Well it's been 3 weeks on IP and I've lost 12 pounds so far. But I am finding I always want to eat. Today I had 3...THREE!...chocolate chip cookies. And when I have the crispy cereal in the morning I want 2 packets. Portion control I know. I dont seem to have any! I just want to eat. Eating just makes me feel so good. Comforting. What a terrible thing to admit. Maybe if the boy loved me, the house didnt get sunk by Sandy, I had the energy to go to the job, bipolar didnt bring me down and never up, that I didnt wake and eat, I'd get a handle on my eating. I guess I dont mind the IP food. (: But how do you control it?

It sounds like there's a lot more going on here than just diet control. You might actually do well to look into a local Overeaters Anonymous, they can definitely help you work through a lot of those triggers. The triggers will always be there, whether you're on this diet or any other.

I have found that if I have the cereal or the omelet for breakfast that I'm hungry by 10:30 or so. I started having the strawberry banana rtd for breakfast and save about a 1/4 of the bottle for a quick gulp around 10 and a cup of tea, this seems to control my hunger very well.
I also keep back about a half cup of my lunch vegs to have with tea around 3 pm, holds me well until supper.
I hope this helps.

I think everyone has life stresses and we have all gained weight for various reasons. Life just sucks sometimes and now with IP I am taking the initiative to monitor my eating. I dont think OA is my solution.

You also realize, to state the obvious, that you're throwing yourself OUT of ketosis if you eat 3 cookies, so that's why you have a constant Grrrr on. When you get into the "zone" it will help the cravings go away, but that will take 3-4 days of NOT snacking and having extra packets. A lot of this diet is the "mental" stuff though, as you said. If it helps, think of the money. 3 cookies was $12 bucks. Would you ever sit and eat $12 worth of cookies?

If you're hungry, acknowledge to yourself that you are, but start with water, wait 10 min and then have ONE cookie. If you're still hungry, agree to wait 10 more minutes while you boil an egg or two. And instad of eating, come on here and chat with us for awhile and catch up on all the news here -- it may help take your mind off a bit.

We all have our "battles" which is why we got where we are with our weight. But you're acknowledging yours, and already know what many of your "triggers" are, so that's a great start. Scorbett had a great idea of finding a support group but if there isn't one around, maybe you have a friend or close family member that you can chat some of this out with?

Keep checking the posts. You're not alone in fighting hunger cravings so you will see some other great ideas I'm sure. I know in the summer I was making blended drinks for breakfast because by the time I added ice, I had 2-3 thick drinks and could split that up till lunch time. Tooooo chilly now for that for me but many people put the shakes in with their 'java' for a toasty breakfast mocha. I may try that one out soon!

There's definitely an emotional attachment to food being triggered by your stress. So I think stress management is in need here.

Have you read the book Women Food and God by Geneen Roth? I highly recommend it for stress/binge eaters. The author has gained and lost 1,000 pounds over her lifetime and navigates you through a process called "inquiry" to better understand emotional eating and how to recognize mindful eating and thoughts about food.

Incorporating activities that keep your mind off of food that are enjoyable are important too. In my journey to overcome my stress and binge eating, I found that I love (and pretty good at) restoring furniture to ease my stress and keep my mind focused.

I am also involved in charity work with food kitchens. When you watch families struggle to put food on the table and be entirely grateful for a week's worth of donated groceries, it truly opens your eyes to how much we take food for granted and puts your eating patterns into perspective. Every time I eat, I thank God for my meal and providing me with what I need and savor every bite thinking about people who don't know where their next meal is coming from. It sounds altruistic but it has helped me move beyond my eating disorder.

Everything you're going through it part of the human experience. If it wasn't then it would not exist. This is a time of challenge for you and growth through overcoming what you struggle with. Try starting your day with a list of things you are grateful for when you have your first meal or while you're getting ready to get your mind in the right place. Our psychology is a direct reflection of our physiology and vice versa, so start with the way you think about things first, just for a few weeks, and see if things change for you.

Good luck!

I think we all have/had problems with eating when not really hungry and portion control (how we all got over nourished in the first place). That is the hardest part of any diet. I feel much more in control of my hunger on IP due to the high protein, but I struggle when I'm stressed or sad because I have always comforted myself with food.

I feel for you, but you need to recognize that certain foods are triggers for you to overeat. Maybe you need to avoid IP products like the cookies and bars and switch to IP snacks with less sweet/carbs until you feel more in control of your eating. Stick with the puddings, drinks and maybe savory soy snacks and see if that helps. You may be less likely to overeat those. The first time I was on IP, my coach asked me what I crave and I told her sweets, like cookies, scones, etc. She kept me off all bars, sweet IP treats for 5 months. I felt much more in control of my eating and noticed a difference the first time I was allowed an IP bar. I avoid the bars-they seem to trigger hunger and a desire to overeat.

Also, are you on meds for bipolar disorder? That may be messing with your satiety?. You should speak with your doctor and coach about it, but avoiding the cookies and bars may be a good place to start. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the positive feedback! I appreciate the support.

Hi there. Sorry that you're having a difficult time with these eating triggers. I'd suggest (like the poster above) that you re-stock with IP items that don't trigger you so much - nix the bars and cookies, etc. Go with puddings and other things so that you won't be so likely to want to reach for a second. Hopefully your clinic will allow you to exchange packets for some that don't trigger you so much? Cereals, even the IP ones, trigger some people... maybe you should try a shake or an omelette for breakfast and see if you react the same way. Some folks blend spinach into a chocolate RTD and blend it with decaf coffee. You can also take some of your day's vegetable allowance and put it in your omelette, so it's good and filling.

I've also seen here that several poster's coaches are permitting a hard boiled egg be added to the protocol to satisfy hunger if needed.

I like those ideas. Thank you!

I think I need to work on self-control. The OA comment ticked me a bit so it was either angrily eat or take the dog for a walk. The dog won. (: Always ready to begin again!

I am only 3 weeks into this...but here is what I am trying.

1. Read a lot to get educated, surfed and found a lot of recipes, ideas
2. Cleaned my pantry out and gave all the trigger foods away
3. Make sure I am eating all of the food that is recommended - all of it
4. Change up what I am eating every day - different vegies, prepared differently, different proteins, different IP packets, lots of spices for flavor
5. Drink water when I feel hungry - I may be mistaking the signal as hunger when instead I need fluids and if not I am at least delaying eating

I'm still learning and watching for more ideas so that I can stay on this journey. So far I have been 100% OP and don't want to stray. The reward is how I feel and the WI each week.

That wasn't meant to offend, and I'm sorry if it did. The truth is that when there are deeper issues beyond just food portioning and choices, sometimes addressing the non-food issues gets you off on a stronger foot to deal with the food issues. Glad to hear you and the dog got some fresh air.

Hey!

Although I certainly do not have all the obstacles you mentioned I share the more mental aspect of eating. IP will treat your physical obesity but you also need to treat your mental obesity. I see a nurse so I can talk through the mental aspects of my weight control and it helps. If there was an OA program in my area I would probably attend but thats just me. For yourself if you are not interested in person to person meetings you can also just look to this site as you are. You will find yourself among friends. I know in the short time I have been on this site the people here have been an invaluable source of information, inspiration, motivation, and support. Best of luck with your journey!

I would also like to recommend the book "Brain over Binge". Someone on this forum recommended that book a few months back and the simple premise that the author related really resonated with me. I have found that there are many times and situations that I want to eat too much and it helps me to know that although my brain is telling me to eat, I have control over my body and I do not have to follow through.