Ok I have been officially veg since November 24. I had not eaten meat since sometime in late October or early November though.

My problem that is not a real big problem yet is that I have lost interest in food. I just eat a banana or a slice of bread so my stomach is not upset. I am overweight so I am not in danger of starving to death and the resulting weight loss is great.

Has anyone else experienced this? This is the first time in my life I have not been interested in eating (hence my weight problem). Did it get better? I would love to hear others experiences.

Yeahp. I filled up on rice with broccoli mixed in, it's reeeealy good.

My problem that is not a real big problem yet is that I have lost interest in food. is.

Weight or not, this IS a real problem and you are doing your weight-loss attempts no good by starving yourself.

You need to give your body the fuel it needs to run properly or else other health problems will start to develop that are worse than the weight issue.

Please try and increase the amount of food and the nutrients you get before you make yourself very sick.

Thanks Tofu honestly for your concern but this is really NOT about losing weight. I came to terms with the fact that I am a curvy size 16 woman long ago. At the rate this is going I will be a 14 soon though.

I should also mention that I took 4 semesters of nutrition in college. I am totally aware of my body's basic caloric and nutrient needs. My BMI is over 30 so I am overweight and need to lose weight. My basal meto need is 1625 cal per day. I am not meeting that right now and I know it. However my recommended weight loss caloric need is 1350. I am barely meeting that right now.

I am looking for people who experienced the same thing. Did your appetite come back? What did you do to bring it back? Right now I am not experiencing headaches or fatigue. Basically I am just not hungry.

I'm confused. Are you "not hungry" (no feeling of emptiness in stomach) or are you "not interested in food"?

I lose interest in food when depressed.

I've had periods where I lose interest in food, and it becomes a chore to make and eat food. It usually passes within a week or so though. I usually try to combat it by looking for a couple new recipes to try out, just to shake things up a bit.

Overall though, I've never been MORE interested in food than I have been since I went veg. :)

Overall though, I've never been MORE interested in food than I have been since I went veg. :)
Me too. Being veg has been a grand culinary adventure for the first 10 months so far. I've gained 5 pounds. :surprised

My problem that is not a real big problem yet is that I have lost interest in food. I just eat a banana or a slice of bread so my stomach is not upset. I am overweight so I am not in danger of starving to death and the resulting weight loss is great.

Are you depressed? That can cause a loss of interest in food.
You need to eat.

The "resulting weight loss" from starvation (yes, you are starving yourself) is short-term only. What's going to happen is that your body is going to drop some weight and go into starvation mode. Your metabolism will drop, and your body will cling to calories for survival. Then when you go to "normal" eating habits again, you're going to put on weight because your body is going to hang on to those calories.

If you've truly lost an interest in food, you should see a doctor about it - there may be a physiological or psychological reason for it if it's lasting more than a week or so. If you're not eating because you want to lose weight, that's a problem from multiple angles.

BTW, I lost 60 pounds after going vegetarian, and it was actually a result of eating MORE food. Instead of eating taco bell, mozzarella sticks, potato chips, french fries, soda, etc, I learned to make healthy choices and exercise more. 4 years later, the weight is still off. You can be a vegetarian, lose weight, and not starve yourself.

I periodically lose interest in food, but never for more than a few days or a week at most. Eating small meals and drinking a lot of your calories can help but if you can't fix it yourself I would see a Dr.

I lose interest in food when depressed.
Me too. :( It is the worst feeling.

I went for three solid months without wanting food or being hungry (as a side effect of chemotherapy). My solution was to treat eating as part of my responsibility for taking care of myself. I calculated what I needed and when and ate that, want it or no. Having a good nutrition background, you know how to supply what you really need; and since you're not worried about weight loss one way or the other you don't have to press yourself past the 1400 or so calories. If I were you I'd just take care of necessities and not worry about it.

i ditto was the Bios said, and also wonder if you have a nutrient deficiency.. as odd as it sounds there are a few vital nutrients that help regulate appetite and if you are deficient in them you have no appetite..

try consuming some extra zinc, magnesium..

add ice cream to your diet :-D

Weight or not, this IS a real problem and you are doing your weight-loss attempts no good by starving yourself.

You need to give your body the fuel it needs to run properly or else other health problems will start to develop that are worse than the weight issue.

