Disgustingly obsessed with FOOD!!! Make it stop

joannie92

I'm sure I'm asking too much but basically my obsession is obscene!!!!!

I dont have any hobbies or.sports because they dont interest me and i dont want to stick to it! Im definitely a home bird and the only 'interest' i have is meeting friends, when I meet friends it revolves around food. Mine and my partners home life revolves around food. Healthy meals but unhealthy evening 'nibbles' and I just can't kick the habit! Carrot sticks/snack bars etc just don't do the trick and exercise does not cure my boredom, I just feel the need to reward myself with sugar when I have exercised!!

I spend all day thinking about what to cook and what I'll eat later and my meals/snacks are something to look forward to, how sad is that! I like cooking but I'm also too lazy to cook when I get home from work.

When things go wrong = eat, bored = eat, stressed = eat, happy = eat, reward = eat.

Does anyone else have the same issue? How do you kick it long term????

melonaulait

You have to want to lose weight badly enough, and you'll kick the eat all the time habit. Also if you work out/take a walk for long enough, you won't feel like eating sugary stuff.

I still kinda do eat all the time and in all the situations that you mentioned, but I eat much more mindfully now than I would've before.

Queenmunchy

I like to cook when I want to cook so I do on weekends and freeze. That way I can have a healthy homemade meal in a few minutes, but never have to cook when I'm not in the mood.

janjunie

I'm going to tell you something that someone told me when I use to stay at home all day doing nothing of value. Get a hobby!. I know you might be thinking btch you don't know me, that's something along the lines of what I wanted to say to the person who said it to me, but it was true I needed to find something I enjoyed doing. It doesn't have to be something you stick with for the rest of your life, it can change, but do something that will take your mind off of food, there are other joys in life besides your next meal.

oolou

Are you currently logging everything you eat, including snacks? How far over your daily calorie goal do your snacks take you?

You could ask your partner to help you, perhaps. Every time you find yourself heading to the food cupboard for a snack, ask him to distract you.

Evening nibbles aren't necessarily bad. I like to leave calories for the evening so I can enjoy my snacks guilt free. Currently this means I have 50g of brie with crackers late at night. Yum ^^

InstructorNaomi

Instead of making friends that makes food a priority or common outing, make friends with someone who follows a healthy lifestyle. What you're lacking is motivation and you and your partner should be helping each other. You have to stay productive! There's a hobby and interest for everyone. Once you find it not only will you distract yourself from food (it'll also better your relationship). I also recommend drinking a lot of water because usually when you're dehydrated you get the feeling that you're hungry and start craving unhealthy food. If you need any more advice I'd be happy to help.

Rachel0778

Is preoccupation with food perhaps also tied with underconsumption? When I wasn't eating enough I also obsessed over my snacks/dinners. Now that I upped my calories, I only think about them when my stomach tells me it's time to eat them. It might be worth looking at your plan to see if upping your calories may make it easier to stick with your goal.

ValerieMartini2Olives

How do you have no hobbies at all? What do you do with your time?

Queenmunchy

Oh, I should add that I had a healthy catering business because cooking IS my hobby. Make it work. If you like cooking, you can probably figure out ways to get the flavors you like without compromising your goals. I do love to grocery shop, meal plan, etc. Your obsession doesn't necessarily mean it's bad!

arditarose

I think about food all the time. But I'm actually more obsessed with logging, so while it's annoying that food is always on my mind-at least I'm hitting my goals...?

Larissa_NY

Have you read Thin Woman's Brain? I wonder if it would help you. It's basically a cognitive behavioral therapy manual for how to stop obsessing over food.

I recommend this tentatively because I've only read the amazon.com preview, but the author sounds a lot like you in terms of food obsessiveness, so it might be worth a look.

salembambi

when i was eating a really low calorie diet i was very obsessive about food

now that i eat a much higher much more reasonable amount im not obsessive anymore really its a relief

Francl27

I think about food and my next meals a lot too. But that's the thing - my next meal. I don't go to the kitchen to have what I want NOW (unless I have the calories for it and I'm hungry). And I log everything, even if I go over, because it's just too easy not to log and not be accountable... but in the end you're just cheating yourself.

I kicked the habit (sort of, been a bad couple weeks) by logging my food and deciding that I don't want to be fat anymore. Food is still a hobby for me, but I try to use my 'obsession' to plan my meals around what I really feel like eating at the time... it makes me more satisfied and I'm less likely to resort to sweets because of that.

I'd agree to get a hobby, but it's easier said than done in my experience, especially if you don't have a lot of money. My other hobby has been exercise, pretty much, and that keeps me busy enough (and watching TV shows, which I do on my stationary bike, so it's win/win). And silly tablet games. People wonder what I do all day but between getting the kids ready for school, having my breakfast, working out, making and eating lunch, doing chores, doing groceries, helping kids with homework, and making dinner, it actually doesn't even leave me much time to read!

