A decrease in your appetite can lead to unintentional weight loss. Not feeling like eating can have one of several physical or emotional causes, and it may pass on its own or require medical treatment, depending on its duration and intensity. Any marked and persistent reduction in your normal appetite or any unexplained weight loss of more than 10 lbs. should be evaluated by your doctor.
Physical Causes
A decreased appetite can stem from a passing, mild illness or something more serious. The benign common cold can make foods taste different, causing you to be less hungry than usual. Any illness causing a fever can also reduce your appetite, as can gastrointestinal upset that might occur with a virus. In these cases, your appetite should return once you are feeling better. Serious illnesses that might cause a reduction in appetite or unintended weight loss include cancer, HIV, liver disease and kidney failure. You may feel less hungry and may lose weight during the first three months of pregnancy, or it may be a side effect from a medication that you are taking. Sometimes dental problems might make it painful to eat and may cause weight loss.
Other Causes
Sometimes emotional problems can cause you to not want to eat. Depression, anxiety and stress can make you feel as though the last thing you want to do is eat. Grief commonly causes a lack of appetite. You might simply be very busy and have a tendency to skip meals, which may cause you to lose weight without noticing the reason. You may also be less hungry and lose weight if you are exercising more than usual.
Home Treatment
If you are forgetting to eat, make a concentrated effort to eat regular meals and snacks. If emotional distress is causing you to skip meals and lose weight, try to eat small portions of food throughout the day. Focus on eating healthy foods that contain protein. Appetite reduction caused by a cold or fever should pass on its own within a few days; in the meantime, sip chicken broth, make yogurt smoothies or try other foods that are soothing to a sore throat and easy to get down.
Medical Treatment
A decreased appetite that lasts more than a few days may indicate a more serious medical problem. Your doctor can evaluate you for diseases that may cause weight loss by performing blood tests and a physical examination. In some cases, you may need intravenous nutrition. If you are on any medications that might cause weight loss or a lack of appetite, tell your doctor, but do not stop taking any prescribed medications without medical supervision. See a dentist if oral pain is causing you to not want to eat.
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