Appetite cycles NOT related to menstrual cycles?
Does anyone here feel like they go through appetite cycles?
I've never been very good at eating the right amount. I tend to go through periods of time (months to maybe even a year at a time) where I eat too much and then switch back to periods of time where I'm not eating enough because I have little appetite - and because when I do get hungry, often nothing appeals to me, and when I try to eat in that situation I have to force myself to get it down. And while this is good for seeing the numbers on the scale go down, it's not good for maintaining muscle, nor is it good for keeping the number down.
Anyway, I think I know most of the ways to cope with having a small appetite, like eating calorie- and nutrient-dense foods when I do eat, but I'm just so curious to know if anyone else experiences any kinds of cycles like this. If you do, do you just go with it, or do you try to keep a normal diet despite what your appetite is telling you? Have you been able to figure out what's behind these cycles?
I should maybe add that while this is definitely not a healthy pattern, it does not - by any means - reach the threshold of an eating disorder. Maybe most important to push that point home is that I do not consciously try to restrict my food. I just lack appetite.
