There is a show called Man vs Food, and it is devoted to following a host who signs up for eating challenges. Quite often those challenges follow the format of “Eat [X amount of food] in [Y amount of time] without [throwing up / leaving the table / dying].”
The host would generally put an hour on the timer and tuck into the 72-ounce porterhouse or 15 grilled cheese sandwiches in good spirits, and at some point would flag and get “the meatsweats,” or literally stretch to make room. And I would think, “Oh, man up, fella. I could eat that right now.” But of course, I could not. It would take me half a day to eat 15 grilled cheese sandwiches.
My appetite was not as strong as the Great Aunt who announced she would be eating a snack of Froot Loops, and then ate a full-sized box of Froot Loops in half an hour. I would take longer than half an hour. Three hours, I’d say.
And now, of course, I’m on this drug, and the prospect of eating even half a cup of Froot Loops makes me flag, unless you give me half a day to pick at it. It’s not even a question of if my belly can accomodate it. It’s just the math of [X amount of food] in [Y amount of time] is recalculated. It’s odd how they can tweak an appetite now.
However, it is effective. Put me on a scale with nothing on my outsides and nothing in my insides and I’m down almost 20 pounds.
2 responses to “Appetite”
I’m glad it’s effective at least!
(and your aunt is impressive; I would keel over from a sugar headache probably a half-cup or so into that box of froot loops! I used to be able to take down a full bag of microwave popcorn no problem, though, and had a near-indefinite capacity for soup; now I have also slowed down, albeit not due to medications specifically for that purpose.)
KC – There was a time I could eat a pint of premium ice cream, then in my late 40s I couldn’t get past a quarter cup. I am entirely unfamilar with this sugar headache you speak of, though.