Why do I always seem to have a large appetite?

[samsungxoxo]

Ever since hitting puberty (a couple days before my 12th birthday), I was already eating the same amount (or more) an adult man consumes, not of an average girl.

 

The first time I went to a buffet with my family (being just 12 then), I filled myself with 4 plates full of food, 3-2 soup plates and desserts while everyone couldn't eat anymore (not even my father or male cousin).

 

I know generally speaking a man would consume more in amounts but what is happening to me?

Why do I seem to be eating more then most people? More than the average male (even my now ex BF's male friend who's a big time eater was surprised)?

 

I do not gain weight (if I do, it's dissolved within 2 days) so this doesn't concerns me that much but is this some abnormality in my stomach/system?

[threebyfate]

The more you stretch your stomach, the more food it will want. Regardless of your current metabolic rate, the more you age, the less likely your body can metabolise that much food without obvious weight gain. I'd start working on cutting back food intake to more reasonable levels unless your body has some medical condition like hyperthyroidism. If so, get that looked into since it causes your body to rev like mad, hence literally lose years off your life.

[Els]

Honestly, it depends on your lifestyle. If your work and exercise dictates that you require as much calories for functioning as a man does, you will need that much food.

 

How much do you eat on a daily basis (excluding one-off events like the buffet), and what is your lifestyle like? Also, what sort of food do you eat?

 

Also, it is a myth that men CAN consume more food than a woman of equal size. Men's stomachs aren't any larger or more capable than a woman's. It's just that a man's basal metabolic rate is higher and men typically do more manual jobs, so usually a man's calorie requirement is higher.

 

Also, women are more prone to be watching their weight and it is socially taboo for a woman to eat very much, so that's why you usually see men eating more at buffets.

[samsungxoxo]

I don't even exercise at all, with the exception of sometimes dancing when the radio's volumn is loud and walking a few blocks to get to the bus stop (as I'm heading to work).

I like eating bread, all sorts of meats, rice, veggies, eggs, soup, deserts, etc..

[Els]

How much do you eat on a daily basis?

[sb129]

and how old are you? I used to be able to eat and eat without gaining weight. Unfortunately those days are long gone..

[Els]

Yeah, me too.. :/ The crazy metabolism sort of stopped when I was 20.

 

God I miss scarfing down huge bars of chocolate in one sitting when I was 14 and still weighing 105 lbs....

[samsungxoxo]

How much do you eat on a daily basis?

Lunch: It varies... sometimes it's as much as one whole plate fit for two people (double serving... a couple times it was triple) and accompanied with soup most of the times while other times it's just an average plate with soup.

 

For breakfast: 3 breads with either eggs, tuna or ham-n-cheese with either coffee or tea

Sometimes it's avocado (or tamales) with up to 5 breads and coffee

The amounts varies

 

Dinner: 2 sandwiches, a apple and coffee (or tea) or snacks/popcorn

[Hi.P.O'Crit]

My first thought was tapeworm.

[samsungxoxo]

and how old are you? I used to be able to eat and eat without gaining weight. Unfortunately those days are long gone..

I'm 23 years old (will be turning 24 on April).

[samsungxoxo]

My first thought was tapeworm.

If that were the case wouldn't I be itching for hours?

[Els]

Lunch: It varies... sometimes it's as much as one whole plate fit for two people (double serving... a couple times it was triple) and accompanied with soup most of the times while other times it's just an average plate with soup.

 

For breakfast: 3 breads with either eggs, tuna or ham-n-cheese with either coffee or tea

Sometimes it's avocado (or tamales) with up to 5 breads and coffee

The amounts varies

 

Dinner: 2 sandwiches, a apple and coffee (or tea) or snacks/popcorn

 

Eh, I dunno, I don't see that as a lot. Depends on what 'one whole plate fit for two people' is (pictures would be welcome ), lunch may be a little more than normal. Your dinner is a lot smaller than mine. Breakfast of 3 breads seems to be normal.

 

I'm 115 lbs and I probably eat as much as you on average, just with breakfast and supper reversed, as well as lunch and dinner. If I don't - if I eat only a large salad + sandwich for dinner, for example, I'll be hungry in 3-4 hours' time.

 

As long as your blood tests are all fine and you're not medically overweight, I wouldn't sweat it.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Elswyth

[sb129]

You don't seem to be eating much junk, like fast food, fried food, chocolate etc.

 

Nor do you seem to drink much alcohol or soda, which are empty calories.

[Els]

See, I just ate a large bowl of rice with chicken curry 5 hours ago and my stomach is beginning to growl.. :/

 

Incidentally, what constitutes 'hunger' to you? Describe the feeling.

[samsungxoxo]

Depends on what 'one whole plate fit for two people' is (pictures would be welcome )

It's a large oval plate of approximately 18 inches in length. Imagine if they serve you until there was very little room left. It hardly fits inside the microwave. They have the regular size plate fit for average serving but we don't use those too often (else I will get hungry the next hour). At night, I'm trying to keep it under control (unless there's a family reunion.. then I'll grab a whole plate and some snacks).

As long as your blood tests are all fine and you're not medically overweight, I wouldn't sweat it.

