[MariaMaria]

Originally Posted by Thedollylala

I think you're wanting someone to tell you how you can eat all of what you're eating and still lose weight?

I think you need actually to exist as you describe, first.

Six thousand calories a day and your weight starts with a 1, I'm not buying it.

[Thedollylala]

Originally Posted by MariaMaria

I think you need actually to exist as you describe, first.

Six thousand calories a day and your weight starts with a 1, I'm not buying it.

Hmm perhaps but I'm thinking she may be over exaggerating.. Maybe

[abejune23]

Originally Posted by LeilaJey

Try the Chicks in Control forum, lots of help and support from lots of understanding ladies.

Try not to stress too much, being here and trying to figure it out is a great step in the right direction. Small changes at the start.

I'm a total boredom eater too and I'm prone to binging when I'm feeling bad/drinking. It still happens sometimes but I'm mostly in control. I realised that I just have to stick with it and it's not always going to be easy and sometimes I will over eat and binge but it's not the end of the world.

I really try to pay attention to my body now and not eat unless I'm actually hungry. I get migraines if I skip meals so if I feel a little headache coming on I know I'm actually hungry. Sometimes in between meals I think I'm hungry but if I drink a bit of water or have something small it satisfies the feeling. Before I always would have just eaten another meal or whatever I felt like with no regard to the portion size.

It's your body so you'll have to find what works for you. Can you do anything about what's causing you stress?

What about exercise? Doesn't have to be a crazy gym routine but exercise is great for stress and good mental health. Do you live a fairly sedentary lifestyle? Can you add in a bit more walking?

Maybe even taking up yoga and deep breathing, these things can go a long way.

thanks, i haven't visited that section before, i can't believe i haven't looked there yet! there's definitely something i can do about the cause of my stress, i just have to get over this bump keeping me from taking care of it. only very recently i've started doing more recreational activities with my mom. i don't think i walk enough, so i'll try to get more of that in. thanks so much for the advice!

Originally Posted by Em123

Your portions are too big. Cut down on the portions. Eating 1400-1500 calories a day isn't going to harm you.

If you feel hungry in between meals, drinks a large glass of water or two, as it will suppress your appetite and its good for you.

Also, I think you need to remember to eat for nutrition, as opposed to satisfaction. I know we all want to have a cheat meal and eat our favourite apple pies, chocolate or whatnot, but it's all about moderation, portion size and control.

thanks for the breakdown! i'll add more water to my day! i do usually forget that i should eat more for the nutrition, rather than the satisfaction, but i'll try to keep that in mind!

Originally Posted by Brid

Five bananas is one **** of a snack. They vary depending on type and size, but you're looking at up to a thousand calories just there, and there's also the sugar in fruit to bear in mind.

You say you don't want to be "feeling like [your] life will end if [you] have such a small intake" - that right there sounds like your big issue here. The reason other people manage on a much lower intake is they've spent time adjusting to far smaller portions - when one banana feels like plenty then you don't get upset about the fact you can't eat five. A big reassessment of what constitutes a reasonable portion is needed, as well as a change in how you view food - its primary purpose should be to provide adequate fuel for your body, not to get you through boredom, ease emotional moments, or relieve stress.

One thing that's helped me a lot in terms of portions is serving the evening meal on a smaller plate. It tricks the brain into thinking there's still plenty of food, if the food to plate ratio doesn't change. As for being hungry half an hour after eating, I don't know what to suggest to help you deal with that as it's not something I've had trouble with myself, but it's likely largely a learned habit, rather than an unchangeable aspect of your physiology. It will take time and effort, but you can unlearn that habit.

As for your last question - how long does it take to get on track? - obviously that's going to vary from person to person, so I can only tell you my own experience. I'm four months into the new diet, and I've gone from, presumably, 3000+ calories a day (based on being 255 and 5'9 and still gaining), to ~1000 a day (excluding the occasional biscuit). I eased into it by allowing myself one bit of junk per day, but after the first month I'd cut that out and was perfectly happy on the much lower intake. So it's certainly possible to adjust very quickly, though whether it will prove so for you, I couldn't say.

Best of luck getting this all sorted out and getting back on track!

it's great that you were able to ease into a different habit of eating! thank you so much for sharing and for the advice!

Originally Posted by Thedollylala

I think you're wanting someone to tell you how you can eat all of what you're eating and still lose weight? Hmm well that's the thing with dieting, you need to reduce what you're already doing for things to start to take effect... And like what em123 said drink lots of water! I drink atleast 60-90 oz a day you have to try to drink water, it flushes toxins out of your system and hydrates you

will definitely get more water in! haha, i know it's a problem to eat the way i've been eating, but i guess i needed some sort of reality check, because i've been doing it so constantly that i didn't even realize how crazy it was until i noticed other people's eating habits.

