I have not smoked cigarettes for 5 years and still occasionally I will wonder around feeling like I need to do something or feel like I'm forgetting something only to realize later on it was the want for a cigarette I was looking for or I was "forgetting" to get my cigarettes. It's been FIVE years and this still happens! The brain is a silly thing.

So the last few times I went to the grocery store I was doing this same thing. I was wondering around the grocery store feeling like I was forgetting something only it's taken me a few weeks to realize what it is I'm searching for or at least I think I've realized it. I'm searching for all the crappy food I used to buy, all the junk I used to eat.

It's no wonder why we have a hard time staying focused and on plan when we do things subconsciously without even realizing we are doing it. At least now, when I go to the store I will know what it is when I'm wondering around in search of. I'll know it's junk and I hope I can have the courage to leave the store.

Do any of you do the same thing?

I do this too! I have a cold right now which really suppresses my appetite but I find myself wandering around my kitchen feeling like I need to do something there. I'm not hungry or anything and don't end up eating but it's such a habit that's it's hard to break.

I definitely do that too! I had a HUGE fast food habit, and it was almost always a double cheeseburger and a Coke. Now, even when I smell hamburger cooking (I am working on being a vegan, so I haven't eaten hamburger in a long time), I immediately want Coke. And when I say "want" - I mean more "feel like I should be drinking it" rather than legitimately wanting it. And that's why, while I tell myself that no food is completely "off limits," I realize that in my mind, certain foods go together, and I will likely not be able to eat even a bite or two of some things without craving the whole meal of things I no longer eat on a regular basis.

I've been forced to give up all self treating, such as jewelry or scented candles as a reward for good grades, because the indulgent mindset inevitably leads to me binge eating on automatic. I finally noticed this after my parents showered me with gifts and I immediately went to Ihop after leaving their home. It was like I wasn't even in control of my own body. Now if I want nice things I have to work them carefully into my budget so they're part of "the plan" rather than a treat. That way I stay under control.

Glad I'm not the only one! I tend to think I don't have enough food in my cart, and can't really think of what else I need to buy, which usually means I leave thinking that I'm forgetting something and that I'll have to come back mid-week. For the first bit though, I used to walk endlessly up and down the aisles, with the hope that I'd remember what I thought I was forgetting! In that process, I have actually discovered some new and healthy treats instead of the junky stuff I used to reach for, so at least there was a positive to it!

Wow...this thread has made me feel sooooo much better!!!!

My grocery cart, the same way! I don't see all the boxes and bags of "goodies" in there now and feel like I haven't bought anything.

The kitchen, often I'll walk in there and not even know why!

*whew* I feel loads better now!

Our brains are all wired by the same electrician, I see! I realize I don't go to the grocery store as often anymore. I have the same feeling like I'm missing something when I don't stop almost every day on the way home from work.

Lin

I know what you mean. It seems like healthy foods take up less room in the cart so it looks like I am getting less. I will worry do I have enough food for the week, even though I have planned out all the meals and am shopping from a list. It looks so sparse. I notice that chips and junky things come in such big bags so maybe that's what the bulk that is missing from carts? I still have to go down all the isles in the store, to make sure I haven't missed anything.

I think the healthy food was always in my cart - it's just that there was a lot of junk, too. That's definitely what is missing. And how about this article?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/1...-healthy-food/

Junk calories are cheaper to buy in the store than healthy calories. So, when we cut out the junk, we're buying less volume and spending more money. Just doesn't seem fair!

Lin

I'm going to the grocery store in a little while. At least this time I'll know when I'm wandering around what it is.

I thought about that too Lin, but then I realized I was also eating smaller portions. Rather than eating 2 full portions at dinner (and of course nibbling while cooking), now I'm eating 1 portion and no nibbling, so I've had to re-adjust my thinking when I shop...I only need to buy half as much food.