[losingitbaby]

Hi everyone,

Let me start off my by saying, everyone here is a major inspiration. I admire your determination, and especially your commitment to this program.

I have been dieting on and off (always on, but always slipping off) for 2 years now. When I started going low carb I was in the 270's but binging over the holidays and coping with loss of a dear friend skyrocketed me to the upper 290's.

My mental need for comfort food is always dragging me off track and bringing me down in the gutter. I know that eating low-carb helps get rid of the cravings and food-induced mood swings, but even without the cravings I still have this mental attachment to "real" food.

I find myself being on the right track during work, but then I have this internal mental battle. I know it probably has to do with emotional issues, the comfort, the attachment, the way it fills voids in my life, but I just LOVE food.

I'm wondering if others who have/had a mental attachment to food vs just cravings to foods have combated this. Did you just go cold turkey?

I have goals, I have dreams, I have determination, but it is just so hard to get past FOOOOD, and lots of it lol.

Thank you everyone!

[beerab]

If going cold turkey isn't helping you might want to try cutting out one thing at a time.

I used to be the same way, I ate when mad, happy, sad, glad, you name it.

I finally had to teach myself that if I'm sad food isn't going to make me happy. It's better to cry it out than eat it out! I also learned that enjoying time with my friends does not have to involve FOOD.

I read "conquering your food addiction" by Caryl Elrich- I didn't follow any diet advice but I learned a lot reading her book about how addictions are partly habits and you have to break the habits. I'm very badly paraphrasing but that helped me soooo much. If you like to read that might help you too

Anytime you want to binge remind yourself it's NOT going to make you feel better.

[2RIDEROLLERCOAST]

I too am an emotional eater, but I have gone cold turkey, and other than missing all the "real" food while eating steamed/mashed/roasted cauliflower I think of my end goal and get up and do something else or drink more water. I thought if I was going to put so much money (that I don't really have) into this I want results and my real food cravings can just wait. I even have chips and chocolate in my house, I haven't removed anything from my cupboards but knowing they will all probably be stale by the time I reach my goal. I just can't wait to see the faces on the people I don't see on regular basis and that is what keeps me going.

[serendipityberry]

Yep cold turkey. I can honestly say though that the mental obsession with food that I felt the first few weeks of this diet has subsided. I am not tempted one bit on this diet. What a success that is! I can cook and be around all sorts of food and now I know that I can avoid it. I am in control! I think IP isn't just about weight loss, but it also changes our relationship with food---if you let it. Keep with it and I think you will see it start to change! I tell myself all the time "I can eat that, just not today"

[smh321pa]

Originally Posted by serendipityberry

Yep cold turkey. I can honestly say though that the mental obsession with food that I felt the first few weeks of this diet has subsided. I am not tempted one bit on this diet. What a success that is! I can cook and be around all sorts of food and now I know that I can avoid it. I am in control! I think IP isn't just about weight loss, but it also changes our relationship with food---if you let it. Keep with it and I think you will see it start to change! I tell myself all the time "I can eat that, just not today"

I totally agree with you and you said it so eloquently.

[losingitbaby]

Yall are great! Thanks everyone