Addicted to food.. really.
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What kind of workout do you do? I found that once I started weightlifting I could eat more calories without killing my results. I also HIGHLY recommend the suggestion regarding protein. I always hit 100g per day, and it makes a HUGE difference in my hunger levels.
Seriously, protein, I can't stress this enough!0 -
Show me a fat person who's not addicted to food. We all use food inappropriately, which is why most of us are here, and we all have to find our own way to deal with it.
For me, I'm having to learn to love and forgive myself. And realizing that not every little slip up means I'm failing. I also know that I have to log everything, and weigh and measure everything. Recognizing appropriate portion sizes is very hard for me.
But to start, it took me a good several days to get my head wrapped around the idea that I wasn'tt going to diet. I was going to change my behaviors for life. So while I have my weight goal, I tossed out the date I wanted to get there. Too much pressure. I do still set mini goals, but they aren't necessarily tied to the scale.
Hang in there!
I think there is a big difference between food addiction and just having the urge to eat. I am not addicted to food. I don't have craving issues, but I do feel like I should be eating at times when I really don't need to. However, a friend of mine is clearly addicted to food. What works for me, does not work for them. I can just stay busy and the urge to snack goes away and I don't have a problem over eating just because a food is good. They have a constant struggle of "needing" that certain food, regardless of having already eaten a full meal or not being hungry. They also feel a lot more food guilt and tend to hide food more. Not everyone is fat for the same reason. I think it is really important to figure out why you eat the way you do.0 -
Here's something to try: Set your MFP goal to maintain your current weight. Then, give yourself whatever calories the program gives you. THEN... eat 150g protein each day. 100g as a minimum. I guarantee if you eat that in food you will be too full to overeat the rest of the time.
Try it.
DO NOT TRY THAT UNLESS YOU'VE TALKED WITH A DIETICIAN OR YOUR DOCTOR. Yes, high protein diets will make you lose weight and rapidly, but they will also ruin your kidneys. I had to go on dialysis after being on a high protein diet that didn't even have 150 g protein daily. Most dieticians will tell you 50 g of protein is enough for anyone.
This is not true for everyone. Yes, high protein diets are not good if you have kidney problems, but they don't necessarily cause them. I am sorry you have kidney problems, but you shouldn't make blanket statements based solely on your individual experiences.0 -
Here's something to try: Set your MFP goal to maintain your current weight. Then, give yourself whatever calories the program gives you. THEN... eat 150g protein each day. 100g as a minimum. I guarantee if you eat that in food you will be too full to overeat the rest of the time.
Try it.
DO NOT TRY THAT UNLESS YOU'VE TALKED WITH A DIETICIAN OR YOUR DOCTOR. Yes, high protein diets will make you lose weight and rapidly, but they will also ruin your kidneys. I had to go on dialysis after being on a high protein diet that didn't even have 150 g protein daily. Most dieticians will tell you 50 g of protein is enough for anyone.
I cant imagine 150g of protein is considered a "high protein diet" since it represents 30% of my daily caloric I take of 2000 calories.
But OP go ahead and talk to your doctor if you like, but a ~30% protein macro ratio works very well for a lot of really successful people here on MFP.0 -
When you're learning how to eat properly, but slip
"Don't let the Perfect overshadow the Good".
"Baby steps "! Everything can be a victory.
I keep pecans, pork rinds, and fresh, crunchy cucumbers
so that even if I go over in calories, I'm raising my grams of fat
to get as close to 70% of my daily intake.
If you are hungry, you need to eat fatty foods. Yes, it's NOT
what the ADA recommends, but following the ADA Food Pyramid
is NOT what you need to do on Paleo.
This is a link to an image of the Paleo Food Pyramid:
http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=Paleo+food+pyramid&v_t=aolrt-ff&b=image?&s_qt=sb&q=Paleo+food+pyramid&tb_oid=15-07-2010&s_it=aolrt-ff&tb_mrud=02-04-2013&tb_uuid=20100715180104796&oreq=d2ee80f055ff4eada9f60b0a63f96033&img=http://www.livingpaleo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/paleo_pyramid.jpg&host=http://www.livingpaleo.com/the-food-pyramids/&width=111&height=90&thumbUrl=http://images-partners-tbn.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyifKqlgQ4V-fMBgd2gP8EAUZnsSfowvenSAVQTaeEa9DofF9GoWdfLA&imgWidth=300&imgHeight=243&imgSize=43929&imgTitle=Paleo+food+pyramid
Are you seriously recommending to someone to snack on pork rinds?
