Korean Job Discussion Forums

[philinkorea]

always been a bit underweight and am keen to put some on. The thing is I never seem to have an appetite. I dont particularly look forward to eating and often feel quite detached and bored when I eat. Im sure this situation just isnt healthy. It isnt just Korean food its any food. i just seem to eat enough just to get by.

I have a split schedule which i guess could take its toll a bit but i know its more than that. Ive been away from my country except a 3 month gap for over 2 and a half years now. while away in oz i spoke to a counsellor and worked through a lot of issues. I think perhaps it could be psychosomatic but im not sure. i wondered if any kind of medication was maybe available.

[cheeky monkey]

i don't know if this will be of any help at all, but...

my brother went through a very similar situation. very underweight his whole life, couldn't be troubled by eating, very bored with it, etc. He found somewhat of a solution in carrying healthy, high-calorie snacks that he enjoyed with him all day long, and just munching on it whenever he thought about it. for him, this meant carrying around little energy bar-type dealies, but i'm sure that granola bars, trail mix, or any kind of nuts/dried fruit et cetera would work. it was important for him that there be no preparation involved; i think, if you can, you need to figure out what you can do to get yourself to eat. oh, when he lived in japan i remember he carried around "calorie mate;" i don't know if you like it, but i think you can get it here as "calorie balance." really high in vits and minerals, not bad taste, either. i bring them hiking.

good luck with it, i hope you don't get too many "count you're blessings, at least you're not fat" comments on this board; if you do just ignore them, the grass is always greener...

[peppermint]

[itaewonguy]

emmm well maybe get alot of snacks and just eat them while you are home.. chips, biscuits what ever.. watching movies.. drink beer..
etc.. thats a way..

[the eye]

[Paji eh Wong]

Excercise.

[philinkorea]

deleted

[sparkx]

[the eye]

Sparx....
while what you say is true for muscle development, sleep deprivation also has different effects on one's APPETITE, which the OP is concerned about.

the following is not the only article i found.


http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1102377968039_34?hub=Health

[sparkx]

Interesting articles but I wonder to what degree body classification was taken into account for these studies.

It's a fact that the majority of Americans are endomorphic (they gain weight very easily). The OP is without question ectomorphic, in that gaining weight is nearly impossible for him.

From teenager to early 20's I was no doubt ectomorphic (i'd say i'm now mesomorphic -- I neither gain nor loose weight easily) with an incredibly high metabolism. If I were to eat constantly throughout the day (ie. snacking in between meals) and depriving myself of sleep (which I did throughout university) I would, without fail, loose weight. It was only when I ate 3 large meals (dinner just before bed) and slept well at night when I would actually gain weight.

If we're talking strickly about stimulating appetite, then yes I agree, for someone with an ectomorphic body type, sleep deprivation may very well result i more food being consumed. I think, however, that the OP is talking about stimulating his appetite as a means to an end (the end being weight gain).

All i know is that from personal experience, depriving yourself of sleep and binge eating only serves to increase your metabolism while making it that much more difficult pack on the pounds (this from someone who used to be grossly underweight).

[the eye]

another, safer method....

ACCUPUNCTURE!

[philinkorea]

[JAMZ]

you should try exercising more too... burning energy quickly and getting your metabolism going should increase how frequently you're hungry.