How do you stop before overeating

pothosgirl

Every day I wake up I think "today is the day" and every day I fail. I was doing okay and went grocery shopping, came home and ate 1 pop tart, fruit snacks, 2 servings of pringles, handful of skittles, mini banana, and a cup of Chex mix. Half way thru I said to myself "you are going down a slippery slope". I knew it was coming but could not stop it. I allow myself portions of these unhealthy foods so I don't think it's from not having those foods for too long. Does this happen to anyone else and do you have a way to stop the action as soon as you realize what you are doing?

calaurith

I started chugging 16-20 oz of water then chewing gum after. It's not the same as skittles and pringles, but I did help a lot.
Keep up that "Today is the day" attitude and it will happen.

JaydedMiss

I think alot of its the mindset. I put my focus on my mindset and internal reflection -What caused it and Is my bad language aiding it (I am a snacker, And i always choose bad foods- Vs I am a snacker, And i could choose bad foods if i want but i could also go for healthier options and feel good or I WAS someone who USED to lose control eating but now i am not)

I find mentally treating myself as someone who used to have a problem vs someone who does have a problem helped. Think it took away excuses/pressures and set me in a good mindset.

Then id make sure to eat something healthy (my go to is a big bowl of veggies with hot sauce) as much water as i could reasonably chug and tell myself if i want more food i can have it, In 30 minutes. I find once i started or told myself i couldnt have a food id 100% of the time eat it and way more of it. Guess im stubborn like that. lol. Most the time 30 minutes pass and id tell self the same thing, 30 more minutes.

At one point i was in such denial about my choices i was not adding veggies to anything to save calories for bad snacks....Honestly kicking my butt away from that stupid mindset and into focusing on getting in a wide range of nutrients helped a ton. After a while when my body is properly nourished it tends to either stop cravings of the "bad" foods entirely or atleast it makes them way more managable and makes substituting the craving for something healthier totally doable. I super love my big bowls of veggies lol.

Should be noted i cant moderate anything. Its amazing the lengths ill go to try and lie to myself lol. If i have icecream or baked goods or anything in my house, Its gone uncontrollably that day. Doesnt matter the amount. I really had to work on finding alternatives that worked for me. Smoothie cups vs icecream for example. Delicious. I keep low calorie healthy stuff liek that aroudn at all times to reach for. Always let myself go for the low calorie nutrient dense options guilt free (Even if i added something deliciously sinful to it ) because honestly by the time i finish them iv taken in less thn a fraction of the calories i otherwise would have and i feel beter for it.

JaydedMiss

also grocery day can be dangerous for me. Thats the day im most likely to overeat everything. Especially if i bought stuff i dont normally. Even if i know what it tastes like i tend to want to "try" everything i bought. Im a loser lol. Luckily im aware of it and can usually trick myself and/or call my own BS

lauzjacobs

calaurith wrote: »

I started chugging 16-20 oz of water then chewing gum after. It's not the same as skittles and pringles, but I did help a lot.
Keep up that "Today is the day" attitude and it will happen.

also...
1) Find your will power
2) Have a goal
3) I don't use food as a reward anymore - shoes are just as nice
4) Be kind to yourself, when your sugar craving monster gets out of control, have a treat - but only eat half of it
5) See step one

kommodevaran

Did you have some kind of plan for how to perform the various tasks today? How did foods you deem unhealthy, even happen to be in your house? Could it be that deeming foods unhealthy, in reality is glorifying them, so that you'll overeat them as soon as opportunity strikes, which actually could be anytime, given the price and availability of those foods, without paying attention because you're to busy justifying your decision and berating yourself?

WhereIsPJSoles

I often log snacks before I eat them so that throughout the day I can always be like “well you logged those chocolates this morning so now you can have them” and for whatever reason since I logged six chocolates I feel content with just the six. If I had free fed on them and added my calories later I probably would’ve had 12 before I could stop myself.

lorrpb

Start weighing and logging your food. Establish a baseline. Don't even think about trying to cut back. Just log and see what you are eating. Do that every day for 2 weeks, then report back!

