Peanut butter addiction?

JellyyBeanz

I know it sounds funny but it’s actually becoming quite a problem for me.
A while ago I discovered a love for peanut butter and started eating it almost every day; with fruit, sandwiches, the lot. Now I just eat it out the jar with a spoon. I think it’s contributed a lot to my recent regaining of weight, and if I go a day without it I find myself craving it badly. Any ways to cut back without completely cutting it out??

AnneLSam

I too love peanut butter .... creamy Jif. I try to keep it put away since I have kids and I cannot not have it in the house. I feel your pain!

Orphia

This is going to sound harsh at first, but bear with me.

It's not an addiction. Calling it an addiction is just an excuse to not be responsible for your eating.

You would get much more personal satisfaction out of not picking up the spoon than by overeating peanut butter yet again.

Don't lumber yourself with bad feelings for later. Have kindness for your future self's feelings. Best wishes.

h1udd

Harsh .... but fair

I am with the OP though ... I love PB to the point I can no longer buy it as I just can’t not eat it out the jar .. so now it lives at the supermarket and I forgo the 1000cal of mindless snacking a week

Christine_72

Have you tried PB2? I'm with you in having no self control around peanut butter, I don't buy it anymore

passenger79

I loooove peanut butter and I blame bf for introducing it to me ( tall,skinny guy that can eat everything) . I know how easily you can overeat on it but it can be a part of your everyday diet as long as you measure it.

Last night I had dairy free Ben &Jerrys PB and cookies ice cream,absolutely lush but I made room for it with my exercise calories .
There's also PB2 not quite the same thing but I quite like it.

I have no intention on stopping my favourite foods just make sure it fits in your calorie goal and prelog your food.

Unknown

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callsitlikeiseeit

addiction does not mean what you seem to think it does

stop buying it. then you cant eat it.

crb426

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

addiction does not mean what you seem to think it does

Actually, it seems that Merriam-Webster agrees with OP:

"Definition of addiction
1 : the quality or state of being addicted - addiction to reading
2 : compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

Examples of addiction in a Sentence
He has a drug addiction.
His life has been ruined by heroin addiction.
He devotes his summers to his surfing addiction.

Because words can have multiple variations of meaning.

Sorry, I know that's not the point of the original post, but I did feel the need to defend since we were getting a bit snarky about it.

pomegranatecloud

Take responsibility for your overeating. Exercise self control. Limit your portion of peanut butter. Try measuring your peanut butter with a food scale or tablespoon.

If you can’t limit yourself to a small reasonable portion then follow steps 1 and 2, and stop buying it.

Sunna_W

"Quitting Peanut Butter" was actually my only goal this year.

What I noticed was that it was hard to measure and stick to just 1 oz (190 calories - peanuts and salt only) and I knew that I was probably eating more than that.

I bought a 2 TBSP spoon from Amazon and use that to scoop and level off with a butter knife. I then used a smaller spoon and ate it from the 2 TBSP spoon. That helped a lot. But, I was still craving it.

Even without the sugar, a lot of peanut butter isn't really good for us since one serving (about 2 tablespoons) has 3.3 grams of saturated fat and 12.3 grams of unsaturated fat, or about 80% unsaturated fat. While that puts it up there with olive oil in terms of the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat, the body's response to saturated fat in food is to increase the amounts of both harmful LDL and protective HDL in circulation. In moderation, some saturated fat is okay. Eating a lot of it, though, promotes artery-clogging atherosclerosis, the process that underlies most cardiovascular disease. (Ref: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/ask-the-doctor-why-is-peanut-butter-healthy-if-it-has-saturated-fat)

So, my goal was to eat less of it overall and find something that was easier to manage portion control. I searched for a high protein / no sugar added "Paleo" snack bar and settled on several brands (all meat based): EPIC, Mission Meats and Wilde. The bars I picked from those brands are low carb, low sugar and are between 80 and 180 calories.

So far the bars seem to work for me as a satisfying afternoon snack and I now try to reserve the peanut butter as on occasional treat with a piece of dark chocolate.

RoxieDawn

Your choices are either moderate it and fit in your calories or don't buy it.

You'll have to decide if eating peanut butter or too much of it is worth your weight loss efforts or not.

[edited by mods]

idabest777

Sunna_W wrote: »

"Quitting Peanut Butter" was actually my only goal this year.

What I noticed was that it was hard to measure and stick to just 1 oz (190 calories - peanuts and salt only) and I knew that I was probably eating more than that.

