help me break free of my food addiction
jesscaur
Posts: 13
I'm addicted to terrible food. I love fruit and veg, but my intense cravings for things like ramen noodles always takes over and I end up always giving in. 
its awful. I need help.
its awful. I need help. 0
Replies
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Get them out of your house! If they are not there to tempt you it's a lot easier.
Plan ahead - before you go to the supermarket make a list of adequate, healthy foods to last the week. Every night or morning I plan what I'm going to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks and roughly what time. If I don't do this I'll just stuff my face with bread or end up eating out etc.0 -
well if you eat a bunch of fruit and veggies w/o any protein you're going to be hungry. If the ramen and noodles are just sitting there in your pantry of course you'll eventually break down and eat them.
Never rely on will power, it will ALWAYS let you down (in terms of dieting anyway).0 -
Add some protein and healthy fat, which can help curb cravings for carb-y foods (at least for me). If Ramen fits in your macros and you have no medical reason not to eat them, then eat them. If its something you have a hard time controlling yourself around then I would suggest not buying them. Sure, will power is good, but why stress yourself over it? Allow yourself to eat it in moderation or just remove the temptation altogether.0
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well if you eat a bunch of fruit and veggies w/o any protein you're going to be hungry. If the ramen and noodles are just sitting there in your pantry of course you'll eventually break down and eat them.
Never rely on will power, it will ALWAYS let you down (in terms of dieting anyway).
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herrspoons wrote: »well if you eat a bunch of fruit and veggies w/o any protein you're going to be hungry. If the ramen and noodles are just sitting there in your pantry of course you'll eventually break down and eat them.
Never rely on will power, it will ALWAYS let you down (in terms of dieting anyway).
Mine hasn't so far.
LOL, if it doesn't then how did you gain weight in the first place?0 -
Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.0 -
Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Not everyone is here to lose weight.
You can also give in to food cravings and still lose weight.
Moderation is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. I've had ice cream in my freezer and cheetos in my pantry for weeks that I haven't touched because I didn't have the calories left over to do it. So, yes, moderation does work. But you have to own it and not look for excuses.0 -
Tell me about it. Like most forums, many are just here to argue.You can also give in to food cravings and still lose weight.
Moderation is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. I've had ice cream in my freezer and cheetos in my pantry for weeks that I haven't touched because I didn't have the calories left over to do it. So, yes, moderation does work. But you have to own it and not look for excuses.
That's great that works for you. However, telling the OP that she just needs better willpower is the worst advice I can imagine. I'm almost willing to bet that she's already tried "willpower."
And good work not eating your ice cream for weeks (I personally eat it every day). My guess is that you eat a pretty well balanced diet though. If you were undereating on a diet of mostly rabbit food like the OP seems to suggest she's doing, then you might not find it so easy to resist the junk food you have lying around.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Yes. So do I on occasion. Then I balance it out over the rest of the week.
Willpower can be corrective as well as absolute.
I imagine that would work well for someone who only gained weight because of surgery. But then again so would anything. What works for you won't work for someone who gained weight via their lifestyle.
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Tell me about it. Like most forums, many are just here to argue.You can also give in to food cravings and still lose weight.
Moderation is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. I've had ice cream in my freezer and cheetos in my pantry for weeks that I haven't touched because I didn't have the calories left over to do it. So, yes, moderation does work. But you have to own it and not look for excuses.
That's great that works for you. However, telling the OP that she just needs better willpower is the worst advice I can imagine. I'm almost willing to bet that she's already tried "willpower."
And good work not eating your ice cream for weeks (I personally eat it every day). My guess is that you eat a pretty well balanced diet though. If you were undereating on a diet of mostly rabbit food like the OP seems to suggest she's doing, then you might not find it so easy to resist the junk food you have lying around.
I eat a very well-balanced diet 75% of the time. Takes willpower to do that.
Herrspoons was dead on with this: Willpower can be corrective as well as absolute.
And argue? Meh. Sometimes. But telling people that willpower doesn't work isn't helpful. Willpower does work, but it needs to be exercised. It needs to be conscious. And you need to want it.
And, BTW, it's not just with food. You need willpower to get up and go to the gym. You need willpower to quit smoking (been there, done that). You need willpower for all sorts of things. Best get to working on it, instead of denying that it's a thing.0 -
herrspoons wrote: »Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Yes. So do I on occasion. Then I balance it out over the rest of the week.
Willpower can be corrective as well as absolute.
I imagine that would work well for someone who only gained weight because of surgery. But then again so would anything. What works for you won't work for someone who gained weight via their lifestyle.