Sp1tfire

Water/tea

Orphia

Have empathy for your future self.

Be kind to that person who you're lumbering with more *kitten* to deal with.

kimny72

Get into the habit of logging everything before you have it. No "handful of skittles and I'll log them later". Make a conscious decision to have a serving of skittles. Put a bowl on the scale, put in skittles until the right weight comes up, roll up bag and put it away, log your skittles, then eat your skittles.

It will also help if you can figure out if the problem is bad habits or if there is an underlying stress or emotional issue. If you eat to cope, finding a replacement coping habit and making it easy to lean on can help. Good luck!

mygrl4meee

today, I served myself 2slices of pizza and two bread sticks. I was full after eating half. So I think going forward I will serve myself have and might be easier not to eat more. Worth a try.

brittneyalley

I just remember that any junk that puts me over my caloric goal is just setting me back from my goal weight. It gets easier the longer you’ve been doing it. I don’t want “bad” foods anymore for the most part.

Shellz31

JaydedMiss wrote: »

I find mentally treating myself as someone who used to have a problem vs someone who does have a problem helped. Think it took away excuses/pressures and set me in a good mindset.

Then id make sure to eat something healthy (my go to is a big bowl of veggies with hot sauce) as much water as i could reasonably chug and tell myself if i want more food i can have it, In 30 minutes. I find once i started or told myself i couldnt have a food id 100% of the time eat it and way more of it. Guess im stubborn like that. lol. Most the time 30 minutes pass and id tell self the same thing, 30 more minutes.

I love both of these suggestions as both have been helping me tremendously, and not just with weight loss.

I think we do tend to behave in accordance with how we identify ourselves. It helps to think of yourself in a positive light.

And giving yourself an among of time before you give in to a craving is a trick i used when I quit smoking! I refused to say I was never going to smoke again, that made cravings worse. Instead, I'd tell myself I could smoke... at lunch/ after work/ after dinner etc. I wasn't giving it up, I was just putting it off a little while. Then a little while more. I find myself doing that now at night when food cravings hit me and it really helps calm me down and cut back on my consumption.

theyoginurse

Everybody has wrote such incredible ideas. I think knowing yourself is the first step. I know myself too well lately. I also cannot be trusted “buying and trying” different foods (particularly sweets) at the grocery store. I have to minimize. Knowing I can eat whatever I want as long as it’s in my caloric goal for the day, like flexible dieting, has been freeing for the past couple of days. Since I know that no food is off limits, it’s quite empowering that I am in control of my food choices. My food choices don’t choose me no more!

I agree with drinking lots of cold water and logging first thing. Very important! Like previous commenters wrote, it’s mostly in the head. All of a sudden, I have a new hope and love for my future self. I look forward to seeing her again and achieving goals.

What’s also helping me not overeat (I binge) is staying away from particular foods I know I can’t portion control. Whipped cream, real fluff, ice cream are a few of the foods I can’t have just a taste. So I’d rather not even entertain them. These threads have recipes for substitutes I’m interested to try like protein fluff, angel food cake, and protein frosting.

I am also part of a thread on here called Just for today which we keep on another accountable. And pray!

fitoverfortymom

For me, it's all in my head. I plan my day's calories and only eat what I've planned. I plan what I eat and eat what I plan. I was very rigid at first, and now that I am closer to goal, I am more flexible.

musicfan68

I wouldn't buy that kind of stuff in the first place so I wouldn't eat it all in one day. I know if I bought candy, or Pringles, or Oreos, or any kind of potato chip, I would eat all of it in one day, so I don't buy it. If I don't have it, I also don't miss it.

Machka9

One of the things I do is to prelog ... if it isn't in my food diary, I don't eat it. Also, prelogging gives me an idea if I've got room for a few extras.