| 1 | [[quoteright:260:[[Webcomic/RealLifeComics https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stoppedtoeat.png]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:260:[-"Oh yeah...that thing I need to do to not die."-] ]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | %% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ->'''Megan:''' Okay, I just read through every study I could find to try to figure out whether low-grade dehydration is even a real thing.\ |
| 7 | '''Guy:''' What did you learn?\ |
| 8 | '''Megan:''' If you spend all day doing research and forget to eat or drink, you start to feel pretty bad.\ |
| 9 | '''Guy:''' I'll get some water.\ |
| 10 | '''Megan:''' ''But how many glas''--whoa, feeling dizzy. |
| 11 | -->-- ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'', "[[https://xkcd.com/1708/ Dehydration]]" |
| 12 | |
| 13 | 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 TooUnhappyToBeHungry. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | The AbsentMindedProfessor may exhibit this trope, and it is a common component of TheMadnessPlace. It may also be a temporary effect of JustOneMoreLevel. Sometimes a result of HumanityEnsues, when before their transformation, they were a species that needed less food than a human being, or none at all. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | This is TruthInTelevision, as {{workaholic}}s and others will become so engaged in something that they ''do'' forget to eat. UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton was famous for being so obsessive about his work that he would work hours and hours while neglecting to bathe or eat. Because this is common among obsessed gamers, AntiPoopSocking had to be put in place in many games. Science further backs this up, as the nervous system has the digestive system slow and close up if a person is under stress. Nobody wants to stop for a bathroom break or snack when being chased by a {{bear|sAreBadNews}}. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Compare with AppetiteEqualsHealth when not feeling hungry or refusing to eat signals poor health. Could lead to a MissedMealAesop. Contrast ObsessedWithFood and OneTrackMindedHunger, both of whom would probably only ever forget to eat [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness when pigs fly]]. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ---- |
| 22 | !!Examples: |
| 23 | |
| 24 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 27 | * A 1955 [[https://youtu.be/wibHcZ4FNbU Marlboro commercial]] features a man working on an antique car, who says that he can get so wrapped up in it that he forgets where he is, what time it is, and "sometimes I even forget to eat." (He doesn’t forget to smoke, though.) |
| 28 | * [[https://imgur.com/Evtrj This advert for the]] UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor depicts two skeletal hands holding the titular object with the tagline "Don't Forget to Eat." |
| 29 | [[/folder]] |
| 30 | |
| 31 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 32 | * ''Manga/AhAndMmAreAllSheSays'': Toda sometimes becomes so absorbed in drawing manga that she forgets to eat sometimes. [[CloudcuckoolandersMinder Tanaka]] has to remind her. |
| 33 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/AsteroidInLove''. During the twentieth chapter (adapted in the sixth episode), the Astronomy Group is so absorbed {{stargazing|Scene}} at Mira's room after wrapping up SchoolFestival preparations that they do not realize they are hungry, until [[SweetBaker Moe]] brings her desserts in and fans at the three other girls to induce a GrowlingGut. |
| 34 | %% * ''Manga/BetrayalKnowsMyName'': Shuusei Usui. |
| 35 | * ''Manga/DragonHalf'': [[TheDitz Damaramu]] was so eager to follow the King's orders to hunt down Mink that he hadn't fed his [[LargeHam mighty stomach]] for [[RuleOfThree three days]]! He still has the strength to lift a boulder over his head and engage in a sword fight. |
| 36 | * ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'': Episode 16 reveals that Franz has been going a few days without eating or sleeping much while researching stuff on Gankutsuou and the Count. |
| 37 | ** Albert does this from time to time. |
| 38 | * ''Literature/TheGoodWitchOfTheWest'': Roux forgets to do this to the point of collapsing so Firiel brings him food. |
| 39 | * ''Anime/GunXSword'': Van regularly passes out from hunger because he's so preoccupied with catching the Claw. |
| 40 | * ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'': In ''Disappearance'' human Yuki forgets to eat, and [[spoiler:her neighbor, Asakura Ryouko, has to feed her]]. |
| 41 | * ''Manga/HidamariSketch'': Sae is like this when she gets into the groove of writing one of her novels. She eats a lot to make up for it afterwards, which doesn't sound healthy to Yuno, and Hiro agrees. |
| 42 | * ''Manga/JunjouRomantica'': Before Misaki moved in to his apartment, Usami used to spend days at a time not eating or sleeping whenever he was up against a deadline, sometimes to the point of collapsing on his living room floor. |
| 43 | * In [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha the first season]] of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' it is shown that Fate was so single minded in her obsessing with capturing the Jewel Seeds that she even forgoes eating in order to search for more of them which naturally worries Arf. She gets better after her HeelFaceTurn. |
| 44 | * ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'': Prince Koumei, as foremost military [[TheStrategist strategist]] of the [[TheEmpire Kou Empire]], adviser to his [[TakeOverTheWorld power-hungry]] elder brother, and a consummate {{workaholic}}, doesn't even have time to ''sleep'', let alone eat. This was hammered home when his character profile revealed that he's rather underweight. |
| 45 | * ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'': Amuro Ray is first seen tinkering in his bedroom, having forgotten to eat for a couple days and ignoring evacuation sirens. This is not the last time it happens. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': Dr. Tenma has a tendency to do this often enough that even complete strangers start worrying about it. At one point, a restaurant owner gave him free soup and refused to let him leave unless he finished it. Not too much later, his stomach decides that it doesn't like this strange and scary concept known as "food", and he throws up. |
| 47 | ** Granted, he threw up because the thought of [[ActualPacifist actually]] [[ShootTheDog going through with killing Johan]] made him feel sick. |
| 48 | * ''Manga/MyRoommateIsACat'': This a apparently a recurring problem for Subaru in the last few days before deadlines. In the first episode, he ends up collapsing due to not having eaten for too long, then waking up in such a stupor that he eats the kibble in his cat's bowl. |
