Do you skip meals because of emetophobia?

[stopthissong]

I have on occasion skipped meals because I am worried but usually get hungry later and eat. Today I skipped breakfast and I think I am hungry but still scared to eat lunch.
What is your meal skipping like?

[canadianreject]

I don't skip meals, anymore. Unless I have no time to eat or I'm really actually feeling sick. I used to, though, when my phobia was bad. But in the end, not eating will just make you feel sick, so it's a vicious cycle.

You should be eating. Even if you WERE to get sick, I'd rather throw up food than dry heave. Trust me, it's much more pleasant!

[wargerbil]

I am not so good at "meal times." I eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full, even at uhh 5 am, which is why I'm awake now! (though, extenuating circumstances - I hadn't eaten since 6pm Thursday because I had a procedure yesterday and was sedated, and actually am still a little wonky from it, but my stomach finally woke up... at 4:45am).

[teh folder]

I used to.

[Rebecca85]

I eat little and often usually, getting too hungry can make me quite poorly (when I do eat I get indigestion so bad I can't stand or sit up straight). And being too full makes my reflux worse. So usually I have breakfast, elevenses, lunch, midafternoon snack, dinner, supper or pudding. If I'm not hungry or don't feel great then I won't eat, but it's not exactly skipping since I eat twice as often as most people! And when I say 'don't feel great' I mean not because I'm worried but because my guts are playing up.

[TheSweetThinker]

Back when my emetophobia first emerged...yes, I skipped meals very often and my mom & sister would practically have to force me to eat something! I was even suspected of having anorexia at one point...but seriously, when my phobia initially began, I felt nauseated all the time...and usually when one feels nauseated, one is not inclined to eat much!

But it got better over time, and I could eat normally again, though I did become a vegetarian (mainly to avoid food poisoning that's often associated with meat).

I don't think it does any good to skip meals regularly, though...you've got to keep your blood sugar up or else you may feel nauseous later on. If you're tempted to skip a meal, just try to resist ignoring your hunger and turn to some plain-tasting foods to eat instead (crackers, dry toast, fruit, etc), something that's easy on your stomach, especially if you're nervous.

[Cupcake x]

I wouldn't say that I skip meals because of the phobia, it's more because I feel too nauseated to eat anything.

[Vicky92]

I miss meals. I also have got into my head that if i eat after a certain time 6/7pm i will be ill in the night. This has only just started recently and im wondering if anybody else suffers from this? I rarely eat in the morning because this is when im at my worst. But i often am literally scared to eat.

[wargerbil]

So usually I have breakfast, elevenses, lunch, midafternoon snack, dinner, supper or pudding.

I just wanted to say I love that list of meals.

[Ikari]

My pain is the worst in the morning as well. So no, you are not alone. I don't think anybody on here is!

Normally, I cannot eat until after 11, and at school, where I eat around noon, I sometimes go without, feeling VERY hungry and weak later. It's not healthy at all, but neither is anything else about this condition. It's also why I can scarcely eat properly in public. Vacation is an obstacle when it comes to eating properly. I usually just sit outside and wait for the rest of my party to finish. I can't eat after 8 when I have to go to bed early (10 ish) because it's almost a guarantee that i'll regret it the next morning. During these summer nights though, i've had the luxury of being able to sleep in, and thus eat later. This is a very inconvenient time in my life, a time I may live with until I die. There is only hope that it will end.

[Harlequin]

I used to. I'd wait until my mother had left the kitchen, and then throw away the meal she had cooked for me - I'd feel incredibly guilty afterwards, but I couldn't bring myself to eat it. I also used to have, on a regular basis, bouts of anxiety nausea so extreme, I'd end up not eating for days. Bad times.

The phobia for me is probably the worst it has ever been - but skipping meals won't make a bit of difference; except for it making you more nauseous than you already are.

[aurora0917]

I have on occasion skipped meals because I am worried but usually get hungry later and eat. Today I skipped breakfast and I think I am hungry but still scared to eat lunch.
What is your meal skipping like?

I often skip meals if I have to be at work that day. I do this because the fullness of food in my stomach makes me nervous, and the sensations of digestion that people normally don't pay much attention to sets me off in nervous fits and makes me feel nauseous. I'd much rather have a panic attack and feel nauseous on an empty stomach than on a full one. The only problem is that the irregular eating patterns throughout the years have given me gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining due to erosion from stomach acid), which causes excruciating stomach pains randomly throughout the day.

