building self control? Emotional eating and sugar addiction

Jennym93

How do you build self control, every time I praise myself for avoiding the bad food the urge to eat it comes back and eventually I cave and eat it, then feel disgusting and angry with myself, at the rate I'm going I'll never reach my goal because as soon as I see the food I want it, it's so much easier if I don't know it's there but even though I've asked my parents still don't hide the food to try and help me. The thing is I don't want to eat the food, I just want the flavour. I know that hiding the food isn't exactly practical as if I'm out I won't be able to hide it and I'll have to face it at some point.
So if I can't hide the food how can I control myself from eating the food I don't really want to eat?
I've tried motivational pictures, distractions, eating/drinking something else but it doesn't put me off.

dramaqueen45

What works for me is to tell myself that nothing is off limits. I just eat what I like and keep it in moderation and most importantly, weigh it and LOG it. You can have stuff that is sweet that way and you won't feel deprived and be tempted to binge. You get used to eating in moderation because you know that it will always be there and you don't have to try to resist it. I also try to keep my trigger foods out of the house (things like cookies or chips). It's because I might "accidentally" overeat on these and go way over on calories. If you can't do this, it might just take a bit more patience and self control, but again, portion control, weigh it, log it and enjoy it. You will get used to it because it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. Of course eating healthy most of the time helps too and eating healthy fats and protein will keep you feeling full so you won't be hungry and tempted to binge.

And if you do mess up, that's fine- your whole day or week doesn't have to be ruined. Just pick yourself back up and start again. You will get the hang of it.

SwankyTomato

Just make sure you log and weigh everything.

Also try and tweak your diet to include nutrient dense foods that keep you "full".

Make sure your calorie goals are doable. Push it down to .5/week weight loss since you have so little to lose.

jnv7594

dramaqueen45 wrote: »

What works for me is to tell myself that nothing is off limits. I just eat what I like and keep it in moderation and most importantly, weigh it and LOG it. You can have stuff that is sweet that way and you won't feel deprived and be tempted to binge. You get used to eating in moderation because you know that it will always be there and you don't have to try to resist it.

^^This. Getting rid of the guilt you have associated with certain foods would be your first step. No food is "bad" or worth feeling guilty over. I still eat everything I love, but I have learned portion control and moderation. This is the only thing that has ever worked for me. It does take practice at first as you are used to eating everything in excess, but it will come with time if you work at it.

EmmaFitzwilliam

Like others above, for me, nothing is off limits. I log everything, and whether I am under 200 calories for the day, or over 500, I don't get fussed about it.

I schedule a monthly Fancy Tea so I always have that to look forward to, and if circumstances present me with an unexpected indulgence opportunity, I take it, if it's worth it to me. (Exceptionally fine dining, absolutely; calorie dense cookies the boss brought in, that I'm not sure I like the taste of any longer, less so.)

I also committed to eating slowly and actually tasting everything I ate.

Some things just no longer taste palatable when I slow down and think about them.

ElizabethKalmbach

Also, try cooking some of the things you crave from scratch. There are so many opportunities to make food both better and better for you if you're cooking for yourself. You can make your brownies with less sugar or darker chocolate. You can make oven fries with much less fat than what comes out of a deep frier. And so on.

Sometimes, when I have to make the brownie before I eat it, I'm just too lazy to bother, and I end up having a chocolate protein shake instead.

Ellaskat

a different thought - I totally get the lack of self control. For most of my life - until maybe 2 months ago - if there were say, a cake, or a group of cupcakes in the house, I would eat all of it in 1-2 sittings. No matter how much. I have no self control around icing. none.

So first, for 4-6 weeks, I just didn't eat any of the sweets I liked. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop once I started.
Next, I tried adding back in a little bit, and making sure it fit into my calories. I had to make sure to only buy what I could have in calories. If I brought more home than that, I would eat all of it at once.
Then I started bringing home enough for 2-4 servings. So far I'm doing ok. Still working on this though. I had 8 mini cupcakes (from a 12 pack) in one day. But I also made it work in my calories. I had only planned to eat 3-4 though, so I'm still on a journey here.

Maybe my steps will help you with your binge foods. Good luck!

Jennym93

Ellaskat wrote: »

a different thought - I totally get the lack of self control. For most of my life - until maybe 2 months ago - if there were say, a cake, or a group of cupcakes in the house, I would eat all of it in 1-2 sittings. No matter how much. I have no self control around icing. none.

So first, for 4-6 weeks, I just didn't eat any of the sweets I liked. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop once I started.
Next, I tried adding back in a little bit, and making sure it fit into my calories. I had to make sure to only buy what I could have in calories. If I brought more home than that, I would eat all of it at once.
Then I started bringing home enough for 2-4 servings. So far I'm doing ok. Still working on this though. I had 8 mini cupcakes (from a 12 pack) in one day. But I also made it work in my calories. I had only planned to eat 3-4 though, so I'm still on a journey here.

Maybe my steps will help you with your binge foods. Good luck!

That seems like a really good idea, I wish I could have that control, If I make it fit into my calories I feel ok but more often than not it creeps up once I've had my calories and then I end up eating too much, if I could work it in that would be better, but I don't actively want to be eating portions of chocolate or whatever every day(or having them around for when it kicks in), my binge/craving foods change and so I can't really plan it in, the only other way would be to leave 200-400 calories free in case I want to binge

lemon629

Self control can wear out. Instead of focusing on self control, figure out why you feel the need to binge. Learn what your triggers are and figure out more effective ways of coping with them. Also make sure you are meeting your needs-- e.g., solitude, working on a project, dancing, spending time with friends, helping others.... You need to make sure your life is well rounded so you can roll with it. Trust me, self control is much less of an issue, if not a complete non-issue, if you address these things first.

GaleHawkins

Jennym93 wrote: »

How do you build self control, every time I praise myself for avoiding the bad food the urge to eat it comes back and eventually I cave and eat it, then feel disgusting and angry with myself, at the rate I'm going I'll never reach my goal because as soon as I see the food I want it, it's so much easier if I don't know it's there but even though I've asked my parents still don't hide the food to try and help me. The thing is I don't want to eat the food, I just want the flavour. I know that hiding the food isn't exactly practical as if I'm out I won't be able to hide it and I'll have to face it at some point.
So if I can't hide the food how can I control myself from eating the food I don't really want to eat?
I've tried motivational pictures, distractions, eating/drinking something else but it doesn't put me off.

I finally just gave up trying to control myself and went off of Carbs cold turkey six months ago. If I touched carbs then I was going to abuse them. The first two weeks was hellish but so was the death some of my childhood friends that died of health related issues last year.

ana3067

I stopped reading after "bad food." Change your negative and unhealthy attitude towards food. The only "bad" food are foods that just plain don't taste good.