| 49 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': In the earlier chapters, Naruto begins training from early morning way into the night so he usually doesn't have time to eat. Sasuke has to keep reminding him to eat. |
| 50 | * ''Manga/NodameCantabile'': Nodame sometimes compulsively needs to play the piano and neglects everything (taking a shower, sleeping, eating) in order to do it, despite being a BigEater. |
| 51 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': |
| 52 | ** Given he's had to be reminded to speak out loud, blink his eyes, and ''breathe'', this certainly has happened to Gedatz. |
| 53 | ** Inverted when it comes to Luffy. He's able to both eat in his sleep and instantly calculate how many meals he's missed as a result of sleeping for more than a day. Except when [[spoiler:Sanji, his trusted cook, leaves the crew.]] |
| 54 | * ''Anime/ReadOrDie'': This is one of the reasons why {{Paper Master}}s are BlessedWithSuck; the [[ElementalPowers power to manipulate paper]] comes hand in hand with such extreme bibliophilia that they often neglect basic bodily concerns and hygiene because they always have to read ''just one more chapter'' of the latest book to catch their eye. |
| 55 | * ''Manga/Reborn2004'': Both Spanner and Shuuichi Irie. They're so focused on their work that they tune out ''everything''. |
| 56 | * ''Manga/SkipBeat'': Ren tends to do this. JustifiedTrope since he was often force-fed as a child by his [[MyBelovedSmother Beloved Smother]] to the point that ''he was unable to breathe'', and has since slid into this because he's a workaholic. |
| 57 | * ''Literature/{{Slayers}} Try'': Lina and the group decide to immediately set sail for adventure... only to remember later, after they're stranded at sea, that they forgot to bring food. Cue them pretending to be dead so they can catch [[DogFoodDiet seagulls]]. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/SnowWhiteAndSevenDwarfs'': In the epilogue, Fujimaru, having become a {{Workaholic}} (which, in turns, stems from him being TheAtoner), isn't above neglecting meals to focus on repairing Tokyo instead. Ken has to outright tell him that he won't be helping anyone by wrecking his health. |
| 59 | * ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK'': Satou does this when he get addicted to [[RPGEpisode an]] [[DeepImmersionGaming MMO]]. Though it's not specifically mentioned, given Satou's history it also probably happens when he spends days on end playing [[HGame H-Games]] and [[TheInternetIsForPorn downloading "120 gigs of dirty photos"]]. |
| 60 | * ''Manga/{{X1999}}'': Subaru Sumeragi did this [[Manga/TokyoBabylon when he was younger]], according to his sister. |
| 61 | [[/folder]] |
| 62 | |
| 63 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 64 | * Franchise/{{Batman}}, much to Alfred's eternal disappointment. Because Bruce is so dedicated to crimefighting, instances of Batman neglecting to eat dinner or breakfast are common. This also includes other forms of self-neglect including not sleeping very much and refusing to give his injuries enough time to heal before going back out to fight crime. It gets to the point that sometimes [[https://i.imgur.com/xd8N14Q.jpg Alfred points out how he doesn't even bother making food]] as a means to [[ServileSnarker sass Bruce about his bad habits]]. |
| 65 | * ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'': After being brought back to life, Boston Brand, the former Deadman, has to be reminded by his ''power ring'' to ''eat a cheeseburger'' in ''ComicBook/BrightestDay''. Being dead for so long made Brand forget that he actually needs to eat again. |
| 66 | %%* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Despite Susan Richards' best efforts, Reed Richards isn't much better. |
| 67 | * ''ComicBook/IronMan'': Tony Stark, whenever he's in his lab. Occasionally, people have had to ''argue'' with him in order to get him to come out and eat something--not actually because he's being a jerk, but because he's in the middle of something, and seriously, just give him a bit longer, five more minutes, he just wants to get this part finished [[BlatantLies and then he'll come right up, he swears]]. |
| 68 | * ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': At the conclusion of "Nightmare First Class" (Gold Key issue #27), Shaggy doesn't so much forget to eat as he passes up an invite for dinner. During the story's mystery, he eats too much at dinner and has a subsequent nightmare which exposes the gang's client -- an heir being haunted by a ghost -- as a fraud. The gang tracks down the real heir who invites the gang to dinner, for which Shaggy takes a pass. |
| 69 | * ''ComicBook/TheTransformersTillAllAreOne'': After Onslaught says that he cannot trust anyone but Blast Off, Brawl asks about if he can trust him. Onslaught replies by saying "I don't trust you to feed yourself in the morning, Brawl." |
| 70 | [[/folder]] |
| 71 | |
| 72 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 73 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' fic ''Aftermath'', Minion remarks that his boss "keeps forgetting that the big brain of his comes with a life support system that needs nourishment from time to time", which helps explain Megamind's frail and lanky physique. |
| 74 | * In ''Series/Numb3rs'' story ''Fanfic/{{Encryptions}}'', Alan and Don worry about Charlie not eating when he is working on a consulting project for NASA. |
| 75 | * ''Fanfic/GuysBeingDudes'': Arlo admits to doing this himself and Spark mentions that Blanche also tends to. |
| 76 | * In ''Fanfic/HellsKitchenFullOfGrace'', when Jessica hears from Matt how in-tune with his body he is, she mentions how she would forget to eat no matter how much her stomach would growl. |
| 77 | * In ''Fanfic/LiveAHeroMHA'', Izuku's past trauma has sapped most of his appetite and he can barely get anything down without throwing it up later. Because of this, he tends to spend meal time sharpening his knives instead of actually eating. It takes Aizawa ordering him to eat in preparation for the U.A. Entrance Exam for him to manage to get a single bowl of katsudon down and keep it down. |
| 78 | * Implied in [[https://www.deviantart.com/koch43/art/AWAIT-448573879 this]] ''[[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Long Posts of Trepan]]'' comic -- eight days pass before Trepan eats any of the energon Overlord leaves for him, and even then he doesn't finish it all before Overlord returns. |
| 79 | * Sunny Breeze of ''FanFic/RacerAndTheGeek'' seldom eats, but never fails to take [[QuickNip swigs of spirits]]. It's a subtle hint, given even in [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/81159/1/racer-and-the-geek/predawn the first chapter]], that not all is well with him. |
