Constant Struggle with Mindless Eating
jamieparadis20
Posts: 129 Member
Hi everybody,
This has been my main food-related problem preventing weight loss for as long as I can remember. I had horrible eating habits when I was young (as in a kid and middle school etc) before I knew what healthy eating really was. Now, my eating habits are actually really great and at a good place and my friends even think of me as "the healthy one". My problem, however, is that despite eating good, wholesome, and filling foods at all of my meals and making sure I get a good balance from every food group and try to set myself up to be satiated, I always. want. more. No matter what, even once I feel full, I just want more food. When I have breakfast before leaving for the day, I have several meals planned that are the perfect amount of calories, protein, etc and are set to keep me full that I can pick and choose from, but even after finishing, something drives me to want more. At lunch, in the dining hall, we have unlimited food options and it is free after swiping in. I normally have a filling salad with lot's of beans and vegetables but even after feeling full I always want more just for the sake of eating. Once I come home from the day, I normally plan my dinner out as I come home. But once I'm in my kitchen, all of the food that I have stored in all of the drawers and cupboards comes to my attention. I remember the nuts or the cookies or the ice cream stored and I just want to eat them so bad.
I know that I probably sound really uncontrolled and in a bad mindset but I am seriously trying to fix this problem because I know that it is not good for my health or stress levels. I have really good days when I can completely control myself once I'm full. Normally I brush my teeth after dinner because that prevents me from eating anymore but a lot of times it is hard for me to get away from the kitchen and just get upstairs. Once I have brushed my teeth, however, the cravings go away completely and the food isn't even on my mind.
Should I just throw out everything that is unhealthy in my kitchen so that if I'm going to eat more, it must be good things? Or could that eventually backfire since I might feel like I'm depriving myself? Should I bring my dinners upstairs to eat so once I'm done I can brush my teeth right away without being tempted? I know that it's about breaking habits and being mindful, but I am just struggling with this so much. I need advice on how to stop this once and for all.
This has been my main food-related problem preventing weight loss for as long as I can remember. I had horrible eating habits when I was young (as in a kid and middle school etc) before I knew what healthy eating really was. Now, my eating habits are actually really great and at a good place and my friends even think of me as "the healthy one". My problem, however, is that despite eating good, wholesome, and filling foods at all of my meals and making sure I get a good balance from every food group and try to set myself up to be satiated, I always. want. more. No matter what, even once I feel full, I just want more food. When I have breakfast before leaving for the day, I have several meals planned that are the perfect amount of calories, protein, etc and are set to keep me full that I can pick and choose from, but even after finishing, something drives me to want more. At lunch, in the dining hall, we have unlimited food options and it is free after swiping in. I normally have a filling salad with lot's of beans and vegetables but even after feeling full I always want more just for the sake of eating. Once I come home from the day, I normally plan my dinner out as I come home. But once I'm in my kitchen, all of the food that I have stored in all of the drawers and cupboards comes to my attention. I remember the nuts or the cookies or the ice cream stored and I just want to eat them so bad.
I know that I probably sound really uncontrolled and in a bad mindset but I am seriously trying to fix this problem because I know that it is not good for my health or stress levels. I have really good days when I can completely control myself once I'm full. Normally I brush my teeth after dinner because that prevents me from eating anymore but a lot of times it is hard for me to get away from the kitchen and just get upstairs. Once I have brushed my teeth, however, the cravings go away completely and the food isn't even on my mind.
Should I just throw out everything that is unhealthy in my kitchen so that if I'm going to eat more, it must be good things? Or could that eventually backfire since I might feel like I'm depriving myself? Should I bring my dinners upstairs to eat so once I'm done I can brush my teeth right away without being tempted? I know that it's about breaking habits and being mindful, but I am just struggling with this so much. I need advice on how to stop this once and for all.