Please try and increase the amount of food and the nutrients you get before you make yourself very sick.


i agree

It was a bit of an adjustment for me when I went vegan, after being vegetarian for 18 months. It wasn't so much a lack of interest in food as it was not knowing what/how to cook/eat. Once I learned the proper foods to prepare it became easier and the 1/2-1 pound weight loss per week has leveled off. I think it was due to the fact that I no longer can grab the donut, candy bar, etc. that I used to whenever I felt like it. Now my snacks are nutritious. It just takes more planning on my part. Hopefully you will see an increase in your interest for food once you really get into the diet and learn the proper way of eating. There is hope. Good luck.

Yeahp. I filled up on rice with broccoli mixed in, it's reeeealy good.

Me too! haha that is too funny.

I've had alot of "eating" issues, just check back for some of my threads I posted some time ago. I got alot of great advice here and it has helped alot.
If at any time of the day you get bored, chop up some veggies and put them in a ziplock bag..you'll be more likely to grab it when it is just sitting there waiting for you ( which is why chips/candy/donuts) are a problem for alot of people because convience makes a huge factor. Also remember foods you use to love eating before becoming veg. Like if you loved pizza, make a veg pizza by using your own pizza dough and adding sauce with veggies on top. If you have a pizza place near you that makes stuffed pizza have them stuff it with sauce and veggies and more sauce on top, IT IS DELICIOUS!
One of the major problems I had was I was never hungry anymore but once I got on a routine eating sched I became hungry at those times and wanted to eat,

I am overweight so I am not in danger of starving to death and the resulting weight loss is great.


You can still suffer from health problems caused by not eating, even if you are overweight. I know a girl who was very heavy, and tried to lose weight by not eating. She lost quite a bit of weight, but she wound up in hospital with some serious ulcers and other health problems. She was also diagnosed with an eating disorder. All of this and she was still overweight.

I went through this same kind of "no appetite" thing when I was around 20 or 21 (I'd been veg for a couple years), where food seemed like a filthy intrusion into my system. All I wanted was water or crackers or coffee. Strange, I know, but it was totally unexplainable. I just felt better when I didn't eat. This went on for months. I'd eat tiny bits of food a few times a day, but felt very aware and alive, even though I wasn't getting much nourishment. I had a very good friend at the time who went through the same thing with me. We both sort of gave up food for months and felt the same way about food being intrusive to our system.

It eventually faded, and I stuck to eating "clean" foods, like stir frys, and simple things like spaghetti, and no "filthy" packaged foods. Now, I bike to work and have to eat every 2 hours, because I'm very hungry all the time. (I'm now 35)

At 20, I wasn't a curvy size 16, so I didn't have much extra stored up, but somehow I functioned totally fine with not eating much. I suppose it was one of those early 20's things that people get when they're first out of the house and on their own. How old are you, Arlina1?

Arlina1, I don't think you need to worry about it. It's probably just an adjustment thing with the newish veggie lifestyle. As long as you're eating something good for you, even in small bits, you'll get your appetite back sometime. Your stomach needs to work on digesting something, even little bits. I know I'm speaking from a point of view where I think it's totally fine to not really eat for months, but you need to listen to your own body, and it'll say 'feed me' when the time's right. I say "don't sweat it".

Actually, rapid weight loss is something to be concerned about. It can be a symptom of a thyroid disorder, and other more serious conditions. ...It's not always a good thing.

I became initially interested in Veggie food because I found myself "not hungry" for traditional fare. Veggie recipe's lower calorie options make it palatable/desirable even when I don't feel like eating much. I find there are Vegan friendly foods that I don't have to worry about overeating.

Greens are usually pretty safe. (Collard Greens, Beet tops, Brussel Sprouts) These have enough fiber, and low enough Glucose Index to be safe to consume even when not very hungry. (This is useful to maintain regular meal times with.) Anything reasonable bitter vegetable is safe. (Cellery, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Watercress, Dandelion leaves) ...Cabbage in particular is very good. I find light cole-slaws to be eatable, even when I'm not very hungry at all.

Dressing up these type of greens with vinegar and/or lemon juice will further decrease the rate at which their limited sugar is absorbed. With this combination you are less likely to over-energize on calories.

You're body may not be hungry because it equates eating with a low-fiber, high-calorie diet that it is rejecting. I would try lighter diet options, for important nutritional value, as well as safe eating enjoyment.