Not hungry, must eat. HELP!

[Lily]

Hello!

I'm ADD, only taking Ritalin right now. I'm down to 100lbs from 130lbs and HAFTA HAFTA EAT.

I don't have much appetite, and often forget to eat, or remember but don't bother. At work I force myself to invite people to lunch so that I'm required to eat something. Another friend invites me to her house several times a week and feeds me. I'm really fortunate and grateful to have support!

BUT! In the morning, or weekends or weeknights when I'm on my own. I can't find the appetite or energy to cook ANYTHING. (or, y'know, I go shopping, spend 2 hours in the supermarket, buy all this stuff, come home and leave it on the kitchen table for a few days until it spoils...)

What do people keep on hand to feed themselves with?

1. Ensure (nutritional drink) is only available with a prescription, and comes in gross tin cans in barely palatable vanilla, grody strawberry, and downright disgusting coffee flavors.

2. They have neato squeeze-packs of jello-type supplements for people on the go, but the sugar content sends me thru the roof!

3. Cereal...instant noodles...frozen fruit/juice for a smoothie maybe. Dubious nutritional value tho.

Any good-for-you standbys that I can keep for emergencies? I'm up to my ears in recipies, but not motivated enough to use them. HELP.

[pacanuck]

hmmmm trying to remember what I ate in Japan as I never cooked either...

I ate loads of bananas...and those fruit smoothie drinks.  I had a toaster oven and popped stuff like mac and cheese with corn (everything has corn in it, desu ne) which wasn't bad.  I would give anything for a real aisan pear.  The ones as big as a grapefruit.  Here they are pathetic, and not to mention $$$.

Is there anything 1/2 way healthy and prepackaged?  Can you take it to work and have a bite of it every few hours?  Or a frozen meal and eat 1/2 now, and 1/2 later on so it's not so daunting. I don't have much of an appetite either - plus I can't eat gluten..so I buy a bag of gluten free ginger snaps bickies and bring about 5 to school with me (I teach pre-school) (they are only small....I mean both the cookies, and well, yes..the kids too) and when I actually think I might feel a bit hungry I have one.  This I do more for the fact that it keeps me from getting wicked cluster migraines at 2 am.

I hope this was helpful.  If I can think of anything else, I will.  I used to love those rice ball rolls from Circle K - seaweed, rice, and tuna in the middle.  Come to think of it..that's a pretty complete meal right there.

ittadakimasu.

[Catnapper]

Can't say I forget to eat, but I definitely go through major lazy spells and am single so no one will complain about what's cooked or not.

I notice that I especially need protein or my brain shuts off - toast and cereal in the morning don't work!  The things I keep on hand that require no preparation and will keep for ages are yogurt (can also be left on the counter overnight without spoiling, oops!); sliced lunch/deli meat like ham or turkey, often have sell-by dates two months in the future, sometimes eat from the package, sometimes make into a sandwich; cheese, also will keep - I eat it just plain or with crackers; apples stay fresh a long time, too, can eat as slices if you're appetite's down.  I also have small cans of fruit packed in juice on hand - I like pineapple and pears.

I keep some o.k. microwave dinners in the freezer that I buy when they're (often) on sale.  I like Stouffer's mac & cheese, lasagna, Calif. Pizza Kitchen pizzas, some mixed veggies that you can nuke one serving from the bag.  You can easily add a salad from the store, either ready made, or some of the bags of salad mix will keep a week or two and dressing lasts a long time in the fridge.   

I buy good small dinner rolls like sourdough or something and put them in a heavier ziploc bag in the freezer.  Then if I want I a big sandwich I take out two and heat them up in the oven, or only one if I'm not very hungry.  Only takes about five or seven minutes at 400 degrees.  I rarely buy sliced bread because I never get through a loaf and don't have much luck freezing it.  I also do bagels this way, although I slice bagels before freezing so I can toast insides.

Easy to cook are scrambled eggs w/cheese and a roll from your freezer stash; or heat up a taco shell or tortilla, open a can of refried beans and heat beans in microwave, finish off with some grated cheese.

And since it's summer, get some good tomatoes and slice one up and eat it, or have my favorite of corn on the cob, except forget boiling water and all that crap.  Pull the husk down but don't remove, pull off all the silk, cover back up with husk, wrap in a paper towel and microwave.  Start at about five minutes, may take up to seven, and will be really hot! so be be careful.  If it's good corn, I don't put any seasoning on it at all, just eat it plain.   

I keep lots of sandwich size and quart size ziploc baggies on hand and freeze most things that don't get eaten right away, including restaurant leftovers, or the rest of a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store that I've cut into single servings.  On the rare occasions when I do cook I make a lot (like spaghetti), and then freeze leftovers in single servings.  If you have company, just take more out of the freezer.  It's also nice to get a permanant marker to date stuff as you put it away - don't want to get sick! 

Now I'm hungry and am going to see what I've got stashed away!

