Addicted to food.. really.

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  • JDHINAZ
    JDHINAZ Posts: 641 Member
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    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!
  • edeeramirez
    edeeramirez Posts: 27
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    Well, I have logged EVERYTHING today. I have also used all my calories up. I have the munchies SO bad right now, but I have decided to drink some tea, and as a last resort, I have strawberries in the fridge. Those can't kill me, can they? But I'm going to try and pretend they aren't there either. Whoever had that idea to log before I eat it... that was a great one... because then I watch the numbers go up and decide if that's really what I want and how much I want before it's too late already. I think it is putting it in better perspective. And JDHINAZ.. forgiving myself and not feeling like a failure over ever slip up is the hardest thing ever! But I think you are right.. it needs to be done or it all ends up too frustrating and overwhelming. Thanks for the input everyone!
  • Kwob936
    Kwob936 Posts: 14 Member
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    Wow this really describes me too. I am going to try some of these suggestions too!
  • RonnieLodge
    RonnieLodge Posts: 665 Member
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    As well as logging everything - what I do;

    Don't bring the cookies & coke (or in my case, white bread, biscuits & cake) into the house - if it ain't there, I can't have it.

    The food kept for when unexpected guests pop in is always stuff I don't like. Like scroggin. I hate it!

    I brush my teeth and also have a bleaching set that I use regularly (instructions say not to eat or drink for 20mins after)

    Keep my hands busy with mending/sewing and doing manicures, pedicures & head massages on myself.

    Train myself not to eat in front of a screen - this one can be pretty hard!

    If all else fails - go to bed because I never eat there.
  • lighteningjeanne855
    lighteningjeanne855 Posts: 566 Member
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    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
  • twopuppies2013
    twopuppies2013 Posts: 1
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    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.
  • doompop
    doompop Posts: 25 Member
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    I've found that logging and planning a day in advance (pre-logging, so to speak) addressed a lot of my mental blocks. Most importantly, if you factor in snacks, including a nighttime snack, they are not only *not forbidden*, off limits, horribly tempting, however you view it... but rather something you should eat. Once I made snacking allowed and built into the calorie budget, I stopped giving in to the all-or-nothing, waistline-destroying mentality that used to come with it. You can even look forward to the nighttime snack, and hopefully after forcing something like that for a week (starting to build good habits is the hardest!), you'll appreciate how much better you feel every day, and truly not want to deal with the repercussions of the night binge anymore. Additionally, focusing on fiber and protein (vs. refined carbs) curbed many of my cravings, so go for healthy versions of your favorite snacks.

    A few healthy snack ideas (up to ~300 calories each) --

    Hungry: (1) apple w/ 1 serving nut butter (all natural, nuts only, not Jiff or anything else w/ hydrogenated oil etc.); (2) raw veggies and/or apple w/ 1-2 servings hummus; (3) low-calorie cereal (e.g., brown rice puffs, 50 calories in 1 cup) w/ low-fat/fat-free milk, optional add fruit and/or 1 serving nuts; (4) whole grain toast w/ egg whites and tomato

    Sweet: (1) fat-free Greek yogurt w/ fruit, optional add a scoop of flavored protein powder; (2) frozen banana w/ 1 serving nut butter (all natural nut butters w/ added chocolate exist)

    Salty/crunchy: (1) 1-2 servings pop chips; (2) 1-2 servings tortilla pop chips w/ salsa; (3) 1-2 servings plain pop corn (no added butter etc.)

    The list goes on. Best of luck building a healthy relationship with snacks!
  • jvendramin
    jvendramin Posts: 15
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    Scientists have actually been researching this pretty extensively in recent years and have found that the dopamine system gets all out of whack for some people from highly palatable foods, just like any other psychological addiction (sex, marijuana, gambling, etc.). I KNOW there are addictive patterns in my behavior. First, I am irritable, depressed, anxious for about the first week if I start eating only healthy foods, but after about a week it gets better. Second, I have a pattern of recovery-relapse-recovery-relapse. We call it yo-yo dieting, but think if it were any other addictive substance....I would be "off the wagon."

    So here's the part I havent figured out yet. How do we treat it. Of course we have to eat. But I think if we project the most effective treatments for addiction to other other substances, the key is to completely eliminate the dopamine response by completely eliminating highly palatable foods. I know that's contrary to some of the most effective weight loss plans and makes me panic to think about never eating those things again. That seems like a typical addict's response, doesnt it? At the same time, I never ever need to go to Cold Stone, even if I do get the sinless sweet cream. I need to reorder my pleasure/reward center to some other center or learn to live with no dopamine surge at all (like drug addicts in recovery do). Weight loss will follow.

    Overeaters Anonymous, Food Addicts anonymous are 12 step programs related to overeating/food addiction. Maybe a psychologist is the best bet. Professional help is always worth a try. Anyway, these are my thoughts on it.
  • ARamirez14
    ARamirez14 Posts: 13 Member
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    It's funny because I was thinking the same exact thing to myself last night as I was going to bed... and eating some tortilla chips just because they were there. I'm addicted to food.

    I've been reading a lot of healthy living blogs and articles and I've come to the conclusion that we can track our food, we can try and say NO to those crazy cravings - but in the end I definitely think that there needs to be a human element in the mix. By that I mean until we can control this by ourselves we need outside support, be that someone online/ someone at home or at work/ someone you can call at 1030 because you see that ice cream and now all you can do is think about it - taking a small bite every time you walk past the freezer - someone else who can hold you accountable.

    Its honestly just like having a sponsor for alcohol or substance abuse because just as jvendramin wrote "Scientists have actually been researching this pretty extensively in recent years and have found that the dopamine system gets all out of whack for some people from highly palatable foods, just like any other psychological addiction"

    If its an addiction we need to treat it as one!

    Feel free to add me. we can tackle this together!
  • skinnymalinkyscot
    skinnymalinkyscot Posts: 174 Member
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    Hi, feel free to add me as a friend as my struggles are also late night ones. So much so that I now eat a light breakfast, light lunch, a normal dinner and save 300 calories for within an hour of bedtime.

    At bedtime I usually have something filling such as 2 slices of toast and a mug of hot chcolate (250 calories) or even a bowl of 100g of vanilla ice cream (sainsburys basics) with one chopped up banana on top (250 calories).

    As my interest in food only appears to kick in around 7pm at night onwards, I now eat my supper then go to bed as early as I can. I used to go to bed around 11 or 12 pm if not later, I now go to bed around 9pm at night. It has made a huge difference to my appetite to get enough sleep.
  • peabean26
    peabean26 Posts: 78 Member
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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!
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    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.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    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.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    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.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
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    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.
  • theskyisbluewoohoo
    theskyisbluewoohoo Posts: 16
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    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!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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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.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
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    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:
  • edeeramirez
    edeeramirez Posts: 27
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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!
    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!
  • edeeramirez
    edeeramirez Posts: 27
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    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.

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