Your ticker says 0 lb lost and 130 to go.0 -
What helped me with my constant hunger was Intermittent Fasting.. YOu should try it. I fast 14-16 hours a day (it varies) and I eat all the food I need in the day in an 8 hour eating window. I'm losing a lot of weight and my insulin levels have balanced!0
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yep, i hear ya, i am a foodie, and hubs and i love to cook.
but thats why i do 2 to 3 hours cardio a day too.0 -
I agree with others...
Log, Log, Log, and Log again!!!
Drink TONS of water!!! I can NOT stress that enough!!!! And I mean JUST WATER ~ not tea, not sodas, not anything else but water! Drink it throughout the day. No less than 8 glasses, but work your way up to 15 or at least half your body weight in ounces.
Also, as others state, you probably have cravings but are not 'really' hungry. It's OK to feel the cravings or feel 'hungry' and NOT give into those feelings. Drink water instead of eating. Or, if it's at night, just deal with it and ignore it. You will get use to it over time. It will be tough at first, but with enough determinination, it WILL work.
Limit your food intake to 5 small meals a day: breakfast, small snack, lunch, small snack, dinner. This will help your metabolism and help your body feel satisfied through the day.
Good luck! :flowerforyou:0 -
Well, I just had a baby via c-section 2 months ago. I was doing Insanity before I got pregnant, but I am no where near ready for that again yet. I am doing Turbo Jam and drinking a protein shake after I work out. I try to get a lot of protien, but it's HARD!What kind of workout do you do? I found that once I started weightlifting I could eat more calories without killing my results. I also HIGHLY recommend the suggestion regarding protein. I always hit 100g per day, and it makes a HUGE difference in my hunger levels.
Seriously, protein, I can't stress this enough!0 -
As for all the comments on addiction.. I do know for sure that that is my issue.. I'm an addict.. I run through all the same patterns as an addict, so maybe I really do need physcological help too.0
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I love to eat at night as well. I used to have dinner, and then second dinner (yikes), and then snacks after second dinner. It is like a compulsion. I keep a whole selection now of foods that are practically zero calories - things like carrots, cucumber slices, green beans, broccoli, etc. etc. They also happen to be the healthier foods (bonus). So now, when I must snack, I pull out those three cups of green beans and go to town, and it adds up to nearly no calories. I also have taken to making my own kale chips, because I must have something crunchy and salty, and these fit the bill and do zero damage. I don't think it's how much you eat as much as what you eat. I just made a huge vegetable and bean soup, and a 2-3 serving bowl is like 127 calories. Add brown rice and I can have dinner, and second dinner, for like 300 cals total. This way...I can eat and eat until there is no possible way I can eat more, and still not worry. Some days, when I eat really well, I struggle to make my calorie goal of 1300 cals. Oh and I agree with the previous posters. Tons and tons of water.0
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something my nutritionist suggested to me was not drinking 30 minutes before, during or 30 minutes after meals. It flushes food through your system faster. Maybe if you try that, you will stay hungry longer?0
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Pre-logging my food for the day is so important for me. Also, finding snack substitutes I actually enjoy. Like protein bars in place of candy bars and a greek yogurt/ice cream instead of just ice cream.
Oh, and there was something I read on the .gov's Ask-a-Scientist site about stomach growls are part of digestion, not an indicator of hunger. That's a nice reminder for those times when my tummy rumbles, but it's not quite time for another meal.0 -
Great thread. All these responses have been helpful for me.0
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I don't think this is all that uncommon!
I do the same thing, and what I've learned (that is sort of drastic to do) is to completely exclude certain food groups if I'm serious about being healthy. Last week, I went paleo and have been, with a very few exceptions, limiting myself to meat & veggies. Even if I have too much fruit, I'll start craving sugar again. Also, no sodas. Truvia for sweetener.
Also, if I'm craving food, I try drinking something first. I'm really not big in to water, so I'll make myself a hot tea (bonus: you have to sip it!) or a fun flavored iced tea. A lot of the time, I was just thirsty and not even hungry.
I'm an all or nothing kind of person, so this works for me.0 -
I don't buy crisps, biscuits, chocolate, fizzy drinks etc at the supermarket any more. It does seem to help.
Also cooking baked potatoes ahead helps me. I didn't have any ready the other day and just binged!
