How do others not think about eating?

mom2wessarah

How do others do it? I've been slightly overweight my entire life, but it's my adult life that's troubling. I've been up and down several times. I don't have an eating disorder, at least I don't think I do, but I have to ask. How do "normal weight" people, people who just stay the same weight without trying, do it?

I'm a night owl. I do some household chores after the kids go to bed, then I have my "me" time, so I'm up late. The other night I was getting the clothes from the dryer and passed by a bag of pretzels. My instinct was to grab the bag so I could "munch" while folding the clothes. But I stopped myself. I mean I really had to say to myself, "Don't do that. You don't need those, you're not hungry." It's not always night eating; this is just an example.

I don't think about food all the time. The bag was there, so I thought about it. However, I know others could have passed the bag without thinking. I always have to make myself stop eating or not grab that snack because it's "there". I have to really make a conscience effort (when I'm not measuring and strictly controlling my portions).

The reason I go up and down is because when my weight is down, I stop making the conscience effort. People say, "This is a lifestyle change. You have to do what works for you." Well, I guess what will work for me is taking it day by day; everyday. I have to remember when I'm at a "normal" weight, I still have to make that effort. I'll have to weight my food always to keep excess weight off.

I envy people who don't have this issue. Those that pretty much can regulate their intake naturally because they don't think about what they eat, yet stay at a stable weight.

Just venting and wondering if there's anyone out there like me who's had permanent success.

arditarose

I actually just cannot have a bag of chips in the house. I never understood how others could make a bag last for a week or more. Or like my roommate...she will literally just forget it's there until they go stale.

Food environment is very important to me. I was so exhausted and cranky yesterday. All I wanted was to shove carbs in my face. I passed bodegas that sell amazing sandwiches and kept telling myself if I make it HOME, the only thing I will have there to gorge on is strawberries (trust me, I can do damage with fruit as well, but not as much as a big nasty NYC deli sandwich).

If you look in my cupboards and refrigerator the only things are vegetables, almond milk, hot sauce, cocoa powder, protein powder, a lean meat, and some low calorie ice creams I can eat the whole pint of without damaging my daily calorie goal. I think it was Sohee Lee (she co-hosts on Layne Norton's podcast) who said that "self-control is fatiguing". I'd have to agree.

That said, I'm going to eat a rice krispie treat today but I bought ONE at the store this morning. It fits in my day well and when it's gone-that's it. I'll do the same with a 6-pack of oreos, or a small bag of pop chips, etc.

25lbsorbust

My boyfriend actually pointed something out to me that made a lot of sense and helped me say 'no' a lot more often recently.

Once during one of our lunchtime calls I asked him some questions about early humans I had been idly thinking about (he's a prehistoric fanatic) and at one point in explaining the answers he mentioned that "The reason you feel the compulsion to eat the food you know is around you is because, back then, they would go days or weeks without food, so their body was trained to eat anything they came across. Eventually, in the modern day, by ignoring food that is around you teach your body that just because there IS food doesn't mean it needs to eat it right then."

It's kind of common sense if you think about it, but now when I think about the granola bars in my desk, or the cafe across from my office, I think back to those ancient ancestors and repeat to myself "Just because there is food, doesn't mean I have to eat it." And usually I can avoid snacking this way.

It might not work for anyone, but putting it in such straightforward terms has helped me crave junk a lot less, and eventually it just comes naturally to only think about food when you're genuinely hungry.

bethalissa

I literally always have this problem. I am CONSTANTLY thinking about food, and constantly telling myself in my head not to eat things. I feel bad when I eat pretty much anything that isn't a vegetable, and it really blows me to think I will be watching what I eat for the rest of my life if I don't want to gain weight. I'm pretty average weight/size now but I work REALLY HARD to maintain average, and that just depresses me. Sorry that's such a downer message!
Just been really struggling lately x

SwindonJogger

Logging all calories. Knowing you have to weigh and calculate the calories of the food before eating them and checking you have sufficient calories available is enough to stop any mindless munching for me,

Kullerva

Check out the concept of the "eat watch" popularized by the Hacker Diet. It combines the power of SCIENCE! with practical strategies on how to set your own personal eat watch so that you only eat when you need to, and don't eat more than you need. http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdietf.html

I use this strategy and it keeps me from overeating, especially at night. I've lost 40+ lbs and kept it off for most of a year, and I'm not slipping any time soon.

kimny72

OP, not sure if this applies to you or not, but do you plan "treats" into your day? I find when I make sure I leave myself 150-250 cals everyday for whatever strikes my fancy, it reduces a lot of the constant food thoughts. I pre-log my day, leaving that little "snack buffer", and it helps me stay on track.

Having said that, I've been known to plow through a whole bag of PopChips while watching TV without even realizing it!

I don't leave any packages of food out and visible (though that's prob easier for me with no kids). I also try not to eat anything out of the package. I put a bowl on the scale, fill it with 1 or 2 servings of pretzels or what have you, roll up the bag, snap on the chipclip, and put it away. (except of course when I don't! LOL).

When I do make a mistake like the PopChips, I log it, and then I leave it behind. I log it so I can see it in black & white and understand the affect it might have. And I then leave it behind, because guilt could cause me to turn one bad night into a bad week!

