Hi all
Not sure how many of you are up out of bed yet but Im in the GMT +5 time zone!
Anyway I just was curious, even though we are addicted to food mentally, arent we also by now addicted physically? How do u manage to kill the physical cravings as well as the mental ones
There are times when i keep overeating because I want to feel better but then again there are times when I feel hungry and need something to eat even after dinner- eg dessert etc. How do I control these?
If I cannot eat nice things what else do I do? when I come home from work I just sit on couch all evening cos there is nothing else to do (hubby works and I have no kids). I look forward to these evenings after work where I can eat, so if I dont have this to look forward to then what do I have?
sorry for ramble just feel like this- thanks for reading
advice would be appreciated

One thing that helps with feelings of actual hunger is to eat more foods that have a lot of volume but few calories. Drinking lots of water basically does the same thing. But eat foods high in moisture and fiber too. Have more broth-based soups, lots of veggies, fresh fruits, etc. If you are hungry after dinner, that is a great time to eat a piece of fruit. "Volumetrics" is an approach which emphasizes eating foods with a low calorie density.

You will probably find that you will get used to smaller portions fairly quickly and the physical hunger will become bothersome less often.

Hi Tanya! I agree that fruits and vegetables are the way to go, but it took me some time to get used to that, after eating bad stuff for so long. What really helped me through the transition was bran cereal. (If you like that sort of thing, and are not limiting carbs too much.) If I was hungry after dinner, I would have 3/4 cup of bran, and it would hold me all night! And if you just need to fill the down time, maybe you could start going for after dinner walks? Good luck!

thank you both for your advice. yes I guess I just have to get go through the physical withdrawal and in time my stomach will get used to less. Im not terribly overweight, im 5'5 and 193 lbs but I would like to lose 30 lbs, but more that that I want to be able to control my binges and not be so obsessed with food. I think about it all day every day for as long as I can remember, i have been on a diet forever which I break every day. i cannot read a magazine or watch tv without eating something and fruit doesnt satisfy cravings. i havent gone to any OA meetings,there is one near me about 40 kilometres away but Im too embarassed to go in case I meet someone I know, also what would I tell hubby? I refuse to let him know what a binge eater I am, he has no idea as I never binge infront of him. I eat the odd packet of crisps in front of him and he knows I have a sweet tooth but he has no idea of the extent of it

Tanya,
Good for you in seeking out recovery. Addictions in any form are tough to beat, but so worth the struggle. When you want recovery, you want it no matter what anyone else thinks.
It also seems like you're dealing w. changing habits and attitudes regarding food. Have you considered taking up a hobby of some kind in the evenings? That might help you to relax and fill some of the time.
Wishing you all the best,
~Alexis

After one of my out of control binges (these can last from days to months!) sometimes it feels as though I'm a drug addict withdrawing from a drug. I would imagine the sugars and fats probably work somewhat the same as a drug in my body. Things that I've found helpful is a couple of days (I've done up to a week) of juice fasting.By the end of that you are so grateful for any kind of food and overly sweet/fatty foods may even make you a bit nauseous. If I'm not up to that I try and tough it out by staying very, very busy physically. When I watch tv there are just too many tempting commericals and too much "down" time for me. Since there isn't too much to do around here I do a lot of walking. I know that any type of exercise is incredibly hard to start but sometimes I start out with just around the block. That leads to two blocks because that one block gets boring pretty quickly. I'm such a fount of info and yet I continue to relapse. I guess thats what we're here for though, to support and not to judge.

Tanya, just a few suggestions.

Do you attend meetings on line or by telephone? That would be something you could fill in with at night and give you strength. You can find these at oa.org.

Do you have OA literature, if so reading that for 20 minutes might help, if not read it for another 20 and so forth. I learned that from a lady years ago. You can do anything for 20 minutes when you think you can't do it for 24 hours.

Do you have a God Box? Put those foods in the God Box and let your HP have them, He'll know not to eat them.

As far as knowing people at the meeting, I live in a small town of 29000 and it's pretty hard not to know some of the people in the meeting. It is very hard to walk into that first meeting and you might or might not know someone there but you will be very glad you took the walk. I suggest that you go with your HP and give it a try.

As for not wanting people to know you are a COE most of us have thought that and found out once we've been in recovery for awhile all those people we were afraid of knowing already knew and are happy we are getting help.

This is a new hobby I've taken up and love and it occupies my mind and hands and it's called quilling. It's old as the hills I guess but I just am learning about it. I did a google of it on line and found lots of information about it so you might give it a try. It's easy, trust me if I can do it anyone can do it I'm not a crafty person.

Please keep posting and this group will keep supporting. That is what we are here for is to help one another do what we cannot do alone.

hugs
patd

I recently went through this. I realized that flour and sugar were my personal downfall so I am abstaining from them completely. The first week and a half was rough but now for the first time in my life, I am no longer having the craving for something sweet an hour after I've finished eating. I think it would be helpful if you could find a charity or any place that you could volunteer some of your free time. Sometimes the good feeling you get from helping and being needed is so much greater than what you give.