Last night, I got re-familiarized with the fetal position, which is a little difficult to do when you have a laptop on top of you as well.
It isn’t often I get stomachaches, but last night as I was eating dinner (a tofu scramble and sautéed vegetables), I felt a horrible stomachache on the horizon. I kept eating because I was absolutely famished, which was probably the best choice because I needed to eat. Then as I was washing the dishes, I actually stood over the counter bent over because I couldn’t stand up straight due to my stomach hurting so badly. The Husband took over the the dishwashing (read: Husband of the Year Award) and I retreated to my bed where I laid there until I could move again.
As I lay in my bed, clutching my stomach, I thought about what the heck could have possibly made my stomach hurt so bad.
I looked back to the past two days and realized that was where the problem lied.
On Saturday, I was really busy. When people have those “oh my gosh I was so busy I didn’t even have time to eat” days, I usually laugh at them because I cannot fathom not eating. However, low and behold, I ate breakfast, and then didn’t have time do eat again until dinner. I ran, I grocery shopped, I took my sister for a pedicure, I met my cousin’s new baby, and I went to a party that I didn’t have anything to eat at. I snacked here and there, but I didn’t eat enough — which I obviously do NOT advise you to do. When I finally got a box of the salad bar/hot bar from Whole Foods, I practically scarfed that sucker down in 2 minutes flat — which the husband really appreciated since he claimed it “reeked” (salad… really?) and insisted on driving down the highway with the windows open. It was a blast.
On Sunday, I ate a big breakfast, went to church, and then we headed up to my brother in law’s for a family party that started at two. I ate a snack on the way, but figured we were eating a late lunch. We didn’t get the memo that we weren’t eating until… five o’clock. Uhhhh, this was not good for a girl who had limited food choices available to her. Again, major food fail on my part. At this point yesterday, I was getting angry at myself for not planning ahead enough to bring enough food for myself to eat throughout the day.
So when today came around, you can only imagine I was famished. I wanted to eat everything and anything that was in my sight (and I did), but I couldn’t eat enough to make myself full enough for dinner, which is when, of course, I got hungry again. When things like this happen (which is not often), I usually get a bad stomachache if my eating habits are out of whack from the few days before.
Did I knowingly and purposefully eat too little over the weekend? Absolutely not — so please don’t pull a fast one on me and lecture me about how I need to eat more. This was an oversight on my part, and I am definitely paying for it now. Even big girls like me who have had been dealing with food intolerances for a few years make mistakes and don’t plan thoroughly enough.
The moral of the story? I need to bring a cooler along with me at all times just in case I am caught in another situation like this.
Okay, maybe not — but I definitely need to start planning ahead a little better and bringing more snacks in my purse to hold me over until the next meal time.
Until then, regularly scheduled eating is ensuing. I don’t want to make that mistake again!
Question: Have you ever been caught in a situation where you were hungry but didn’t have time or anything to eat?
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh yes, I have been stuck in those moments before, I always keep things in my purse like bars or fruit, if I know Im heading out for a crazy day and maybe not able to find something to eat
I hope you are feeling better love : )
Happy Tuesday! xoxo
I’ve stocked my purse up for the future!
This happens to me too! If I wait too long in between meals (even with a snack), I can almost guarantee that I’ll get the terrible fetal-position-inducing stomach ache. I think busy-ness and stress only enhance the knife-jabbing pains too! I feel ya sister, I feel ya
And yes- most of time times it happens because I forget to bring something GF with me to nibble on 
Oh man, sorry about the tummy ache, Chels!
You know, I’ve actually noticed that I start to get stomach pains and more gassy when I start getting hungry later in the day, like for dinner. It sounds like it might be similar to what you were experiencing? So you think the stomach pain (at least that you were experiencing) was due to a slowing metabolism? That’s interesting!
