After reading all the posts hear on "liquid" diets, I've been quite intregued, but not tempted, I tried slimfast once - that was enough! However there are certain aspects regarding the psychology of overeating that have made me look at my own eating habits.
I have known for years that my eating is quite disordered, I'm a compulsive overeater and a self confesed binge eater - therefore I can identify with the controlled way that the LD's wipe out food and then gradually introduce it again - not for me unfortunatley, I'd never last!
But I have decided to try something new. I tend to find that because I'm so disorganised I tend to go out to the corner shop and buy rubbish for lunch when I'm at work, coupled with running into the supermarket and buying even more rubbish for my evening meal, which also usually results in my buying chocolate, pork pies, peperami and other such nonsence which I stuff in to my face as I'm driving home!!
Today I did my weeks shopping on line, as I live on my own I will only have what I ordered in the house, so I can't be tempted with anything other than what I've ordered! I've bought lots of ready meals, and yes I know they are not ideal, but it means I can re-learn portion control for starters, and I can take them to work for lunch, once I start losing again I can start re-introducing "real" food that I've made myself in advance, but I need to get myself to the stage where I can control the binging etc first!!
Anyone any thoughts?
(be kind!!!)

Thats a good idea Mystic as long as you can stick to just one "ready meal" as a self confessed binge eater won't you find it hard not to have another meal just for something to do? I'm not being harsh but I have the same problem this past week has been terrible and today and yesterday (because i'm off work) i've done nothing but snack on pizza..chocolate and toffees I realised today that its just something to do while i'm surfing the net or watching telly. I don't do it at work I can't even if I wanted to but food is'nt an issue when i'm at work..i'm just not bothered about it and most of the time i'm not even hungry when lunchtime comes around..so why do I find it so hard to leave alone when i'm at home? I've even been surfing compulsive overeaters sites and binge eating this morning. A couple of times i've eaten that much that i've felt a bit sick then been disgusted with myself for being such a pig I really need to get control of this..I would never purge but I don't want to go on eating like this either.

Excellent idea..... I think it's a positive step for you! I just started taking hour lunch breaks when I got back to work so I have longer for my lunch which means I find I am more tempted to go and have a heavy meal in town!!!

Thanks both for your replies.
Cathy, I know I won't binge on the ready meals, my binge foods tend to be carbs - cakes, biscuits, good ol' chocolate!
I only get a half hour for lunch (just as well really!!) and a collegue of mine goes to the corner shop each day for his newspaper, I intend to get him to bring me back fruit, so I'm getting sugar from healthier sources! In the past I have set out with good intentions and bought lots of fruit and veg only for it to end up in the bin as I can't eat it fast enough! One of the joys of living alone I guess!
I've also ordered lots of frozen veg - the stuff you steam in the micro, just to add a bit of a healthy element!!

Hey Vix, I think it's a good idea too. Overeating or bingeing is simply a habit or learned pattern of behaviour, and you need to replace it with a new pattern of behaviour. Your plan seems like a good way to break the old habit prior to learning a new one. You'll be less tempted to impulse-buy non nutritious crap if you shop on-line - supermarket aisles can be a real minefield.

Good luck - with such a great attitude how can you fail?

Janey

good idea to plan ahead, takes away the impulse buying.

i also find that taking very little money in my purse stops me buying extras when im at work.

the mirowave steammed veg is quick and easy and good diet fodder i use it a lot when im eating real food ( ie not on VLCD)

try to stay off bread and pasta and ptoatoes too.

get a george foreman grill thing, ideal when you live alone cause then you can stick a chicken brest in the grill, bung the veggies in the micro, and youve got a quick healthy hot meal done in less than 10 mins.

muller light yogs are great, sugar free jelly you can make up into little portions and take to work(use the empty yog pots) eat fruit for snacks.

take toms/celery/cue/ chopped into chunks in a tupperware box to snack on, drink lots of water.

and when you feel like a binge, dont do it, buy youself some nail varnish instead of a box of malteasers and spend the evening painting your nails rather than stuffing yourself with the sweets.

youve got to break the habits of a lifetime. like i used to get home from work and head straight for the fridge. i broke the habit, by coming home from work, and going straight into the garden in the summer, or now, do some tidying, or empty the undies drawer and sort the knickers out, or read a chapter of a book...anything, to stop me going into the kitchen.

lunch time at work, get up put your coat on and walk around the block,, rahter than going to the canteen or sitting at your desk watvhing other people eating.

weekends, do something different to the usual routine. ie get out of bed, immediatly go to the kitchen put kettle on, raid fridge for food .
instead, get up, have a glass of water, run the bath, have a coffee, decide what to wear, tidy up, have bath, dehair legs, condition hair, pluck eyebrows, brush teeth, blowdry hair, do nice makeup, have small brekkie, another glass of water...etc etc...