Not really.
Let's say you are binge eater and that's how you gained weight.
One day, after doing well, you crush two pizzas, a litter of coke and a pint of ice cream for dinner.
That's enough to make someone quit. Because it's easy to feel helpless when you think you've unraveled all your work.
It takes willpower to wake up the next day and get back on the horse.
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Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.0 -
I'm addicted to terrible food. I love fruit and veg, but my intense cravings for things like ramen noodles always takes over and I end up always giving in. its awful. I need help.
Do they fit into your daily calorie allowance? As long as your overall intake is balanced (you're getting all your protein and fat and vitamins), and the ramen noodles don't put you over your daily calories there is no reason not to enjoy them. To many calories make you gain weight, not a particular food.
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If its something you have a hard time controlling yourself around then I would suggest not buying them. Sure, will power is good, but why stress yourself over it? Allow yourself to eat it in moderation or just remove the temptation altogether.
Good advice, but people always seem to assume the temptation is at home or that the OP buys whatever it is. That's often not the case.
What has worked better for me than trying to cut out foods (although I did that briefly to help teach myself I didn't need to be eating so much of certain things) was to cut out snacking. I find that I eat well at scheduled meals or a planned post-workout snack or the like. It's when I let myself nibble between meals that I end up overeating and eating stuff I would rather not (because it's neither worth it nor consistent with my overall dietary goals).
Also, if you include a food you like as part of an overall meal (like ramen), you can pre log it and make sure you are including enough other stuff that it's not inconsistent with your goals for the day. Like if I wanted ramen I'd just maybe not have pasta for dinner that day and I'd make sure to have some protein and veggies with the ramen, which might also help you eat it in smaller quantities.0 -
Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.
I don't think anyone here has claimed to be perfect.0 -
If you were undereating on a diet of mostly rabbit food like the OP seems to suggest she's doing, then you might not find it so easy to resist the junk food you have lying around.
Doesn't this suggest that one part of the answer might be to be less restrictive and try to think in terms of creating a balanced nutritious diet that is also satiating?
I think it's much harder to "fix" a diet by deciding that you have to get rid of that "bad stuff," defined quite broadly. It was far easier for me to think in terms of dietary goals like including protein and fat and veggies at all meals, eating more legumes and fish (or whole grains or whatever does it for you), cooking my meals more often than not, etc. The effect was in part the same--some of the more calorific things I used to eat (Indian take out) just don't fit as often--but the focus isn't on convincing myself not to want them, but on positive things I can do to create a nutritious, well-balanced diet (where I can sometimes include dinner at an Indian place, complete with naan, if I really want).
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OP, its all about choices. No one can tell you whats good and whats bad until you accept the fact that in order to change you have to first want it. If you know what your doing is not right to accertain your goals then why are you doing it?0
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and please don't say your addicted, thats just playing the blame game.0
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I'm addicted to terrible food. I love fruit and veg, but my intense cravings for things like ramen noodles always takes over and I end up always giving in. its awful. I need help.
I, too usually plan out my entire day ahead (evening before or morning) so I don't end up grabbing whatever I feel like. My rational mind stops working when I need food. I'm one of those people that get aggitated when hungry.
Also, I try to keep enough calories for dinner and evening hours since that is when I usually crave things like cookies or salty snacks. Another reason for you craving such foods could be that you aren't having enough fiber that keeps you full longer. And a lack of protein will obviously also leave you hungry. I just started to not only keep an eye on proteins but also fibers and meeting them isn't always easy.
However, sometimes I can even fit some junk food (high fat, high carb) into my plan, but since I can't just eat 2 cookies or just one serving of chips I try to avoid them all together.
Also, if you love ramen noodles so much maybe you could substitute that with shirataki noodles and broth. They are almost calorie free/nutrition free and basically just fill your stomach short-term. I've heard the soluble fiber they contain is healthy but I'm not certain if these studies are reliable. It can be that these noodles don't do anything for you except fill you up for the moment, giving you the impression you ate a big bowl of pasta. If anyone has better info on that topic I would be interested to hear.
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Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.
I don't think anyone here has claimed to be perfect.
No but some folks seem to have all the right answers. All. The. Time. Its kind of annoying, really.0 -
Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.
I don't think anyone here has claimed to be perfect.
No but some folks seem to have all the right answers. All. The. Time. Its kind of annoying, really.
Some people have been doing it longer. Some people have had success.
