Diet Frame of Mind
 

Okay, I don't know how to get past this one part with dieting, this part that makes me fail every damned time...

The thing in my head telling me "that's not enough food to live on" or that is always chanting "hungry hungry hungry hungry" it's like, I've eaten and it should be enough, but I still want more. And even if I am keeping myself busy, I still want to snack or eat something and it makes me so mad.

Even my hubby noticed the other day - and my hubby doesn't notice much! - that I was just eating way too much and foraging for food that isn't there, or finding things to eat that I didn't even want.

Does this happen to anyone else? It's especially bad at the beginning of a diet... (and in the evenings!) I just don't know how to deal with it and move past it. Do I just ignore it? It's hard to ignore....

I don't know what I'm doing. I just know that when it comes down to it - I never seem to be able to resist my inner fatso. *L*

Boy, I'm going to be watching this thread for an answer!! I feel the same way. It's just a constant battle to fight the hungries! It would seem like they'd subside eventually! It's always there, poking at me. I don't know what it is either? Sometimes I feel like my body's fighting my desire to be thin. Once in a while I'll have days that are a breeze with no feeling like I could eat a house, but most days it's a constant battle!! It's usually just a matter of time before I give in to it, but this time I'm determined!! (That sounded good didn't it?:) ) Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but it's nice to know you're out there.

Isn't there some kind of pill that you can take to make those hunger pains go away? I eat correctly and have healthy snacks, but it doesn't seem to help.:shrug:

Well, here's a few tips... sometimes some of these work for me until my stomach gets used to eating less (after a month or so, you do get more used to eating less).

Whenever you're just starting to get hungry, drink a glass of water. I know you don't want it and it doesn't seem like it will help, but often it does.

When I am about to eat out of boredom, I make myself a cup of tea (no milk, no sugar) instead.

If there is some time of day that you are susceptible (like liziness mentioned evening) you might choose that time of day to do some activity that gets you away from the food (taking a walk would be ideal).

Steer your food choices away from high-glycemic load foods (refined carbs and some starchy unprocessed foods including potatoes). These will cause your blood sugar/insulin to spike and you feel hungry soon after with the subsequent plummet.

Caffeine is a known appetite suppresant and I usually drink decaf, but if I'm really having trouble or if I know I will be in a high-temptation environment I brew a pot of hi-test.

I am in the wrong "frame of mind" when I find myself in the kitchen thinking "What is there to eat?" when I'm not hungry. As I mentioned above, sometimes I make a cup of tea. Other times, I just change my mindset and think "What should I be doing now?" (The answer is never "Eating").

Now is a good time to go hog wild over oral hygene. Brushing and flossing as soon as you have finished eating dinner can motivate you to stay away from evening munchies. You can also try this after breakfast to stay away from morning snacking.

I also find that setting a time limit (8:00 PM) works for me. I almost feel relieved sometimes to see that it is already 8:00 and therefore I won't allow myself to eat anything more that night. Strangely, even if I'm hungry at night, I don't find myself extra hungry in the morning.

Even though I am now used to eating less, I still use some of these tricks from time to time to stay OP.

Goo luck! I'm interested in any tricks or tips other folks may offer too!

-Deborah

I am there with you.... especially at night.... I am just wanting to eat ANYTHING in the evening... it is like I cant get enough!!!

One thing I did read and it does seem to be true for me.... it was an article that says that alot of times when you are hungry or feel hungry is that you are really tired... and that you body is trying to find energy....

It said to take a 20 minute nap.... well i have done this and have to admit that it does seem to help.... when I get home from work i lay down on the bed for 20 minutes before I do anything and it seems to help in the evening.....

The other thing that triggers the hunger feel is stress.... I have learned to try to take a 5 minute walk with lots of deep breathing.... where you inhale for as long as you can then hold for 4 times as long then exhale for 2 times as long as your inhale...... (ie inhale for 8 counts, hold for 32 counts, exhale for 16 counts).... this helps get oxygen into your system and also helps teach your body how to breath probably..... we all have a tendency to breath very shallow and this helps to get more air....

Just some suggestions.....

My problem is that I eat for the sake of eating. I do great all day at work, don't even want a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack most days. But when I get home or on the weekends...food is foremost in my thoughts. What will I have for breakfast? Snacks? Lunch? Snacks? Dinner? Snacks? I KNOW I eat because I'm bored/stressed/angry/happy/you name it. And it's not like I'm thinking "oh, I'll have a yogurt and some fruit later"...noooo...it's "what delectable delight can I find/make/buy?"

I've tried the tea thing..but I'm from a Scottish family who always HAVE to have "something" with tea...tried the water, tried the brushing/flossing/sleeping/walking/etc....it's like once I get it in my head that I want some chips/popcorn/ice cream/chocolate/etc I'm not satisfied until I get it.

It comes down to willpower for me. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't.