Originally Posted by MariaMaria

I think you need actually to exist as you describe, first.

Six thousand calories a day and your weight starts with a 1, I'm not buying it.

this would be a typical day:
- 3 cups of maple granola with 3 cups of milk
- a protein bar
- 3 slices of bread, 2 bananas, 6 tbsp of nutella
- 4tbsp of hummus and 3 slices of bread
- 5 slices of fried raddish cake
- 3 servings of braised beef brisket
- 3 cups rice

when i put it into the food calculator, it gives me a little over 5000 calories. but now that i'm going through my food logs, a lot of the calories DO come from lots of carby non-nutritional things, like cake, cookies, and bread.

[Brandis]

It sounds like you have some of the behavior of a binge eating disorder. Until you know for sure what's going on, you likely won't make effective steps to changing. Be honest with yourself, and ask yourself why you are eating that much. Are you protecting yourself from feeling something that you may be hiding? Are you truly afraid to be hungry? Does the thought of feeling deprived cause emotional stress? The reasons you are doing what you are doing are likely rooted in the psychological. Perhaps seeing a counselor is in order? Search the boards and post in Chicks in Control to see if they can offer some advice. I had some minor binge issues myself, and I just had to be honest with myself and willing to change. I have consciously made the decision to understand why I ate like that and to understand that not being overstuffed is normal. I now know what real hunger feels like, and I am more able to say no and stop before I feel like that. I still work on this every day, but it can get better.Take care.

[claristotle]

this would be a typical day:
- 3 cups of maple granola with 3 cups of milk
- a protein bar
- 3 slices of bread, 2 bananas, 6 tbsp of nutella
- 4tbsp of hummus and 3 slices of bread
- 5 slices of fried raddish cake
- 3 servings of braised beef brisket
- 3 cups rice

You should try substituting a lot of those carbs with something that has protein in it and something with fiber. Try a couple of eggs instead of the two additional cups of granola (granola is LOADED with calories). Substitute the nutella with peanut or almond butter. Use vegetables for your hummus instead of the bread. Protein and fiber will help you stay fuller longer. And I'm just hypothesizing here: all the carbs you eat are spiking your sugar high and you're feeling good and energized, but you probably crash pretty fast and supplement that crash with more carbs to get your levels up again. By leveling out your sugar levels with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, that should allow you to eat less because your energy levels are staying constant.

And don't do a total 180 on everything you eat at once. Start small. For instance, replace two servings of your carbs in the day for two servings of fruits and vegetables. After a month when this has become a habit, add another small change.

[Domlacha]

Trying to change the way you eat is really hard. It would be helpful to meet with a nutritionist, usually your general doctor can make a referral. You can even check out a book from the library. I would recommend first just getting a general nutrition book and meeting with a nutritionist before looking into too many other options. Mainly because there is a lot of information out there and it can be overwhelming to take it. You can also look at some of the threads on here were others are posting what they eat in a day. Mind you not all of the examples will be as healthy as possible or even necessarily be something for you. But it is a start. Here are to sample days in my diet, I usually try to eat between 1500-1800, these two days happen to be both under 1400 which is not something I normally do. I was working on getting lots of vegetables after a vacation of unhealthy eating. If you are interested in any of my other days just let me know.

Breakfast
Apple Cinnamon pancake:
2 eggs
grated apple
cinnamon
2 melba toast
1tsp sugar
dash of vanilla
cooked in 1 tsp olive oil

lunch
Tuna sandwich:
1 can tuna in water
1 T olive oil mayo
1 hamburger bun
1 cup spinach
1 c cherries

Dinner
Vegetable chilli:
1/4 cup dry beans(cooked)
100g asparagus
124g yellow squash
100g tomatoes
3 brussel sprouts
3 mini sweet bell peppers
1 babybell cheese
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil

snacks
1 mini bag of kettle corn microwave popcorn
3/4 c Chicago mix popcorn (Garrett's)
1 nectarine

Calorie total 1395

Breakfast
2 3/4c servings of peanut butter capn't crunch cereal (not a lot of nutrition but I love this cereal!)
1/2 c skim milk
1 nectarine

Lunch Salad w/
2c spinach
100g tomatoes
3oz carrots
133g of avocado
124g cucumber
1T papaya poppy seed dressing
8oz coconut water

Dinner
1c Barley
85g Green Beans
124g yellow squash
124g zucchini
sweet mini bell peppers
veggies sauteed in 1tsp olive oil
1 light babybel cheese cut into pieces

Snacks throughout day
1 Caramel corn rice cake
133g strawberries
69g kiwi
1/2c chocolate ice cream

I hope this helps.