| 80 | * In scifigrl47's ''Fanfic/{{TheToasterverse}}'', Tony has to constantly be reminded that he needs to eat. Lampshaded by himself in Some Things Shouldn't Be A Chore. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 84 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': Jack Skellington seems to be this (Sally brings him a food basket, so this is probably an usual occurrence). What is quite unusual is the fact that he ''needs'' to eat, since he's DemBones. |
| 85 | * ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1964'': In a RunningGag, Mrs. Claus tries to persuade Santa to eat because he's gotten too skinny and the children of the world expect him to be fat, but he's so preoccupied with work that he won't touch a bite. In the end, after Rudolph agrees to guide his sleigh and everyone is relieved and happy, he finally does eat and gains a satisfactory BalloonBelly. |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 89 | * The fictionalized version of John Nash in ''Film/ABeautifulMind''. After some CharacterDevelopment, he asks a student how long it's been since he's eaten. |
| 90 | * A variation in ''Film/TheFirstPower''. The detective protagonist is introduced at home with a pizza in front of him, but he's ignoring the fact that his pet cat is eating it instead, because he's busy trying to work out where the serial killer will strike next. |
| 91 | * ''Film/FirstSpaceshipOnVenus'': Sumiko has to remind some of the scientists on the spaceship to eat. One even argues with her, and she reminds him that he hasn't eaten in ''days''. |
| 92 | * ''Film/TheKillerShrews'': Though he is probably exaggerating, Dr. Cragis explains that Dr. Baines has a brilliant mind, but that he would starve if someone doesn't remind him to eat. |
| 93 | * Mr. Beefy has to remind the titular character of ''Film/LittleNicky'' to eat and "do that sleep thing [he] told [him] about". Thoroughly justified since Nicky is a demon[[spoiler:/angel hybrid]] from Hell that hasn't had to do either until now. |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 97 | * ''Literature/AnAbundanceOfKatherines'': Colin doesn't think much of eating. |
| 98 | * In ''[[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Assassin's Apprentice]]'' Fitz claims that [[ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld there are two kinds of thin people]], with this trope being the better sort. The ''other'' kind of thin person is supposedly the kind who [[LeanAndMean hates the world so much that they resent having to ingest any part of it.]] |
| 99 | * ''Literature/BenAndMe'': In the middle of {{Creator/Ben|jaminFranklin}}'s excited rush to finish with the stove prototype, Amos asks him if he goes past the pantry on his way back from the woodpile. When Ben asks why, Amos points out that not everyone feels satisfied with inventing without some food to go along with it. |
| 100 | * ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'': Jame never remembers to eat, and is [[NothingButSkinAndBones skinny as a rail with ribs showing]]. Justified in that the mutant vegetables she had to eat growing up would put anyone off food. |
| 101 | * ''Literature/{{Dinoverse}}'': Bertram alternately claims this, that he's not hungry, and that eating would take too much time when first put in the body of an ankylosaurus. It's really because he knows he'll have [[{{Gasshole}} horrific gas]]. |
| 102 | * In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'', the Doctor has a bit of a habit of this. Mostly when he's {{angst}}ing, but also when he's [[ForScience doing science]]. His companion Fitz once brought three meals a day to his door when he was locked away angsting. For four days. They all went uneaten. Somewhat justified by the fact that, as a Time Lord, he apparently needs to eat less than a normal human being. Also, judging by the descriptions of him in the books, he's lost weight since his sole TV appearance. In one book, while he's already under the weather for several other reasons, his companion Anji has to remind him to eat: |
| 103 | -->"Do you want some food? You haven't eaten in days."\ |
| 104 | "That's right," he said wonderingly, as if she'd made a point that hadn't occurred to him. "You know, I bet that's one reason I feel so bad." |
| 105 | * ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': One of the worrying symptoms Helsing notes of Mina after she's bitten by Dracula, due to the fact her appetite has suddenly disappered during the journey to Castle Dracula. A sign that she's becoming closer to turning into a vampire. |
| 106 | * ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'': Ana is known for this, and it infuriates Christian whenever he finds out that she hasn't been eating proper meals lately. |
| 107 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Harry tends to do this during meal time at Hogwarts as a result of anxiety and chaotic thoughts. |
| 108 | * ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'': The eponymous protagonist is prone to this. More than once he carries out a protracted action with enemy ships (or some other problem requiring physical and mental exertion) and only realizes at sunset that he only had breakfast. Bush, his NumberTwo, tries to prevent this when possible. |
| 109 | * ''Literature/LittleWomen'' mentions that whenever Jo goes into a "writing fit," in which she spends a week or two obsessively working on her fictional creations, she often leaves her meals untouched. |
| 110 | * Children's book ''Literature/AKindleOfKittens'' 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. |
| 111 | * Happens to Vanyel Ashkevron in the ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Last Herald Mage]]'' trilogy when he's on the front lines. His friends and family are stricken by how thin he looks when he returns, and clothes don't fit him well; his replies to questions about it lampshade this trope. |
| 112 | * In ''Literature/MARiiMO'', Tammy thinks she's shaking with excitement from her first interaction with Mariimo, until she realizes she forgot to eat that day. |
| 113 | * In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/AMidsummerTempest'', Rupert stops eating when his magical ring loses its powers through his fault. Will brings him a meal and plops it in front of him and tells him, at great length, that he should eat. |
| 114 | * Astrophysicist Jacob Buckman in ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye''. He meets Horace Bury in a ship's corridor. Horace wonders privately what an autopsy at that moment on Buckman would show as cause of death... exhaustion or malnutrition? |
| 115 | * ''Literature/TheOutside'': Yasira sometimes gets so wrapped up in physics problems that other people have to remind her to eat. |
| 116 | * In Creator/JackVance's ''Literature/PlanetOfAdventure'' series, Adam Reith at one point realizes that the reason everybody else is so cranky and tired is that they haven't eaten in two days, and by extension, neither has he. |
| 117 | * In ''Literature/{{Rubbernecker}}'', Patrick's mother reminds him to eat during their phone calls. Patrick says he won't forget, even though he sometimes does. |
