Hi Everyone, Having problems with irritated eyes and have to curtail computer until it calms down. Nothing serious.

Lucky, Hope you're getting some relief from the anxiety...sometimes finding the right med takes a while. Finding a good med prescriber might also take some trial & error. Hang in there!

Just in case you aren't familiar with it, mindfulness meditation can help, though not overnight. Thich Nhat Hanh and Jon Kabat Zinn have some great audio & books. I learned how at a silent retreat. Guidance or instruction really helps.

BamaGalRN, yay for you & OA! My in-person meeting is next week.

I'll be back in a few days after some TLC to my eyeballs! Have a great rest of the week :)

Good luck on that eye rest, Mars! :)

Lucky, I suffer from anxiety, too. I'm hoping that yoga will help with it as well. I currently take medication for it, which helps it not be at a fever-pitch all the time, which is a blessing. But, I know how awful it is to deal with all the time. :(

Good evening ladies!
BamaGalRN! I'm SO excited for you about your meetings! Also, you look absolutely adorable in your avatar! :)

mars735, I hope you get the eye situation under control asap. I tried a Mindful Meditation seminar and it didn't help me with the migraines, although I didn't have anxiety at the time. Thanks for reminding me about it...I just really don't like meditation even if it's guided...unless it's by someone who has a very good, soft voice...a female voice.

CoolMom75, have you tried Valerian Root for the anxiety? I need to get some and try it. The best is the liquid kind and then you can make your own capsules by buying your own. I can't try it yet because I'm out of town with my son right now, but I plan to give it a try when I get back. My mom told me that her mom used to use it all the time and that it really works. I'm so sorry you're struggling with anxiety so bad. I also suffer from insomnia and it is so rough.

I would like to tell you all that I just started reading a book my husband recommended...it's by Gary Taubes and I think it's called Why We Get Fat or something like it. Anyway, it explains a lot about the actual research and it's quite compelling. I'm still reading it but I've decided to cut down some of my carbs. That means instead of oatmeal every morning, I'm going to have eggs and cheese. I'll still have carbs, but I'll eat more meat and veggies. I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not, but this book seems very top notch, so I thought I'd mention it.

Hugs to you all!

Hi Everyone,
I definitely have food addictions, so I'm happy to join the group :-). My addictions are mainly chocolate, cheese, and "junk" food. I find that there are foods that I can eat when they are not in the typical processed form. For example, I actually have no problem eating a muffin if I make it myself from organic and mostly whole ingredients (whole wheat, raw sugar, etc) but if I buy the ready-made ones from white sugar, white flour, etc., then I over-indulge. I also find that I don't have an issue with carbs as long as they are whole grain, though I do have to be careful with fats.

At the beginning of this year, I decided to go vegan and concentrate on whole foods. I did quite well but then I had to move and it was the first time I was doing it all alone, so it was quite stressful. I fell back into bad eating habits, eating a lot of junk food. I have been trying to get back to a healthy eating for a few weeks now but with not much success so far. I'm starting tomorrow on another try, going back to what I was doing before (vegan foods, whole foods mostly but with some not-whole foods, no chocolate). Hopefully this group can be a great support for me and I can offer some support to others.

I've read that some people here talked about chronic migraines. I also have suffered from chronic migraines since I was in college. One thing that I found was that paying attention to my diet and cutting out certain foods really helps. For example, I noticed that caffeine really is a big trigger for me, so now I don't drink coffee (though I'm having a much harder time cutting out chocolate!) You can do a search for "migraine diet" and see the list of foods that can trigger migraines. I also found that cutting out dairy and eggs helped a lot (though this might be tough for some people). Also, doing daily breathing exercises for even just 10 minutes before I go to bed helps a lot.

Djuna

Welcome Djuna!

I'm still going strong with my OA meetings and LOVE the support I've found there. I'm actively looking for a sponsor, now.

I seem to have a weakness for high calorie drinks. Sweet tea and sod in particular. So... I avoid it. I stick to water and Crystal Light completely now. 'Cause 1 sip and I can easily indulge in about 1000 calories before I even think about it. I'm also crappy with junk foods and fast foods-- but luckily, those are foods I can avoid fairly easily.

