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Runner experiencing loss of appetite/ interest in food as well as severe stomach problems

By LouLouG77061 | 3 posts, last post
Angelica Giron, MD answered this Are You Sick Or Stressed Out?
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LouLouG77061

I'm a runner, I run 6 days a week with a long run every Saturday, over the past two weeks I have been experiencing an intense loss of appetite despite the fact that I am upping my milage and pushing myself on my runs. I am really getting sick of it now because I know I need to eat to fuel my runs but even stuff I would have craved 2 weeks ago tastes like cardboard and I find myself forcing food down and its definately not enough food, my jeans feel looser and I don't feel able or excited for my runs anymore. I also had a really horrible experience recently I after running 12 miles on Saturday I felt amazing but about an hour and a half later I was doubled over with extreme stomach pain while in town, I don't think I have ever felt so sick in my life, I felt so weak and had to sit on the side of the street to cope with the pain and nausea, it was so awlful and when I eventually made my way home all I could do was lay on the sofa for a few hours, I felt so weak and so miserable...

Is there anyone else out there experiencing these problems and does anyone have any idea how I can get my appetite back???

Guest

It's really impossible to say what could be causing your loss of appetite. It could range anywhere from an infection to nutritional deficiency to medications you may be taking to psycological to cancer (highly unlikely, BTW).

My advice would be to see your doctor and have a complete blood workup. That would be the best place to start. In the mean time, try different foods and try and find something you can tolerate. It may not be what you should be eating with respect to your current level of activity, but it may jump start your appetite and start you eating regularly again.
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ada marie309292

Stomach pain can be due to ulcer. Not eating adequately can increase acid in your stomach. Loss of appepite has lots of causes. Have a visit with your GP for a comprehensive health evaluation. 

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Guest

I am an ultra distance runner. The the longer i run, the less appetite i have. There are a couple of hormones that are produced when running. One of them is peptide yy which suppresses appetite. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21927572/
I am not an expert on the chemistry on this, and so you will have to do your on research. However, here is what i experience. If i run a mile, i am famished by evening. 6 miles, and i feel hungry. 10 miles and i feel moderately hunger. 20 miles, i have no appetite. If i run 30 miles in one day, i have no appetite for 5 days. If i keep running 90 miles a week or more, i have a complete loss of appetite. I have to force myself to eat. As a matter of fact, it is so difficult for me to eat, that i get a headache. I eat lots of non-fat yogurt and chicken breast to get protein in order to rebuild muscle. I eat as much pasta as i can for the runs. I burn about 700 calories per hour and so 175 grams of complex carbohydrates for every hour i plan to run is more than enough.

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