The fact that you have recognized when this happens is a great first step! So much of this is a learning process. Don't feel bad about the times you slip - study them and keep trying new ways to avoid them until you get it down to a science. Good luck!

azulvioleta6

1. Don't keep fake/junk/fast food in the house. If it is not good for you, your kids don't need either and shouldn't be developing a mindless eating habit that they will have to unlearn later.
2. Pre-prep and track your meals several days in advance you can just grab and go--no decisions, no hanging out at the fridge. Pre-prep healthy snacks.
3. When you feel like eating mindlessly, drink instead. I make up quart jars of herbal tea in advance--they are always ready when needed. Coffee helps too.
4. Treating yourself with food is self destructive. Find other small rewards...nail polish, music, a home spa treatment...whatever feels good to you.
5. Fill your life with interesting activities so that you are no so bored that you need to fill the empty spaces with food.

Jruzer

I think about eating a lot. I think it is going to be day-by-day for me as well. I guess I can live with that. (True story: When I was a kid and we finished dinner, my mother would often say, "Well, now what's for breakfast?")

I don't like the language of addiction, but I act like that I have a chronic condition that I have to manage. I'm a compulsive overeater. When I don't manage it well things go poorly for me.

Thinking of it this way helps me to feel more in control and less like I'm suffering. It also makes it easier for me to be kind to myself and recover more rapidly when I do lapse.

dabry05

I plan out all my food a day in advance, that way when I wake up I just have it all ready to go, and after a month of doing it last year, my brain has accepted this as normal.

JenHuedy

Jruzer wrote: »

I think about eating a lot. I think it is going to be day-by-day for me as well. I guess I can live with that. (True story: When I was a kid and we finished dinner, my mother would often say, "Well, now what's for breakfast?")

I don't like the language of addiction, but I act like that I have a chronic condition that I have to manage. I'm a compulsive overeater. When I don't manage it well things go poorly for me.

Thinking of it this way helps me to feel more in control and less like I'm suffering. It also makes it easier for me to be kind to myself and recover more rapidly when I do lapse.

This is how I have begun to look at it. I'm still a bit resentful that I have to spend so much time and energy just to be "normal", but remind myself we all have our struggles in life. Mine is my weight, for others it's depression, or disease or injury.

Plus, I'm pretty darn lucky that my biggest problem is too much food. There's a significant percentage of the world's population that has the opposite problem.

Machka9

mom2wessarah wrote: »

I don't think about food all the time. The bag was there, so I thought about it. However, I know others could have passed the bag without thinking. I always have to make myself stop eating or not grab that snack because it's "there". I have to really make a conscience effort (when I'm not measuring and strictly controlling my portions).

Put the food away. Make it more difficult to get to. Or don't buy it in the first place.


It also helps me to get involved in doing something else so that I'm not thinking about food. And to plan regular snacks so that I know I am due for my next snack in an hour, and I can hang on till then.

RoseTheWarrior

You're definitely not alone, but everyone's food habits are different, and everyone's tastes and taste wants are different. In our house, I'm a "bakery eater" and my DH is a "salty foods" eater. If there are potato chips here, my DH CANNOT pass them by. He compulsively eats them. For me, they would go stale before I would even think about having maybe even one chip. However, if we had, say, muffins in the house, I could stuff three in a row into my face, and my DH would let them go stale. Of course, I'm sure there are people who are just "any food" munchers. Thankfully I can say I'm not one of them.

I believe it comes down to re-training yourself, and that goes for MOST people. Most of us have grown up learning poor eating habits - we eat when bored, when stressed, etc. It will take work for you to re-train yourself, but it can be done. Just don't believe there's anything "wrong" with you. You ARE normal. It's just that people don't discuss this kind of thing in general, so you would never know!

Almost forgot to add - the best thing is to do as another poster said. Just don't buy the stuff. Keep your cupboards full of healthy, low calorie food instead of things like chips and pretzels or what have you.

MaryLuvsTheLamb

I think about eating non-stop, but I make it a point to keep all junk food out of the house. It's hard, because my husband is a compulsive over eater, due to numerous meds that increase appetite, so sometimes I'm drooling while he's pounding down a bag of Fritos or chips, but I just focus on how far I've come and it's sooooo not worth those few moments of pleasure to undo it. There's an old saying that says, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels". It's a very big lesson in self discipline. A lifetime struggle, but it CAN be conquered with persistence.

allnamesrtaken

Has anyone found an over eaters group here?

Flybeetle

I think about food all the time.... unless I plan out my whole day in the morning, log it, then I just stick with the plan and know that is all I'm eating today. That way I'm not constantly considering my options. It's like: this is it, nothing else will fit inside my calories goals, over and out. It provides me with a lot of calm!

I can't handle any junk food in the house, I'd eat it, so all we have is dried fruit for treats (the low calorie ice cream mentioned above sounds great though!)...

I hope this helps!

Eleanor_82

I keep junk food out of the house but have healthier options to hand like crackers, fruit etc. I definitely feel the post-lunch slump when a biscuit (or ten) looks tempting but I tell myself I'm allowed a wee treat only after I've had a cup each of the three herbal teas I have stashed around my workspace. Suddenly not so "hungry" after all that.