I bought a 2 TBSP spoon from Amazon and use that to scoop and level off with a butter knife. I then used a smaller spoon and ate it from the 2 TBSP spoon. That helped a lot. But, I was still craving it.

Just a heads up that peanut butter should definitely be weighed. I was using the TBSP method too but once I got a food scale I discovered that 15g of peanut butter (What the jar listed as one serving and also as 1 TBSP) is definitely less than what I was fitting in my tablespoon so I was really under estimating my calories.

kommodevaran

A jar of peanut butter does not last long. But I'm not going to quit eating it. So I just don't buy it that often.

Lounmoun

What do you like about the peanut butter? Does it represent something mentally/emotionally or is it more physical? Do you eat other peanut flavored items or just peanut butter from a jar?

Look at your whole diet. Is the peanut butter providing you something like fats or other nutrients that you are missing from other foods? Maybe try increasing those type of foods and reduce the peanut butter. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4453/2

If it is mental- are you stressed out? Do you do things to manage your stress besides eat?

Buy a lower calorie version. Buy and use smaller amounts.

lemurcat12

I actually prefer peanuts to peanut butter, and other nuts to peanuts (and other nut butters to peanut butter). One way I enjoy nut butter is mixed in a little greek yogurt.

If it's too triggering/hard to moderate for now to have it at home, maybe try the powdered peanuts (there are lots of different options, PB2 is one, I enjoyed this Santa Cruz brand I found when looking for powdered peanuts). I think it tastes good in oatmeal or a smoothie or with greek yogurt, but it's lower cal and probably not nearly as hard to stop eating. (I would not reconstitute it and eat it plain or put it on a sandwich, however.)

Another option if you like them and find them not as hard to stop eating is just peanuts.

MegaMooseEsq

I have a tendency to go overboard with popcorn and potato chips. The latter I just don't keep in the house and only buy small single serving baked style when I go to Subway or something like that. When my husband wants chips he buys kinds that I don't like, or goes single serving. Popcorn I cycled through a bunch of different options and finally settled on pre-popped kettle corn. I don't inhale it like I did microwave or white cheddar, but I still get to enjoy popcorn from time to time. You don't have to totally give up peanut butter, but don't try and rely on "willpower" either. At least half of willpower is making it as easy as possible for you to do (or not do) whatever it is you're trying to do.

toxikon

I don't buy peanut butter anymore. I love the stuff, but I just can't handle how high-calorie it is. It derails my progress.

I buy PB2 (45cals for 2 tbsp!) instead and it's actually very tasty if you take a bit more effort to prepare it.

I add a pinch of cinnamon to my PB2 powder, then mix it with vanilla cashew/almond milk and a splash of caramel sugar-free syrup. You could eat it with a spoon as a dessert! But I enjoy dipping apple slices into it or eating it on sandwiches or bagels.

daveredvette

can you try and only eat PB prior to your workouts? I have a spoonful before my run and swims. give energy and little fullness.

merimeaux

OP, as others have suggested, I would also like to recommend trying peanut butter powder: PB2, PBFit, or something like that. (Like others, I also like to add things like cinnamon to it--yum!) I took a big jar of peanut butter powder with me when I lived in Japan most recently (as their peanut butter is way too sugary for my taste, and expensive!) and lost quite a bit of weight without really trying. With that in mind, peanut butter was quite possibly a saboteur for me as well. Definitely check out the powdered version!

lujako

crb426 wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

addiction does not mean what you seem to think it does

Actually, it seems that Merriam-Webster agrees with OP:

"Definition of addiction
1 : the quality or state of being addicted - addiction to reading
2 : compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

Examples of addiction in a Sentence
He has a drug addiction.
His life has been ruined by heroin addiction.
He devotes his summers to his surfing addiction.

Because words can have multiple variations of meaning.

Sorry, I know that's not the point of the original post, but I did feel the need to defend since we were getting a bit snarky about it.

I was about to say the same thing! Seems some folks need to do what I had to do...use the dictionary.

jgnatca

Could you describe in detail the texture, taste, and feelings you get when you eat peanut butter? What are it’s qualities that make it so special? Have you ever tried eating it as slowly as you can?

karahm78

There are portion-controlled single serving portions of PB, I buy those. They are more expensive but help with the temptation to over-indulge.

