I often find myself eating till I'm super full and i can barely move. every morning i tell myself I'm going to not binge and that I'm going to stay away from junk. but i always wind up biniging and eating too much junk. i had lost weight back in 2006 and had gotten down from 235 to 192. but as of jan 2007 i started gaining weight back and now I'm at 221lbs and climbing.
i was previously on south beach diet. but i don't want to go back on that diet. because now my body is too sensitive to carbohydrates. it's actually slowed down my metabolism and I'm more sensitive to sugar rush more than ever.
i honestly do not know what to do anymore. i feel like i cannot stop eating. and I'm always thinking about food. when I'm not eating I'm thinking of food. and whenever eat a meal I'm thinking i what I'm going to eat next. i don't know how to take my mind off of food.
Location: i am neither greek nor athenian, but a citizen of the world.
Posts: 328
hello
I wish I had a miracle answer for you, but I'm afraid I don't. However, I think every person on this forum has experienced that eat-till-super-full-why-do-I-do-this state, and has had times when they feel that food is all they think about. You don't have to answer this question publicly, of course, unless you want to, but it might be worth asking yourself what food is substituting for. You are obviously feeling a great lack of something. Could it be to do with your job, your relationships, your family? At the end of the day, putting food in your mouth might stop you feeling bad or empty momentarily, but once you've swallowed, the lack will still be there, otherwise you wouldn't need to keep eating more.
In practical terms, if you feel that one particular diet didn't work well for you, it might be worth trying to make up a plan that balances the food groups but contains a few hundred less calories than you need per day. Also, I advise you to take up exercise, if you don't already. Not only will it stop you thinking about food whilst you are doing it (hopefully), it is a great appetite supressant and will certainly lift your mood.
Hope this helps, take care.
I have the same problem with constantly thinking about food. It's a constant struggle but I just remember all the times I wanted to cry when trying on clothes in the store before I lost the weight or how drained and sick I was from overeating and eating too much sugar. Then I think about how hard I worked and how great it feels to fit into a size 4 and have people look at me in disbelief when I say I once weighed 200lbs. If you like eating a lot then maybe try portioning things out and keeping them in containers. 200 calories per container of various healthy food. then you can eat 6 times a day and only be at 1200 calories. When they're gone that's it. For me being obsessed with eating being able to eat tons of fruit all day long helps. Sometimes you have to try various techniques before you find a right fit. You shop around for clothes you can shop around for diet plans too.
Hi there! It's true, ALOT of us struggle with overeating/binging. Something that I do, that you may want to consider, is looking up your local OA (overeaters anonymous). You will find great support and be around people that are in the same boat as you are. This is a serious struggle, but it's more than that. It's your life. You will probably never completely kick the addiction but with some help and the right mindset, you could start to take control over it, and your life again.
I also agree about the exercise. It is does make you happy and put you in a different mindset. Plus you probably won't want to eat that same kind of junk (and to the extreme) if you worked out cause you wouldn't want it to be in vain. Plus you'll start to see results and that in itself will make you want to keep going.
There's some really good advice for you here. I find that I don't binge nearly as much as I used to (very rare now), partly becuz I made some changes in my life that have helped me a lot; but, I do agree that this will likely be a life-long struggle that can be controlled with help if you 'keep on your toes' about it ...
1) I keep all trigger munchie foods out of my home now; this takes some determination becuz you will be tempted now and then. Go out and buy single servings of things you love but can't resist (walk to get it).
2) keep lots of fruit and other healthier foods in your home all the time; you can keep frozen and/or canned fruit at home when fresh isn't there esp in the off seasons (like frozen berries, bananas; and canned peaches & pears).
3) find some things you can snack on in between meals that you won't binge on; this may take some trial and error on your part, but it's worth it.
4) When I catch myself feeling the need to binge or starting to munch, I stop and ask myself: OK, what is really bothering and/or bugging you right now? Often, other than just plain boredom, some situation or person triggered it.
5) make the necessary changes to deal with those circumstances and/or people that are upsetting you; make a plan and then act on it.
6) Don't feel bad or guilty when you make a mistake; learn from it, make a plan of action, and follow through on it ...
7) often times, correction is just a matter of being aware, and then making a decision or a commitment or a plan to do something different. DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU FEEL LIKE IT (as that may never happen); you must 'JUST DO IT' (as HEATHER likes to say ~ lol).
Hope something here is of some help to you ... ROSEBUD
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 01-28-2008 at 11:11 AM.
Hey there!