For once, though... FINALLY!!! I feel like I have a handle on myself-- it isn't over, of course, but I'm not completely out of control now. Yay!

Lucky you Valmorel! I think it is great to realize how much worse it could be! Now let me swap bodies with you, okay? ;)

Someone asked about medications and their affect on food addictions. I have had to take alot of Benedryl recently (as part of medicating migraines) and I find that when I'm groggy I really really want to eat things... everything in fact. Sucks. Not enjoying this fact at all.

It is interesting how different we can all be. The only food that triggers my migraines is alcohol, and particularly red wine (which I loooove of course). Though I don't eat dairy and eggs (since I'm vegan), so for all I know those *would* trigger migraines if I ate them. Caffeine on the other hand is a lifesaver for me and actually HELPS my migraines. Go figure. :)

djunamod, I think it's great that you've been able to identify which foods are triggers for you...that's half the battle usually. Now that you've moved, hopefully you can get back to your whole foods lifestyle. As far as the migraine diet, it's the first place I started 7 years ago. Since then, I've tried countless other interventions to no avail. There are some people, unfortunately who just don't respond to any treatments (behavioral, nutritional, medical, alternative, etc.). It's not a fun way to live and people like me have a high incidence of suicide because it's just...not a fun way to live. But I'm trying to have fun anyway. I'm trying really hard every single day to have a positive attitude. I have a family that counts on me so I need to stay there and plus, I would never do anything to harm myself...aside from the binge eating....gosh, this is getting way too long.

Mrs Snark, I'm glad to see you post. I was wondering if you were doing alright. Sorry to hear about the Bendaryl and related cravings. That is so rough. I can relate...there was a migraine med I had to try that caused weight gain as a common side effect. For an addict like me, it was completely dreadful. I guess i"m lucky that it wasn't the one that would help.

Hang in there everyone. Together we're stronger than alone.

I'll have to find out where I can pick some up. It couldn't hurt to try it. Thank you!

Hi all & welcome new posters :wave:
Still giving my dry eyes :tired: a rest from computing, but couldn't resist lurking here. It's so interesting to read everyone's experiences with food addictions. We're at the dawn of time in understanding them, but that's better than being in the dark ages about it, lol!

Luckmommy Hope you are doing well :)

BamaGal You are rocking it! I'm going to give a live meeting a whirl this Thurs--newly forming group right down the road.

Mrs SnarkTotal bummer re benadryl making you so hungry. It will be so nice once you don't need it and don't have those hunger neurons firing all the time.

I've noticed lately that I do better if I'm not dieting--hunger can trigger all the other triggers. I have a thought process going on whereby I diet down to my goal on low carb, low fat, low cal, while all the while in the back of my mind, I'm looking forward to letting loose with the craved foods. So I not only want to have my cake and eat it too. And, I want to do all that guilt-free :D, as in "I deserve this" "I'm under goal, I need the calories" etc :devil:

Here's to a great week!

I've had a very rough couple of days, y'all!

I had to have a sleep study done and my son started martial arts the same night-- so I raced from taekwando to the sleep lab and grabbed a burger on the way. I've been SO good about eating what I need and stopping that I REALLY didn't think it'd be a big deal. *snort* 720 calories were inhaled in short order. I was DISGUSTED with myself. Not that I had a splurge, not that I went over on my calories that day... Just that I was so mistaken and that I ate the other half of that burger-- KNOWING I always already full and then was uncomfortable and oddly still hungry after it. Then, yesterday, Omigosh the cravings for JUNK were almost out of control. I'm sick. I have no control. I admit it. But, ugh. Man, I was disappointed in myself.

Anyways.. I fought through and feel more like myself today. I'm sitting here at Firehouse Subs after a study group and I ate half a medium sub with only the bottom bun. I didn't get my son a kids meal and I have him the chips, lemonade, and other half of my sub. Just to keep me honest. (That being said-- he loved it) So, less than 300 calories-- even eating "fast food." It's a victory.

Anyhow. Just had to tell ya because I need the accountability. And the support.

Love y'all!! :hug:

BamaGalRN! I'm so frustrated. I wrote out a long post and it got deleted (my fault, but still!).