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I also may note that this has been an especially bad week for me. Normally on Sunday's I'll make a goal for the week like "No mindless eating whatsoever at any breakfast this week" or the same thing for dinner. I can almost always keep with these goals and I feel really proud. This week, however, I messed up at almost every meal. Friday night after my perfect dinner that filled me up, I had some vegan mochi from trader joes, I couldn't stop reaching for more and more Oreos, tons of graham crackers, handfuls of nuts, chocolate, and a lot more little snacks I just had sitting in the kitchen. It's always the most random combination of foods, I know. Then Saturday morning, after I had oatmeal and a smoothie, I suddenly had a craving for cereal and had a bowl of that, I'm pretty sure a few more Oreos, more handfuls of nuts, and then in my freezer I had a bag of vegan snickers bars that I made homemade for Halloween. Each of the snickers had a little less than 100 calories in them but they are pretty small so very calorie dense. So when I made them I told myself that I can only ever have one at a time, but yesterday I could not stop reaching for more. I could feel myself getting full and knew that I would feel like crap afterward but I couldn't stop. Then this morning, I had oatmeal again and tons of fruit and I was already getting pretty full halfway through my meal so I was sure that I wouldn't have a problem with mindless eating. But once I was finished, I suddenly remembered some dark chocolate I had stored in my cupboard and grabbed a piece. Then, I suddenly wanted more of the toppings that I put on my oatmeal like walnuts and coconut flakes (which are pretty calorie dense) and literally couldn't stop grabbing more and more. And then, even though I had no craving for them whatsoever, I suddenly saw my two bags of veggie chips and pita chips and opened them and had so much. I feel horrible now and like this problem is going to prevent any weight loss progress at all. Is my only solution to throw out all of these "trigger" foods that I can't stop myself from eating?0
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I can't tell from your post if you are still hungry and eat or if it's your title "mindless eating".
If your still hungry try having a protein, carb, fat with every meal. This keeps me satisfied, perhaps it will work for you?
I tend to overeat on salty things so I don't bring them in the house. I eat them only when at a friends or going out OR I will purchase the smallest bag possible.
If it's mindless eating then try a mantra that you say over and over throughout the day. One of mine is "make up your mind and your body will follow". This helps me to see I'm in control of the food that goes in my mouth, it doesn't just fly into my mouth.
Every time you eat maybe try asking yourself am I really hungry? My dad used to use post it notes on his bathroom sink and bedroom doors etc
. Perhaps this small change will help you develop good habits? 0 -
To my way of thinking, "struggle" and "mindless" don't go together. It's one or the other. Perhaps the compulsion to keep eating is also part and parcel to your motivation but coming from your inarticulate side.
What is it in you that is trying to get fulfilled? Unlock that door and you can find new ways to satisfy your needs without resorting to food.
Consider an adult cat that compulsively suckles. Chances are it left its mother too early.
Sometimes food acts as a handy substitute for unrealized emotions.0 -
I can't tell from your post if you are still hungry and eat or if it's your title "mindless eating".
If your still hungry try having a protein, carb, fat with every meal. This keeps me satisfied, perhaps it will work for you?
I tend to overeat on salty things so I don't bring them in the house. I eat them only when at a friends or going out OR I will purchase the smallest bag possible.
If it's mindless eating then try a mantra that you say over and over throughout the day. One of mine is "make up your mind and your body will follow". This helps me to see I'm in control of the food that goes in my mouth, it doesn't just fly into my mouth.
Every time you eat maybe try asking yourself am I really hungry? My day used to use post it notes on his bathroom sink and bedroom doors etc. Perhaps this small change will help you develop good habits?
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Maybe you have your calories set too low - did you chose an aggressive weight loss rate like 2 pounds per week, too much of a deficit? Might want to scale it back- you might just actually still be hungry after eating.
Are you sure you're getting enough carbs & protein? A salad with lots of veggies and even with beans as you describe would still leave me needing more protein and carbs. Might want to check that. The default ratios from myfitnesspal can be a little low on protein. And if you are active & work out you might need much more.
Maybe you try to eat too clean. Maybe you should allow yourself a few cheat foods a day - planned and within calories. That way you won't always be longing for foods because of the idea that you aren't allowed to have them.
Maybe you really are just trying to break a bad habit of overeating. In that case maybe you should keep you toothbrush with you and brush your teeth immediately after EVERY meal since that seems to stop you from wanting more food.
Good luck!0 -
This is kind of a stupid question but how do I respond to a person directly? I'm trying to respond to courtneyfabulous and can't figure out how (this is my first ever post haha).
Anyway, Courtney, if you see this,
I think that protein and fat may be a part of it and I've been looking at that more carefully lately. For awhile I was completely depriving myself and thinking that the only good foods that I didn't have to feel guilty for were fruits and veggies and would consider it a good day if I only had that. Now I'm really trying to up my protein content since i was getting way below what I needed (especially since I'm vegan) but if anything I've noticed an increase in my problem, at least if I'm only looking at this week.