| 118 | * ''Literature/TheShadowOfKyoshi'': Avatar Kyoshi often does this, much to the annoyance of Rangi. It's part of her wider trait of ignoring her own needs. |
| 119 | * Literature/SherlockHolmes occasionally gets so wrapped up in a case that he doesn't bother to stop for food. That's when he isn't straight-up starving himself on purpose because he believes it will enhance his powers of concentration. Watson complains that he sometimes deprives himself to the point of literally passing out from hunger. |
| 120 | * A MadScientist in the Creator/RobertLudlum novel ''Literature/TheSigmaProtocol'', 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. |
| 121 | * ''Literature/TheSlowRegardOfSilentThings'': Every once and a while, Auri will suddenly feel lightheaded and wonder what's wrong with her. Then she'll realize that she hasn't eaten anything in more than a day. |
| 122 | * In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Melisandre often forgets to eat because she [[EatingOptional doesn't need to]]. But that freaks people out, so she tries to remember. |
| 123 | * In the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' continuity, Bevel Lemelisk, the designer of the Death Star, frequently forgot to eat, preferring to concentrate on his work. |
| 124 | * In ''Literature/TheStoryOfValentineAndHisBrother'', Dick copes with the sudden changes in his life brought on by [[spoiler:the reappearance of all his long-lost family members]] by getting so involved with his work at the docks that he forgets dinner. |
| 125 | * In ''Literature/TornadoBrain'', Frankie's mom sometimes has to remind her to eat so she doesn't get hangry. Frankie understands why, but is still annoyed by it. |
| 126 | * Literature/TruemanBradley often misses meals and sometimes doesn't eat until he's reminded. |
| 127 | * ''Literature/XandriCorelel'': |
| 128 | ** Xandri forgets to eat sometimes. Captain Chui and the ship's AI have to order her to eat nutrient bars, even though she hates the taste. |
| 129 | ** Marco Antilles, a diplomat in ''Failure to Communicate'', mentions that he has the same problem. [[spoiler:It's a symptom of his bipolar disorder.]] |
| 130 | [[/folder]] |
| 131 | |
| 132 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 133 | %% * Jack Bauer in ''Series/TwentyFour''. |
| 134 | %% ** So he goes without food for one day in each year? Big deal. |
| 135 | %% ** 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. |
| 136 | * ''Series/CriminalMinds'': |
| 137 | ** Averted with Reid, the most likely candidate for "absent-minded professor", who never seems to ''stop'' eating, especially when he's thinking. If there's [[GeniusSweetTooth junk food]] to be had anywhere in an unfamiliar police station, abandoned house, or crime scene, he will find it. [[GeekPhysiques Although where he puts it all is anybody's guess]]. |
| 138 | ** Discussed by Reid about his schizophrenic mom. |
| 139 | --->'''Reid:''' My mother is a paranoid schizophrenic who'd forget to eat if she wasn't properly medicated and supervised. |
| 140 | * This happens to Gil Grissom of ''Series/{{CSI}}'' once. He spends so much time at a crime scene that one of his co-workers has to rummage something from the fridge at the scene just to get him to eat. |
| 141 | * It happens fairly often on ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' also. |
| 142 | ** In season one, Flack doesn't want to ride with Stella, telling her, "because when you drive, we don't eat." |
| 143 | ** Another time, Lindsay is focused on solving a case and tells Danny, who wants to break for lunch, that Mac wants them to wrap it up. He says Mac wouldn't want them to starve to death either, and starts looking around for a pizza joint while following her down the street. |
| 144 | ** Jo has Flack take Mac to a diner after this exchange: |
| 145 | --->'''Mac: '''I know what you're going to say. It's not the way it looks. I'm fine.\ |
| 146 | '''Jo:''' It's exactly the way it looks. That's the same suit you had on yesterday, if not the day before. You haven't even been home in two days.\ |
| 147 | '''Mac:''' This isn't the first time one case has rolled over into another. I'll be fine.\ |
| 148 | '''Jo:''' When's the last time you had something to eat? I don't want to hear about that trail mix from the vending machine last night.\ |
| 149 | '''Mac:''' ''(a tad defensively)'' It was a granola bar. |
| 150 | * ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': Sherlock Holmes not only forgets to eat, but also sleep, shower, and generally take care of himself, and is a recovering drug addict. After spending most of an episode with little to no sleep, he starts to protest to [[CloudcuckoolandersMinder Joan]] that he's feeling great and can keep going, only to fall dead asleep as soon as her back is turned. |
| 151 | * ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E3IsMyVeryNatureThatOfADevil Is My Very Nature That of a Devil]]", Louis de Pointe du Lac is so preoccupied by the chaos caused by City Ordinance 4118 (which are laws that shut down colored businesses in Storyville) that he doesn't consume any blood, animal or otherwise. Being a VegetarianVampire means that Louis is already on a very restricted diet, so now he's starving himself. He later caves into his ravenous hunger by mauling Alderman Fenwick. |
| 152 | -->'''Louis:''' The state I was in, I was what... I was manic. [...] And the hubris on display caused me to neglect my thirst. And in neglect, my thirst grew harder, my temples throbbed, and finally, I could not stand it any longer. And I was through struggling. Rats, cats, dogs would no longer suffice. |
| 153 | * In ''Series/LostGirl'', Lauren is implied to do this. In the season two premiere, she apparently hasn't eaten or slept much since the season 1 finale, being too focused on keeping her patients alive. She later shows up at Bo's to help with the current case, only for Bo to cut her off and demand that she eat something. Then her exhaustion finally catches up her, and she falls asleep. |
| 154 | ** Later in season two, Lauren has been working nonstop to stabilize some venom, and Bo asks her point-blank when the last time she slept was. |
| 155 | * ''Series/MythBusters'': According to Jamie, Adam will often forget to eat, which makes him cranky from low blood sugar. So when they had a spat during the Ping-Pong Ball Ship Recovery myth and Jamie told him to "go have a cookie" that wasn't a joke, he actually wanted him to go eat something. |
| 156 | * ''Series/{{Scorpion}}'': In the episode "Plutonium Is Forever", it's heavily implied that this is normal for the members of Team Scorpion when they get so focused on something that nothing else (food, sleep...) matters. They call it "going down the rabbit hole". |
| 157 | * As per his [[Literature/SherlockHolmes literary counterpart]], the [[Series/{{Sherlock}} BBC version of Sherlock]] often goes without eating while on cases. On one occasion, he refuses a meal because "digestion slows [him] down". It's a sign of [[TheWatson John]]'s positive influence that, during the second series, Sherlock can be seen eating proper meals and snacking between the action. |
