Help! I love food way too much.

paula39

I have a family of four. In one table setting, I will eat my plate and my families left overs on their plate. Plus.... If I cook at home... I finish all the left overs still on the stove.
I seem to never get full. I love food. I am counting calories and watching what type of food that I eat. The problem is that I just can't stop at one plate of food. When I am exercizing... I think of food. Please help.

absie107

I love food! My tongue's tumultuous taste buds are too often tempted by tantalizing treats. But seriously, I just love the sensation of eating too, and obviously sometimes it can be a problem.

My major first recommendation is to slow down. You love the taste of food, right? Make whatever gorgeous thing you've got in front of you last longer! Then your body will have more time to register with your brain that you're full, and you probably won't eat as much. Of course it takes time and we slip up. Just yesterday I ended up gorging on brownies at a graduation party. However, I just got back on the wagon and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I stick with one and eat that one really slowly to savor it.

There's a great book called French Women Don't Get Fat where the author really emphasizes the importance of savoring food and just eating less in general, but going for the best tasting food possible when one DOES indulge. Hope that helps!

Denimgirl

For me it is a matter of taking my thoughts captive and thinking on things that are more productive. I'm sure there are lots of things you could do. For me, as a christian, I memorize scripture, when I find myself falling into thinking about food, I start practicing the bible verses I'm memorizing, outloud so it drowns out my thoughts and helps me refocus.

Many times I have to actively jerk my mind out of thinking about food. Its so subtil. I can be thinking about something that has nothing to do with food and suddenly find that somehow I started thinking about food and didn't realize it. I've been working hard on this for the last 9 days. It is getting better.

I pray about it too. Even with working on losing weight it seems I can be consumed with so many thoughts of food pertaining to weightloss. I don't want this to be my WHOLE life.

Luckymam

absie107 is right. I've really trained myself hard to slow down and actually taste and savour what I eat.

A book I would recommend is "I Can Make You Thin" by Paul McKenna. The basic priciples are that you;

eat whatever you like BUT

only when you are hungry,

savour every mouthful,

and stop when you are full.

Good luck! x

It's really helped me. I feel I'm able to enjoy food now rather than feel guilty about it. And if I REALLY want cake or chocolate or whatever, I have it. I just don't stuff myself silly anymore.

smuehlbauer

Start using really small plates!
Kidding. Kind of.
Find your will power!
:flowerforyou:

amyday1

: ) love that one...

Rhaeven

Use to have the same problem. For me it helped me to remind myself that food is just fuel for my body, and does not have to be something to "enjoy." I still enjoy food, but I have to really think about it as just fuel. I also load my plates up with giant flavors. I want to eat something and taste it a few minutes after each bite. So for salad I will use balsamic vinegar and pepper as my salad dressing. Packs a huge flavor...then (as previous posters stated) I take one bite at a time and SAVOR each little flavor. By slowing down and packing in a ton of flavor I have managed to eat WAY less than I normally would have. I don't go for anything that has bland flavor now. I spice up whatever I am eating with balsamic vinegar, limes, spices, pepper.....anything that will help make me feel more satisfied in the flavor department.

1. Take it slow
2. Smaller plates actually do work
3. LOTS of flavor

Good luck

alphaip

If you are on a restrive calorie diet - this would be a huge part of the problem in my opinion. Letting yourself get too hungry where undereating leads to overeating and food obsession. In fact, the hungrier you get, the more likely you will crave fat and sugar as your body wants that quick fix.

I'm on a program where I eat every 3 to 4 hours - five times a day (but no snacking) - five full meals. And i've lost 30 pounds. People look at me and go - how do you lose the weight -you're eating all the time. People tend to eat the same 15 to 20 foods anyways as their staples. I've just had to find ways to prepare the food differently. For example, if I can have a 1/2 of cup of oatmeal instead of two teaspoons of butter. I'll skip the butter and just use butter buds.

If you're interested, the program is called slimdown for life - by Larry North. The book is 10 years old, so I've made some minor mods to the program based on newer research.

I was hooked on the first page of the book: any program you can't do for the rest of your life is not worth doing for a day.

HealthyChanges2010

I love the feeling of being healthier more! But I have done similiar in the past before changing my eating habits.:ohwell:

You'll get to that point too, sooner than you realize, stick around and stick to your meal only, eating healthy food will make you less compulsive and less likely to binge on leftovers. It will feel repulsive to you after a bit, after making healthier decisions and setting priorities.

