Originally Posted by envelope:
Sounds like you need to bring more snacks to work...maybe even some carrots!!! I think another one of your triggers for bingeing that you did not list is not eating enough through out the day. It is my BIGGEST trigger.

I think you're right, and this is my biggest problem lol. I can be heard every night at 8pm, talking to myself in frustration, peering into my lunchbox with all of these bags and storage containers going "this looks like so much food! how much do I need to eat???" LOL

Here is what I usually pack and I space these things out like every two hours:

Turkey sausage: 130 cals
Apple: 100 cals?
Salad with tomatoes/cucs and free Italian dressing: like...50-70 cals max, because the dressing is 20 lol
Tuna with green beans and olive oil: 150 cals?
SF pudding: 80 cals
The maybe imitation crab meat with broccoli: 120 cals

That seems like so much food, but I'm always hungry and then I flip out and eat the candy bar by 3.

if you are eating 1600 calories a day, and still staying under that with eating the candy bars, then you are not eating enough good food. Try eating some more food, esp. protein and healthy fats like avocado and see if that helps - it seems like part of the issue is genuine hunger and you need to work on satisfying that and then you can deal with the sugar cravings, if they are still there.

Originally Posted by Bellamack:
You know the Ghirdelli individual squares or the Lindor individual balls? Take just ONE and put it in your desk, when the office is empty, take it out and take small bites and savor the taste of GOOD chocolate and drink a 16 oz bottle of water. You will be satisfyed with the "chocolate" fix, it is great tasting chocolate (you can get them with the Higher % cocoa-which is good for you) you will get in 2 more servings of H2O. All for between 35-50 Calories.

Thank you for the suggestion. I used to eat a palmful of semisweet morsels here and there, but it's dangerous.

Maybe if I'm paying through the nose for expensive chocolate I won't binge :p

My chocolate cravings are usually quelled by SF pudding cups, I've eaten them throughout my whole diet. I think my body wants the fat. I used to eat a lot more avocados and olive oil, but it's very expensive for me to buy avocados regularly :(

ha, we cross posted as you were posting your food!

I would add things like a cheese stick along with the apple, some sort of protein with the salad, like a hardboiled egg, and if you are still hungry, add a bit more of the tuna and surimi.

Originally Posted by April Snow:
if you are eating 1600 calories a day, and still staying under that with eating the candy bars, then you are not eating enough good food. Try eating some more food, esp. protein and healthy fats like avocado and see if that helps - it seems like part of the issue is genuine hunger and you need to work on satisfying that and then you can deal with the sugar cravings, if they are still there.

Everything really went bad when I started making that salad a part of every lunch, hate to say it. I should add beans and low fat cheese or something to bulk it up, because I treat it as a meal when it is under 100 calories! Oy.

I actually fainted dead cold on the ground while visiting my mother in the hospital around Memorial Day because I hadn't eaten enough, and have the bruised facial bones to prove it :S

Maybe the quantity of food is tricking me into thinking I overeat, when I'm not getting enough. Ugh, the whole thing is so stressful to me. A constant game of math, trying to get enough food but not too much.

Thank again for all the help!

Do you refill the jar? If not, then someone knows that someone is eating them. You said you wouldn't binge in front of co-workers, whoever fills that bowl might find you out. Are you prepared for that? Like a wife finding her husband with a bottle in the sock drawer. She didn't see him doing it, but she knows. You are setting yourself up for even more shame.

You said you'd binge on carrots if they were there. So why don't you bring a bag to baby carrots to work. They are easy to pop in and crunch away and a whole lot less guilt.

I wish you all the best :)

When I looked at what you pack, I thought "not enough food." I agree with the poster who said you could add more protein, but also--where are your complex carbohydrates? An apple and some vegetables... not enough, IMO. Believe it or not, the body does need some carbs! Using my tracking program, it looks like you're getting 50 grams of carbs in all that food.

You might not feel so weak and have such bad cravings if you added a bit more. How about half a slice of whole-grain bread with your turkey sausage, plus a half-cup of fresh blueberries as a dessert, maybe added to a bit of lowfat yogurt? That would put you closer to 70 grams carbs.

Everyone is different, but I find that if I eat below about 100 grams of carbs per day while on weight loss, I don't feel right.

Good luck!
Jay

If you have insulin resistance, what's wrong with you is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it very difficult to refrain from sugar and high-carb foods, because the more you eat, the hungrier you are and the more you crave.

With insulin resistance, it's often much easier to avoid concentrated carbs entirely than to indulge in them moderately. "Can't eat just one," really does seem to apply to all high-concentration carbs, not just candy and chips.

I can't eat dried fruit or even large amounts of fresh fruit, without setting myself up for an intense battle with hunger and cravings. I have to pay attention to the sugar and carb concentration in EVERYTHING (even condiments like barbecue and stir-fry sauces, which are my downfall).

