How to lose the unhealthy relationship with food

maQmIgh

Morning All,

I'm back here for the 3rd time since I first joined.. I'm in the process of trying to lose weight for my wedding (No date set, as were skint, so no rush)

I'm still in the logic/emotion denial stage right now (I know what I need to do, but cannot motivate myself to do it)

I have done well over the last couple of days with staying within my calorie deficit but am still fighting the cravings for ALL the bad food ALL the time.

Just curious of your stories and how you overcame the initial craving stage on your journey.

jgnatca

Try changing your question to a positive.

"How to gain a healthy relationship with food"

My motto, "All food is lovely"

MFP can help a lot as you can know exactly what you are getting before you eat it.

Pre-log it.

Give yourself permission to enjoy all the foods from Twinkie to Durian.

Then take your time when you eat, savouring the texture taste and smells.

Since you have a non-specific date I suggest you break your goals in to little weekly habit changes, such as "Log all my weekly dinners this week". Add a mini-goal each week and you can reap a mini-reward every week.

JeromeBarry1

The initial craving stage? Do you mean that there comes a stage when there are no cravings? I've lost 100+ lb and still have to deal with cravings. I'm a data nerd, so I accurately log my food in my diary. Even on days when I lose control, breakfast is accurate. Lunch may even be accurately logged before snacks get a bunch of 'quick add'. I found a couple of things about me that make my cravings superior to my ability to resist them. First, I must have a breakfast of more than 350 calories. If I have a smallish breakfast, or skip it completely, that day is a binge. That's been the case every time. I'm not going to challenge that again. I'm going to have a decent breakfast. Second, I can't string together a bunch of days with 1000 calorie deficits. One or two, maybe. The third is when I have broken down and had a binge on the following day. Because of that, I make a point of eating back plenty of my exercise calories, at least half, and 90% is not a problem. It helps that I use the food diary as a planner. Each morning I plan the meals I'll have for the day, and then go about my day with the confidence that I know where and when my next meal is coming.

Evamutt

My "bad" food were sausage, rice & mashed potatoes with lots of butter & cheese. so what I did was either ate a bunch of veggies & drank water then cut up one beef sausage & ate it slow or I found a substitute...turkey sausage. With the rice, I'll have it every so often but 1/2 or once in a while one cup. With potatoes, I microwave one potato & put 2 tsp of butter & I bought some low fat cheddar cheese & use 1/4 cup, so in other words I still eat what I love but found a different way to eat it & don't have it as the main meal but a portion of the meal

Evamutt

want to add that when I choose to eat something with higher calories I make it fit, like yesterday I had re fried beans, so I had it with extra lean ground turkey, which is lower in calories

maQmIgh

Ive found personally that my cravings will go away if I avoid all the stuff that I crave... but it does take me 6 months of avoidance before the cravings go away.... it only take one second of weakness to bring the craving back...
For example, I have a colleague who brings in doughnuts and always offers around... Ive finally managed to decline (First time in about 2 years lol) but I crave doughnuts for 6 months, decide that ive been good and treat myself to 1 doughnut then instantly my cravings for doughnuts comes back, and it takes 6 months of fighting to get rid on the cravings again..
This happens to me with anything and everything treat related

Currently im craving trifle - which is funny as I haven't eaten trifle in over a year lol.

Im not terribley fussed by my cravings right now as im only just restarting my journey.. I was just curious on others points of view

jgnatca

Hunger and cravings are funny things and it takes a while to disentangle what makes them special.
- Is it a comfort food?
- A daily habit?
- Boredom eating?
- Salt/fat/sugar fix?
- Texture craving?

I stuff down boredom eating by getting busy. I call it riding the wave. Hold on and the urge subsides.

For all other cravings I feed them. Slowly. Deliberately. In proportion.

Niki_Fitz

I am trying to heal my relationship to eating. I had 1/4 of a plain donut I was craving yesterday. and weighed in with one pound lost today. In the past giving in to that taste of junk might set off a binge and a gain. Seems like logging every bite helps me have what I am really craving and know that it's okay. I do pre-plan the logging and I fill up on the healthy stuff. I think I'm getting better though I'm only two weeks on MFP but I feel so much more confident about how much I can eat.

Niki_Fitz

I have to add that if I had a glazed donut I might have had trouble resisting more. I have to quit ALL added sugars for 20 days or so to get my cravings initially under control. And I do have to avoid having much sugar.

graydreams

Cravings and hunger are like terrorists.
If you bargain with them or give in to them, they will keep coming back.

kommodevaran

I would address some of the things you mention in your post:

Don't have occasions as goal/motivation. Not even without a timeframe. Lose weight for YOU, for your health and wellbeing, not to get married. Your man has chosen you already.

Find out what it is you have to do and what you don't have to do. To lose weight you just have to eat a little less every day. You can eat the same food. You can eat what you like. You don't even have to exercise. In short, no torture involved.

Don't call food you like, bad. Whenever we deem something off limit, we will want it more. That's just how we are. As everything is readily available at all times, that would be a bad strategy.

Me? I just decided I didn't want to stay fat and a slave to cravings, and set out with a set breakfast and lunch and "dinner most days", and a short walk every day. Then it piled on from there. This time, not just habits (that stopped working almost the minute I hit goal weight last time), but attitudes as well. I eat, move, live and think like a healthy weight person now. Cravings are still present, but more manageable. I still have to say "no". I still give in from time to time, even more that I'd ideally like. The difference is that I can handle all those things: Eating well so cravings are minimized; not buying loads I have big trouble not overeating; considering what's worth it and what's not; considering how much I have room for; saying no, trusting that I'll be allright even if I don't give in; saying yes, trusting that that'll be allright too; enjoying what I eat and not just eat because it's there and must be eaten before someone sees it (or before I catch myself); not eat because I'm bored or worried.

ewoods398

I started calorie counting in September 2016 (on a different app). I had spent the year previous training myself to do exercise whilst not limiting my food and did a good job of "accidentally" losing 10kg. I was always scared to start a diet because I was scared of not being able to eat certain foods. I had tried several times to give up chocolate but it only made me want it more.

Calorie counting has allowed me to take back control of my diet and see it like a budget. I know I will always want chocolate every now and then so I plan ahead. I'll measure out a little less rice with my dinner so there are calories available for a snack later on. Although this came back to haunt me in January when I was saving up too many calories for a "controlled binge". Then because of the amount of sugar I was eating I kept wanting more.

I stopped counting until April and in that time I had mostly eaten maintenance as second nature but gained 2lb over Easter. It is clear that my meal sizes are okay but my snacking takes the biscuit (teeheehee). So now I'm starting again being more mindful of my loop hole and don't leave more than 250cal for snacks.

When I started in sept, I wouldn't buy "bad" stuff in my weekly shop which meant if I wanted something I had to go out to get it. My cravings tend to come in the evenings when I'm bored. Sometimes I was too lazy to leave the house to get it so I told myself "if I'm too lazy to exercise to get it then I shouldn't have it". Other times I would distract myself until the local shops shut and then I knew I definitely couldn't go get anything.

It has been easier to control this time around. I have trusted myself to have certain snacks in the house. I brought a pot of Ben and Jerry's last week because it was on sale and I've not touched it. I know that it is there when I want it, but I don't feel the need to eat it.

Some days are easier than others, and I have methods for different circumstances but my main one is "if I have a calorie deficit now and reach my goal, for the rest of my life I can eat maintenance".

risberg96

I have learned to acknowledge my feelings and instead of "eating my feelings" ... this mindset has helped me have a healthier relationship with food.