Don't feel bad, you're on here and you're logging which is an EXCELLENT start. Good luck. xx0 -
When you're learning how to eat properly, but slip
"Don't let the Perfect overshadow the Good".
"Baby steps "! Everything can be a victory.
I keep pecans, pork rinds, and fresh, crunchy cucumbers
so that even if I go over in calories, I'm raising my grams of fat
to get as close to 70% of my daily intake.
If you are hungry, you need to eat fatty foods. Yes, it's NOT
what the ADA recommends, but following the ADA Food Pyramid
is NOT what you need to do on Paleo.
This is a link to an image of the Paleo Food Pyramid:
http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=Paleo+food+pyramid&v_t=aolrt-ff&b=image?&s_qt=sb&q=Paleo+food+pyramid&tb_oid=15-07-2010&s_it=aolrt-ff&tb_mrud=02-04-2013&tb_uuid=20100715180104796&oreq=d2ee80f055ff4eada9f60b0a63f96033&img=http://www.livingpaleo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/paleo_pyramid.jpg&host=http://www.livingpaleo.com/the-food-pyramids/&width=111&height=90&thumbUrl=http://images-partners-tbn.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyifKqlgQ4V-fMBgd2gP8EAUZnsSfowvenSAVQTaeEa9DofF9GoWdfLA&imgWidth=300&imgHeight=243&imgSize=43929&imgTitle=Paleo+food+pyramid
Are you seriously recommending to someone to snack on pork rinds?
Your ticker says 0 lb lost and 130 to go.
When I first saw that I thought the same thing. Also, when the **** did OP even mention eating paleo?? If she did, I missed it. I am SO SICK of the broscience. How does what she wrote even remotely make sense?????
OP - sorry I don't have more to add, most of the advice given has been excellent. I think the biggest thing that helped me with my binging was pre-logging the food I wanted to binge on, like another poster mentioned. I didn't even get optimistic, if I wanted Little Caesar's I just logged the whole damn pizza like I knew I would eat (disgusting, sad, and pathetic to me both now and then). The shock of seeing the calories, fat, etc. made my stomach turn and really turned me off of eating so much. Now I involuntarily gagged when even typing Little Caesar's (not that it's bad if you eat that, but there is much better quality pizza to be had is all I'm saying!). It'll get better, just stay accountable and keep working at it.0 -
I joined overeaters anonymous. I am definitely addicted to food.
Ditto for me.
S!0 -
Okay, so I can exercise like nobody's business. I like to work out actually, but I also like to eat... a lot... Not because I'm hungry, not because I'm thirsty, not because I'm craving anything in particular... I just do, and I don't know why. I always start the day doing pretty well. I have to eat and snack pretty regularly due to blood sugar issues and borderline diabetic issues, so even eating healthy snacks, I pretty much use up my alotted calories by dinner time. But then, I just keep eating. And it seems like later in the evening I give over to eating the things I shouldn't and end up doubling my intake for the day, ruining all my hard work after exercising and just feeling ashamed. I don't know why I do it, but I've been like that for years. The only time I wasn't was when I was smoking which I haven't done in almost 9 years. It's like I just swapped one bad habit for another. So is it just me? Does anyone else have this problem? And what do you do about it? I have tried telling myself I will have some tea or veggie sticks or something else, but then I just end up having tea, veggies, a couple of cookies, a coke, and whatever else until I'm full. Suggestions? If you have/ have had this problem, PLEASE add me as a friend because I really need some help and would love to try and support back. Maybe it would be easier if I wasn't feeling all alone in this.
high blood sugars will make you excessively hungry.
Ask me how I know :huh: The only way to see just how high those sugars are is to test & monitor it yourself.
I recommend bloodsugar101.com. and start with the tab that says ' the patterns in which diabetes develops'
Then click on 'what is normal blood sugar' and finally, click on 'healthy blood sugar targets'
That's the short version just to get you started, but do read the rest of the website, get you some coffee first, it'll take you a while.:blushing:
If you decide to test (glucometers can be purchased at any drugstore OTC) Before you can do anything about losing weight or for your health, you've got to get your metabolism right and there's no way it's going to behave normally if you have bouts of blood sugar spikes.
Good luck, I know how you feel :ohwell: Just 4 months ago I was in your shoes & didn't even know it.0 -
What helped me was getting rid of all snacks, ice cream and sweets, anything that I would find a reason to munch on, out the house. I then had to work hard on not buying them when on the road. It takes time but it gets easier.
