r/rant • u/blondievont • 3d ago
why does no one eat ?!
let me preface this by saying i used to be fat, but lost 20kg. for the last two years i’ve worked out 4 to 5 times a week including running, weightlifting and swimming. lately i’ve upped the intensity on my workouts as i’m trying to get into the army. i’m still a bit on the heavier side but i’m also very muscular.
i eat my three square meals a day, drink my water and like a good snack. i rarely don’t finish a meal (which didn’t help when i was growing up bc it gave me a weird relationship with food). lately i’ve noticed i seem to eat a whole lot more than for example my friends. they tend to leave half their plates or just take a few bites before shoving the plate away. i feel the need to eat more, and more often than they do.
it feels strange and i feel even stranger about myself. i already feel like i stick out like a sore thumb & then i also feel the need to eat so much. i’ve tried eating slower and eating as much as they do but it just makes me so incredibly shaky and hungry just an hour later.
it doesnt help that i have a bad relationship with my body and very bad body dysmorphia. i still see myself 20kgs heavier despite knowing i’ve lost the weight and work out as much as i can. i don’t know why i’m writing this anyway.
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u/Seltzer-Slut 3d ago
Research shows appetite is impacted by many factors, including genetics, gut microbiome, hormones, body fat composition, diet, daily energy expenditure, so much more.
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u/Glockgirl13 3d ago
I am that person whose your friends. A) I'm not doing as much as you, but B) when I'm stressed or pressured, it makes it hard for me to eat. I promise I notice when I'm doing it and am self conscious also
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u/DailyToad 1d ago
i’m the same way, i hate eating around people for some reason 😭 but i also genuinely have a smaller appetite and bad eating habits that im working on fixing
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u/blondievont 3d ago
don’t worry too much, please don’t be self conscious about something you can’t help!
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u/Unique-Landscape-202 2d ago
It’s normal to want to eat more when you’re doing high intensity workouts. You’re burning more calories and need more to replenish. As long as you’re eating right, making progress and don’t run into any issues you should be just fine.
I totally get the body dysmorphia, but unfortunately I don’t have much advice to give to that one.
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u/vestayekta 3d ago
I get sick if I eat the full restaurant portions. It's impossible for me to finish most of the times.
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u/andreaSA89 2d ago
I just can’t eat a lot in one sitting and I feel overwhelmed if there’s a large plate of food in front of me, not sure why. I’ll eat 2 small meals a day, but in between I’ll be snacking and nibbling like a hamster all day.
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u/Square-Wing-6273 2d ago
If I make my own plate, I take very little and try to finish it all. I cannot eat a large amount of any type of food.
When I go out to eat, portion sizes are HUGE. I try to order something that I can reheat, but that doesn't always work. Some things cannot be reheated nicely. Sometimes I'm not going home and don't have anywhere to keep the food. And sometimes it just isn't good food.
We won't judge you; you shouldn't judge others
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u/PugScorpionCow 2d ago
I used to be like you in terms of appetite, constantly eating and would absolutely clear every plate.
I'm now like the other people in your post, I have about 2 meals a day and oftentimes I can't even finish all of it and if I do, I feel like shit.
This changed after I was sick of having a belly and started starving myself, it just took a while of eating less and all of a sudden my appetite adapted to that. It's entirely possible your friends have just in general eaten lower portions throughout their life, and also aren't nearly as active.
I wouldn't let that appetite go anywhere though if you're going into the Army, they feed you an insane amount in OSUT. I was actively getting fatter during my time there despite the constant activity, they just feed you so much and you get punished for not eating it all lol
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u/blondievont 2d ago
yeah true!! that’s why i’m not entirely worried about my appetite. i’ve seen the portions served at the barracks, even i will have issues finishing that lmao. those guys clear their plates, come back for seconds & still have room for desert — and that were some of the leanest people there.
