How do you stop overeating? Hi everyone I am new here, I posted on the Support group and was given this link. I think I have always been an over eater. I remember my mother putting me on a diet when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and throwing up in 5th grade, because the food was so nasty( cottage cheese and soft boiled eggs), I remember in 7th- high school when my mother would go shopping she would buy a gallon of ice cream and she would have half and I would have the other half. When I buy food that I like, Ice cream, cookies, or chocolate it will not last because I end up eating it all. So I hardly buy these things( only Ice cream once a week). I just wish I would have enough control over eating not to over eat. I can also binge on fruit, strawberries, and other sweet things, when I have them in the house. I was able to control my weight before I had my children, but since that time 16 yrs ago I have not been at a healthy weight. I have gone from a size 14( I was very happy with this) to a size 22-24. I started exercising again the beginning of the year, and also joined the YMCA last week and trying to get comfortable with exercise machines. I like to exercise but can't have the control to eat right. I am a horrible journel keeper, so I don't think that is the way to go for me, I am in a new state and have no friends, and have no family to speak of, my husband is no sorce of help, and I don't want to be like this anymore. Any suggestions would be great. THanks.
I think that your problem is a very common one that many of us share. I also have problems with it and the way I control it is by ensuring that I only prepare enough meat and starch for each person to have 1 serving. I do make extra salad and veggies so no one goes hungry. I also use a smaller plate and the dishes I use for snacks are all 1/2 cup sized. This helps not only control the portion but also makes the snack look larger.
I am still having trouble with leaving food on my plate so when we eat out I always order from the childrens or seniors menu or the appetizer section.
When it comes to treats, I keep a lot of gum on hand and I only buy single servings of treats that are hard for me to stay away from.
It also helps to slow down your eating, take smaller bites, chew 20 times, put down the fork, count to 10 before taking another bite.
Take it slow, one step at a time and get comfortable with each change before you make another one. It took me 6 weeks to get to the point where I had stopped over eating. I still need to pay attention to it and keep it under control but it is slowly becoming habit.
Your story and mine have some similarities! I was about your size pre-baby and now, 16 or so years later, am also about your current size! Amazing how it just sort of snuck up on us, eh?
I tend to be a rather private person in 3D life, so I don't talk about dieting etc. with friends or family. DH and DS have noticed a shift in the kinds of foods being brought into the house (I do the vast majority of grocery shopping, so I control most of what comes in). They've also noticed a shift to more healthy-type meals prepared. But we don't really discuss it, because I don't want to overwhelm them with it. They're both naturally slim, so if we do talk about it, it's more from a health standpoint rather than weight loss/struggle. They just don't get it, otherwise.
So, finding this place, where I can blather on about weight management issues with folks who do get it, has been a real boost! I love it here and I bet you'll grow to love it, too!
Good for you for starting exercising! I just started in earnest, too, not too long ago. Takes some getting used to, doesn't it, after so long not doing it. We'll get it!
The consensus about overeating/binge eating disorders is that we need to work on the problems on the inside, because most of us certainly aren't overeating because we suffer from insatiable appetites, but because we are trying to fill up something else that may be empty. We use food as a coping mechanism, as a friend, a crutch, a sercurity blanket, etc. Most people have done this to help control their problems: identifying their emotional and food triggers. My advice to you is to write down your favorite binge foods (the foods you absolutely can't resist) and then when you have a binge episode, write down your exact emotions and feelings before and after the binge (after to show you if the food actually appeased you or made you feel worse) This will help you find your triggers. And then begin to phase out those triggers, although some people find that complete deprivation of their favorites doesn't work (it doesn't for me) I haven't exactly figured out what causes my bingeing (I'll need a professional to help me with that). My emotional triggers are unknown and deeply buried because I'm not paticularly angry or sad when I begin to binge (I'm usually fairly content). I've found just having a weight loss goal controls my binges. My drive to lose weight is more powerful than my compulsion to overeat (the majority of the time anyway). I've gone from bingeing 5-6 days a week all day long to 1-3 days a week.
Good luck!!!!
Last edited by HarpoChicoGroucho; 03-05-2006 at 06:32 PM.
I completely agree with Harpo on the reasons why we overeat. It really has nothing to do with the fact that we are hungry... What does hungry even feel like???
Did you go through anything that may have lower your self-esteem? Were you abused in any way?
I think that tracking what you eat sounds really helpful too. I'm going to start doing that so that I can see if there is some kind of pattern for me.
Also, maybe you just need to speak to a therapist about the things that are going on in your life or the things that happened in your childhood. As you may have read on these boards, there are various reasons why we all turn to food.
You might also try planning your meals/snacks ahead of time. I've found that works well for me instead of waiting until I'm STARVING and then eating everything in sight.
It takes a bit of planning in the morning, but if I know what I'm allowed to eat throughout the day (and I make sure I have some yummy stuff planned or prepared), I feel good about myself. I feel organized and "together", you know?
Don't get discouraged, and don't give up! We're all in this together.
How do you stop this?
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