| 158 | * In ''Series/StargateSG1'', a recurring theme with Samantha Carter was her obsession with work and lack of social life outside of the job. While she was never shown to forget to eat, she was on numerous occasions shown to otherwise forget to ''stop working''. |
| 159 | ** In "The Other Side", O'Neill arrives in the SGC control room to find Carter there. He says that ''he'' is there two hours early, and asks how long she's been here. She says she never actually left the previous day. |
| 160 | --->'''O'Neill:''' "Didn't I ''order'' you to get a life?" |
| 161 | ** In "Arthur's Mantle", Sam has worked all night and Cam comes in to take her to breakfast. He practically has to drag her away as she insists on running one more test. That experiment then puts them out of phase, so they can't eat anyway. |
| 162 | * A [[PlayingWIthATrope variation]] with Rodney [=McKay=] on ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. Rodney is actually a BigEater and would never forget a meal or voluntarily choose to skip one (A RunningGag throughout the series was the way he would eat at inopportune moments or bring up a fear of starvation at the slightest delay of a meal), but at several points in the show the situation is so dire that he literally does not have the time to stop working long enough to eat or sleep; death (For him and others) would result if he did. He grows continuously more abrasive as the time wears on, with other characters asking him how long it has been. |
| 163 | * Spock from ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'', occasionally. While never shown, in "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E1AmokTime}} Amok Time]]", [=McCoy=] uses the fact that Spock hasn't eaten for three days in an attempt to convince Kirk that something is wrong, and Kirk dismisses it as simply being Spock in one of his contemplative phases. |
| 164 | ** Another example is "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS3E3TheParadiseSyndrome}} The Paradise Syndrome]]", where Spock hardly eats for weeks while studying the obelisk. |
| 165 | * One of the side effects of the muse shell in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', as demonstrated when Alex uses it on Mason. |
| 166 | * Dream of the Endless may be implied to be this in ''Series/TheSandman2022'', between the way he looks unhealthily thin even at the beginning of his imprisonment, both his librarian and his sister trying and failing to get him to eat, and one of the Fates remarking that he looks thin and asking whether he's been eating. |
| 167 | [[/folder]] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | [[folder:Manhua]] |
| 170 | * PlayedForLaughs in one ''Manhua/OldMasterQ'' comic strip. Master Q tries showing off his culinary skills to his friends, Chin and Big Potato, and after he's done both his friends compliments his cooking, with Chin saying he'll treat Master Q to the movies. Master Q's response? "Wait a minute, but ''I'' haven't eaten yet!" |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Newspaper Comics]] |
| 174 | * ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': Subverted in [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2021/03/02 one strip]], where Garfield starts to say that he sometimes forgets to eat before gulping down a burger and ending his statement with "said Garfield never". |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 178 | * ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': Often, when Imperial Engineers are struck by a new project or vision, they become so engrossed with their work that they entirely forget about trivial things like eating or sleeping until they finish their new creation. |
| 179 | [[/folder]] |
| 180 | |
| 181 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 182 | * ''VideoGame/BaldursGate 2'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in one of its loading screen tips: "While your character does not have to eat, remember that ''you'' do. We don't want to lose any dedicated players." |
| 183 | * ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'': Having [[HumanityEnsues become mortal]], Tyrael has a tendency to forget the need for food, since he's never had to deal with it before. In one case he decides to eat all the food he'll need for the day, and gets an upset stomach from eating ''too much''. |
| 184 | * In ''VideoGame/DisneyMagicKingdoms'', during the ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' Event, Mei neglects to eat, drink or take breaks during the whole day long campaign. |
| 185 | * ''Franchise/DragonAge'': |
| 186 | ** By the third act of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Merrill has become so focused on fixing her MagicMirror that she barely leaves her house except to buy food. She does ''that'' so infrequently that Varric has parcels delivered to her doorstep. |
| 187 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', this is a quirk of Adan, the healer/alchemist in Haven. He gets so wrapped up in his work (and worries about getting crumbs in his potions) that he doesn't eat, prompting NiceGirl barmaid Flissa to send her workers to check on him and bring him food. (This is only mentioned in ambient conversation between Adan and those workers, so players might miss it.) |
| 188 | * Both Erk and his mentor Lord Pent in ''Franchise/FireEmblem 7'' have done this, the former actually passing out from both this and a lack of sleep at one point in the past (which ''really'' displeases his adoptive mother and Pent's wife, Lady Louise). Lord Athos does this as well, though his case is justified in that he's over a thousand years old and "surpassed the needs of flesh". |
| 189 | * ''VideoGame/{{Geneforge}}'': Shapers have been known to focus on their research so much they forget to eat, sleep, and bathe. |
| 190 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel IV'' implies that Jona Sacred, kid genius hacker of Crossbell is this, or rather would be if not for the intervention of Sully Atraid. When he objects to her bringing him the equivalent of a V8 instead of a pizza, she points out that he can get his own food if he doesn't like it. |
| 191 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': The ancient Zonai slabs tell of how King Rauru's sister Mineru would often get so focused on tinkering with her Constructs that she would forget to feed herself, much to the royal chamberlain's dismay. |
| 192 | * ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion'': At one point, Weird Ed mentions that he hasn't seen Dr. Fred eat ''in 5 years''. WordOfGod says it was to invoke this trope, but since Ed immediately mentions that Fred has been dragging bodies into the basement, many players (and Nintendo of America, in their infamous censorship process) thought that Ed was accusing Fred of cannibalism. The NES version was thus changed to Ed saying Fred hadn't ''slept'' in 5 years, instead. |