I haven't looked at my deficit too much however because mfp is linked with my fitbit and I don't know how to sync the two since mfp's is based off of how active you are and a total number of calories for the day rather than a deficit like fitbit.
My other problem is that I have some cheat foods in my house (the ones that I decribed in my second comment) that I have for when I'm craving things and so that I don't eat TOO clean. The problem is that when I do allow myself to indulge in these things, I literally feel like I can't stop.
I will try to brush my teeth immediately after from now on since I think I just need to break the habit. I'm just worried about the stress and being mad at myself for when I fail and can't force myself to brush my teeth right away.
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Have you tinkered with your macros? I can eat 3000 calories of lovely carbs or tons of fiber and not feel full. I need significant protein and fat to not feel hungry soon after a meal.
The mindless eating thing - when I crave something after I've already eaten, I make myself write down what I want and why - am I actually really hungry? stressed? bored? thirsty? angry? Then I drink a glass of water or tea and set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes. I'm almost always not hungry by the time it goes off. And if I am, I get a small portion of whatever, log it, put the rest away somewhere inconvenient, and focus on whatever I'm eating. Don't eat snacks fast distracted by tv/computer/game/whatever.
That said, I do try to keep some things out of the house because I can't stop eating them - I can go through a family size bag of Tostitos with Lime in an hour.0 -
I started by leaving all foods that were triggers at the store. That didn't mean I couldn't have any, but buying a small candy bar and eating it is different than having a bag of candy bars in my house. And I have done the same thing as you, I would have a full dinner and then eat cheese and crackers until I was bursting. All I can say is that when I stopped doing that, I stopped wanting to do it. It really is just a habit. Also, if you do want a snack after you have eaten, carefully measure it out, and put the rest away. Unfortunately, the rest is just being able to stay away, which is all on you. Terrible, isn't it? But it can be done. As I said, once you stop you really don't want to start again, especially once you see the scale start moving in the correct direction. Good luck!2
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Hi Jamie, maybe not keeping the foods you find easier to overeat in the house can help. Like instead of keeping a tub of ice cream in your freezer, going out for a cone or cup and eating it there might be better....or you can keep smaller quantities of these kinds of foods/drinks in your house (small to medium-sized bag of chips vs. mega size). But never deprive yourself. If you want it, have it! Try to log it here though.
Also, you can respond to someone's post by clicking "quote" on the bottom and then start typing.0 -
Have you tinkered with your macros? I can eat 3000 calories of lovely carbs or tons of fiber and not feel full. I need significant protein and fat to not feel hungry soon after a meal.
The mindless eating thing - when I crave something after I've already eaten, I make myself write down what I want and why - am I actually really hungry? stressed? bored? thirsty? angry? Then I drink a glass of water or tea and set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes. I'm almost always not hungry by the time it goes off. And if I am, I get a small portion of whatever, log it, put the rest away somewhere inconvenient, and focus on whatever I'm eating. Don't eat snacks fast distracted by tv/computer/game/whatever.
That said, I do try to keep some things out of the house because I can't stop eating them - I can go through a family size bag of Tostitos with Lime in an hour.
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I think you have to tackle this at several flanks at once. First, don't separate foods into good and bad, healthy and unhealthy. All foods have nutrition, but contribute differently. It's all about dosage and context. Coupled with this, don't think about yourself as being good or proud for eating this or bad or weak for eating that. Don't rely on good days and willpower. Eat food you enjoy eating. When you decide what you enjoy eating, you will want to consider taste, colors, texture, temperature, and how you feel after you've eaten.
Then, be aware that almost everybody likes to eat, and even normal weight individuals' stomachs have capacity for more. Sometimes we just have to stop ourselves from eating, even though it tastes really good. Some foods are made to be irresistible. These are the foods that most people have the most problems with moderating - chocolate, cookies, candy, ice cream, cakes, chips and soda.
There is actual deprivation and there is subjective deprivation. Not eating chocolate is not actual deprivation, but it can look like deprivation for others, and it will feel like deprivation if you deny yourself chocolate and therefore miss it. If you just stop eating chocolate, when it's a choice you have made yourself, based your own free will and your life is happier without chocolate, it's not deprivation.
