Help! I eat when I'm not hungry

cinnamon930267

I started my weight loss journey AGAIN the first of the month. I had been doing really well cutting down on carbs/sugar (I'm a diabetic) but now I have fallen off the wagon and just seem to be binge eating and I don't know how to stop.

Leonie_M234

Hi It could be because your calories are too low. This also happens to me when I have gone too low in the past, hope you sort it! I know it can be really upsetting

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Don't go it alone, if you don't have to, particularly if your health is being affected. Be open to all forms of help: dieticians, psychologists, life coaches. Be willing to invest in yourself, if you can. Best of luck!

AndreaTamira

That sounds really annoying.

Now, different strategies work for different people, but here are a few tips that MIGHT help you. See if any of them works.

If you are binging on snack food /unhealthy things get rid of them. It is harder to binge on something if it is not in the house. Not impossible, especially if there is a shop nearby, but harder.

If you want to snack replace your snack food with healthier and/or lower calorie options. Simply healthier if you can afford eating more calories (in which case almonds or nuts can be quite great), low calorie otherwise. Pre-cut vegetable sticks, kale chips, seaweed chips, or a piece of fruit are options, for example.

Do things outside, away from food as much as possible. Walk, or garden, or just sit down where there are no people with a good book. (If COVID rules in your area allow you just chilling outside). - Hard to eat if there is no food, and doing something else might distract from wanting to eat, too.

If you are home find hobbies that occupy your hands while you watch TV. Knit or sew, crochet, make cards, draw, colour in colouring books... whatever works to keep your hands busy and you distracted away from eating.

As I said, these might or might not work for you, but trying out things won't hurt, right?

gillexplores

The first time I did MFP and lost about 25lbs (in 2015), I really struggled with binge eating. I would say it was ultimately the undoing of my weight loss at the time, because my mental health was majorly struggling. I would take some time (maybe a week or so) and eat at maintenance, still logging, but being VERY kind to yourself. Don’t get upset at yourself for going over, just work to stay at maintenance. Then, after that, slowly reduce your calories (even by -100 for a week at a time). Be kind to yourself. If you keep trying to push and reduce, you will likely “rebel” by bingeing. That was the case for me, anyway. It was a cycle with bingeing, being mad at myself, bingeing again.

callsitlikeiseeit

Oh I think many of us struggle with that

I can only speak from my own experience and habits, so it may or may not apply to you (or anyone lol)

What are you DOING when you get 'the munchies'. Are you being pretty sedentary? watching tv? Get up and DO something. Change your location. Clean out a cabinet. Go for a walk. Start some kind of project (do you have a hobby or do crafts of any kind? do that). In my case, we have a farm so I can always find something out there to do LOL. In other words, keep your mind and hands busy.

What are you binging ON? I keep as little in the house that I know will cause issues. For me... its sweets. I buy stuff for my husband and son, but it is stuff that I can leave alone. Chips, for example, don't hold much appeal for me, Same for ice cream. But peanut butter cups or oreos? game over. LOL That said, I don't NOT allow myself the things I love. I have some kind of sweet nearly every day. If I REALLY want a peanut butter cup... I make room in my calories and go out and get one. But its not at the first thought of them... its usually after several DAYS or even WEEKS or consciously walking by them at the checkout register and making the CHOICE to not buy it.

Drink water. Sounds silly, but sometimes when we think we are hungry, we are really just thirsty. Even if it doesn't help, its always good to get a bit more water in

Keep snacks on hand that are lower in calories. For me, grapes are a good go to. They will fill me up have enough sweetness to usually calm the sweet tooth. Also, popcorn. The sweet and salty boom chicka pop is my favorite. I portion it out and write the weight on the bag in a sharpie and have a quick snack I can grab and log. my husband and son know to NOT touch my pre packaged bags with numbers written on them LOL

Brush your teeth or chew gum. Ever notice how nothing tastes GOOD after you brush your teeth? Minty fresh toothpaste and chips just don't mesh well together LOL.

And lastly, make sure your calorie goals are not too aggressive. If I set mine at 1200, I cant stick to that to save my life. I have mine at 1500. Its a slower rate of loss, but much easier to adhere to and not go mad. And .... oddly enough (and its all in the mind) I quite often DO eat around 1200 knowing I have plenty more if I need it. Weird but true, at least for me.

Be kind to yourself. It takes time and patience to create and stick to new habits. Set realistic goals. Losing weight slower and keeping it off, is better than losing fast and gaining it all back, or not losing at all and giving up!

SouthWestLondon

I'm new to all of this, but as a serial binge eater, I can only speak to what has worked for me over the last three weeks.

A weird addition to the suggestion but something that I have found helps is rubbing foot cream on my feet! When my hands are all minty and slicked with leftover foot cream and have been rubbing up your feet, I find that I am less keen on using them to stuff my face!

Also, I've found allowing myself pretty much anything I want provided (a) I log it first and (b) I have a big (500ml) bottle of water or sugar free cordial first helps. The drink helps fill me up a bit, and it delays the point of eating. And logging in advance helps me take stock of whether I really want to use up my calories on that snack. But the mentality that nothing is 'forbidden' really helps. When it's forbidden, it will occupy my thoughts. When its allowed provided you log it and drink first, it holds less control over me.

Sometimes I still choose to have the snack I wanted after logging and drinking, but it's a much more conscious choice.

springlering62

This is some really great advice here, esp @callsitlikeiseeit and @SouthWestLondon

The only thing I can add to these great posts is to try some new snack foods. You really can “teach” your tastebuds.

My day isn’t complete without cottage cheese and fruit. I love it and look forward to it more than I ever did sacks and sacks of candy. I thought I didn’t like sugar free products. I’ve learned some can be very tasty- syrups, jello, pudding. Beef jerky, satisfying snack and filling, too. A simple navel orange. Soooo many tasty foods I overlooked in pursuit of a quick sugar buzz!

Speakeasy76

springlering62 wrote: »

This is some really great advice here, esp @callsitlikeiseeit and @SouthWestLondon

The only thing I can add to these great posts is to try some new snack foods. You really can “teach” your tastebuds.

My day isn’t complete without cottage cheese and fruit. I love it and look forward to it more than I ever did sacks and sacks of candy. I thought I didn’t like sugar free products. I’ve learned some can be very tasty- syrups, jello, pudding. Beef jerky, satisfying snack and filling, too. A simple navel orange. Soooo many tasty foods I overlooked in pursuit of a quick sugar buzz!

I believe this to be true, too! I think the more conscious I've become about trying to eat a lot less added/refined sugar is that my craving for it has gone down. I look forward to my daily Honeycrisp apple, and it's kind of like my healthy treat to myself! Don't get me wrong, I still eat homemade cake, cookies and some candy, but I really feel like for the most part, I can have one or a small piece and not feel like I need to eat more.

kshama2001

When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food. Additionally, mild to moderate exercise appears to work as a mild appetite suppressant for me.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.