| 193 | ** Which amusingly is made canon in ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'', where it is revealed that Doctor Fred has gone without sleep for years by means of imbibing massive quantities of coffee. One puzzle requires you to get him to fall asleep. |
| 194 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': While he doesn't exactly forget to eat, way too many people feel the need to remind Big Boss of eating through the course of the game. |
| 195 | * ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'': As a sign of just how desperate the Luminoth were during their war with the Ing prior to the events of the game, you come across the emaciated corpse of a deceased Luminoth warrior; scans reveal that she refused to abandon her post despite the fact that she was starving to death. |
| 196 | * Regulus from ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'' often gets so wrapped up in his research that he goes for days without eating. When Partitio and Osvald first encounter him, Regulus claims that it's been three days (plus a few hours) since he last ate. In the second half of the side story, they find him already unconscious due to going ''six'' days without food. |
| 197 | * ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Not only does Yusuke forget to eat due to hyperfocusing on his art projects, he mentions this fact in Mementos because he hears his stomach rumbling, ''suddenly remembers that he's incredibly hungry'' and that it's probably because he didn't eat the previous evening ([[FridgeHorror considering that you take everyone to Mementos after school...]]). This trope is just one of many reasons why Yusuke appears to have issues with eating consistently, with the other major one being his [[StarvingArtist limited budget]]. |
| 198 | * ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'': Professor Elm. His wife mentions that he is so busy with Pokémon research all the time that he forgets to eat. |
| 199 | * ''VideoGame/PotionPermit'': In Victor's third Friendship Event, he only realizes after talking to the Chemist that he forgot to eat his lunch and excuses to them that he'll take it now. According to Socellia, he often forgets his meals due to his dedication to his job as gravekeeper. |
| 200 | * It's implied that Professor Layton can go through this when caught up in his work or left to himself. When he leaves his office in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter'', Rosa comments after him, "I hope he remembers to eat something..." |
| 201 | * Faye from the unofficial [[GameMod expansion mod]] ''VideoGame/RidgesideVillage'', it's revealed that she gets distracted very easily whenever she gets an inspiration for a new fashion design, sometimes even forgetting to eat. A note from her family implies she has this tendency to forget eating. |
| 202 | * ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'': |
| 203 | ** Selphie in ''VideoGame/RuneFactoryFrontier''. She's [[{{Bookworm}} an avid book-lover]] who often Forgets To Eat, and one way to reliably increase her [[RelationshipValues Affection Points]] is to give her foods she can eat on the go with a single hand, like sandwiches and rice balls. |
| 204 | ** Gaius in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' forgets to eat or sleep when he's working at the forge. Raven mentions at one point that, when she went to him for a job, he'd been working for ''six days straight'' and was close to collapsing. |
| 205 | ** Arthur in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'' will often do this if Porcoline doesn't remind him. |
| 206 | * ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'': According to his troops, Mitsunari Ishida forgets to eat or sleep, since his life [[RevengeBeforeReason is so consumed by his desire to kill Ieyasu]]. Which might explain his LeanAndMean physique. |
| 207 | * ''Website/{{Subeta}}'': Dr. Asmodeus 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. |
| 208 | * In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', there's a skit indicating that Guy is victim to this -- he knows how to cook because he misses mealtimes when he's working on [[{{Magitek}} fontech]], so he has to make his own food. |
| 209 | ** Due to Jade's canonical tendency to hyperfocus when he's working on a project, many fanworks apply this trope to him, as well. |
| 210 | * ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Fujiwara no Mokou 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. |
| 211 | * Early in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' it's noted that Shulk has a tendency to get so immersed in his research that he neglects to eat, which has led Fiora to make a habit of preparing extra food to bring to him (and even then he's said to generally eat without paying much attention to what it even tastes like). |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 215 | * In [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/1479335?tags=fukawa_touko this]] sheet showing the characters of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' and ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', 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]]. |
| 216 | ** In her free time events, Chiaki mentions that she sometimes forgets to ''[[ExaggeratedTrope breathe]]''. |
| 217 | * ''VisualNovel/IfMyHeartHadWings'': [[DitzyGenius Amane]] gets so wrapped up in her work that she frequently forgets to eat for days at a time. To give an example, she has claimed to have gone 70 hours without eating. |
| 218 | * ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'': Rin Tezuka often forgets to eat if not reminded by either Hisao or Emi. When Emi suggests that she'll just vanish if she does not eat more often, Rin thinks this is an acceptable turn of events. |
| 219 | * ''VisualNovel/ScandalInTheSpotlight'': Takashi is the composer of all of Revance's music, and when he's composing, nothing else matters, especially not stopping for food. He tends to crash hard when he's finished, and the other guys know to make sure time is set aside for him to rest and recover. |
| 220 | [[/folder]] |
| 221 | |
| 222 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 223 | * ''Webcomic/{{Achewood}}'': Roast Beef does this sometimes. In one strip, he mentions that he "didn't remember to eat for like nine days" after he had a fight with his girlfriend and she was no longer around to remind him. |
| 224 | * ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/5p31/ as seen here]]. |
| 225 | -->'''Dr. [=McNinja=]:''' ''(holds swords crossed at {{Ninja}} {{Mook}}'s throat)'' I just realized I haven't eaten anything in like... two days. I ''just'' realized it!\ |
| 226 | '''Ninja Mook:''' ''(nervously)'' Ha ha ha, yeah? That's pretty funny?...\ |
| 227 | '''Dr. [=McNinja=]:''' ''(violently beheads mook)'' NO IT'S NOT. ''I'M HUNGRY!!''\ |