[Catnapper]

Hi Lily -

It's me again - I just looked more closely at your info and noticed you're from Japan.  If you're from Japan and living in the U.S., my earlier suggestions might be useful, but if you're currently located in Japan, then I suspect my suggestions will be meaningless as the contents of a Japanese supermarket aren't going to be like the ones here!

I meant well!

[syncope]

If I lived in japan, I would get a prescription for Ensure ASAP.

One trick that I would use to keep from starving to death while on Ritalin would be the meal with colleagues as you mentioned, then I would eat 'dinner' as soon as work ended, because by the time I would get home the Ritalin would have worn off and I would be too tired, too disorganized, or both to eat. So I'd stop at some restaurant and get the blandest food I could find (Ritalin caused 'taste perversion', meaning everything tasted awful except sugary things) and use the energy I had left over from lunch to get the food down the windpipe (maybe 'eating' isn't quite the word ).

I don't cook, used to keep those noodles that you pour boiling water into around. Dubious nutrition, but the task was undemanding enough. Also, peanut butter is an alternative; good source of protein and doesn't even have to go back in the refrigerator.

I had a meal with colleagues today, then as soon as I got home stuck a vegeterian dish, microwaveable, into the microwave and ate it while the stim (Provigil) was still sufficiently in my system to do something purposeful. The food is about one step up, from a gustatory point of view, as vanilla Ensure, but may be a little easier on my stomach. Besides, I've got to save that bottle for dinner.

[Miss Loon]

You need a prescription for Ensure? What's that about? Are they afraid that the general populace will suddenly discover a massive Ensure addiction? Crazed people fighting over the last pack of Ensure in the supermarket, like parents fighting over the last Tickle Me Elmo in the toy store before Christmas?

Okay, yes, get a prescription for the stupid Ensure.

For those in the states, I find Boost to be much better than Ensure. Tastes better, comes in plastic bottles so they don't taste like tin, and they have a high protein line. (I wonder if they have protein drinks in Japan? I used to drink the Odwalla protein juice things, but 2 a day at $3 a pop killed my budget.) My naturopath claims that the protein source in Boost is more easily digestible.

I second the yogurt suggestion. I like those Yoplait Whips things. Normally I eat organic everything, and I well know that those Yoplait things are 98% sugar, 2% yogurt with a whole bunch of air, but they're easy to eat when you don't feel like eating.

I eat a lot of couscous because it's so easy. I like to mix it (still warm) with salad greens, parmasean, and vinegrette. I know that sounds weird, but the warmth wilts the greens just a touch to make them easier to eat. (And you don't have to pay $13 for a wilted arugula salad, like I did once in some schmancy New York restaurant where the waiter made more money than any of the guests.)

Avocados are also my friends when I'm trying to gain weight.

[reddog]

peanut butter and bananas?

boiled eggs? 

those are my quick foods.  smoothies take 2 darn long.

[AirMarshall]

- Dinty Moore stew

- Mrs Fearnow's Brunswick stew, a garden in a can with chicken chunks  (if you live in VA, Md or NC).

- Ben and Jerry's, great ice cream, bad politics

A.M.

[Fiona]

When I've had trouble eating I've resorted to various kinds of protein shakes. I buy the powder that I mix with milk myself, and some of the brands/flavors are actually quite good.

The other thing I've used is SlimFast. The nutritional and calorie content of SlimFast is the SAME as Ensure -- the difference is that Ensure is a smaller amount of liquid (since the SlimFast is intended to fill you up). SlimFast has no appetite suppressors in it. I imagine other 'diet' shakes would be the same -- their goal is to deliver nutrition in a package, and since they're supposed to replace a meal they do have a fair number of calories. (Note, this is all based on my experience in the US.)

And, when all else fails I fall back on things like toast and ice cream -- even I can usually manage that.

Fiona

[wifezilla]

Those Snickers Marathon bars...high in protein...good for when you are running around like and idiot. Cheese sticks, sunflower seeds, baby carrots, a bag of grapes...anything that can be grabbed easily and isn't full of chemicals.

[CirclesOfConfusion]

Hmmmm, I've lived in Japan too (recently 2 years in Fukuoka) so I'm trying to remember what was available that might help you a bit..... 

Fiona's suggestion about the Slimfast got me thinking.  Do you have friends or family in the US or Canada that can mail you Slimfast or Ovaltine (the powdered kind) you can mix with milk or blend with crushed ice and milk?  A few flavors of that stuff were palatable for me.  And Japanese grocery stores mostly only have whole milk so getting protein and calories from drinking the stuff is easy.  If you need something NOW, how about Nestle's Milo drink mix stufff?  Or even easier, the vending machine variety of Milo?  I'm pretty sure that's available everywhere in Japan.

I tried those jello-vitamin pouch things too.  Agreed about the sugar content thing!  They made me really thirsty too!

Do you like tofu?  Stores where I lived sold little single-serve squares of super-soft tofu in little plastic dishes with peel-off plastic covers.  They usually came in 3-packs.  Good for quick eats.  All you need is a spoon and a tiny packet of shoyu!