til one day...food isnt the be all and end all of your existance anymore. its hard at first making the change but soon it starts to work for you. today ive had several coffees and few ciggies, been to a carboot this morning, had a choc shake for brekkie 9am, and a soup for lunch 2ish, sorted the washing, surfed the net, nipped to shops, will prepare the evening meal at 5ish, today its veggies and quorn sausages. each day it gets easier till one day its natural.

good luck with the new regime

xdb

Wow Devon there is some good information there.."get out of bed, immediately put kettle on..raid fridge for food" jumped out at me
Yesterday I went shopping and the FIRST THING I DO in any store is head to the candy/sweets aisle I looked at them and then told myself that I was'nt getting any because I was out of control so I bought just what i'd gone in the store for then left Now I have to practice doing it everytime I go in a store

I must confess that I binged for the first time in ages yesterday. I don't know what triggered it, I think it might have been that I had a chocolate digestive for breakfast (smothered with Quark v low fat cheese), we went out for lunch and had a breakfast butty with bacon, sausages and egg, then we went for a hot chocolate and a chocolate cake thing. Got home and slept for a bit and read the paper, then just ate for Britain!

I was feeling really ill and I really wanted Jam Roly Poly and custard. If I'd made a healthy crumble with custard, it probably would've all been avoided! *sigh* But never mind, that was yesterday and today I have so much healthy food in my bag, it's bursting! Oh and what I binged on was DF's bloomin biscuits! He has taken them to work now, so no danger! Apart from those, there was nothing else in the house to binge on... Progress! I just have to make him keep his snacks at work!

But mystivix, getting back to the original thread - it's a great idea to shop online, I would do it if I wasn't so stingy about the delivery cost! Yesterday I found you can't binge on stuff that needs preparing, or stuff like carrot sticks! It's good that you live alone too, cos then you don't have any excuse for keeping chocolate digestives in the house!

Hi Mystic

Ive opted for a combination of the two. In order to gain control of my portion sizes I have started taking liquid replacement meals (Protein Delite much lower in calories than Slimfast) for breakfast and lunch which are protein based and I have opted for ready meals for my evening meal. That way I can keep strict control of my intake. Though honestly I bought some WW ready meals yesterday and they look too small to even keep a child going. Boy, I must have been way off the mark. Also, iceland do a great range of ready meals that are only £1 each and they are all calorie counted at around 500 to 600 each. Ideal for an evening meal. So it doesnt have to break the bank either. I am also taking a one a day multivitamin.

I am also taking Spirulina. Has anybody heard of it? It is an excellent source of many nutrients but only as a food suppliment. It might be worth looking it up and it is available at most health food stores I would imagine and its not very expensive either. Calories are negligible too which is never bad eh!


Carole

I only changed to an hour so I could do xmas shopping... but now I've done I think I'll go back to the 30 mins!

A few people have said this to me, BUT:
£3.99 =
1, not buying junk food
2, not overspending on stuff I don't need(and junk food)
3, saving petrol money to get to the junk food
4, not spending money in the cornershop at lunchtime
5, not battling with other shoppers (especially at this time of year!!)
6, saving bags of spare time where I'd usually be buying junk food!!

Any converts yet??!!

I agree the delivery money pales to insignificance when I log up how much extra I spend on impulse buys at the supermarket especially if Im hungry or more usually think Im hungry. I can spend a good £20 to £25 more on buying all those other tempting and bad bad things to have around when you are trying to lose weight because I simply dont have them.

For me also its the fact that I dont especially enjoy supermarket shopping so being able to buy on line is great for me because you only handle it once putting it into the cupboard. As opposed to the drudge of putting it into trolly, putting onto checkout conveyor, packing into bags, putting back into trolly, loading into car, unloading car, putting it away - drives me nuts heheheh such as waste of time that can be spent doing other more pleasureable things. And and added bonus is that its dropped right at your door at a time that is convenient to you.

I have also done my christmas shopping on line for the last 3 years. You dont have the hassle of the busy shops, the long queues, being trampled by desperate and sometimes hostile co-shoppers and trying to cut your way through xmas traffic and also you often get discounted prices buying on line! Also if you go through a Shopbot you can get the best price thats out there - you can do that around the shops without actually dragging yourself round them all to find out. I have friends in the USA and its much easier for me to buy on line and have them deliver direct, cheaper and easier. For them too - HM customs are a nightmare, I know Ive paid darned duty on gifts that people have send to me and its not funny.

Gets my vote every time. We have the technology and Im gonna use it!



Carole

Well, this seems to be working for me so far folks! Mind you time will tell if it's anything to do with my honking cold and lack of appetite!
I'm finding this really easy to do this way, I'm bulking out my evening meal with frozen steam veg and treating myself to the occasional "skinny cow" because I'm not cooking, I'm not picking and because I'm not going into shops I'm buying nothing that shouldn't be in the house!
Best of all I've not felt hungry or deprived.

Well done Mystic

It is a good idea cause if you dont have it around the house u wont be so tempted...and bottom line is its not there! Ive cut out buying all sorts of junk food i used to buy at the supermarket and ive also saved money too!