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I am a 20 year old girl and extremely athletic. I have had a noticeably large appetite since 1st or 2nd grade, years before I took athletics seriously. These days I am hungry for 6000-7000 calories a day when training. On an off day my appetite is about the same, if I go two days off I will start to eat less going down to about 4500 calories. I have talked to sports nutritionists about this and they think it is very unusual. One tells my he has never known another athlete who is hungry for that many calories but some male athletes do force themselves to eat that much. I have been checked by two doctors one in high school and one in college. Neither found any problem with me or an explanation.
The only explanation I have been given was just an unusually fast metabolism or maybe that I really eat more than I need even though I manage to burn it off.
I want to find out what is going on. I don't really feel like anything is wrong with me but my appetite does seem abnormal and is sometimes even embarrassing - as when I stay with friends and seem to be trying to eat them out of house and home. All attempts to eat less have failed. When I eat less than my appetite dictates I eventually wind up ravenously hungry. I would like to know how common this is and what I can do about it. Athletics is part of it, but even as a child people thought my appetite was unusual, even though I was just eating what felt natural to me. (link)
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That is odd, but you've been checked out several times and nothing is wrong, physically. As long as your weight is healthy, the only problem here is embarrassment. I can totally understand that you feel embarrassed by how much you eat, sometimes. But you are going to have to learn to accept this about yourself. Just like your race or a disability or a birthmark, this is something you can't change. It is a part of you, so you have nothing to be ashamed of. People will ask questions and make comments. Its just going to be that way. But when they do, simply say you have an abnormal metabolism and leave it at that. Don't apologize or feel stupid. Look at it as informing people about a medical issue. I think once people get it, they'll accept it as normal. Learn to laugh at yourself too. A good sense of humor is the cure for a lot of heartache. As far as staying with friends, perhaps you can do something like bring extra groceries or offer to pay for the take out. Again, if people ask why, explain you have a weird metabolism that keeps you hungry pretty much all the time. People will find it strange at first, it is pretty strange. But then they'll accept it as a part of who you are and move on. And probably be totally jealous too! Don't apologize for this, or try to change it. As long as you're healthy, what's to feel bad about? As you say, you just do what comes naturally. How can doing what feels natural for your body be a bad thing? Stop punishing yourself and learn to love the way you're made. It may be different, but its also special. And special is always a good thing. Good luck.
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Rating: 5
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I think you gave me very good advice. You really took the time to read the question and understand my concerns. Thank-you
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