Pretty soon they'll be switching the vending machines to hot drinks for winter..... have you tried that hot canned corn soup (or "corn potage" as they like to call it!  hehe) or the canned zenzai (the sweet azuki beans and mochi balls)?  I thought they were not bad for something easy that comes out of a can.  And the serving size is small so its not an overwhelming amount of food.

Hmmm..... still thinking. 

Let me know if any of this is on track or if I need to consider other issues before suggesting more stuff!  I'm gonna sleep on it and maybe new ideas might come to me tomorrow.

Good luck!

[pressmama]

Sometimes the only thing that tastes right to me is certain brands of energy bars.  Clif organic bars in cookies n cream and raisin oatmeal walnut.  Also KIND bars in the date and walnut.  Good old toast always tastes good to me too.  When depakote ruined my stomach for a while I lived on toast with either butter, honey or no sugar added strawberry jam.  Dried fruits are good too--raisins, apricots, whatever.  Nice and shelf stable.  I also cook, portion and freeze ground beef when it's on sale and keep it to add quickly to things or even eat alone with quick cook rice or something.

[Sunshine]

I have the same problem, only I'm on Adderall and live in the U.S.

I find that when my appetite is at it's lowest point, that I can still drink my calories. Milk shakes are one of my stand-bys. With added protein powder. A lot of fat and sugar, though. I'll sometimes use frozen yogurt instead, but it doesn't taste as good.

Snapple has protein/vitamin drinks in the U.S. that taste pretty good. They are more like a fruit juice - not dairy or soy-based like ensure and some of the others.

Here's a thread or two on the "Weight Issues" board that deals with weight loss/loss of appetite issues that might be useful:

http://www.crazyboards.org/index.php?showtopic=3189

[Lily]

You guys are wonderful! Thanks sooooo much!

My Yahoo modem passed away recently so can't check mail at home, but am now at a dodgy internet cafe somewhere in Tokyo, trying to ignore the odd noises coming from the gentleman in the booth next door.

Excellent ideas, all of them. Rice balls here have gotten better lately, and of course tofu and canned soup from the vending machines are options too. And peanut butter, bananas etc. are all available here. I think I just forgot about all of the feed-myself options out there. So I'll print out this list and carry it around.

COC, I was juuuust in Fukuoka last week, and had awesome seafood.

They've also rounded out the milk selection here--all kinds of skim/lo-fat/high-fat/low-temperature pasteurization (who woulda thought there'd be a market fer that eh?)

Fiona, didn't know that about SlimFast. I wonder if it comes in powder form?

Sunshine, thanks for that link.

Thanks again, everyone!

[Guest luli2545]

Oh I love this thread. Thanks, all! (I live in U.S., so this is probably not helpful for living in Japan!)

I have trouble opening Boost plastics due to the foil seal... so if I'm in a hurry I do the extra strength Ensure...(one type has more protein) since I can just pull off the foil tab from the can top.

Remember "Instant Breakfast"? Mixed with whatever milk or kefir or yoghurty stuff...I think it has less protein & more sugar than boost or ensure, but as a supplement it's ok...and fast.

Soytein is a powder that I used to mix half with water and half orange juice... good protein & vitamins and minerals too....

I like the ideas of making up stuff and freezing (labeling too) single portions...

Thanks for the tips..

Luli

[Niz]

I have the same problems. I'm rarely ever hungry and just don't feel like making anything when I am. Ensure does help a lot... but prescription? I buy Ensure at the local supermarket! Is there some sort of extra-strength Ensure you can get through prescription? Because if there's not, then my supermarket must be selling it illegially. Heh.

[StrungOutOnLife]

I have the same problems. I'm rarely ever hungry and just don't feel like making anything when I am. Ensure does help a lot... but prescription? I buy Ensure at the local supermarket! Is there some sort of extra-strength Ensure you can get through prescription? Because if there's not, then my supermarket must be selling it illegially. Heh.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's available by prescription in Japan.

By the way, where did you get that avatar?

[Niz]

It's available by prescription in Japan.

By the way, where did you get that avatar?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah I see! *feels dumb* As for my avatar, I screencapped it from this comic here.

[StrungOutOnLife]

It's available by prescription in Japan.

By the way, where did you get that avatar?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah I see! *feels dumb* As for my avatar, I screencapped it from this comic here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's not dumb. Dumb is pouring out all the supernatant (stuff that the barium phosphate precipated out of and where the stuff that ) because you wanted everything nice and clean by the time lab was over, leaving me with no way of telling which one was the limiting reagent. Meaning that I can barely do most of my post-lab.

I really hate my life.

[InfoNut]

I was a major meth freak for a while. Talk about not wanting to eat!

When I absolutely couldn't eat anything else, I could eat cereal and milk.

Sugary, but not SUGARY if you know what i mean.

I could sit down and get through a whole big bowl while surfing.