I logged but I also had the food in the house, so even though I logged before or just logged after, it didn't matter, I would go a few days, then find a reason to snack, especially on the weekends. So I emptied the house all together. Now all I have to munch on are almonds and fruits etc.
Take it one day at a time. Good luck
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Okay, so I can exercise like nobody's business. I like to work out actually, but I also like to eat... a lot... Not because I'm hungry, not because I'm thirsty, not because I'm craving anything in particular... I just do, and I don't know why. I always start the day doing pretty well. I have to eat and snack pretty regularly due to blood sugar issues and borderline diabetic issues, so even eating healthy snacks, I pretty much use up my alotted calories by dinner time. But then, I just keep eating. And it seems like later in the evening I give over to eating the things I shouldn't and end up doubling my intake for the day, ruining all my hard work after exercising and just feeling ashamed. I don't know why I do it, but I've been like that for years. The only time I wasn't was when I was smoking which I haven't done in almost 9 years. It's like I just swapped one bad habit for another. So is it just me? Does anyone else have this problem? And what do you do about it? I have tried telling myself I will have some tea or veggie sticks or something else, but then I just end up having tea, veggies, a couple of cookies, a coke, and whatever else until I'm full. Suggestions? If you have/ have had this problem, PLEASE add me as a friend because I really need some help and would love to try and support back. Maybe it would be easier if I wasn't feeling all alone in this.
Oh girl I hear ya. I can exercise like nobody's business but food will always be my downfall and something I'll have to constantly work on. It really does become an addiction and I know how hard it is. Feel free to add me. I've lost 75lbs so far so it can be done. I notice I do the best when i'm logging EVERYTHING.0 -
I pretty much do the suggestion of logging everything I plan on eating during my work day - breakfast, snack, lunch and another snack - and then I know what I CAN eat for dinner. I definitely found this to be helpful in not overeating because I eat a bigger dinner and give myself enough time to go exercise afterwards before the night is over.
I also find that if I exercise after dinner I don't eat when I am done with my run/walk/bikeride because I have to stretch out and get ready for bed. I also made a promise to myself (with exceptions on days I go out with friends) to not eat anything other than maybe an apple after 7pm so my body has time to digest it a bit... but that's just me. 0 -
I don't know "full" or "satisfied" and I never, ever did, from when I was a very small child. Since beginning my present routine, I've felt as sated as I've ever felt in my life.
In the last week or two, I've had several "eating out" experiences that were very much beyond my control, and although I made good choices and recorded faithfully, this is the first week that I've been record keeping that I didn't lose weight. Because of this, I really began to feel uncomfortably like how I used to feel, sort of frantic and wanting to stuff myself with something while not being reallly hungry or truly needing food.
Thankfully, I stayed home today and ate my usual program. Hopeful for next Wednesday's scale report, and feeling MUCH more positive and relaxed!0 -
A year ago I had a really bad eating addiction, sugar and flour were my drug. I would always be on a weight loss/gain roller coaster. I would overexercise and diet and then binge out to the point where I lost control and hated myself. I was luckily able to find a program of recovery for food addicts, it's a twelve step recover program. I've lost the weight and my life has changed completely.
http://www.foodaddicts.org/0 -
This is an amazing thread .... I am struggling with this myself. Have been wondering if there is an AA for food?! Finally thought I was 'back in the groove' .... logged everything last week and lost weight. However, this week finds me sneaking around, making trips to the grocery store so I can buy a treat and eat it before I get home. Stopping to buy gas, when I don't really need it or the chocolate bar I pick up. HELP. I lost my mom suddenly 3 months ago, :brokenheart: and just can't do anything but eat. The time between 4pm and dinner has always been hard for me ... snacking as I was making dinner, and in the end probably logging enough calories to have called it a second dinner
But now I just want to eat all the time ... and VERY poor selections. I know better! Doc sending me for grief counselling. Hopeful that this may help, but seeing other people with the same eating habits helps to know I am not alone. Willing to accept any motivating friend requests ... I am trying to work at this. THANKS 0 -
I hear ya hun. I need to eat often too and sometimes it goes a bit haywire ( sometimes is ok). I try to have lots of healthy options on hand like veggies and fruit so then if I eat too much it's not the end of the world. However I do believe that occasionally it's ok to have something unhealthy, cos that helps me not to binge. Also remember that cravings don't last long either so if you feel a "feast" coming on do something else for a bit. Be happy to be friends as we seem to have similar issues0
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