Can't stop eating

crybaby2384

I have been having a lot of trouble with controling myself around food, I graze A LOT through the day. I almost always finish my kids' food when they are done. And I eat when I am stressed and upset. I really want to get in better shape but it seems like the more I want to the more temptations I have. Any advice ??

queenliz99

Are you over restricting your intake? Maybe you set your weight loss goal per week too high.

StealthHealth

• Pre-log all of your food
• Incorporate some of your favourite foods into your weekly diet
• Don't aim for an aggressive rate of loss (IMHO the 2lb per week rate of loss is only suitable for those who are obese. For those closer to ideal weight slower is better)
• If you eat some of the kids food open up you diary, plug in what you've just eaten and then work out what you're going to drop form later in the day to compensate. I think that pretty soon you'll stop eating the kids leftovers in favour of your planned meals.

Don't beat yourself up over this stuff. Take it day by day and keep it simple. You can do this - sometimes it just takes a few failed attempts before you get into the groove of it.

crybaby2384

I haven't been tracking my food lately. I'm trying to get myself to do that again. I haven't worked out in about a month. We are rennovating our house right now and things are hectic here.

StealthHealth

Also, grazing is not a problem per se but mindless grazing is.

mamakimkim

If there's one thing I've learned it's that you have to track. Even if you are cheating. Even if you are on vacation for a week at an all-inclusive resort where every meal is buffet style and you don't really know the calorie counts of anything. You have to log. It makes such a difference.

RosemaryBronte

I really recommend that you try to steal some time each day for meditation. When I'm stressed I usually want food to restore my soul, to calm me and heal me and soothe me. That is too big a task for food. Good food can contribute to those goals but you need calm exercise e.g.walking and some regular meditation to get that deep OK feeling which is the antidote to the frantic habit of grabbing food in a mindless way. I know it's difficult when you are overly busy but that's when you most need meditation. Somehow in the middle of looking after everyone else you need to find the time to look after yourself too.

dubird

Start with getting back to logging. Even if it's one bite of something. Just the act of logging can make you aware of just how much you're eating, which can work in your favor. I know for me, even if my logging is off, just the act of putting down what I've eaten makes me more aware of things and I make better choices for dinner or snack.

You might also start with just not finishing your kid's food. I know, it's really hard to let that go, espically if your parents are of the "starving kids in China!" variety. ^_^; Leaving food on my plate when I've hit my limit is really really hard, and I still feel bad for it, but I also know I don't need it and I'm better off not finishing.

Something else to consider. You could be a person that will do better on several small meals over the course of the day. Time of day you eat has no bearing on weight loss, so if you want to spread out your meals to 5-6 times a day, as long as the total calories at the end of the day is in your limit, you're fine.

RosemaryBronte

You have nicknamed yourself crybaby. I wonder if that is a jokey way of noticing that you are crying out for some care and love in the middle of everything. Good on you for being a responsible caring Mum but your compulsive eating suggests that you need to schedule some time each day when you restore yourself.

LivLovLrn

I recommend you take a moment to ask yourself why you are eating each time you are tempted to put something in your mouth. Be honest, don't tell yourself you are finishing your kids' plates because you don't want to waste food, that is an excuse, not a reason. First you have to be honest about the why, then you can start to change it.
A couple of "tricks" are
drink water instead of eating
talk yourself out of it, if you know you've already eaten enough remind yourself of that
ask yourself would you eat an apple; if the answer is yes, then eat an apple. If the answer is no, then don't eat

brenn24179

join the club, I think we all feel like you but enough is enough. It is a terrible feeling when the pleasure of eating turns into pain, when our clothes don't fit and we feel bad about ourselves. We are here to help you. We have to set boundaries with ourselves and say No a lot

babysaffy

I know the feeling, just trying to keep logging and reduce the snacking a day at at time. All the best with it!

JustinAnimal

I've never tried this, but a few of my friends on MFP have found intermittent fasting to be highly successful if you have the discipline. It basically narrows the window in which you can eat. My one very successful friend only eats between noon and 8 p.m. The advice I've been given there is that it can be difficult for the first week or two, but after that life is great. If you can stick to this self-imposed rule, it might just be the trick. She says it makes eating at a 1300-1600 calorie goal a lot easier and the meals tend to be more satisfying, as opposed to a million little snacks that make it so you never get a satisfying meal. Best of luck to you!

DanSTL82

Keeping healthier foods instead of junk food in the house will help greatly. I would hazard a guess that your house currently has a bunch of chips and cookies and sugary cereal and sodas and pasta and pizza, etc. That's stuff that you should not be eating much of anyway, let alone on a daily basis.

If you stock your fridge and pantry with healthier foods instead, like lean meats, vegetables, eggs, bran cereal, nuts, oats, whole grain bread, etc., you will tend to eat less because it's not as "fun" to eat those things. And that's the real issue here. You seem to be, like most people, looking at food as entertainment rather than just fuel for your body. That's not what food is supposed to be. Healthy food generally doesn't taste as good as junk food, but that's life. We as a species weren't meant to be eating sugary carbs and cheesy products and fatty dressings and condiments all day. We just do it because it tastes better and it's available to us and we consume them under the guise of "eating," when we're really hardly ever actually hungry when we eat those things, and instead mainly eat them just for entertainment. Have you ever heard the quote, "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry"? Most people should take that to heart. Whenever you think you're hungry, imagine eating a few apples to satiate your hunger. Would you do that? If not, you're probably not actually hungry and you're just wanting to eat something as entertainment because it tastes good.

In summary of the above, keep healthier foods around instead of junk food, so you won't be tempted to eat as much as you do.

Now, you're probably thinking that your kids will hate that. First off, you should be teaching them healthy eating anyway, to the point where they shouldn't expect that every meal contains chips and cookies and pizza rolls. But, kids being kids, of course you can't run your kitchen like the military and only have healthy foods there and nothing else. So make them a bit of junk food along with their healthy food with their meals, like a small cookie after their healthy sandwich and veggies. But make sure to only fix for them what they will likely finish. You said that you always finish your kids' food - well, that clearly means that you are making their portions too big for them every time, doesn't it? So make less food for them so there aren't as much leftovers as they currently typically have. Then you won't have much of anything of theirs to eat when they're done.

In summary of the above paragraph, have some "fun" food around just for your kids for them to have alongside healthy food with each meal, and do that to teach them generally healthy eating. And only give them what they will eat, so there are no leftovers for you to eat.

And, all that said, allow yourself a couple cheat days here and there, because dieting nonstop will drive anybody crazy.

KANGOOJUMPS

handcuffed to the bed?

crybaby2384

Thanks for all replies. As for my name "crybaby" it is because I really like that old Johnny Depp movie Crybaby. I went and bought some nuts and some healthier protien bars for when i need something quick. I have been doing a lot better with not eating after my daughter right now,. She has been pretty sick since
Wednesday so I guess that is one way of breaking thay habit. I am going to start logging everything starting today. I have gained about 10 pounds the last couple of months and I cant let that continue. As soon as I have room/time to I will start exercising again. Until then my house renovation will have to count as exercise. Thanks again everyone.

dubird

Don't stress the exercise. Focus on calories in for now. Exercise isn't needed for weight loss, though it can help. When you get to the point of your calories in being under your control, and that may take a few months, then try and work regular exercise in. This doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing venture, it's perfectly ok to start slow and build. ^_^