[gumdropper1]

Yes, especially if it is getting late and I haven't eaten dinner. I worry about what could happen if there were a "crisis" in the middle of the night. I think I would be in better shape for such a crisis if I didn't eat a large meal close to bedtime. Doug

[JessalynV.]

The only time I skip meals is when I don't feel good, or when I know I'm going somewhere where eating may include being sick later, such as themeparks.

[Erica1649]

I used to try and skip meals if I knew somebody else around me got sick or had a bug or something in my house in fear of catching it and vomiting...other than that, no I don't skip meals because of emet.

[Strannik]

It started worse than it is now. Used to be that if I suspected anything amiss I'd go into full emet mode and try to eat nothing. But now I go "I'm defo not eating anything" and end up munching on something anyway.

Strannik

[tabster]

I once went a few months only eating 3 or 4 bites a day....and my mom FREAKED OUT and threatened to send me to a hospital/mental institution for anorexia. A few weeks later it suddenly got better and I could eat again. I think if you go too long without eating your stomach feels bad when you do try to eat cus it's not used to it.

[JaneGoodallFan]

when i got sick i didnt eat for a long time...just crackers. but if i dont eat i feel sick to so i eat.

[struggles]

I used to limit my food intake because of my emetophobia, but like you and everyone else I feel even more sick on an empty stomach, so I eat often and in small amounts.

[haylz113]

I have never skipped meals due to my phobia. I'm not scared that I will get sick from food. I never do. My main phobia is with other people vomiting.

[sunnyskies]

I was pretty much anorexic for about two months quite recently. I wasn't even eating one full meal a day and just tiny, mouse-size portions of things like apples, toast, bananas, crackers. A big splurge of a meal was chicken noodle soup, which I never would finish. All based from my stupid emet. Sigh.

So definitely been there! Now that I'm eating more (and not the greatest of food), I have felt pretty out of it. I'm pretty sure I had a gallbladder attack recently which was the worst pain I've ever had. So honestly, all of that "I'm not gonna eat." stuff was pretty unwise. I was weak and depressed and lost too much weight too fast. There were no benefits to any of it. Now I feel I am suffering even more consequences from it.

Not that I assume everyone will go to that extreme, but all that just to say, don't skip meals and don't eat like a bird. If you just eat well and are mindful of your habits, you will be fine and you will absolutely feel better than you do without eating. I would be overjoyed to feel the way I did before all of that happened and when I was eating normally.

[unaware27]

Yes. I never eat breakfast because I think it'll make me sick. And it honestly is just easier for me not to eat, sometimes I have to make myself eat.

[Jdpillow]

Luckily, No I have not skipped meals simply for fear it would get me sick. I have not eaten though because of anxiety pains I thought were real nausea. Fortunately, I still eat normally. I love food.

[pretendworld_]

I used to hardly eat due to an eating disorder (completely unrelated to emet) but if I skip meals now I feel faint, dizzy and n*. How I used to manage before I have no idea!

[JeremyEllison]

I don't eat lunch most days and breakfast is always small or nothing... I know how I feel when I'm protein/sugar deficient, and that way I feel almost better... actually, I do feel better, during the day, because when and if I start to get anxious and panicky I can identify another reason for feeling sick, then eat a piece of candy or a granola bar later and feel better. I guess I'd just rather already feel ill for a reason I can easily fix than imagine a feeling of ill and worry all day.

Fuck this...

[keffa]

All the time. If I know I'm going to be in a situation where I can't easily escape if I need to V* (public transport, lecture, doctor's appointment, friends/family's house......) then I don't eat.

I also LOVE feeling hungry because I know there is nothing in stomach to come up if I do V*. If I feel nauseous and start to panic, as soon as I feel my tummy rumble I start to feel much better.

Keffa

[struggles]

It's so much better to have breakfast because it really helps you throughout the day. That said, I know it's easier said than done. I think when you're not feeling too good having something like apple juice or even a glass of water in the morning makes a huge difference.

[katherines6]

i used to never ever eat breakfast or lunch.