I have no idea - I kind of just made that one up through my thought process haha! I should probably change that because I really don’t have any idea. It might have just been the kind of stomachache you were discussing. Editing away!
omg chels this was EXACTLY how i was last night except i had a HUGE HEADACHE because of running around and not eating. i def agree i need to bring/pack snacks in my car/bag/purse anywhere to keep myself from having it ever again, or in your case a bad tummy ache. hope you’re feeling better!
Awww hope you’re feeling better now! When I’m in my normal routine, it is VERY busy, so snack bars are my life! I never leave the house without food in my purse now or I’d end up eating my own arm!
I hope you’re feeling better! It is very rare that I let myself forget to eat or get too busy to eat, but it has happened once or twice. I get nauseated and come down with a headache when I haven’t eaten and generally feel miserable. I always carry food in my purse to avoid getting to that level of discomfort. And if I feel really bad, I’ll tell my host or hostess, co-worker, husband, whoever that I need to eat something because I don’t feel well (even if it is something small just to hold me over until the real meal comes).
That’s a good idea - usually I feel bad and don’t want to “inconvenience” the person who I am with. However, I know if someone was feeling uncomfortable/not well if they were at my house, I would definitely want them to speak up so I could make them feel better!
Stomach aches suck! I hate them. I have inflamed intestines, which I take medicine for if I know I’ll be super stressed, so I know how you feel. I get stomach pains sometimes too when I don’t eat for a while, then eat I big meal, so I’ve learned to eat small meals throughout the day. Hope you’re feeling better, Chel!
Oh gosh - I get so many stomachaches when I am stressed out. Luckily I have kind of put the kabosh on stress lately, so those haven’t been happening too often!
I have those moments sometimes at school or work when your hungry, but forgot food or just do not have time to eat! Its very frustrating! Sorry about your tummy troubles! Hope you feel better today
Weekends always tend to throw me off. I can plan as much as I want, but that really means very little. There’s just so much going on!
That’s actually never happened to me LOL! When I need to eat I drop everything and make sure I get some food in me…..I cannot deal with hunger for too long. Its my least favorite feeling ever so I make sure I find food.
I’ve had so many days like this! There are some days at school that I am so ridiculously busy that I don’t realize I haven’t eaten until I’m sitting in class and my stomach is growling. I always carry at least a granola bar or some almonds with me everywhere I go now - just in case!
I do my best to always pack so I don’t end up in this situation. It’s not a pretty sight when I get hungry and there’s no food around! I haven’t ever had the type of stomachache you’re talking about, I tend to get headaches and tired when I don’t get food.
I hope you’re feeling better now!
This is sounding eerily familiar. It’s happened to me once, and I had no clue what it was other than that my only solution was to set up a peanut butter jar > spoon > mouth party line until I felt like a functioning human being. So, you know, thank you for letting me know what the eff that was and how to (hopefully) avoid it in the future-because, as you know, not fun.
I’ve had times when I’ve RUN OUT of the stash I keep in my purse. With my job, sometimes it’s required to work through lunch because we’re busybusybusy. I know the feeling and I hate it
hope you’re feeling alright again!
ive learned to always pack and be prepared because my blood sugar drops and i get cranky/bad headaches/shaky if i don’t eat every few hours. gotta love genetics, my dad is the same way. so sorry you had to deal with this, live and learn right? at least now you know how to prevent it
feel better girl!
I hate being in the situation where you know you need food but there is nothing available. I don’t really have any intolerances so if worse comes to worse I will eat whatever if I have to only because if I don’t eat, I get shaky and dizzy. I assume it’s a low blood sugar thing but if I let myself get to that point I will have a pounding headache the rest of the day, even after I eat. So, I try to not let it get to that point. My coworkers joke with me and call my purse a “food satchel” b/c I always have something in there for emergencies!
I’m sorry that you got sick
Stomachaches are no fun to deal with. I’ve definitely learned the hard way to make sure that I always have food with me. If I go too long without eating, my blood sugar drops and I get really cranky/tired/confused/lightheaded. And if I accidentally undereat for a few days, my digestion is thrown way off, my appetite gets shot, and I deal with some pretty uncomfortable stomach problems. These days you’ll never find me out without some kind of food in my purse.