Do you have any hobbies? Do you like to go on road trips? I think about food always!!! But I try to keep my mind occupied by doing other stuff. Last night, for example, instead of eating for no reason, I wrote down all the things I was going to eat for the next week. Also, if you are hungry, try drinking a big glass of water. I heard a long time ago on the Today Show, if you are hungry for no reason, your body is really telling you it's thirsty.
If you need something to do, try crocheting, or making jewelry. Take a class from your local community college, it will get you out of the house AND you learn something new. Keep apples and peanut butter around. Pb has lots of calories, but it will fill you up
Hello Helway - I understand what you are feeling, because I am the same way. You are not alone!
I am 53 yrs old and have been overweight nearly all of my life. Beginning when I was 16, I have tried nearly every diet known to womankind. Guess what - they all work! I have probably lost well over 1000 lbs in my lifetime, and regained each time. And each time I have found that the diet plan that I had used most recently to loose a lot of weight is now completely impossible for me to go back to, for one reason or another.
So for me, what's working for me at the moment is to not diet at all. Seems crazy, doesn't it?
I like to walk, and I am lucky enough to live close enough to work to walk there every day. Also, I have a dog who needs walking on a regular basis - so that pretty much takes care of my need to exercise.
As to the food, I have decided that instead of dieting, I will focus on feeding my body the healthiest fuel that I can give it, given whatever circumstances there happen to be in my life. When I feel hungry, I check in with myself to see what I really want. In the mornings I like carbs - so I have cereal with banana and soy milk, or toast with PB&J, or whatever I have in the house. I eat enough to feel full - even if that means 2 bowls of cereal. At lunchtime I'm usually at work, and I eat whatever I brought with me. Maybe leftovers from the night before, or a can of soup, or maybe even just fruit, cheese and almonds - a combination that I love. For dinner, again - whatever I feel like! If I want a hamburger, I make it for myself. If I want a porkchop, I make it. If I want a baked potato - I go ahead and have it. Broccoli with cheese sauce? Why not... I eat it slowly and deliberately, paying attention to what I'm eating. I don't eat in front of the TV - I find that's too distracting for me and will often cause me to start a binge, so I have committed to not doing that anymore.
I have been doing this now for a little over 2 weeks. I find that I am thinking about food far less than I was before when I was "dieting." Mostly my "food thoughts" seem to be about recipes and different ways to get creative about cooking certain things. Actually, I'm finding that kind of fun!
For me, the constant food obsession when I was dieting was as a result of feeling deprived. When someone says to you "Don't think about purple elephants," that's all you can think about - right? Same for me with food. When I tried to limit my carb intake, or my fat intake, or whatever - suddenly the entire world was made up of potato chips that I couldn't eat. It made me feel deprived, sad, frustrated, and angry - not to mention hungry. Now, if I want potato chips, I eat them - as long as I'm not watching TV at the same time. Guess what? I've had no interest in potato chips...
Somehow, with this crazy plan I managed to loose 7 lbs in the past two weeks. Must be doing something right, huh? I know this is only the beginning, and I might "loose it" at any given moment. But so far - today - this is working for me. I hope and pray, Helwa, that you find something that works for you as well. I will keep my fingers crossed for you, and please know that you are not alone!
BIRGIT ~ I laughed out loud over your post becuz it resonates with me so much; I don't live by any hard and fast rules anymore. I eat what I want that's healthy and good for me. I tweak 'my homemade plan' (and I use that term very loosely) with tips from others to see if it helps me; if it doesn't, oh well: toss it, and live and learn. Your post is a page from my life, literally; and probably most of the women here. Thanks, it was enjoyable to read.
HELWAY ~ as I mentioned BOREDOM was/is a huge issue for me; here's a thread that talks about how some of us keep our minds and hands busy ...
For me, I eat slooooow and drink LOTS before and during eating.. If I eat slowly, like I do when I have sushi, even that tiny little 12 piece sushi roll with shrimp and cucumber/lettuce fill up up like crazy.
I'm also a "finisher" and need to gobble up everything on my plate. Things that are easy to shovel down like rice, etc. are my downfall. Stuff I actually have to work at to eat, like chicken on the bone, etc. slow me down because I don't pick them up to eat it (too finicky), but rather have to remove all the meat with a fork before I put it in my mouth.
So I would say:
- eat things that encourage you to work for it/eat more slowly like bone-in meat (no picking up and cheating), nuts or seeds in shells, un-peeled shrimp, etc.
- eat things that encourage you to eat more slowly (I can't eat sushi fast)
- cook less and/or put less on your plate
- drink lots of fluids before/during
I have a serious problem!
ROSEBUD