I know you are smart enough to figure out for yourself what to do.4 -
Consider the actual problem you are struggling with and not the food. Do some research on hormone imbalance, it is proven that obesity is linked to an imbalance of leptin and ghrelin (the two hormones that tell you when you are hungry and full). This also goes hand and hand with increased insulin levels (which are responsible for storing glucose in fat cells). Research shows this imbalance in some people is attributed to insulin resistance as a result of a high carbohydrate diet. It is worth looking into, it was my problem 60lbs ago
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TravisinCanada wrote: »Consider the actual problem you are struggling with and not the food. Do some research on hormone imbalance, it is proven that obesity is linked to an imbalance of leptin and ghrelin (the two hormones that tell you when you are hungry and full). This also goes hand and hand with increased insulin levels (which are responsible for storing glucose in fat cells). Research shows this imbalance in some people is attributed to insulin resistance as a result of a high carbohydrate diet. It is worth looking into, it was my problem 60lbs ago
So what did you do exactly? Lower your carb intake and increase fat/protein? I am pretty sure that eating too many (refined) carbs/grams of sugar daily does increase insulin levels/affect hormones--which had me breaking out regularly...these completely cleared/stopped when i cut down/limited intake0 -
drivennightrunner87 wrote: »TravisinCanada wrote: »Consider the actual problem you are struggling with and not the food. Do some research on hormone imbalance, it is proven that obesity is linked to an imbalance of leptin and ghrelin (the two hormones that tell you when you are hungry and full). This also goes hand and hand with increased insulin levels (which are responsible for storing glucose in fat cells). Research shows this imbalance in some people is attributed to insulin resistance as a result of a high carbohydrate diet. It is worth looking into, it was my problem 60lbs ago
So what did you do exactly? Lower your carb intake and increase fat/protein? I am pretty sure that eating too many (refined) carbs/grams of sugar daily does increase insulin levels/affect hormones--which had me breaking out regularly...these completely cleared/stopped when i cut down/limited intake
So do you think it would be a good idea to lower carbs and increase fat and protein? I've noticed tons of breaking out too lately. I think this may be hard since fats and proteins are normally more calorie dense and I obviously like eating a lot of low calorie things haha but I think that doing so could really help this problem.0 -
Thanks for everybody who has commented so far.
I just wanted to summarize to make sure I understood all of the suggestions:
First, I'll get rid of a lot of my junk food (not all, but the things that I'm consistently having problems with)
Next, I'll edit my deficit and macros on mfp so that I'm eating less carbs and sugars and more proteins and fats.
Then I'll keep a toothbrush downstairs so I can brush my teeth as soon as I'm full. Then from there it's really all about my mindset. After I'm done eating breakfast and dinner, I'll set a timer on my phone for 15 minutes and maybe have tea or a glass of water in that time. If I'm still hungry after distracting myself for that time, then I can have more, but if not I'll brush my teeth or do something to prevent myself from eating when I clearly don't want/need to.
I think I just need to get into good habits and eventually it will be easier. Thank you so much everybody who has responded and if anybody has more suggestions, I'd love to hear2 -
I have also found that chewing sugar free gum after eating also helps with just grabbing food. It has the same effect as brushing my teeth.1
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ooo, SKIN...how can i break this down?
1st: Health (stick to a personalized daily plan to reach a healthy weight for your height/frame...new plan=maintenance)
-H2O is your best friend! Drink as much as you can daily.
-Sweat it out (physical activity)=reduces stress/mood lift! Also: yoga (never got in2 it personally tho)
-We're SMART and know how our bodies react better than anyone else (trial & error is key)
Eat/drink more of what is less likely to cause a reaction (healthy fats/protein, complex carbs, vitamins/nutrients)
Less of what is more likely to cause problems (esp. in 1 sitting=glycemic load=Try Not 2 Binge!)
(ie. fast/processed food, refined/simple carbs, hydrogenated oils, dairy, 2 much iodized salt)
*Never completely eliminate what you like!* Strategize instead (ie. half a medium pizza 4 din vs. whole pie)
Be consistent but don't beat yourself up if you have a setback(s)--learn from it and move on!
other: derm visit, otc topicals (bp, sa, oil-free moisturizer), multi-vitamin, enough sun, better sleep, stay positive
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gahhh...found this article which was helpful as it talks about how u can go about eating more mindfully:
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/diet-weight-loss/emotional-eating.htm0
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