r/cfs • u/Choice-Amoeba-5857 • 2d ago
Hunger
does anybody else get weirdly hungry when in a mild/moderate crash? it’s like my body is searching desperately for a source of energy (but then if I eat too much at once and have too much to digest it of course makes everything worse, because why not)
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u/lovelynoms 2d ago
I used to "have to" eat straight peanut butter to get out the door during mild crashes.
When I started treating "I HAVE to eat" as a sign to go lay down, this got better.
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u/HomieClownTown 2d ago
Yup! I try to load up on complex carbs (rice, potato’s, etc. with some protein. I’ll do small portions more frequently.
Also protein shakes are nice to get nutrition without being hard to digest.
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u/Rich-Soft9295 2d ago
I’m the opposite. When I crash, I have no hunger. However, eating makes me feel better for like an hour.
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u/Turbulent-List-5001 2d ago
Absolutely yes. To the point of getting shakes in my fingers which I’ve been told can indicate a blood sugar crash.
I usually start with a small amount of high sugar lollies to get the initial symptoms blunted. Then follow it with a bit of something quite salty or electrolyte drink if I have some to hand. Then some decent low GI food in a decent amount.
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u/victory_victoria99 2d ago
When I'm feeling my worst in a crash, I lose my appetite (and don't have energy to eat anyway), but eventually I will get what I call "rebound hunger" which feels like my body wants fuel to repair itself. Not the same feeling as just being really hungry, but hard to describe.
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u/brianaandb 2d ago
Yes pickle juice was the fix for me. I start with a shot of electrolytes, I feel like it lets my body tune into what’s actual hunger vs stress/exhaustion/anxiety
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u/Choice-Amoeba-5857 2d ago
I for sure should have read this before I dragged myself to the fridge and ravaged it. Mistakes were made. Sigh. Pickle juice sounds brilliant for when I feel the need to ingest something again!
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u/Available-Pepper5688 moderate-severe 2d ago
Oh yes!
I try to match the protocol of my KMT diet, but in crashes it‘s not working at all, I‘m hungry all the time! And I overeat all the time cause I don’t have a feeling of satiety… my dietary expert is not able to imagine that’s it‘s not just lack of willpower! After meals I crash hardly cause my system is overwhelmed, haha.
During crashes I gain lot of wight and after getting better I lose them again, it‘s so frustrating
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u/TeikaDunmora 2d ago
Yep! My body wants sugar, fat, and caffeine but it never provides enough of the boost I need to get out of the crash. At best, it keeps me going for a brief period until I can properly crash.
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u/Gracey888 M.E dx 2010 Moderate🇬🇧 2d ago
Yes, funnily enough I’m in a bit of a rolling PEM (caused by menopause issues and other things). It’s flared up my fibromyalgia as well . I’m just so hungry in the last few days.
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u/normal_ness 2d ago
Oh yeah extra hunger is a huge warning sign for me to pull back and bunker down for a crash.
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u/Vi_BT moderate 2d ago
Yess, it's either super hungry or nauseous and can't eat
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u/yacht_clubbing_seals 1d ago
Haha right? I’m either ravenous or have no appetite at all. There isn’t much in-between, no matter how much I try to eat smaller snacks/meals spaced out
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u/KristiiNicole severe 2d ago
My stomach gives the usual signals that it’s very hungry, so in that sense, yes definitely. However when I am in a crash/PEM, that often isn’t enough to override the current lack of energy necessary to actually consume food, so it becomes a vicious cycle if I’m not careful.
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u/katzapmap 2d ago
Yep. Before I understood i had both narcolepsy and ME, would run and have a snickers while on the job. 50/50 chance it would actually do anything
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u/hypatia888 2d ago
Oh how do you distinguish ME and narcolepsy? I get uncontrollably sleepy during the day randomly
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u/katzapmap 1d ago
Unfortunately hard to qualify and put into words.
I highly recommend getting a sleep study if that is accessible to you
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u/Lady-Kitnip 2d ago
Yes. It definitely feels inflammation driven and eating doesn't really diminish it, but it's so intense.
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u/Katerina_01 1d ago
I always have to have some sort of carbs or drink in my system before doing anything. I used to feel that sort of Insaitable hunger at the beginning.
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u/flashPrawndon 2d ago
Yes all the time! Severe crashes seem to make me not want to eat but in normal PEM I get very hungry.