I basically said that you handled that bump really well...it could have been so much worse. Perhaps next time you could get the burger without a bun? Just a thought. That's just what would help me and we're all so different.

Congrats on getting back on track...that is a victory in itself. I'm sending you oodles of hugs. :hug:

BamaGal (another person who says y'all all the time, I love it!) -- Glad you recovered quickly -- though no need for any disgust with yourself. You ate a hamburger, you didn't rob a liquor store or something. ;)

It is so telling how quickly that kind of food triggers the cravings though, isn't it! Makes it worth your while to make hamburgers a rare treat!

Good job on bouncing back with great decisions.

Luckymom, I tried the liquid Valerian root and it did nothing. I don't know if more would help. I gave it two tries. Waaaaah!

Also, picked up the End of Overeating book and halfway through. It's very interesting but if he doesn't get to some solutions soon I'm going to throw the book. Ha! He keeps describing how enticing food is so far.

CoolMom75, yeah he does go on and on about those things. I skimmed a lot but in the end everything he said was based on what he wrote previously. You could skip to the third section and find where he recommends what can be done. I think he also wrote about some public health policy stuff in that 3rd section, which you could skip. It's interesting but I just wanted to read what he recommended for dealing with addiction.

BamaGal It takes courage to be accountable, even on an anonymous forum! It's discouraging to have a slip. When doing well i feel like i will ALWAYS do so, and then the slips and falls are that much more jolting. I hope things are easier for you now. Sounds like you handled it really well. Life sure has a way of messing with a diet!:hug:

CoolMom75, I'm sorry the valerian root didn't help you. I tried it as well and it wasn't enough for me either. I have now started an anti anxiety medication called Lexapro. I'd tried it many years before and it just made me so nauseated that I quit. This time, I'm starting on a much lower dose and even that, I've cut in half (which wasn't easy because the pills are so tiny). I'm really not a fan of medication but I just know I HAVE to do something because I'm sure the stress isn't good for my health either. It's almost crippling to have this level of anxiety at almost all times day and night.

I hope you feel better soon! Sending you hugs and peace.

Luckymommy I hope the Lexapro works well. It sounds like you are due for relief :hug:

Good luck with the new med! I hear ya about not wanting to have to take anything. :hug:

For the first time ever I halved a restaurant meal today. Go me! I actually looked up the calorie info after I ordered and discovered the meal was over 1100 calories. I divided it up and chewed slowly. So far, so good this week.

mars735, thanks so much for your support. It takes about 3 to 4 weeks for the medicine to show any anxiety relief but I've waited this long, so I will wait a little longer. I hope your eyes are doing a lot better. I've been low carbing and not noticing much weight loss. Hopefully I'm due for a woosh soon. :) All I want to do is lose 10 more lbs. (5 lbs. more at the very least), but it's taking forever. I think I had less than 20 grams of carbs since Monday. Before that, I was eating low carb but not really counting carbs because I was traveling and I had just started out so I didn't want to be too extreme about it.

CoolMom75, halving a restaurant meal is a great way to keep calorie counts within reason, so yes, definitely go you! :carrot:

Luckymommy -- I hope the Lexapro will eventually give you some relief!

Coolmom - Great job halving your meal out, very smart!


My husband is having a fantasy football draft party at our house tonight, I just came back from buying several kinds of chips and other junk. I'm coming off several hellish days of migraines, and surprisingly -- right at the moment -- that junk isn't appealing. That almost never happens. I bought myself fresh watermelon, which is appealing. However, I do hope they eat it ALL, I prefer it not to be in the house.

Thanks, luckmommy, getting better little by little. My experience with low carb is that the less you have to lose, the slower it goes. Do you think you are in ketosis? That's the way I did my weight loss. Hellish to get into it but keeps hunger in check once you are there. That said, super low carb can set one up for sweet cravings. I'm still trying to figure out a good balance.

Mrs Snark Good luck tonight! If there are leftover chips, I'd suggest crushing them in the bag & tossing into the trash. Hopefully DH will have had his fill & won't object.

Thanks so much, Mrs Snark and mars735!

