meals but luckily they all know and won't cajole me so the kids etc still enjoy

Chocolate mousse 🫂

Mashed potatoes with butter

Nutrition drinks that dissolve easily (dissolve in full fat milk instead of water). Ensure is good if its available where you are.

Also keeping high calorie foods on hand (cheese, chocolate, nuts) for whenever you feel able to eat them can help.

Your goal is to ride out the stress period without losing too much weight or shrinking your appetite too far - you are right that the less you eat, the less you will be able to eat.

This might be a bit out there, but I also find it helps to imagine an abstract scenario where my children are in danger and I can save them by eating.

So sorry you are going through this. I went through a very stressful situation earlier this year and survived on scrambled egg, ready brek and soup. I couldn’t stomach anything at all and like you said, anything else turned to cement in my mouth. I was also prescribed propranolol. It’s for anxiety, isn’t an antidepressant and isn’t addictive but did help so might be worth mentioning to your Dr if you are able to get an appointment. Hope things improve for you soon.

Thank you all so much for the ideas and support

I've ordered some super healthy and tasty sounding protein shake mix (chocolate raspberry flavour, my fave) to see if that works. And am going to pick up some babybels and grapes and olives later, I've got some smoked almonds already so will try making myself tiny little tapas style plates with a couple of pieces of various things on to nibble.