I live alone. Often (but not always) have limited appetite and rely quite a bit on planning rather than any physical prompts to eat.
This becomes a problem when I have down days and I barely get out of bed. The resulting dehydration and depletion of calories obviously does nothing to help my situation. (and the then of course i start a cycle of self blame).
Any top tips for dealing with these times?
So far, I've done a few things like ensuring i always have a supply of hard boiled eggs and chopped veg in the fridge, toasted seeds in the cupboard. I do cook up meals ready portioned in the freezer, but find that if i have no appetite, then i find even freezer to microwave to plate is too much effort.
I've also thought about making up jugs of water for bedside, but never seem to get that right.
I think I need a dating profile that mentions a need for someone to supply andadminister chicken soup! 😁
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Your phrase "This becomes a problem when I have down days and I barely get out of bed." would suggest that you need your thyroid hormones overhauled.
If you were on an optimum dose you should feel normal, i.e. no clinical symptoms and able to function as if you were in perfect health.
I do know that's easier to say than put into action if the doctor isn't treating you with an optimum dose.
'down days' would suggest to me that both your Free T4 and Free T3 may be too low which you should have checked. If GP wont test, maybe private test would be helpful. Follow the advice of the earliest blood draw - these are finger pin-prick and make sure you're well-hydrated a couple of days before so blood flows easily. A gap of 24 hours between last dose of levo and test and take aftewards.
Levo is T4 alone. It is supposed to convert into T3 and it is the Active Thyroid Hormone needed in our millions of T3 receptor cells, the brain and heart contain the most.
I’m vegetarian so ensure I have suitable supplements to top up any nutritional problems that may impact my health, & inject B12 despite high dietary intake. Lack of the B12 may be the cause if your issue with your appetite & fatigue. I knew something was seriously amiss when I didn’t want to eat & was exhausted if I poured a glass of water. Perhaps check through other posts & admin responses to ensure you have all the optimal cofactors that will help your meds work & help you feel better & more able to look after yourself. It only takes one missing nutrient or hormone to throw a spanner in our works. Also important to ensure you don’t take food, drinks, meds that cancel out or reduce others.
I have many bad days due to trauma & pain issues rather than hormone & nutritional deficiency though I’ve had to work on the latter to resolve “FM “ (rather low hormone & B12) symptoms.
I buy fruit which is instant snack food to take with iron for vitamin C, & more instant snack food as chia, linseeds, almonds, walnuts, & a few brazil’s. No effort involved aside from putting in snack pots. I do spend ten minutes a day keeping my kefir cultures happy which along with the above provides half to three quarters of my calories & protein intake as well as numerous other health benefits. In winter I cook only a few times a week & make 5-6l quantities of soups & stews with lentils or beans & lots if different veg that I eat with small quantities of whole grain seeded sourdough for amino acid combining. In summer, I eat huge salads, so again little effort to prepare. The only planning is ensuring I order food deliveries then shop for lighter fresh items.
Someone at pain club bought one of those soup gadgets that look like a kettle & said that’s easy to use, though my hand blender is also convenient. I use a water filter & take 1.5-2l to bed. Half for thyroid & supplement use, & half to use with pain meds for when I can’t get out of bed. I also keep a few emergency bottles of mineral water next to my bed for worst days. Other people I know keep a kettle in/near their bedrooms if they feel better for hot drinks.
I used to struggle a lot with this when I was stuck in bed. Now that I've got a bit more mobility, it's still a major issue. I now take my thyroid hormone in 3 doses, which means I am very restricted in when I can eat. Strangely that has made it a bit easier, because I always know I'm aiming for a specific time and it's non-negotiable.
Probably the biggest thing that's helped me deal with food I learned through CBT (which was a great help in getting into routines and managing very limited energy), and that is that preparing and eating food is the single biggest and most important task. When mobility and energy are very low that's just the only way to get it done, dealing with food before anything else. The first thing I think about in the morning is what I'm eating for my main meal, and sometimes I'm working on it even before breakfast! Its all too easy to leave it until the time you're supposed to eat and then just be at a loss!
I have a number of routines that work for me. In the day I will have a cooked breakfast, egg on toast with salad, exactly the same every day. Then I'll have something cooked/main meal at lunch, and if I'm up to it a snack of something picky in the evening. It means for breakfast I know what I'm getting every day, and all my focus and thought is on the main meal.
In the routine of the week, what works best for me is one large pot meal that lasts 4 or 5 days, and then the rest are simpler meals, like grilled meat with salad or veg from a bag. I don't have a freezer. Or maybe a family sizes pie eaten over 2 or 3 days - my life was made more difficult by trying to eat a bit healthier than that, but I go for the pie occassionally. I order all this for a weekly grocery delivery. Which also makes it very easy to plan the week out and edit the shopping list.
With water I have two metal bottles by my bed, and refill them whenever I'm able to across the day. Online shopping also makes it easy to order loads of plastic water bottles, which can be a big help, too.
Lack of appetite can be a big problem if the foods in front of you and you just don't want to eat it. I've had the problem for a long time of getting no pleasure from meals, that it's just a chore to both cook and eat. I've been 'lucky' enough that I get nausea quite quickly if I miss a meal, which makes me force it down no matter how bad. I've found a few things easier to eat, pre made mashed potato or light soups. When making big pot meals its convenient to eat smaller portions because what you've made stretched further. Also at times I have been reduced to getting only ready meals. The first time I eat my own cooking after that it tastes like ambrosia! Not that I'm a good cook, I'm a lot worse since being ill, I don't have the timing anymore Another thing I've often done is prioritise high calorie foods, cooking with a lot of oil, eating mainly meat, nuts, cream, full fat milk etc, because I'm only going to eat a small volume. Whole milk is a lifesaver when energy is lowest, I just have a pint glass instead of eating.
Quite literally food for thought. When I’m feeling rubbish, self care goes out of the window—and feeding yourself well is a fundamental self-care act, isn’t it?
Thanks for letting me know it was helpful I've thought a lot about it for myself, but not sure how personal this is to me.
I think self care is desperately important! In a way being ill has forced me to think more about it, as with good management and being very strict (desperately boring unfortunately!) I get a lot more out of the energy levels I've got. And the thing I find most motivating - feel less pain and discomfort.
Dealing with food is similar to dosing hormone, I think you have to mess around, try lots out, and slowly move towards what suits yourself best. x
Can you keep a kettle in the bedroom? Then you could have things like instant porridge with perhaps bananas, or instant soup with bread rolls? Individual portions of cheese and cake bars? Not always the best but would supply some calories. Perhaps plan ahead for bed time picnic days and have treat food to cheer you up as well as give calories. After Xmas some items will be on sale so invest in some goidies for yourself to keep upstairs. Take care and watch out for crumbs in bed ☺️
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Another thing I've often done is prioritise high calorie foods, cooking with a lot of oil, eating mainly meat, nuts, cream, full fat milk etc, because I'm only going to eat a small volume. Whole milk is a lifesaver when energy is lowest, I just have a pint glass instead of eating. 
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