As far as carbs, it's nice to hear that it's normal to strugggle at this point. I've decided to start counting calories now as well as carbs. Also, I do think I eat too much cheese and you're only supposed to have 4 oz. max per day. I don't get why it's an issue though since I'm keeping my carbs in check. I don't know if I"m in ketosis but I can't imagine that I"m not. I think perhaps I need to buy some of those ketosis strips, but I've read that not only are they not that accurate, but that once your body gets used to the diet, you will still be in ketosis, but will secret less ketones in the urine, making it seem like you're not in ketosis. Given this, I'm thinking it's not worth trying out the strips. Any advice? My sugar cravings are way better now than when I was still eating more carbs, but they're by no means gone. I have my little fantasies at times. ;) What I do is just remind myself that I'm not hungry and that I'll get to eat a delicious low carb meal when it's time to eat again. So far, that seems to work.

Mrs Snark, I am so sorry that you had such horrible migraines. My heart goes out to you! That is really extraordinarily excruciating and I can totally empathize. Glad that you're not craving the snacks for the party. If there are leftovers, maybe you can send your guests home with them? Usually, what I"ll do though (if I have to keep something in the house) is just to say, "that's not mine. not for me." Everyone's different though. All I can do is send you some strength.

Luckmommy, I've also heard that ketone test strips aren't reliable, but they were very helpful for me. They have been used by Type 1 diabetics, especially before glucometers, so they aren't simply a diet tool. To me that suggests they meet standards of quality. I suppose there are individuals who burn ketones so efficiently that they do not spill enough into the urine to be detected. And as you said, that can happen once ketosis is established.

Other signs of ketosis, btw, include odd odor to breath, sweat, urine, odd taste in the mouth, cold hand & feet, sometimes dry hands, too.

I got my strips on Amazon for I think about 18.00/free shipping. Here are some suggestions: get a good brand like Ketostix (Bayer), make sure they are not outdated, store as directed, i.e., air tight, don't leave the lid off, keep in dry place like kitchen, and just test first thing in the am before eating or drinking. The amount of ketones indicated does not matter in the least--just positive or negative. I always had trace to small amounts during my best weight loss.

You do not need to be in ketosis to lose weight of course, but if you are in it, it's easier and faster, imho. Since we are twins, I'll add to be cautious of low mood and cravings in low carb/low cal. ; )

Went to my first OA meeting yesterday. I loved being in a room with people with whom there is a sense of commonality around food issues. I'll be going back--there was a wonderful sense of community and authenticity. I find some of the things awkward for me so far--every time having to say 'Hi So-and-So" even when someone has already spoken beforehand, and then the Higher Power issue. I know I'm not the first person to wrestle with this. I get the idea of letting go of trying to control and fix everything, but I'm not sure there is anything else out there. I feel like I need to find strength inside of me. I may try a newcomer's meeting tomorrow. In any case, it was a great group of people.

Good luck with the football party, Mrs Snark!

Another good day for me. I had a bowl of homemade soup for dinner and thought I should just finish with that, but got a second bowl. The calories are fine for the day but I hate that I couldn't not have it.

Mars, I'm glad you enjoyed the OA meeting. I did TOPS meetings for a while and the formality was over the top for me and, as you say, awkward. I'm still meaning to try out an online meeting, however that works.

mars735, thank you for all that great info! I'm going to probably order the sticks you recommended from Amazon.

With the awkward parts of the meeting...I totally get it. I think the reintroduce so that there's no excuse not to remember people's names. There are some meetings that have a whole lot of people so that's when I find it helpful, but there are some meetings that are small and so I do find it odd, but nothing is as unpleasant as compulsive overeating, so I take it with a grain of salt. ;)

Higher Power is just anything greater than yourself. I don't know if I already mentioned this but for me, my H.P. is OA and the universe and basically, just reality. I know fora fact that atheists and agnostics can do this program but there is a lot of stuff discussed that doesn't apply to them...but they can still stay completely in the program.

That said, I've made some changes. I have basically left my Sponsor. It was not a good relationship and causing me more harm than good. I'm going to be on my own for a little while. I need a break from having a Sponsor, but I also feel strong and very knowledgeable. I got a lot out of it and am really incorporating what I"ve learned into my life. It has changed me forever and I"m really grateful for it, but I"m not sure in what capacity I'll continue. I'll go to my Saturday meeting tomorrow and see how I feel. I do love being around other people who have the same disease.