Lounmoun

I think about food a lot because I like to cook and I like to eat tasty things. I collect recipes because I like to try new things. I plan out meals for the whole month in advance because I like planning and it helps my budget. I prelog my whole day every morning so I stick to my goals better and I don't worry about what I am eating... just enjoy it.

If you are using food to deal with boredom or emotions then you need new tools. Try exercise, long baths, make art, meditate, play games, talking, writing, cleaning, making music, listening to music, woodworking, learning a language, knitting, sewing, archery, etc instead of reaching for food. Try therapy to help you work on this issue.

dhimaan

I too think about food all the time. How it will taste, how to prepare it, where to get my macros. What keeps me in check is logging the foods. With accurate logging there is slim to no chance I will binge or let the food control me.

MelodyandBarbells

I wouldn't want to eat carrots or celery sticks for a snack either. Just make sure you have the calories for what you're eating between meals, especially if your meals are nutritious. You may be stressing too much about this, and you may be more normal than you think

cerise_noir

InstructorNaomi wrote: »

Instead of making friends that makes food a priority or common outing, make friends with someone who follows a healthy lifestyle. What you're lacking is motivation and you and your partner should be helping each other. You have to stay productive! There's a hobby and interest for everyone. Once you find it not only will you distract yourself from food (it'll also better your relationship). I also recommend drinking a lot of water because usually when you're dehydrated you get the feeling that you're hungry and start craving unhealthy food. If you need any more advice I'd be happy to help.

I second this.

Rachel0778 wrote: »

Is preoccupation with food perhaps also tied with underconsumption? When I wasn't eating enough I also obsessed over my snacks/dinners. Now that I upped my calories, I only think about them when my stomach tells me it's time to eat them. It might be worth looking at your plan to see if upping your calories may make it easier to stick with your goal.

I was thinking this as well. OP, what are your stats (age, current weight, height)? In the beginning of my journey, my calories were far too low, so I ended up bingeing at night. These days, I pre-log all my meals the night before. I 'quick add' around 300 calories for evening snacks every day as a safety net so I don't binge and go over. At the end of the day, I substitute the quick added calories for actual calories/fat/protien.

joannie92

Also, I ❤

janjunie wrote: »

I'm going to tell you something that someone told me when I use to stay at home all day doing nothing of value. Get a hobby!. I know you might be thinking btch you don't know me, that's something along the lines of what I wanted to say to the person who said it to me, but it was true I needed to find something I enjoyed doing. It doesn't have to be something you stick with for the rest of your life, it can change, but do something that will take your mind off of food, there are other joys in life besides your next meal.

Btch you don't know me is exactly how I feel but it helps to know im not the only one that thinks it!! What did you take up as a hobby? Or multiple short term hobbies?

joannie92

Larissa_NY wrote: »

Have you read Thin Woman's Brain? I wonder if it would help you. It's basically a cognitive behavioral therapy manual for how to stop obsessing over food.

I recommend this tentatively because I've only read the amazon.com preview, but the author sounds a lot like you in terms of food obsessiveness, so it might be worth a look.

Thanks, I will give it a shot!

joannie92

cerise_noir wrote: »

InstructorNaomi wrote: »

Instead of making friends that makes food a priority or common outing, make friends with someone who follows a healthy lifestyle. What you're lacking is motivation and you and your partner should be helping each other. You have to stay productive! There's a hobby and interest for everyone. Once you find it not only will you distract yourself from food (it'll also better your relationship). I also recommend drinking a lot of water because usually when you're dehydrated you get the feeling that you're hungry and start craving unhealthy food. If you need any more advice I'd be happy to help.

I second this.

Rachel0778 wrote: »

Is preoccupation with food perhaps also tied with underconsumption? When I wasn't eating enough I also obsessed over my snacks/dinners. Now that I upped my calories, I only think about them when my stomach tells me it's time to eat them. It might be worth looking at your plan to see if upping your calories may make it easier to stick with your goal.

I was thinking this as well. OP, what are your stats (age, current weight, height)? In the beginning of my journey, my calories were far too low, so I ended up bingeing at night. These days, I pre-log all my meals the night before. I 'quick add' around 300 calories for evening snacks every day as a safety net so I don't binge and go over. At the end of the day, I substitute the quick added calories for actual calories/fat/protien.

Hi I don't want to give my weight but im 5,11, 23 and want to lose about 8 stone. Don't tell me that's too much because that still doesn't get me to a 'healthy' weight based on bmi.

I agree with the friends thing buti dont want to ditch my old friends

joannie92

Not sure what happened there but above post never sent all my typing.

Basically I think confidence is my drawback.

I don't want to get new friends as I love the ones I've got, and I'm useless at meeting new people!!

I do not under eat, my meals are huge and snacks even bigger.

I want to lose around 8 stone which wouldn'tget me to the healthy bmi but at this moment in in time my confidence is so.low that I don't want to exercise or get a hobby. I want to lose a few stone first and get some confidence back and feel I've achieved something.

Thank you everyone for the help and advice ☺