I don't know if moderation will ever be possible with these foods for me. It's possible that losing weight will decrease the insulin resistance, and I will have a more normal blood sugar and hunger response to concentrated carb foods, but it's also possible that I will always find it easier to avoid than to indulge.

You may find luck with a higher calorie, lower carb diet. I was shocked to discover that to lose the same amount of weight, I can eat about 300 more calories on low-carb (I'm also much less hungry. I'm hungrier on 3000 calories of high-carb than on 1800 calories of low-carb. On high-carb, I can't eat enough to feel satisfied, because the more carbs I eat, the hungrier I feel. My stomach can feel unpleasantly full, and I'll still feel starved (an empty stomach is not the only physiological hunger cue. Blood sugar and hormone levels (including insulin) also trigger hunger cues.

It's the IR insulin cycle that creates an almost OCD response, that "can't stop eating, even though I'm feeling sick from eating too much" cycle.

I used to think I was food-addicted, now I realize I am carb-addicted. I have to be extremely careful with highly concentrated carbs (I haven't had to limit nonstarchy veggies or very low-sugar fruits).

For me, it's simple. If I eat a high-carb diet, I can't control my eating. If I eat a low- to moderate- carb diet, I can. Even one bite of something very high sugar can send me into a hunger/binge tailspin.

Originally Posted by Panacea86:
I think you're right, and this is my biggest problem lol. I can be heard every night at 8pm, talking to myself in frustration, peering into my lunchbox with all of these bags and storage containers going "this looks like so much food! how much do I need to eat???" LOL

Here is what I usually pack and I space these things out like every two hours:

Turkey sausage: 130 cals
Apple: 100 cals?
Salad with tomatoes/cucs and free Italian dressing: like...50-70 cals max, because the dressing is 20 lol
Tuna with green beans and olive oil: 150 cals?
SF pudding: 80 cals
The maybe imitation crab meat with broccoli: 120 cals

That seems like so much food, but I'm always hungry and then I flip out and eat the candy bar by 3.

I just added up your list and it's only 650! I'm not going to get into the great calorie debate with anyone, but in my personal opinion that is not near enough to keep your body going. Kuddos to you for trying to do this the right way without pills, but no wonder you fainted.

I eat an average of 1200 per day (I just started calorie cycling) and it's working for me. Granted, I still have desires for cake and chocolate...a LOT...but I don't feel hungry all that often.

Maybe you could try a calorie counting site to help you (I use myfitnesspal.com). I know there is no way that I would be happy on 650 calories a day...I would be fatigued, have headaches, and the major grumpies haha.

I was hungry all the time on less than 1600 calories a day.
And I was not eating empty calories. It was all good food choices.
Then I discovered the problem was due to my blood glucose levels getting too low when I exercized too much.

I was told to eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat bread. It does work to energize me and the hunger is a whole lot less now.
Today I am starving again. It is because I am moving heavy boxes due to flood damage. Geez, I'm hungry. :(

I also wake in the middle of the night very hungry. I read somewhere that eating a hard boiled egg before bedtime would stave off the midnight munchies.
It does work. I am not too fond of plain boiled eggs, so I chop it up and add a 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise.

I track all my calories on LoseIt.com
It is a fun way to keep track of everything I eat. And I like the colorful charts.

Maybe what you could do at work is to bring a few celery sticks with peanut butter every day.
Or set a basket of celery sticks and baby carrots next to that basket of candy.

Best of luck to you!

:hug:

JOGGING ADVICE FOR THE OVERWEIGHT:
START SLOW, THEN TAPER OFF!

Originally Posted by mamakat:
Do you refill the jar? If not, then someone knows that someone is eating them. You said you wouldn't binge in front of co-workers, whoever fills that bowl might find you out. Are you prepared for that? Like a wife finding her husband with a bottle in the sock drawer. She didn't see him doing it, but she knows. You are setting yourself up for even more shame.

You said you'd binge on carrots if they were there. So why don't you bring a bag to baby carrots to work. They are easy to pop in and crunch away and a whole lot less guilt.

I wish you all the best :)

As I mentioned, all the coworkers eat them regularly, they are not off limits. The neighboring judge comes in and grabs about 5 kit kats at a time, and we all laugh about it. My confession is one for my diet and recovery on a personal level. If someone knew I ate them, they wouldn't care.

I know I'm no longer at risk of eating those candy bars, at least for now. It was enough just to put it out there in the open. Now on to preventing it again! lol

Thank you!

Originally Posted by JayEll:
When I looked at what you pack, I thought "not enough food." I agree with the poster who said you could add more protein, but also--where are your complex carbohydrates? An apple and some vegetables... not enough, IMO. Believe it or not, the body does need some carbs! Using my tracking program, it looks like you're getting 50 grams of carbs in all that food.

You might not feel so weak and have such bad cravings if you added a bit more. How about half a slice of whole-grain bread with your turkey sausage, plus a half-cup of fresh blueberries as a dessert, maybe added to a bit of lowfat yogurt? That would put you closer to 70 grams carbs.