Hello, my name is Wildfire and I'm a food addict. :D

You guys!! I could have written any one of your posts. How come we're all so much the same! The tricks, the feelings, the evening hungries - it's all there! Why can't we conquer this?! Does anyone ever get into that "I deserve this mode"? - I worked so hard today, that I deserve to eat what I want??? I exercised a lot today so I deserve to have ice cream?? That always gets me into trouble. It seems there's no amount of exercise that can burn off what I "deserve" to eat. Boy, I just need someone to slap me!! :dizzy:

This is a good time for a tooth whitening treatment to come in;)

Seriously, if you are either using the Whitestrips (they have to stay on for 30 minutes) or the Simply White brush on stuff (no eating or drinking for 15 minutes), by the time the treatment is done, the urge to eat has passed, in my case.

Though the "whitening" treatment may be done only twice a day, brushing can be done anytime a 'snack attack' arises.

Also, you can never drink too much fluid. Many of us tend to mistake thirst for hunger. If you still feel hungry, a nice piece of fruit will solve it nicely.

Weirdo... yes! I *do* get into an "I deserve this" frame of mind, especially when I exercise. I also get uncontrollably hungry and if I try to lose weight through exercise; it just doesn't work for me. Even without the exercise, it is hard to get over feeling like you "deserve" to eat more/yummier food than you do when losing weight. One approach is to try to realign your thinking as to how what you really deserve is a better body, to look good in some nice new clothes, etc.

OK, I'll share one more trick that used to work for me to deter boredom eating. I didn't used to be much of a fruit eater. Never really wanted to eat a piece of fruit (always loved veggies, though). So, when I first dieted (we are talking decades ago) I told myself, "I can eat anything I want, as long as I have a nice big piece of fruit first." That way, I wasn't denying myself anything. Well, since I didn't like fruit, I would have to be truly hungry in order to eat the fruit and after that I felt so good about eating the fruit that I might limit or completely forgo whatever it was I wanted to eat instead.

The "problem" is that as a result of this approach, I now *love* fruit! LOL! I can easily eat too much fruit to stay in my calorie budget, so I have to watch how much fruit I eat and I certainly can't use it as a derrent! But anyway, maybe you folks have a slight aversion to some healthy low-calorie food that you could stock up on. Then tell yourself something like "I can have some chips, as long as I eat a mango (or whatever) first."

Good luck. This is a tough problem!

-Deborah

P.S. Mango! yum!

Things I learned in the past.
 

Here are a couple of tips I have learned through past dieting and will stick to this time around because they work! If you work!

Water = bye bye fat. When you drink the water and think about the fact that evey time you pee you are flushing out fat. You want to drink more to go pee more and if you are worried about retaining it just add lemon or lime. (helps flush it faster).

Do not eat three hours before you sleep. That hunger feeling you get before bed is when your body starts to eat the fat you have already stored and when you think about it that way you say hi to that feeling instead of hello to food.

There is a product at the drugstore you can get called keytone strips. They test your pee. The darker the strip the more your burning fat. I have found that it motivates you for the rest of the day not to cheat when you know that the next morning the strip will be pale if you do and you dont want that to happen.

Think Thin!!!! and love yourself even when you have slipped.!

Needed the tips
 

I struggle with stress eating- the ideas you have given me I will challenge myself to use today, I was most moved by the Love yourself even when you slip----I beat myself up daily for being weak.
I will eat as I prepare meals then when the food is ready I will eat again.
Also I use the "I deserve this" phrase in my head as I have a glass of wine after a rather difficult day.
I will keep reading and getting help from you all in hopes that one day I can help someone else.:dizzy: :wave:

thanks
 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really want to do this for the long haul. I know I have a long way to go before I am even dieting correctly, but I am trying to do little things to change my outlook and my lifestyle. I think that I can use most of these suggestions to my benifit. Doesn't hurt to try them, huh??

I find it really hard to fight that feeling of "well, you messed it all up, so there's no point, you're never going to do it, so just go eat that damn (fill in the blank with every food everyone listed on this thread plus whatever else you can think of *L*) and get it over with. F-it. "

I think I need to work on really being aware of what is going into my body. I drink a lot of water already, and I really do feel a difference if I don't for a day or two... I feel tired and crabby and my stomach gives me problems. It really makes a big difference. But has never really filled me up. I need to drink more!!

Anyway, thanks for all the great tips. I appreciate it.

Take care!

Hi guys,

I am a huge exercise advocate, but I too have to say that it seems to make me extremely hungry and gives me that idea that I deserve to eat more. A couple years ago I came to the great conclusion that, since I can't control my eating, I'd exercise to get the weight off. NOT!! I succeeded in turning myself into a fat athlete. Muscle and toning are great and I know my heart and lungs are much healthier, but there is no substitute for reducing my caloric intake. I need to learn to control what goes into my mouth. A weight counselor once told me that you need to distinguish the difference between real hunger and "fake" hunger and that one way to do that is to think of something to eat that's not too appealing to you-like a can of green beans-and if that sounds good than it's real hunger. Well I say "bring on the green beans!" Sounds like you with your fruit Yo-Yo Mom. I try to think of hunger as my body burning up that fat, but sometimes I just can't fight it. I was wondering if you all have experienced extra hunger with medications you may take. I just started some new asthma meds and my hunger seems to have gotten a lot worse since then?:shrug:

:soap: I'm not too sure about ketone strips. They are not on the market for dieters, they are actually for those who have problems with ketone production. I believe diabetics may suffer from this. Anyway, research this more before you try it!!!