Thanks... that makes me feel better.

[Els]

NP. Also, I think most of us control the amount we eat - we don't eat til we feel full to bursting, because we want to control our weight.

 

I believe I could pack in as much as you if I wasn't worried about gaining weight.

[samsungxoxo]

You don't seem to be eating much junk, like fast food, fried food, chocolate etc.

 

Nor do you seem to drink much alcohol or soda, which are empty calories.

I can't eat chocolates because it makes me cough a lot. Certain things gives me allergies or a sore throat so I have to avoid them, though it does sucks.... I like them...

[samsungxoxo]

See, I just ate a large bowl of rice with chicken curry 5 hours ago and my stomach is beginning to growl.. :/

 

Incidentally, what constitutes 'hunger' to you? Describe the feeling.

The feeling of hunger to me is when your stomach starts growling like crazy and you eat fast.... then get it over with.

[Els]

Could possibly be oversecretion of gastric juices then.

 

I sometimes have that happen to me - I really don't feel like eating, but my stomach will bug me until I fill it.

 

I take ranitidine or antacids for it sometimes because if I listened to it, I'd be eating huge meals every 5 hours or small meals every 3 hours to satisfy it - and that would lead to some pretty bad weight gain. But in your case I really don't see a reason for concern if you can eat while maintaining your weight at a healthy range.

[threebyfate]

I dunno ladies. You both eat somewhere between 2 - 3 times what I eat in a day and I'm not starving myself. Overeating is just as unhealthy as undereating.

 

My height is 5'2.5" and weight is 103 lbs with a petite frame, so you can use this as a reference point.

[samsungxoxo]

I dunno ladies. You both eat somewhere between 2 - 3 times what I eat in a day and I'm not starving myself. Overeating is just as unhealthy as undereating.

 

My height is 5'2.5" and weight is 103 lbs with a petite frame, so you can use this as a reference point.

Mine is 5'7' and weight is around 140 Ibs. This isn't really tall (but within average rank... good, I wouldn't like being too tall either) but I don't think frame differences have anything to do with it. I guess some of us are just more hungrier than others.

 

I once saw on an eating contest, this petite (of about 5 ft and 100 Ibs) chinese woman beat a fat, large man when it came to who ate the most amount of cake.

Edited November 28, 2010 by samsungxoxo

[Els]

Thing is, if she is eating healthy food and not gaining weight I really don't see a problem with it. Would you rather she not eat when she is hungry? Different people's food requirements differ.

 

In my case, the choice is really simple - 1) eat regular but somewhat larger meals 2) medicate my gastric juices 3) get really bad gastric pains. (Yes I've done the H. pylori test, 2 separate doctors' conclusion is that I just oversecrete). I alternate between 1 and 2, while avoiding 3. Don't see any other option.

 

My weight is fine medically, right in the middle of the healthy range of BMI with average muscle/fat composition - could probably stand to lose a couple of lbs aesthetically, but that doesn't really bother me.

[threebyfate]

Mine is 5'7' and weight is around 140 Ibs. This isn't really tall but I don't think frame differences have anything to do with it. I guess some of us are just more hungrier than others.

No doubt there are metabolic differences but I also work out daily to some degree.

 

At your age, I was around 110, ate maybe 15% more but had more muscle mass due to hardcore athletics instead of the yoga, pilates and stairs I do now.

 

Just be careful that if you continue at this level of food consumption that even when your metabolism starts to slow down, you're going to want the same amount and type of food, which from the sounds of it, contains a very high level of carbs. Maybe it's time to consider working out regularly.

[threebyfate]

Thing is, if she is eating healthy food and not gaining weight I really don't see a problem with it. Would you rather she not eat when she is hungry? Different people's food requirements differ.

 

In my case, the choice is really simple - 1) eat regular but somewhat larger meals 2) medicate my gastric juices 3) get really bad gastric pains. (Yes I've done the H. pylori test, 2 separate doctors' conclusion is that I just oversecrete). I alternate between 1 and 2, while avoiding 3. Don't see any other option.

 

My weight is fine medically, right in the middle of the healthy range of BMI with average muscle/fat composition - could probably stand to lose a couple of lbs aesthetically, but that doesn't really bother me.

I'm suggesting this to you now, before your metabolic rate starts to slow down. The earlier you start a more healthy lifestyle, including working out, the easier the transition to metabolic slowdown will be. Otherwise, habitual overeating will come back to bite you in the arse when you hit your thirties and older, although as an Asian (?) it might not happen as quickly for you.

[Els]

TBF, again, I don't know how you came to diagnose me as a 'habitual overeater'. I eat what I do simply to prevent gastric pains, because I don't want to medicate myself all the time (and can't anyway, you're recommended to give ranitidine a rest every 2 weeks).

 

I agree re: working out. I currently am.

 

Incidentally, while I eat 'a lot', I take very little of the sweet but unfilling stuff that most college girls my age do. I almost never drink any sort of soft drinks, usually stick to unsweetened juices if I'm not taking water, take very little sweets/chocolates. I even take my tea black most times. So the calories I put in probably isn't much more than average.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Elswyth