Lately I've been very depressed and have lost my appetite. I've lost 7 pounds in the last two weeks. I don't really know whether it's not wanting to cook, not wanting to eat, or a combination of the two. Anyways, does anyone have any low effort, nutritionally sound ideas to help perk up my appetite?
Sorry for the downer of a topic. FYI, I am in the process of getting professional help for this.
Thanks in advance for your help!
As a Baltimorean, I was excited to see this article. As a Baltimorean sans car, I was very, very disappointed. Essex is not Baltimore! Argh!
That said, anyone know of a really excellent pizza place in Balto proper, preferably one that delivers? I'm quite fond of Pizza Boli's, but I'm sure there has to be something better out there...
Anyone who watches (ok-sob- *watched*) The Wire wondering when General Mills will come out with a Honey Nut Cheerio edition? Omar coming indeed!
I'd just like to thank all of you for your kind words and advice. It's nice to know that there are people out there who care enough to help a complete stranger, in such a personal way.
Lilly- Thanks for the comment. I'm investigating some other area places, including one or two Baltimore-proper.
The next one i'll be reporting on is Iggie's: http://www.iggiespizza.com/
I've yet to go, but hopefully will make it out there sometime. Shoot me an email if you would be interested in joining me on the adventure.
pgiven@gmail.com
-PG
I was driving the other day and mocked someone wearing a tony the tiger hoodie. It looked ridiculous.
Lily,
Like so many others, I just wanted to wish you well and to let you know there are people who care and who understand what you are going through. I also suffer from depression and my advice is to try to do the complete opposite of whatever your inner voice is telling you to do. It took me a very long time to understand that the very thing I thought was making me feel better was actually making me more sick. At those darker moments, my instinct was to sleep, not eat, not get dressed, hide from the world and I thought that was "protecting" me, when in fact, it was doing the opposite. The simple act of getting showered, dressed, leaving the house (even if it's only for a walk) will usually change that chemical make up in your brain. Helping others and reaching out was my key to getting better. You will also be helping others by reaching out. It does wonders on both sides and I really want to cheer for you for reaching out to us here. It's a hard thing to do, but you did it and if you follow this way of thinking, you will get past this.
I also agree with trying to cook, even if you don't want to eat it at first. Make it simple and perhaps the act itself will start your appetite to perk up.
Also, try to do one thing a day that makes you happy. It doesn't have to be a big thing (my treat was to go to a book store and browse as long as I wanted to!) but treat yourself with kindness and keep reaching out.
I wish you all the best and hope this passes for you soon.
As a food-lover (and manic depressive) - I understand that it kills that not only are you in a terrible place but the things that could bring you joy like the flavor of a fine wine or the twangy sweet/sour of Thai food - simply do not taste like anything. It's like the sense is dulled to the point of not existing. Forcing yourself to eat doesn't matter when you literally cannot taste anything. Yes, you need to eat, but the loss of taste is deeper than making yourself go and cook.
You will cycle out of this, though. Go get professional help.
When I'm depressed, I eat like a pig. Nothing's safe from me. That said, total emotional devastation is another story entirely. I can barely get down an apple a day.
In one of MFK Fisher's books (can't remember which one), she wrote about how much she loved oranges, peeled and sectioned, and having sat out a bit on her windowsill in the sun so that the membrane over the sections developed a real bite when you bit into it. The way the juice burst in your mouth. She way she wrote about it made me want one so much, done just like her, sitting on the windowsill to rest. And that's what I did. And I had another, then another, and then moved on to real food. It's pretty amazing what such a bright clean flavor can do for you. @renzata, MFK Fisher was a great call. Anyhoo, that's pretty much my goto to food when I plumb major emotional depths. It's my kick-start and has, thus far, always worked for me.
Lilly, take care of yourself. I know that there are times that it feels as though the effort of eating just isn't worth it, but you honestly, really, truly will feel better if you do.
Lily, I wanted to add my good wishes to everybody else's. My mother had a stroke a few years ago, and while things weren't going well, I fell into a depression and loss of appetite like yours where I lost a great deal of weight (and was already thin to begin with). I made myself comforting foods like soup, that were easy to eat but nourishing with lots of veggies, and would add easy proteins like eggs or tofu. My best to you. :hugs:
I have a suggestion that might sound odd but that has helped me in the past. Others have recommended eating whatever food is the simplest--consuming things that are nutritionally dense and also very low-effort. And there has been a suggestion that you get some new cookbooks and really get into cooking again. Here's my thought: depression often takes away not only appetite, but also curiosity. Why not teach yourself an entirely new-to-you cuisine? For instance, do you like Vietnamese food but don't know how to prepare it yourself? Learn. This kind of experiment could help both mentally and physically!
Everyone is offering such good advice. Good luck from someone who's been there - and I've always found that citrusy things helped a lot (eating the fruit, drinking the juice, or even dishes or salads that have a lot of citrus in them). Maybe the rays of sunshine come through in the fruit!
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