Food addict here

MeganMcK11

Hi all!

I have a problem. I want to lose weight, I'm 5'0" and currently at 203.2 lbs. I'm a food junky. When I start to diet I begin to feel deprived a few days in. When I feel deprived, I can overcome the cravings for a few days, but after about a week, they get the best of me, and I binge and give up.

What can I do to not feel deprived? I like salad and almost all vegetables. I'm NOT a picky eater by any means, which is probably how I got to where I'm at. I need to be around 130 to be a healthy (read: maintainable) weight (I have a medium ody build so I will never be stick thin.

Ideas to help me not get bored so easily when I'm starting out? Salads, sandwiches, soups, dinners? Help!

mslizalde

Hi Food Addict! I also need to eat lol and not feel deprived. I have been doing weekly grocery shopping on Sunday's for my family and stock up on just what I need for the week. So for example on Sunday I picked up some hummus and pita chips because I find that it's filling and I like it also a bag of mixed greens and portion out ziploc containers for the week so I can have gab n go lunches in my fridge. I also boil some eggs and have those on hand for a quick snack with a little salt and pepper on them. I think it's about stocking up with healthy snacks and making them accessible so you don't just grab whatever sounds/looks good when you're hungry. Hope that helps also believe it or not the bistro boxes at Starbucks are really yummy for a quick lunch and pretty good on calories. You're going to do great just take the time to plan out your meals and have a back up plan if your meals don't work out for whatever reason.

karebearandken

Check out the group "Eat More to Weigh Less". Since you love food, this might work for you. Feel free to add me, if you wish. GOOD LUCK!!! :happy:

MeganMcK11

Thank you all for the replies

I sometimes do good about meal planning for the week. This week has been off becuase my husband has been working a weird schedule, but we are still making it work.

I'm think tuna salad for lunch today! Yumm! What kind of sides do you like to go with lunches that are low in cals? I don't have any carrots and won't be able to go grocery shopping till the weekend.

courtneynicole82

I am currently in the process of changing my life and the way I eat because in March I am having a gastric sleeve. I can tell you that your problem of feeling deprived is one of my biggest battles. I am 3 months in on my weight loss journey and can tell you that since the beginning I have learned so much! The biggest thing I have learned is that salads, and vegi's are NOT a life style change. They are a fad, binge diet. Being healthy and losing weight is more than salads. Don't limit yourself to vegis and salads and fruit. You will FAIL!

Try finding alternate choices to what you love. Take for example a ham sandwich....normal white bread, cheese and ham...would be around 240 calories. Try Arnolds 100% whole grain sandwich thins with lean ham and vegi cheese or even regular cheese that is 140 calories. It is about making better choices, not starving and not becoming a vegan. Don't be extreme.
Good luck!

shortmomma81

I'm a lot like you and to say it honestly the only thing that has worked has ironically been to NOT deprive myself. It's not like I eat bad all the time. I can't even count calories because when I do, my body send signals to my brain and automatically I seem to go into starvation mode and can't loose weight. So...I eat but I exercise A LOT.

UpstateK8

I hear you! I've yo-yo'ed my entire adult life. I can stick it out and then get bored eating the same 5 meals. What's different this time is my focus on the food. You do have to plan, and research. I also don't deprive myself. If I really want something, I'll have a taste, or small portion and add in exercise. Get some ideas for what you'd like to eat and then research a lower cal option. I made a stellar chicken waldorf salad that use greek non-fat yogurt instead of mayo (and I LOVE mayo)....and it was super tasty!... I read other people's diary's to get inspired for snacks or meals. I buy fruits and vegetables in season and then go home an research what I can make with 'em. It's kind of a game now. So far I haven't felt deprived. I still have ice cream, candy, I just plan for all of it. Of course it works out that you can eat more if you eat healthier. Keep at it girl! You can do this

seancrane798

Food can be as addictive as drugs to some people, I agree with most of the replies but what also helps some of us that just can not control the eating binge urges is a support group, not jut the one you have on MFP, but one where you sit in an actual group and learn more about how to control the eating urges. Some of us can do it on our own but some of us need that extra support, at least you are heading in the right direction, good job and good luck with your weight loss!

MeganMcK11

SO much great advice, thank you all!

I've never experimented with substituting mayo for non fat greek yogurt, but I will definitely give that a try!

phyllisbobbitt

:flowerforyou: hi, try increasing your protein at every meal! eat fruit when you want something sweet to eat. keep fresh veggies cut up & cleaned ready to eat if you want to nibble on something! i hope this helps because it has really helped me! i am sending you a friend request & we can encourage & support each other!

Unknown

Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat? Many of us with this problem have found help in Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). FA is a program based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The program offers help and recovery to those whose connection with food can be understood as a form of addiction. There are no dues or fees and the meetings include no weigh-ins. Membership is international and includes men and women, adolescents, and the elderly. All are welcome.

People who find help in FA vary greatly. Some of us have been diagnosed as morbidly obese while others are undereaters. Among us are those who were severely bulimic, who have harmed themselves with compulsive exercise, or whose quality of life was impaired by constant obsession with food or weight. We tend to be people who, in the long-term, have failed at every solution we tried, including therapy, support groups, diets, fasting, exercise, and in-patient treatment programs.

Some of our members have been in continuous recovery (maintaining a stable, healthy weight and enjoying freedom from obsession with food, weight, bingeing, or bulimia) for over twenty-five years. Members with five to ten years of recovery are increasingly common.

FA has over 350 meetings throughout the United States in large and small cities such as Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Charlotte, Grand Rapids, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Austin, and Washington, D.C. Internationally, FA currently has groups in England, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. If you would like more information about FA, please check out our website. If there aren’t any meetings in your area, you can contact the office, where someone will help you.

jofjltncb6

I'm a lot like you and to say it honestly the only thing that has worked has ironically been to NOT deprive myself. It's not like I eat bad all the time. I can't even count calories because when I do, my body send signals to my brain and automatically I seem to go into starvation mode and can't loose weight. So...I eat but I exercise A LOT.

Wait, what?

JanieJack

I found adding protein shakes or protein rich snacks to my diet really help curb the food cravings and help me stay full longer.

I do vegan protein shakes (Vega or Shakeology - disclaimer I sell Shakeology- ) rather than almonds, sandwich, yogurt, or other protein rich foods because I find that I eat too many calories but the vegan shakes have less calories per hour of craving dealt with.

Hope that helps!

thehealthyf00die

I had the exact same problem, but I found what works for me: eating very often. I never go hungry now & I'm losing weight! What I do is 5-6 small meals a day while I watch my calorie intake. Usually it's something like:

- Breakfast: ~300-400 cals.
- Extra meal 1: ~100-200 cals.
- Lunch: ~300-400 cals.
- Extra meal 2: ~100-200 cals.
- Dinner: ~300-400 cals.

It doesn't necessarily have to be structured that way, but that's what I tend to stick with. Eating often increases your metabolism also, so it's a win-win! Another thing I try to do is monitor my protein and fiber intake, both are said to keep you full.

Hope that helps!