I feel like I have the same ‘back up bar’ in my purse for months and feel silly carrying the thing at all times but then when I need it most, BAM it’s not there. I get caught in those situations a lot but I try to have something in my purse, car, or desk at all times!
Wishing you a better night tonight!
Aww I”m so sorry you had such tummy troubles! I can definitely relate to sudden stomach pain that literally makes you double over. For me it’s not for lack of eating, it’s usually because I ate something I know doesn’t agree with me: too much dairy, peanut oil, some meats, etc.
Hope you’re feelin’ better!
I am the same way. If I don’t stick to a regular eating schedule, I get stomach aches, nausea, head aches, and CRANKY. My family and boyfriend joke about it all the time, but for me it is serious!
I can’t function at all unless I’m fuelled up! I find the best thing is to keep baggies of nuts and raisins in my handbag - they won’t get squashed, aren’t messy and stay good for a long time.
And gluten-free
I get really light headed, dizzy, and sometimes get a headache when I haven’t had anything to eat. I’m soooo crabby when I haven’t eaten in the last 4 hours. I’m a constant snacker so I have to have something in my purse to eat on the go. I hope you’re feeling better!
I hope you’re feeling better! When this happens to me (often, forgetting to bring food to classes and stuff) I just can’t think straight. I can’t focus on anything but where I’m going to get good and what it will be - and people around me notice it! Then I have a tendency to binge eat, which is what I’m working on not doing. I used to make sure to eat 3 square meals, but I get hungry again way too fast for that. Part of my plan this year is to always pack food for the whole day, to avoid going hunger-crazy
I seriously don’t know how people can go extended periods of time between meals and survive. Luckily, I’m not shy about saying “I’m hungry!” and almost always have a snack in my purse. I know that fetal position stomach pain for sure. I once went to a movie and realized during the opening credits that I was STARVING. By the time the movie was over and I had dinner the damage had already been done and I was in such pain all.night.long. Lesson learned!
ugh, yes i have been there! I just changed my work schedule from full to part time and i dont get a lunch break anymore but i come in at 11 so im not going to eat lunch at 10:30… anyhow it took me a few days and then i just started packing pb&j sandwiches which has really helped - i was hurtin for a while there!
This usually only happens to me when I don’t jace a set plan for my day and is more likely to happen when I’m not working. But like you, I usually am good at always eating (I, like you, am a snacker)
Sorry to hear about the tummy problems!! I’ve definitely been there - nursing makes me so super hungry, sometimes I feel lightheaded if I don’t eat every two or three hours. I typically have a protein bar or almonds and apples in my car.
Ugh yes I’ve totally been there! I find that even if I eat a meal just a few hours late I get taken over by intense hunger. Whenever that happens I get super cranky, lightheaded and weak. And then I overeat when I finally DO get food and I feel off for the rest of the day. I try to have food in my purse to avoid this, but sometimes I forget!
OMG! YES! So many times have I been caught in that type of situation! Sometimes I feel as though people try to challenge me by not putting ANY vegetarian foods on the menu! haha
Of course! We all do! Haha and it usually has to do with other people! I’m an eat every few hours kind of girl, which is why I can never understand why other people can go all day without eating (and not care)! Sometimes I’ve gotten to the point where I have to tell someone I need to stop and eat something NOW because I’m getting dizzy from hunger!
Sorry about your stomachache! It may sound like a joke about bringing a cooler, but I do just that! I have about 4 different sizes and I always make sure to pack something if I know I am going to be away from home for 4 hours or more. If I don’t eat it when I’m out then I have lunch or dinner already made for that day or the next. It’s a win-win.