| 228 | '''AltText:''' [And cranky too.] |
| 229 | * ''Webcomic/CardboardCrack'': The characters often forget to eat or [[http://cardboard-crack.com/post/64925327872/i-play-too-much-magic lose track of time]] due to playing too much ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. |
| 230 | * ''WebComic/CherrysCure'': The main character never mentions herself eating, and is known to avoid sleep, as it wastes time. |
| 231 | * ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': [[MadScientist Sparks]] can run into this problem when they go into super-obsessive focus in regards to their current MadScience project. |
| 232 | * In ''Webcomic/MonsieurCharlatan'', [[http://monsieur-charlatan.com/archive/page-5/ Isidore, accused of not feeding the cat, says it eats better than he does, because of neighbors]]. |
| 233 | * 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 Mae got a copy of a new game]] (''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''). |
| 234 | * In one ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'', an [[https://www.xkcd.com/1708/ argument]] over the "low-grade dehydration" thing and how much water you should drink to avoid it results in Megan deciding to read every single study on the subject to determine if it's even real, during which she ironically forgets to eat or drink anything at all. |
| 235 | [[/folder]] |
| 236 | |
| 237 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 238 | * Pointedly, nobody in the [[MadScientist Ed stories]] on Website/{{Everything2}}. |
| 239 | -->'''Sam:''' My mate Ed has been working on a new project for the last week or so. He hasn't done the classic "never comes out for food or sleep" routine, because, unlike all those other scientists in the movies, he isn't an ''idiot''. |
| 240 | * Well, not exactly forgets... the Porcelain Doctor from Literature/DeadWest. Combination of disgusting hallucinations and his medication'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). |
| 241 | * [[Creator/BenCroshaw Yahtzee Croshaw]] apparently suffers from this trope as the workaholic/anxiety sufferer angle. From his ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty 4'' review: |
| 242 | -->"There are two types of games: games that I've stopped playing because I'm bored or frustrated into a state approaching rigor mortis, and games that I've stopped playing because I've just noticed I should've had dinner two hours ago." |
| 243 | * ''Website/OrionsArm'': This was a problem with early concentration enhancements for Homo Superiors. |
| 244 | * This is a common condition for [[MadScientist devisors and gadgeteers]] in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, to the point where the cafeteria even has "Devisor Specials", finger food packed up for someone to bring them. |
| 245 | * ''WebVideo/OutsideXbox'': Overlapping with RealLife, Luke has said that he often gets so into his work that he forgets to eat, and that he is very grateful that his friend and co-host Ellen notices when he doesn't eat and brings him food. |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
| 247 | |
| 248 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 249 | * ''WesternAnimation/EsmeAndRoy'': In "A Dino-Mite Lunch", Tillie is so absorbed in her dino racing car game that she completely ignores Esme and Roy's attempts to get her to eat her lunch, despite her stomach growling in hunger. They finally get her to eat by making it part of the game, creating a pretend diner. |
| 250 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'': In the episode "Tributeklok", the guys forget to eat [[TooDumbToLive because they don't have the Klokateers around to ring bells for them]]. |
| 251 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the episode "The Ticket Master", Twilight is continually hungry because her friends' persistent attempts to win her favor (and the Gala ticket) gets in the way of finding something to eat. She deliberately turns down Applejack's sumptuous buffet simply because it would be seen as favoring her over the others. |
| 252 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Patrick once actually forgot how to eat. When he asks [=SpongeBob=] for help regarding his parents visiting, [=SpongeBob=] assumes he forgot how to eat again and is about to go get a funnel. When Patrick says that it's something worse, [=SpongeBob=] laments, "Darn, I liked the funnel." |
| 253 | * ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': [[AbsentMindedProfessor Professor Isaac Sumdac]] tends to lose track of time whenever he holes himself up in his lab. |
| 254 | [[/folder]] |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 257 | * Definitely TruthInTelevision, just ask any long-time gamer. |
| 258 | ** In some places, mostly South Korea and China, there's been an epidemic of gamers dropping dead at their computers from heart failure induced by malnutrition and overuse of energy drinks. Because of this, there has been legislation proposed to limit the amount of time internet cafés are accessible, and to force online game hosting services to restrict the amount of time players can connect. |
| 259 | ** Tragically, this forgetfulness while gaming has extended to parents forgetting to feed their children. |
| 260 | ** World of Warcraft's loading screens sometimes include reminders to turn off the game and spend some time in the real world. |
| 261 | * Brilliant scientists are noted for this: |
| 262 | ** Archimedes would forget to eat, bathe, or sleep when thinking something out. Handlers were assigned to him to make sure he didn't starve himself to death. His death reportedly happened when the city he was residing in fell and he was deep in thought. When the soldiers came to capture him, he paid them no mind and continued on the problem at hand. One of the soldiers lost his temper at being ignored and ran him through. |
| 263 | --->"Do not disturb my circles!" |
| 264 | ** Allegedly-historical anecdote: Isaac Newton's servant came into his rooms to find him engrossed in an experiment, the lunch tray covered on the table. |
| 265 | --->'''Servant:''' Have you had lunch?\ |
| 266 | '''Newton:''' I don't know, have I? |
| 267 | *** Another anecdote tells of one of his friends coming over for dinner to find Newton seated at the table deep in thought. Newton's servants, being used to this, proceeded to serve dinner and Newton didn't snap out of it until the brandy and cigars, whereupon he declared he was sure he hadn't eaten yet, but since the evidence was right in front of him... |
