[KarenBee]

I have been reading posts in this section of the board all morning, and I can so relate to all of you.

Some of my destructive food habits are:

I do a lot of mindless eating -- it has nothing to do with hunger, I eat just because the food is there and it looks good. Or if there is something I like in the fridge or kitchen, I'll go get it and eat it just because I know it's there.

And I eat long past the point of discomfort -- even if I am full, I'll just keep eating anyway.

Another thing I do is -- I way overeat at meals -- I pile the food on my plate, taking mammoth portions, and then maybe taking seconds or even thirds and eating until I am uncomfortable. When I was still drinking coffee (I quit in March -- I drank several cups a day -- sometimes I drank as much as 12 cups in a day), I would drink coffee after eating to help speed my digestion to get rid of that over-full feeling, and after I started to feel a little less full (but not at all hungry), I'd eat again just cuz I knew I could physically fit it in my stomach.

And I snack -- crackers are my worst -- I used to easily polish off a half a box or more of Cheez-Its while sitting at the computer, just mindlessly stuffing them in my face.


I am happy to say that since I started counting calories in May, I haven't really had a bad relapse of any of these destructive behaviors, but I still tend to eat when I am not hungry -- if I add up my calories for the day and discover that I am under my goal of 1500, I may eat some crackers just cuz I know I can, even if I am not hungry. I have had a few days of way overeating since I started, but I always get back on plan the next day.

I truly believe I am a recovering food-aholic, and while I may be "on the wagon" at the moment, I will always have to be careful my whole life...

[guamvixen]

I'm right there with you! My S.O. has to literally take food away from me if it's something bad like chips or french bread, or cookies. Once I got passed the "serving size" i have to either tell him to pull it away, or if he sees me throwing them back at a rapid pace, he'll jump in and take them away from me! It's hard, but i need that kind of support. Let's just say my wagon is "wobbly" and anything can easily fall of it.

[K-boogie]

I can sooooo relate, I don't have to be hungry at all but if I am watching my favorite show, bored, just because etc..... One thing I noticed this weekend on Saturday I was cleaning out my closet/organizing and I hadn't eaten all day but as soon as I finished and got a snack (apple/PB) I sat down and started watching TV and everytime a new show came on or I went downstairs for something I had to grab something to eat.

When I'm upstairs it's not as bad but if I'm lounging downstairs near the kitchen or if I have to go down for something it's like I am just drawn to the kitchen and have to eat. I snacked all weekend (semi binge) pretty much out of boredom and b/c the food was there.

I hate being like this!!!

[KarenBee]

Another huge problem for me is portion sizes -- I know what size portions are considered to be "correct" based on how many calories, etc -- but when I put that amount on the plate, it just looks so -- little. So I add more because I think that I could never be satified on such a small amount of food, and guess what? I start to feel full long before I finish -- usually I am full enough on the amount that would have been "correct" -- but -- here's the thing -- I eat the rest anyway just cuz it's on my plate. The bottom line is that I guess I have shrunk my stomach to be satisfied with the right amount of food, but my eyes haven't caught up with my stomach yet...

I see those "Healthy Choice" type dinners and I think that no way could I be full on that small amount of food -- I don't eat those, because I am trying to stay away from processed food as much as possible -- but my point is, if I only put that same amount of food on my plate, I'd think it was way too little, even if it did fill me up.