Small plates are a perfect idea to change over for the whole family, I love using them. You have a wonderful meal and it's not dumped on a giant plate that your eyes tell you isn't enough food. Scrape the kids foods in the trashcan right away, the hubbys and yours if your both have leftovers. Though after a bit you'll you won't have leftovers on your plate, measuring and weighing your food gets rid of that completely. Putting smaller quantities on the plates, portion sizes that are adequate will keep you satified and also make you feel far better about yourself after a meal.

Regarding leftovers on the stove, if it's too big of temptation at the begining ask your hubby to dump them or put them in the fridge for lunch leftovers, outta site outta mind. Let him know how important it is to you and how incredibly helpful that would be for your health and fitness.

Becca:flowerforyou:

paula39

Thank you with all my heart for all the wonderful advice. I did like the small plate idea, but I would fill my plate with more refills than I do now! My husband automatically gives me his extra food. The kids are like, " here mom, you can have the last one". I have told my family that I am trying to be healthier, but I guess it just so common for them to see me eat three times what they eat. I had no idea that the calories add up so fast! I skipped lunch today for I could eat a larger meal tonight. I went over my calorie goal. I will very much pray to find strength against my food temptations. I went to the grocery store the other day and most foods are packaged in bulk. I wanted to buy the small package of two items but if I eat just a single serving, I feel starved. I wish I could keep left overs in the fridge, but I know that the left overs are in the fridge and I eat them for a snack a few hours later.

correen_b

When I stopped to analyze what was making me fat I realized it was dinner! Throughout the day, I didn't really eat too badly but I probably ate enough dinner for more than one person. I always found myself snacking while I made dinner , picking at my kids' plates, eating way too big of a meal and picking at the leftovers - EEKS! Now, I put a stick of gum in my mouth while preparing dinner, measure what I can have (and keep reminding myself that is it!!) and jump up and brush my teeth when we are done so I won't want to pick at leftovers.

By logging everything, I really started to realize how fast things add up and started to ask myself if certain things were worth the calories. Planning what you can have for the entire day early in the day really helps me.

I also went natural and organic and change to eating for nourishment and health instead of recreation. I fell in love with the clean ungroggy feeling that came with the concept. Read labels and research all those big words - that definately helped me break up with alot of my favorites.

Good luck to you!

F4play

Start using really small plates!
Kidding. Kind of.
Find your will power!
:flowerforyou:

Thats the best bit of advice given make the plates smaller make the portions smaller and drink lots of watre before you eat to fill the stomach, chew longer etc

kdiamond

If I were you I would throw the leftovers down the sink or put them away immediately...out of sight out of mind.

I have extreme willpower but my husband does not. So I cook the family meals as healthy as possible, I give everyone their plate, I make up my plate, I put everything away or throw it away and then I sit down and eat. What we have it what we got. Also I simply don't bring junk in the house.

Do whatever it takes to stop the cycle - it will stop eventually once you change your habits!

rcatr

Thank you with all my heart for all the wonderful advice. I did like the small plate idea, but I would fill my plate with more refills than I do now! My husband automatically gives me his extra food. The kids are like, " here mom, you can have the last one". I have told my family that I am trying to be healthier, but I guess it just so common for them to see me eat three times what they eat. I had no idea that the calories add up so fast! I skipped lunch today for I could eat a larger meal tonight. I went over my calorie goal. I will very much pray to find strength against my food temptations. I went to the grocery store the other day and most foods are packaged in bulk. I wanted to buy the small package of two items but if I eat just a single serving, I feel starved. I wish I could keep left overs in the fridge, but I know that the left overs are in the fridge and I eat them for a snack a few hours later.

Talk to your family about your goals and how serious you are about them. Ask them to love you enough not to do that and to eat their own food and not to enable you to make bad decisions. Also, is there any way to make enough food for just THAT meal with no leftovers? If you cook often enough, you should know by now how much your family eats plus what your portion sizes SHOULD be as opposed to what you WANT them to be.

Believe me, I have what I lovingly call "the fat kid" inside of me...I want to eat everything in sight, every sweet, savory, fried thing looks absolutely awesome. But the grown-up healthier me gives it a good talking to about how much better it is for me to make the good decision to watch portions and make good choices...Grown ups! pff! :laugh:

lawkat

First thing is that you need to stop making excuses why you eat everything on your plate and your family's. When they give you what they have left, say no. Say no until they get it.

Every time you are tempted to eat the leftovers, find something else to do to distract you from wanting to eat. Is there another reason why you want to eat? Bored, tired, stressed? Is you hunger really physical or more psychological? You need to listen to what you stomach says and not what is going on in your head. You must break the habit of eating all the time. It won't happen overnight, but it takes time. If you are going to eat that leftover meal, tell yourself, is it really worth the calories? Instead of eating the leftovers, go for carrots or some other veggie instead.

You have to really work at changing the way you approach food.