Ugh! That is the worst! That happens to me a lot at my job. I am in the office half of the time and we go to appointments with vendors for the other half. Sometimes I am in situations where I don’t have a snack and they don’t offer food, or the only food they offer is cookies and candy. Also, not everyone I work with works out a lot or runs long distances where you need to make sure you eat enough each day, so it’s not as big of a deal to them.
Ah, that’s awful!! I get so grumpy when I don’t get enough to eat, but luckily I don’t get stomachaches. I’m slowly learning that I need to be better prepared for these situations!
glad you figured out WHAT was causing it. getting them and not knowing WHY is the worst. That would be the story of my food allergies for the first two decades of my life!
This rarely happens to me…but I understand how you’re feeling! I hate getting to the point where you’re so hungry that nothing even sounds good anymore! Eating too fast has led to stomach aches for me, but it’s hard not to scarf down food when you’re famished!
Ouch, sorry to hear about your stomache. I don’t understand how people can skip meals either. I’ve learned to always carry something with me or plan ahead just for those situations. I had that happen a while back and ate and ate, I was so hungry and cranky.
Aw, I’m so sorry about your stomach ache!! That sounds absolutely miserable. I usually don’t forget to eat if I’m too busy because when I get really hungry I can become light-headed and feel sick to my stomach- so that doesn’t usually let me forget haha
Well I guess I didn’t forget, I just didn’t have time!
Although I constantly carry a stash of snacks in my Mary-Poppins style handbag, on the few occasions I do run out of snacks and don’t eat for more than 4-5 hours I get a) sleepy, then b) cranky and finally c) emotional. My boyfriend has likened my ‘hungry’ mood to a toddler having a tantrum.
It actually happened to me yesterday! I had a early morning client, then a meeting with the photographer, and before I knew it, it was almost 10:30 AM, I hadn’t eaten and had been up since 7:00 AM. I was shaky, irritable, and starving. It can screw up your day. From now on, I need to have something in my purse, for those just in case moments.
Hope you are feeling better!
I’ve definitely been there, done that! And I’m like you, if I don’t eat, and then scarf down my dinner, I pay with a huge bellyache! I try to put a protein bar or some fruit in my purse if I know I’m going to be out most of the day…but sometimes when I’m in a hurry trying to get 3 little kids out the door…I forget
I’m sorry to hear of this…a stomachache is never a fun experience!
I’ve definitely been there too. My husband always jokes around with me that he needs to carry a bag full of snacks for me when we’re out and about so that I’ll have something on hand to eat if I get hungry. I usually stock my purse with some snacks for “just in case” instances.
I am always so conscious of food situations now that I ALWAYS seem to come prepared with food. It actually annoys my hubby because I spend so much time preparing for the worst, but I have gotten myself into your situation one too many times before.
Hope you are feeling better!
Prepare for the worst, expect the best!
I have done that before and it’s the worst. Like you, I was starving and wanted to eat everything. Sometimes it happens and you just don’t realize it until later.
Btw, I wrote a post tonight about my favorite foodie and runners blogs and you are on the list!
oh girl we hear on ya on stomach hurting so bad you can not stand up! it still happens to us from time to time. Gary has gotten used to me laying in a small ball on the bed or sofa, not fun times haha
we go through periods where hours go by and we realized we had not eaten or drank anything! and than night time comes around and we stuff our faces (LOL) and get those pains and realize what may have caused them. we are not perfect but we try and do our best….but sometimes life does get in the way and you just have to do better next time around
well that is at least what I tell myself! hugs
I do occasionally get caught like that, but I always keep a stash of cereal bars/dried fruit in my car just incase….I rarely forgte about meals though :/ haha.
Hope you’re feeling a bit better soon!
YES! when i don’t eat enough for a long period of time and then i start eating, i get the WORST hearburn ever! like have to be sitting up or standing (which is just not comfortable when ya don’t feel weel!)
I think that’s why I lost so much weight in Europe! I would forget to eat because we were busy running around all the time! Hope you’re feeling better
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