Everyone is different, but I find that if I eat below about 100 grams of carbs per day while on weight loss, I don't feel right.

Good luck!
Jay

Thank you!
I am certainly a carbophobic. I tend to refuse to eat whole grain pasta, bread, oatmeal, brown rice. I don't lose weight when I eat it. I do eat Fiber One 80 cal cereal or Kashi here and there, but that's about it. I treat myself to the healthiest options at Subway less than twice per month.

I was eating plan oats with fruit and protein powder in the morning, and I'd get horrible low blood sugar and wasn't losing weight so I stopped that.

Argh.

Originally Posted by kaplods:
If you have insulin resistance, what's wrong with you is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it very difficult to refrain from sugar and high-carb foods, because the more you eat, the hungrier you are and the more you crave.

With insulin resistance, it's often much easier to avoid concentrated carbs entirely than to indulge in them moderately. "Can't eat just one," really does seem to apply to all high-concentration carbs, not just candy and chips.

I can't eat dried fruit or even large amounts of fresh fruit, without setting myself up for an intense battle with hunger and cravings. I have to pay attention to the sugar and carb concentration in EVERYTHING (even condiments like barbecue and stir-fry sauces, which are my downfall).

I don't know if moderation will ever be possible with these foods for me. It's possible that losing weight will decrease the insulin resistance, and I will have a more normal blood sugar and hunger response to concentrated carb foods, but it's also possible that I will always find it easier to avoid than to indulge.

You may find luck with a higher calorie, lower carb diet. I was shocked to discover that to lose the same amount of weight, I can eat about 300 more calories on low-carb (I'm also much less hungry. I'm hungrier on 3000 calories of high-carb than on 1800 calories of low-carb. On high-carb, I can't eat enough to feel satisfied, because the more carbs I eat, the hungrier I feel. My stomach can feel unpleasantly full, and I'll still feel starved (an empty stomach is not the only physiological hunger cue. Blood sugar and hormone levels (including insulin) also trigger hunger cues.

It's the IR insulin cycle that creates an almost OCD response, that "can't stop eating, even though I'm feeling sick from eating too much" cycle.

I used to think I was food-addicted, now I realize I am carb-addicted. I have to be extremely careful with highly concentrated carbs (I haven't had to limit nonstarchy veggies or very low-sugar fruits).

For me, it's simple. If I eat a high-carb diet, I can't control my eating. If I eat a low- to moderate- carb diet, I can. Even one bite of something very high sugar can send me into a hunger/binge tailspin.

Thank you so much, this was very informative! I will say, I have PCOS, and no doctor/insurance, so I'm very in the dark about what my body specifically needs other than the general weight loss and healthy diet/exercise.

I think you're right about the carbs; it's all or nothing for me.

Originally Posted by PreciousMissy:
I just added up your list and it's only 650! I'm not going to get into the great calorie debate with anyone, but in my personal opinion that is not near enough to keep your body going. Kuddos to you for trying to do this the right way without pills, but no wonder you fainted.

I eat an average of 1200 per day (I just started calorie cycling) and it's working for me. Granted, I still have desires for cake and chocolate...a LOT...but I don't feel hungry all that often.

Maybe you could try a calorie counting site to help you (I use myfitnesspal.com). I know there is no way that I would be happy on 650 calories a day...I would be fatigued, have headaches, and the major grumpies haha.

Oh that's just at work! I eat dinner after work, sorry!
I struggle with having a bottom heavy food schedule. My goal is to eat 900 calories at work and 400-500 calories at home, but I usually do the opposite :o 600 calories at work, and maybe 600-800 at home.

I think 1400-1500 calories per day would be good for me.

Originally Posted by JOLINA:
I was hungry all the time on less than 1600 calories a day.
And I was not eating empty calories. It was all good food choices.
Then I discovered the problem was due to my blood glucose levels getting too low when I exercized too much.

I was told to eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat bread. It does work to energize me and the hunger is a whole lot less now.
Today I am starving again. It is because I am moving heavy boxes due to flood damage. Geez, I'm hungry. :(

I also wake in the middle of the night very hungry. I read somewhere that eating a hard boiled egg before bedtime would stave off the midnight munchies.
It does work. I am not too fond of plain boiled eggs, so I chop it up and add a 1/2 tablespoon of mayonnaise.

I track all my calories on LoseIt.com
It is a fun way to keep track of everything I eat. And I like the colorful charts.

Maybe what you could do at work is to bring a few celery sticks with peanut butter every day.
Or set a basket of celery sticks and baby carrots next to that basket of candy.

Best of luck to you!

:hug:

It's hard, for sure. :(
Thank you!
Celery and peanut butter could work, I cannot eat carrots too often because they throw my blood sugar off SO bad.

I like making deviled eggs but I was told cooked eggs can't last more than two hours, safely, and I can't make them in the morning D: