I have started spending a lot of time online, especially today, looking up menus for restaurants, bakeries and fast food chains. A few years ago when I lost a lot of weight, I started watching the Food Network non-stop. I do find myself recording Food Network shows a lot, too.

This food obsession is a problem. It isn't making me binge, but I do think about which things on the menu I would order if I could eat anything.

What a messed up habit. I have to stop.

Just remember how you feel if you WERE to binge on those items that you are dreaming of :/

I'm still trying to stop myself when it comes to cravings. My problem is, is that I let myself get hungry and that is when I get in trouble.

If you're actually hungry you should portion a snack into your diet, but I find that when I'm just thinking about eating when I'm not really hungry, I do best to go on a walk and get away from the kitchen.

I do it ALL the time, including when I'm not hungry. I have done it while I was eating too.

I guess I will just have to stop doing it.

Why is it a problem?

There's nothing wrong with enjoying looking at food and thinking about food, per se. A behavior is not automatically a bad or a destructive behavior merely because it is food-related.

I get a lot of ideas from watching cooking shows and reading recipes on line - I don't necessarily make what I see there but I learn a lot about technique and flavor combinations. Besides, it's just an interesting and fun thing to do, even if I never put a lick of it into practice.

There's nothing wrong with thinking about food. If it's something you enjoy doing, and it's not interfering with other aspects of your life - that is, it's just something you spend some leisure time on, like reading blogs or doing any other messing around on line that a lot of us do - for heaven's sake, don't beat yourself up about it just because it's food-related.

Once again: a behavior is not automatically a bad or a destructive behavior merely because it is food-related.

I guess there is a fine line here. I completely understand having an obsession with food/recipes/food tv/"food porn". When I was heavily restricting my intake, I found the distraction of food sites like Foodgawker and Tastespotting to be welcoming. I don't know what it was, but I would feel satisfied as long as I kept the focus on food, even though I was literally starving inside.
But now that I'm past those unhealthy habits, I am able to look at sites like those, watch food network, and even write a food blog without the obsessive behavior.
I guess what it comes down to is... why do you look at those sites? is it to replace something? is it to avoid something? You really need to ask yourself those questions to get to the root.

Hey there. I am a foodie, so I can definitely relate. These days, what I do instead of try to replicate the foods I see there (on tv) is to make the recipes "skinnier". It has become almost like a hobby for me and I don't mind spending a lot of time thinking about food since it's mostly about how to stay happy eating well. We eat ridiculously delicious food at my house and I generally refuse to eat anything that doesn't taste good. So really my only choice it to make stuff that's yummy AND healthy.

Can't help with the restaurant stuff. I don't eat any non-home-cooked food right now except for Subway and that only if necessary due to being out of town for work, etc.

You know how to do a great job....you've lost a lot already. Maybe you just need to change up what you are eating a little vbit; try different but equally healthy things. If you want to make something on food channel, you can PM me and I'll help you make it taste good with less calories.

Barb

Angelskeep has a good point. You can channel your interest in food into something positive. I've been doing that as of late too. I have spent a lot of time looking up low carb, low fat recipes to make. I've become so bored of eating the same things over and over again that I get a little excited when I stumble upon something new that turns out being very good. For example, I just discovered the concept for "riced" cauliflower and have been searching for good recipes to make mock rice side dishes.