Q&A for How to Eat when You're Hungry but Don't Feel Like Eating

Although it's not a normal state to not feel like eating for a month, changes in appetite can happen due to puberty, depression, or an eating disorder. If you're really concerned about it, talk to your doctor.

First, drink a large glass of water. Then, if you are still hungry, eat something small but filling, like a banana or a handful of nuts.

Definitely, DEFINITELY see a doctor. It won't hurt you to go to a free clinic near you. Sounds a bit like when I was going through depression, but this could also be a serious physical illness. In any case, contact a medical professional.

Eating cold and wet foods normally helps me. These foods may include applesauce, fruits, plain salads, and possibly eggs.

Eating is a chore for many people, but the key is to view it as fuel rather than hunger satiation or pleasure. In this way, you can remind yourself that even if you don't feel hungry, your body chemistry will be sluggish and not optimal if you don't feed it the nutritious fuel it needs to function properly. Also, check your stress or anxiety levels -- not feeling hungry can be a reflection of overdoing things or worrying way too much. Finally, if you don't eat, you'll eventually get hungry.

Depending on your other symptoms, you might be constipated, have an allergy or intolerance or a stomach bug. It's best to go see a doctor or pharmacist. If possible, see whether there are any recurring patterns as to when you feel sick (for example, after dairy, possibly lactose intolerance.)

Think of your stomach like one of your muscles, only food is the "weight-lifting/protein" that determines how big it is. Eat lots of food and it will be big, eat less food and it will be small. A big stomach requires lots of food to feel full, a small stomach requires less. And you can control this: if you repeatedly only eat one apple a day, that's the size your stomach will adjust to and even adding or taking away just 1/4 of an apple will make you feel full or hungry. Make small changes over time and you can make your stomach bigger.

Try Advil or a spoon of honey to to suppress the pain. If that doesn't work, try to eat soft mushy foods like applesauce, pudding, or yogurt. If the pain continues for the more than a few days, consult your doctor.

Water is the best, but certain fruit juices, such as orange, may also help. Stay away from alcoholic or fizzy drinks. If you feel really sick, try sipping the water or juice, rather than gulping it.

See your doctor for advice. There could be an underlying issue.

Taking protein supplements can help stimulate your appetite and aid in weight gain. Incorporate weightlifting exercises if you really want to bulk up.

Try to eat something light, such as lightly buttered toast.

Eat a small snack and then re-evaluate. Sometimes when you begin eating, your appetite is stimulated and you find you're hungrier than you thought.

Have someone else decide what you'll eat. If you want, you can give that person a few options to choose from. Then just eat whatever is selected. Once you get some food in your mouth, you might be surprised at how hungry you are.

Try something like a banana. If you have a blender, mix up some fruits into a smoothie. I always have a banana and an avocado blended with apple juice in the mornings, which usually keeps me going for a while.

Eat small quantities of bland foods, like dry toast.

You may have a form of acid reflux that is irritating your esophagus and stomach. This won't necessarily feel painful, but it can result in the symptoms you've described. If you see a doctor, they will probably prescribe you some form of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Omeprazole, which should start to relieve symptoms within 2 or 3 days.

I had the same problem. It really helped me to go for a walk or watch TV or even just listen to music when I wanted to eat but wasn't really hungry. Another way to handle it is to figure out why you're depressed and tackle that.

This is most likely due to stress from another aspect of your life. It's important to understand that you need nutrition, and sometimes it helps to look at food as "fuel" rather than satiation or pleasure. I too would have "sleep for dinner," but learned how detrimental this was to my health. Drink lots of water to stimulate your hunger. Don't feel like you have to eat a big meal in order to fix the problem, you can work on it gradually by eating snacks here and there (preferably healthy ones). Keep practicing this and you will eventually adopt healthier eating habits.

Get into a relaxing position and try to distract yourself until the feeling subsides. If necessary, take some ginger tea or candy, peppermint tea, or apply heat to your abdomen to ease discomfort.

Set up a set time for when you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Schedule just one or two snacks in between to ensure that you have an appetite for your meals.

Sip on some water to fill your stomach until it feels better and you can eat.

Liquid calories are a lot easier to consume when food is making you nauseous. Try a smoothie or protein shake.

Try drinking water or Sprite. That always helps me. Try crackers or bread - something bland.

If you ate something small, it's possible that you just aren't full, so eat a little bit more and see if that helps. If not, then there could be something else going on. Sometimes, your appetite can increase because your diet doesn't have enough of the right nutrients. High stress, pregnancy, lack of sleep, and some medications may also increase it. Look at these elements to assess whether one of those is likely to be the cause. If not, you may need to see a doctor about it. Extreme or constant hunger or polyphagia can be a sign of numerous health issues, including diabetes, hypoglycemia, and hyperthyroidism.

Try to have a drink as sometimes you can mistake thirst for hunger. If this doesn't work, you should get some food.

Drink Gatorade because it will give you some of the electrolytes you've lost. It is also relatively easy to keep down. If that works, try some saltine crackers. If you're having this problem frequently, or it goes on for more than a few days, consult your doctor.

Address your lack of sleep, with a doctor if necessary. Definitely drink water in the morning (or something else, like juice or milk), and try bringing something easy to carry with you on your way to school, like a snack bar or a piece of fruit. Eating even just a very small quantity of food in the morning is still good and helpful. Also, most teachers/instructors will be very understanding if you have to eat during one of their classes. If all else fails, make sure you're at least getting enough food at the rest of your meals.

It could be a number of things. If you eat a lot of food that's not very nutritious (carbs, junk food, etc.), you're going to be a hungry again shortly after eating. But it could also be caused by a number of medical conditions, ranging from depression to diabetes to a tapeworm. It would be a good idea to discuss this with your doctor.

Try bland foods, like rice, lightly buttered toast, or saltines. If that goes well, try something like chicken noodle soup.