Would you rather that the people who give advice on here not have experience?0 -
herrspoons wrote: »herrspoons wrote: »well if you eat a bunch of fruit and veggies w/o any protein you're going to be hungry. If the ramen and noodles are just sitting there in your pantry of course you'll eventually break down and eat them.
Never rely on will power, it will ALWAYS let you down (in terms of dieting anyway).
Mine hasn't so far.
LOL, if it doesn't then how did you gain weight in the first place?
By being bedridden after surgery for three months and eating more than I should have.
Any other pearls of wisdom to share?
So how did that happen? From your willpower NOT breaking?
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sandman1000 wrote: »and please don't say your addicted, thats just playing the blame game.
I have to agree with this. It's an unhealthy mindset to skirt the real issue of not being able to control oneself. I also feel it's a real spit in the face to people who have to battle actual addictions to drugs and harmful substances.0 -
Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.
I don't think anyone here has claimed to be perfect.
No but some folks seem to have all the right answers. All. The. Time. Its kind of annoying, really.
Some people have been doing it longer. Some people have had success.
Would you rather that the people who give advice on here not have experience?
I don't have a problem with people who have been there done that and had success. Its the ones who post ALL the right answers ALL the time and never seem to be able to listen to what others have to say that bug me. You're right, no one is perfect and I'd rather hear from someone who admits to having moments where they slip up but they still keep going. I try to take tips and tricks from everyone even if its just "I would never do that" but certain posters I just glaze right over. They may be right but they way the present it doesn't interest me. Sorry if that upsets anyone.0 -
Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.
I don't think anyone here has claimed to be perfect.
No but some folks seem to have all the right answers. All. The. Time. Its kind of annoying, really.
Some people have been doing it longer. Some people have had success.
Would you rather that the people who give advice on here not have experience?
I don't have a problem with people who have been there done that and had success. Its the ones who post ALL the right answers ALL the time and never seem to be able to listen to what others have to say that bug me. You're right, no one is perfect and I'd rather hear from someone who admits to having moments where they slip up but they still keep going. I try to take tips and tricks from everyone even if its just "I would never do that" but certain posters I just glaze right over. They may be right but they way the present it doesn't interest me. Sorry if that upsets anyone.
I think you are trying to find offense where there is none.
I think the conversation is about willpower and what it really means.
And I thought it was very astute to say that willpower can be corrective. We all make mistakes - it's getting up and getting it right the next day that determines success.0 -
Add meat and vegetables to your ramen. Makes it taste better and gives you "whole" ingredients. You don't have to cut anything out as long as you can maintain eating it in moderation.0
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Yes, you probably don't need MFP. You're clearly like ice man with your food intake and will never gain weight again.
Unfortunately mere mortals like myself and the OP occasionally give in to food cravings.
Me too, though I've been doing better lately. It happens. I wish I could be perfect and never give into cravings and get all my exercise and whatever else perfect people do.
I don't think anyone here has claimed to be perfect.
No but some folks seem to have all the right answers. All. The. Time. Its kind of annoying, really.
So you mean to say, some people answer the same questions with the same answers all the time? That sounds more like consistency to me, friend.0 -
srslybritt wrote: »Add meat and vegetables to your ramen. Makes it taste better and gives you "whole" ingredients. You don't have to cut anything out as long as you can maintain eating it in moderation.
Great idea. also, once you have made the ramen, dish up your serving and put the rest in a container and put it in the refrigerator right away. Then you only eat your serving and not the whole pot.0 -
You don't need help, you need control. Control is a lot easier when you remove temptation as much as possible. You don't walk into a doughnut shop expecting to get something that isn't loaded with sugar. So you shouldn't expect that you will be able to say no to the ramen when it's right there in the cabinet calling your name.
Take control by planning out, in advance, what you are going to eat during the week. Cusion the blow by allowing yourself a few allowances. Instead of buying the flat of ramen with 48 packs, and only buy 2. Decide what day you want to eat them and then only eat them on that day. The worst you can do is eat both at once, but that isn't going to hurt you unless it's coupled with a number of other bad decisions.
Also have a specific goal that you want to achieve and then have a reward system in place (that isn't food). I have a trip planned in April that I will get to go on if I've met my goals during February and March (January's goal was already met). Each month I have a certain amount of money I earn for meeting my goals, so the better I meet my monthly goals, the more cash I'll have for the trip.0 -
Having willpower is more about being consistent than being perfect, anyway. It's not really about "giving in" as much as it is about finding ways to have what you want and still keep within your goals. Both are quite possible, and doing that will keep you successful over the long run much better than deprivation will, anyway.0
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