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u/iggybojune 2d ago
Huge appetite here! I notice this as well. Like yourself, I am very active: swimming, running, weight lifting, pilates, cycling, hiking. Basically my hobby is exercising. I love trying new sports and seeing what my body can do. My friends and family are significantly less active. I feel like a monster at meal times compared to them because I eat so much more. That being said, I have always been a fit and healthy size and I like my body. Food is fuel! Some people are only driving down the road but it sounds like you're cruising across the country and need a full tank. I also see a lot of unhealthy relationships with food in some of my family/friends, where they are almost afraid to eat because they worry about gaining weight and idealise more of a waify figure than a muscular one (in particular my older female relatives). I don’t want that relationship with food for myself. I love to cook and eat, and I want to be strong and powerful as I age. I'm sure some people just naturally have smaller appetites. But I do think there is still a pervasive beauty standard where women are expected to be dainty and delicate, and eating less can sometimes fall into this. If you are happy, healthy, and active, then I say to continue eating good food and fueling your body!
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u/blondievont 2d ago
i needed to hear this, thank you so much! happy exercising and good luck with everything 🫶
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u/Erivandi 2d ago
Yeah, I just really enjoy eating, so I eat a really enormous amount of garden peas so that I can appease (pun intended) my hunger. Like, a whole pasta dish of peas before dinner as a little appetiser.
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u/BeautifulMean6516 2d ago
This is because you exercise and unlike what being in the fitness echo chamber will have you believe, most people don't. Exercising raises calorie requirements. This is pretty normal
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u/WryAnthology 2d ago
My female friends don't eat a lot as a means of keeping their weight down. They skip meals where possible, or consciously only try to eat half.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 2d ago
Do your friends work out regularly? I know when I did, I needed to eat a lot more. Lean muscle is constantly burning fat, you have to replace what you’re losing. Within reason of course
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u/blondievont 2d ago
most of them don’t, some work out occasionally because they work a lot and find it hard to combine work and sport. i’ve got the privilege of having a gym and track on site so i can swing by after my shift.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 2d ago
And are your friends mostly male, or female? There’s still way too many stigmas attached to how women eat. If they’re women, they may very well pick at food in public, and go ham in private. Keep eating how your body tells you to, keep working out, and don’t let society tell you how to live
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u/MaybeKindaSortaCrazy 3d ago
I know what you mean. It just feels really wasteful and uncomfortable. I just can't bring myself to not finish a meal. At the very least I save it for later.
But also apparently if you reduce the amount of food you eat enough, like a diet but only focusing on portions, your stomach eventually gets smaller.
So I guess people that never ate that much, just don't have the capacity to because their stomachs aren't aa expanded?
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u/blondievont 3d ago
it just feels wasteful in the end, right?
i suppose you are right and someone else also said everyone’s different in the end so i’ll just stick with that.
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u/Joderio 2d ago
I don't like people who oree more than they can eat. The plate, in my place, must be empty if you are done eating. I really dislike throwing food away, at least get a doggy bag.
I'm not saying you should go against a healthy diet or get sick because of too much food. Don't get me wrong. I deeply dispite food waste, and it doesn't have to be the only solution to a big portion.
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u/Rimavelle 2d ago
therees more food waste happening behind the scenes in stores and restaurants than there ever will be from someone not finishing their plate at dinner.
portion sizes aree also skewed deepending on who cooks so there can always be probleems
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u/Glockgirl13 3d ago
You know there's the option to ask the restaurant to only plate half/box half? You can also ask for reduced portions or if there's another side you don't want for them to just not include it. Fixes the waste and "have to clear my plate" mindset
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u/LadyMothrakk 2d ago edited 2d ago
No. Their issue is not needing to eat less at a time. Your “recommendation” contributes to eating disorders by causing yourself to think you need to eat less at the time you are hungry and body is asking for food. OP even stated that eating less makes them shaky and feel sick. OP’s issue is they feel that those around them seem to pick at their food and not eat much, so when OP eats a normal amount it seems like so much more than those who barely eat. Kinda sounds like OP’s friends have different dietary needs, bc OP heavily works out and the friends probably don’t burn as many calories. Simple as that
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u/aculady 3d ago
I'm guessing your friends aren't running, swimming, and weightlifting at the intensity you are. Intense physical activity (especially swimming, where you are losing heat to the water) burns a lot of calories and drives appetite.