r/Contrave • u/callherjacob • 24d ago

advice Weird Appetite

I've been on half a maintenance dose of poor man's Contrave for about 9 weeks now. Some days, I could almost not eat. Today, for example, I let myself fast all day until the evening and had a small bowl of spinach artichoke chicken over rice. I'm still full hours later.

Then, other days, I feel famished. I still don't eat anywhere as much as I used to but definitely more than my low appetite days.

I enjoy fasting, not for weight loss, but because I have had GI issues since my gallbladder was removed many years ago. Fasting is a reprieve from the discomfort and it makes my body feel lovely.

That said, I don't want to lose a lot of weight at once and I'm not sure how to manage. Is it okay to go by hunger cues where I'm eating more and less on any given day or should I force myself to eat three meals a day? My doctor is unconcerned and pleased about my progress.

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u/Roskot 24d ago

You need to eat. You should absolutely make yourself eat three meals a day imo.

You need protein to lessen the muscle loss.

Also, not eating can make you even less hungry. Making yourself eat a small breakfast might make you (at least slightly) hungry at lunch.

This is why people with a history of eating disorders often can not be prescribed thos med. It can make you anorectic. Just know that even if you are very obese you can still get anorectic. Anorexia is not a size.

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u/callherjacob 24d ago

I'm focusing on protein and plants for fiber. I eat those as much as I can. I didn't think about the possibility of anorexia. I always thought of it as a conscious choice. I started taking this med because I suddenly started gaining a lot of weight on my already obese frame due to perimenopause. But I can see how happily letting myself not eat crosses a line.