History Main / ForgetsToEat

Compare with AppetiteEqualsHealth when not feeling hungry or refusing to eat signals poor health. Contrast ObsessedWithFood and OneTrackMindedHunger, both of whom would probably only ever forget to eat [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness when pigs fly]].

* Children's book ''A Kindle of Kittens'' by Rumer Godden is about a stray cat trying to find homes for her kittens among the townsfolk. One notable resident is a young poet who is so caught up in his writing that he frequently forgets to go grocery shopping and doesn't always remember meals unless his friendly neighbours bring him something. The cat is hesitant about entrusting one of her kittens to someone so absent-minded but decides to take a chance on him. He is delighted with his kitten and later that day is seen going out to buy milk and fish.

* ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'': Both Spanner and Shuuichi Irie. They're so focused on their work that they tune out ''everything''.

* Fujiwara no Mokou of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' frequently neglects to eat. She's [[CompleteImmortality incapable of dying]] so theoretically she could go forever without food, but eventually the hunger becomes enough of a pain that she eats something.

* The page picture and its caption come from [[http://www.reallifecomics.com/comic.php?comic=title-589 the 2001-12-20 strip]] of ''[[Webcomic/RealLifeComics Real Life]]'' [[JustOneMoreLevel immediately after Greg got a copy of a new game]] (''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'').

* In [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/1479335?tags=fukawa_touko this]] sheet showing the characters of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganRonpa2'', Chiaki Nanami, who is shown on the lower end of the female BMI spectrum (a bit above the bottom-right corner), says "When playing games, I sometimes forget to eat... I think." [[spoiler:Since she's an ArtificialIntelligence, she may not even need to eat]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Peter once [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDn8DRTfyqw forgot how to sit down]].

* It’s implied that ''Franchise/Professor Layton'' can go through this when caught up in his work or left to himself. When he leaves his office in ''VideoGame/Professor Layton and the Last Specter'' , Rosa comments after him, “I hope he remembers to eat something...”

* ''Disney/BigHero6'': It's made painfully clear that Hiro's so depressed after his brother Tadashi's death that he hasn't left his room in days and hasn't been eating either. When Aunt Cass brings him breakfast, his dinner from the night before is still sitting where she left it.

* Well, not exactly forgets... the Porcelain Doctor from Literature/DeadWest. Combination of disgusting hallucinations and his medicatin's side effects tends to conclude in this. He actually suffers consequences, getting weaker and weaker, and he was underweight to begin with. Everybody near him tries to make him eat, but they are rarely successful (except Thomas).

* College or graduate students under stress (during finals, for example) fall victim to this trope. Sometimes that "A" in English eclipses whatever the cafeteria is serving. Goes double if what the cafeteria is serving is unrecognizable or unappetizing.
** But they'll ''never'' forget to [[MustHaveCaffeine drink coffee]].

* ''Manga/BetrayalKnowsMyName'': Shuusei Usui.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}, much to Alfred's despair.

* A MadScientist and Asperger-type autistic in the Creator/RobertLudlum novel ''The Sigma Protocol'', who has only two modes: on his meds, he remembers to eat and sleep. Off his meds, he concocts insanely brilliant schemes and invents wacky contraptions. (There are currently no medications for autism with that side effect, but just roll with it. Sounds closer to the side effects of medication to treat bipolar disorder.)

* Jack Bauer in ''Series/TwentyFour''.
** So he goes without food for one day in each year? Big deal.
** Possibly justified in that if he had to eat he'd probably have to poop at some point too. And Jack Bauer does not poop.

* Dr. Asmodeus of ''Website/{{Subeta}}'' attributes his svelteness to this.
** Not so much in the manga adaptation, the pace of which allows time for Sora to get some food. Granted it's not all that much, but it's at least something.

* Definitely a TruthInTelevision, just ask any long-time gamer.

This trope describes a character who's notorious for ignoring their body's need for nutrition and has to be reminded to eat. They'll go out into the wilderness without food supplies, and will forget dinnertime at home because what they're doing is so much more interesting. This is the opposite of BigEater, especially if the character doesn't quite suffer all the ill effects of poor nutrition. Grief-stricken characters may show it for a period, particularly during DrowningMySorrows or a MessOfWoe, and for that, see TooUnhappy ToBeHungry.

This trope describes a character who's notorious for ignoring their body's need for nutrition and has to be reminded to eat. They'll go out into the wilderness without food supplies, and will forget dinnertime at home because what they're doing is so much more interesting. This is the opposite of BigEater, especially if the character doesn't quite suffer all the ill effects of poor nutrition. Grief-stricken characters may show it for a period, particularly during DrowningMySorrows or a MessOfWoe.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Madeline}}'' episode "Madeline and the Toy Factory," the morning after Madeline's adventure [[ItMakesSenseInContext pretending to be a doll in little crippled girl Giselle's house]], neither Giselle nor Madeline will eat their breakfast. Giselle is too sad about the loss of her wonderful "doll," while Madeline feels too guilty about having tricked her.

* In ''Literature/BeautyARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast'', after Beauty's father loses his fortune, Beauty and her sister Hope need to take turns persuading him and their eldest sister Grace to eat. The father's despair is over the financial disaster, while Grace's is because her sailor fiancé was [[NeverFoundTheBody presumably drowned]] in the same storm that wrecked their ships.

* ''Literature/TheFaultInOurStars'': At the beginning, Hazel barely eats due to depression over her terminal cancer. Later, she also does this [[spoiler: while grieving Augustus's death.]]

Contrast ObsessedWithFood and OneTrackMindedHunger, both of whom would probably only ever forget to eat [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness when pigs fly]].

*** Equally unfortunately, individuals who suffer from Social Anxiety or other anxiety disorders tend to shy away from going near the lunch room or cafeteria, let alone ordering something. Thankfully there are alternatives (study classes during lunch at school, your office at work) but in some cases this can be a case of Too Scared to Eat instead of Forgets to Eat.

** One of the major drawbacks of treating eating disorders, such as anorexia, is this trope, as, after a while of starvation, the person's apatite is affected, making them less inclined to eat.