School starting back is KILLING ME!!! I already knew I was an emotional eater with stress being my main trigger... So nursing school is SO stressful! Our first week back we have multiple exams-- if you fail, you're removed from the program. I've gotten As and am not really in danger ever of being dismissed, but I'm naturally high strung... So I can stress myself out over anything... Made it through week one with no "events" (binges) even though I SO wanted to. But today... It's gonna be one of those days. I'm irritable and snappy. And I'm half trying to convince myself that other people have cheat days on their diet so maybe I could have one. Because the junk would make me feel better. ...wow. I totally do sound like an addict. Haha. "I'll just do it this once... Just to get me through today..." God, that's disturbing. And yet I'm still trying to rationalize it. Ugh :(

BamaGirl -- stress eating is comforting for like 5 minutes, then it actually ADDS to the stress you're having. Hang in there! You've got alot going on.

One strategy I've used when the urge to just EAT ANYTHING is overwhelming: Make a HUGE salad, one that will take forever to eat -- I've made salads so big that my jaw was hurting from chewing by the end of it. A giant salad is filling, it takes time to eat with lots of hand to mouth, and it is healthy & nutritious and you are probably truly hungry and under all this stress you can use good, supportive nutrition!

That's a good idea! I can do that when I get home from my daughter's dive practice. I need all the help I can get!

BamaGal, Can you squeeze in an online OA mtg for some extra support? I remember nursing school with those make-or-break rules/exams, which imho did not produce a better cohort of graduates, just stressed out ones! Sounds like you are very very busy. Impt to plan ahead so you have plenty of safe food.

Love the salad idea, Mrs Snark. Do you make a full on salad with protein and added veggies, oil, etc, or simply lettuce & non-caloric adds?

Luckymommy Sounds like you are making a lot of progress. Maybe it looks different than expected, but in hindsight, I always find the unanticipated learning is the most powerful. I'm glad you are working it out for yourself and taking only what you need. Thanks for posting--I'm reticent about the sponsor relationship, though still open to it down the road. I hope it wasn't too difficult to move away from it.

I attended my 2nd mtg and they had a newcomer part. I really like the people, and it was in yet another jaw-droppingly beautiful setting. The welcomers were great and answered my concerns about HP and in general that it cam be customized to fit the individual (so I wouldn't necessarily need to cease my whey shakes with 3g sugar). I think i'll keep going, but I do find it exhausting to process everything in a meeting. There does not seem to be pressure to get a sponsor asap, though it's encouraged. I'll just keep attending meetings until the timing is right.

BamaGalRN, how's it going? I hope you're doing well...same to everyone here, of course. Weekends can be a challenge. The medication is making me nauseated. A normal person might lose their appetite. Not me. I want to have mountains of carbs, but so far so good. :)

I survived the day! I did have a peanut butter cup and some milk for a snack about 20 minutes ago, but other than that, I kept in my calories, kept myself busy, and managed.

Thanks for the support. Today was emotionally exhausting, though, to truly SEE myself as a junkie. Ugh. So, I'm beat. I'll get caught up with everyone tomorrow!

Mars -- I'm glad the meetings are going well! Regarding the salads: I like my salads to have everything: beans, avocado, walnuts, dressing etc. They are definitely full meals and probably pretty well rounded. Heavy on the vegetable and salad stuff and beans, lighter on the rest of the goodies!

Bama - glad you made it through the day! I found that for me, I had alot of white knuckle days when I first started changing my habits. Nothing to do for it but gut it out. It definitely got easier though once the habits became second nature and the routine was established. So hang in there!

Luckymommy - I'm so sorry about the nausea, that's awful, hopefully it will subside SOON!