Need2Exerc1se

lujako wrote: »

crb426 wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

addiction does not mean what you seem to think it does

Actually, it seems that Merriam-Webster agrees with OP:

"Definition of addiction
1 : the quality or state of being addicted - addiction to reading
2 : compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

Examples of addiction in a Sentence
He has a drug addiction.
His life has been ruined by heroin addiction.
He devotes his summers to his surfing addiction.

Because words can have multiple variations of meaning.

Sorry, I know that's not the point of the original post, but I did feel the need to defend since we were getting a bit snarky about it.

I was about to say the same thing! Seems some folks need to do what I had to do...use the dictionary.

This is MFP. Unless Merriam-Webster has a study to back up that definition it doesn't count.

Slowfaster

Peanut butter has been a problem for me since I was a teen and I recently heard a chef on the Food Network say that one reason we tend to over eat it is that most brands contain molasses.

I keep sugary foods like cookies and candy out of the house because I know anything with added sugar is a trigger food for me, however my Jif peanut butter only has 3 g sugar so it is at, but not over, my self-imposed limit. Another reason it's in my house is that my son loves it.

The problem is that of all the sugars, (cane, beet, honey, etc.) molasses is the fastest moving, with a harder hit to the liver and blood sugar, making us want more and more. (Sorry, if that sounds unscientific, I'm just repeating what I've heard.) It makes sense to me, anyway.

Timshel_

JellyyBeanz wrote: »

Any ways to cut back without completely cutting it out??

I eat PB all the time. Just fit it in my calories and compensate other places as needed. So If I have my two PBJ's for dinner, that is close to 800 calories, but I eat lighter meals elsewhere. All about balancing things really. I haven't had to give up anything yet. Just moderate and compensate.

FYI, I have had 5 Hershey Kisses and Skippy PB ever night for the last 3 weeks. Lots of chicken and veggies for lunch to balance it.

Psychgrrl

crb426 wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

addiction does not mean what you seem to think it does

Actually, it seems that Merriam-Webster agrees with OP:

"Definition of addiction
1 : the quality or state of being addicted - addiction to reading
2 : compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

Examples of addiction in a Sentence
He has a drug addiction.
His life has been ruined by heroin addiction.
He devotes his summers to his surfing addiction.

Because words can have multiple variations of meaning.

Sorry, I know that's not the point of the original post, but I did feel the need to defend since we were getting a bit snarky about it.

And no mental health professional will diagnose her with an addiction to peanut butter (or a surfing addiction). Some foods trigger folks to over eat, just as some circumstances can. That doesn't make the food or the circumstance addicting. There are ways to deal with problem behaviors that focus around food, and problem behaviors are not equal to addiction.

janejellyroll

Slowfaster wrote: »

Peanut butter has been a problem for me since I was a teen and I recently heard a chef on the Food Network say that one reason we tend to over eat it is that most brands contain molasses.

I keep sugary foods like cookies and candy out of the house because I know anything with added sugar is a trigger food for me, however my Jif peanut butter only has 3 g sugar so it is at, but not over, my self-imposed limit. Another reason it's in my house is that my son loves it.

The problem is that of all the sugars, (cane, beet, honey, etc.) molasses is the fastest moving, with a harder hit to the liver and blood sugar, making us want more and more. (Sorry, if that sounds unscientific, I'm just repeating what I've heard.) It makes sense to me, anyway.

How is molasses the "fastest moving"? Does it have something to do with the proportion of sucrose, glucose, and fructose related to other sweeteners?

Psychgrrl

MegaMooseEsq wrote: »

I have a tendency to go overboard with popcorn and potato chips. The latter I just don't keep in the house and only buy small single serving baked style when I go to Subway or something like that. When my husband wants chips he buys kinds that I don't like, or goes single serving. Popcorn I cycled through a bunch of different options and finally settled on pre-popped kettle corn. I don't inhale it like I did microwave or white cheddar, but I still get to enjoy popcorn from time to time. You don't have to totally give up peanut butter, but don't try and rely on "willpower" either. At least half of willpower is making it as easy as possible for you to do (or not do) whatever it is you're trying to do.

Me, too. No sweet tooth, but I love me some savory. I rarely buy them, and if I do, it's a small single-serving bag.

Justin's Natural makes single serving peanut butter. And the price is probably going to help you not buy more than one pouch at a time.

skinnyjingbb

I would get a small spoon dedicated for PB. Allow yourself no more than 1 tsp (or 2) a day, this way you are still having this but it shouldn't make you gain weight.

Unknown

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