| 268 | ** UsefulNotes/MarieCurie was a real-life StarvingStudent, literally living in a garret in the Latin Quarter while attending the Sorbonne. She had twenty-hour days and a food budget in the single digits, and would often Forget To Eat the little she had. She passed out at least once at school (between classes, not during a lecture as in the movie -- one of her biographers says it was actually in the library). Her sister and brother-in-law, both doctors, had her live in their home so she'd have a steady source of real food and someone to remind her to eat it. However, their place was too far away from school, besides both of them being party animals in their off hours, and she subsequently moved back to her garret, beginning the cycle all over again. A few years later she married Pierre Curie, a classic AbsentMindedProfessor with similar issues. |
| 269 | ** Albert Einstein had stomachaches that no doctor could cure until they found the reason: sometimes he was so preoccupied with scientific work that he simply forgot to eat. |
| 270 | ** J. Robert Oppenheimer was known to forget to eat when deep in thought and concentration. |
| 271 | * Bill Gates, when Microsoft was young, anyway. |
| 272 | ** This probably applies to computer programmers just as much as gamers, if not more. |
| 273 | * Sometimes, when asked if they're hungry, people who rely on very rigid schedules will respond by asking what time it is rather than considering how hungry they are. |
| 274 | ** In a more extreme version, you'll be hungry at school at whatever period you normally have lunch, even if it's a minimum day and lunchtime isn't for hours. |
| 275 | * Creator/MontyPython member Creator/EricIdle claims to do this. His "Greedy Bastard Diary", a daily blog in book form of a tour he did, records one instance where he only remembered when his vision started getting dark and blurry around the edges. |
| 276 | * A good amount of ADHD/ADD medications are stimulants, often based an amphetamines (particularly, Adderall, for example). These suppress a person's appetite, so much so that they used to be used as diet pills. When you plain don't get hungry, and have a tendency to lose track of time, this tends to happen. This example is actually an [[InvokedTrope invocation]] of this trope, as the neurotransmitter that mediates alertness and concentration ''also'' suppresses appetite; by invoking hyperfocus, one Forgets To Eat. And since hyperfocus ''also'' happens when someone with ADHD finds something particularly interesting, this can happen without medication being involved as well. |
| 277 | ** Like the abovementioned, a lot of drugs have hunger-suppressing effect, causing users to either not realize how hungry they are or feel outright repulsed by the thought of food while under its influence. Speed users are stereotypically depicted as wire-thin due to a combination of not eating too much and above-average physical exertion they are capable of. This also ties into the above point about ADHD medications causing this effect, as some of the more common ones fall under the Amphetamine category. |
| 278 | * Mental Health: |
| 279 | ** Unfortunately, this can be one of the symptoms of depression. When your world seems to be falling apart around you, details like sustenance become unimportant. |
| 280 | *** 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, or someone who's very anxious might not feel like eating, even if they don't have social anxiety. |
| 281 | * It can also be a symptom of schizophrenia, severe anxiety and PTSD, as those with severe negative symptoms will begin to "decompensate" -- lose their ability to take care of themselves. |
| 282 | ** And those with paranoia, either as a result of schizophrenia or other disorders, may refuse food on the grounds that someone has poisoned it. This is how mathematician Kurt Godel died, since he would only eat meals prepared by his wife. When she was hospitalized for an extended period... |
| 283 | ** One of the major difficulties in treating eating disorders, such as anorexia, is this trope, as, after a while of starvation, the person's appetite is affected, making them less inclined to eat. |
| 284 | * 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]]. |
| 285 | * Writers fall victim to this. Frequently they get hyperfocused on what they're writing so they don't lose their train of thought, and when they finish that particular article, page, chapter, etc., they'll come back to reality and suddenly notice, "Huh, I'm starving." |
| 286 | ** Also true for artists when working on pieces for hours. Gives a new meaning to the term "starving artist". |
| 287 | * Some diets (for example, most low-glycemic diets that aim to control spikes and drops in blood sugar) require a person to eat five or six small meals a day, which typically means eating a small amount of food every two or three hours. Those who have grown accustomed to eating two or three large meals in a day will often forget the smaller meals, needing time to develop new habits. |
| 288 | * Oftentimes, victims of child abuse will fall into this trope, whether they were malnourished as punishment, had unnecessary medications slipped into their meals, have PTSD, or because they've had such extensive mental and emotional abuse that they lack interest in eating due to feeling they aren't worthy of food, or they associate food with feeling repulsion. |
| 289 | * It is notable that fierce hunger pangs can be confused for extreme nausea, especially under times of stress or sickness. This makes the idea of eating quite unappealing, even if you've gone for days without a real meal. The best solution to this, incidentally, is drinking something with sugar in it, preferably fruit juice, until your blood sugar level rises enough that you're merely hungry again. Be sure to eat some protein (eggs or fish are recommended) along with it. |
| 290 | * The poet Percy Shelley fell victim to this, as evidenced by this conversation in Trelawny's ''Recollections'': |
| 291 | -->'''Trelawny:''' Cheer up, my lad, and come to dinner.\ |
| 292 | '''Shelley:''' You go, I have dined -– late eating don't do for me.\ |
| 293 | '''Trelawny:''' ''(picks up plate of food)'' What is this?\ |
| 294 | '''Shelley:''' That -- why, that must be my dinner... I thought I had eaten it.\ |
| 295 | '''Trelawny:''' ''(drags Shelley into dining room)'' |
| 296 | * Falling ill can cause a person to forget about eating due to the symptoms that they're suffering from overtakes their need to eat. |
| 297 | * Alcoholics tend to spend more time drinking than eating, and consequently many of them are malnourished. Longtime alcoholics also tend to suffer from chronic pancreatitis, making eating painful. |
| 298 | * Autistic people often forget to eat, either due to sensory problems -- not being able to tell when they are hungry, the feeling of food in their mouth being gross to them, etc. -- or for similar reasons as the above entry on ADHD hyperfocus. Some only remember to eat if it's in their routine for the day. |
| 299 | * Experiments where rats are taught to press a lever to get food, and another for a pleasurable electric shock tend to result in the rats starving... they are so obsessed with pleasure, they don't bother to push the food lever. |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | ---- |
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