Mrs Snark, the nausea isn't so bad anymore, but thanks so much. I think I'm adjusting to this medication. I just can't wait for it to actually work! ;)

Bama, it's great to hear that you're hanging in there! Mrs Snark's input is right on.

mars, I'm actually a bit lighter this morning. My weight was fluctuating by 1 or 1.5 lbs. and now, I'm actually at 160 lbs. this morning. I had about 1500 calories yesterday and 21 grams of carbs. Thanks for all the info you gave me about low carb. I really look forward to reaching my goal and being able to incorporate some more carbs....spoken like an addict. ;)

Btw, I only lost about 2 pounds in August so far. I was losing about 7 pounds a month before. I'm hoping that's not a new trend.

Hi people! Congrats on the losses!

I'm curious-- what do you think works better? Intermittent Fasting or Low Carb? I'm ready to kickstart this weight loss again!

Bama -- I think both can work great, it all depends on your lifestyle and how you want to eat and live. If I were you I'd create a style of eating that you can live with forever and settle in for the long haul! :)

Bama, I agree with Mrs Snark. There have been times when IF was a great tool for me and there have been times when it just didn't feel right. Right now, what works best for me is having 3 meals and one snack per day. I have been doing low carb and this morning I was down another pound, but it's just not great on my body. I don't have much energy. What I'm planning to do is to get back to my usual calorie counting while being mindful of carbs. Instead of oatmeal for breakfast, I'll still have my eggs but instead of avoiding fruit, I'll have some berries with it. I'm going to keep it reasonable and just do what works for me and my body. The point is it's hard to know what will be the right way to go until you give it a try.

I'm super sad to report that one of our kittens (rotten little beasties) has chewed through my computer cord. So I'm relegated to my iPhone until my new cable gets here-- hopefully this afternoon.

I've decided that I'm gonna do a combo of low carb and IF-- and btw I had a little whoosh this morning of 2 pounds. Super happy!

Congrats on the whoosh Bama!

Luckymommy - it sounds like you are very in tune with how your body feels as you tweak your eating and so you can make adjustments as necessary. I think your plan sounds smart.

Thanks Mrs Snark! I'm starting to get into a groove with my eating. It has taken me a long, long time to feel that way. I still get cravings, but they're not as intense. What has helped (along with low carb and set meals/1snack) has been adding healthy fat into my diet. I kept thinking I'll wait until I hit goal because I was so afraid of the calories, but I've been having nuts and avocado as well as salad dressing, and you know what? I haven't put on weight from it. I feel more satisfied and less obsessive.

I'd like to mention cheese. I didn't know this, but I read somewhere that cheese can spike the insulin just as much as white flour foods. I was really shocked. I'm limiting myself to no more than 4 oz. a day but most days I don't even have it anymore. I feel this has helped me too. I also only have one little coffee in the morning because I read that it can spike the insulin as well. I noticed that when I was having a second cup (which was always decaf), I had a lot more cravings. I think addiction is party psychological and part physiological and getting a handle on the physiological part really helps me because it makes the addiction part more manageable. I'm still an addict. I still want MORE of everything. A handful of nuts isn't enough. I'd like to eat the entire bin that I got from Costco, but I know that I can't. I just have that handful. There might come a time when I won't be able to handle the nuts and if I can't, then I will stop them forever.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, pain-free, binge-free day!

Hi All :wave:
Luckymommy Still sounds like we're twins :) I'm doing basically the same thing as you with 3 meals, 1 snack, adding healthy fats. I'm still clinging to my 2nd cup of coffee, and instead of nuts, I put Kalamata olives on my salad along with the avocado. Costco Wild Alaskan salmon burger 2x/week. I feel better than I have felt in a long time re mood, alertness, and energy (& cautiously optimistic it will eventually solve the dry eye problem). Like Mrs Snark says, it takes tweaking as we go.

I'm trying to figure out a sustaining dinner for long work shifts. Maybe a chili or lentil stew. For carbs, I'm enjoying butternut squash. I used to cube it but it's too much work, so now just bake the whole squash and scoop it out after. I eat most of my carbs for dinner/evening snack and most fats at lunch--read somewhere that timing of carbs is optimal for mood. On Ideal Protein diet I was told that keeping carbs and fat more or less separate is supposed to keep insulin from storing fat (no idea if this is validated by research). Your comment about the physiological and psychological components of addiction are spot on.

Hope you get a chance to relax from your studies BamaGal. Wishing everyone a relaxing long weekend, incl. those who are working.