Food sucks

I want to lose weight but have come to the realization that I like food, I eat at the wrong times often, and when I do eat at the wrong time I eat the worst food I could.
How does one keep from eating at the wrong time?

Replies

  • makinlifehappen
    makinlifehappen Posts: 110 Member
    I'd say make a schedule. Map out what you plan to eat and at what time. After a couple of weeks re-evaluate and loosen up if you're on track.

    A little discipline. You were in the military so this should be second nature.

    After getting out of the military I kind of put discipline on the back burner lol. But I will try just about anything now.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,742 Member
    If you find yourself eating a lot when you aren't actually hungry (i.e. after dinner), then find something to do that will involve your mind and body enough that you won't nibble all night. Go for a walk, take a class, call a friend . . . If you eat because you ARE hungry, then work on getting higher quality more satiating foods for your meals. Keep junk food out of the house. Don't stop on the way home from work. Keep low calorie filling snacks in your car if that is a time when you end up eating junk food. (i.e. fruit).
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    I agree that scheduling, planning, and regular exercise are really good tools.

    Then, I watch the snacking.

    When I was losing weight I tried to not eat at all in between meals. If I planned my nutrition ahead of time, I didn't really want to eat in between meals.
  • Xellercin
    Xellercin Posts: 924 Member
    Well first, there is no wrong time to eat, so I don't even know what you mean by that.

    Second, your taste in food can be modified. Persistently eating a different way will totally change what you crave, it's even possible to make your old favourites taste disgusting.

    It sounds like your hunger and satiety signals are totally out of whack, along with your reward systems, which have probably coded food as a self soothing mechanism for stress/fear/frustration/etc.

    This is super common, but you will have to be proactive in repairing all of these systems to a healthier, more productive form.

    How you do that will depend on you.
  • makinlifehappen
    makinlifehappen Posts: 110 Member
    I’m not sure I understand the concept of the ‘wrong time’ in this context.

    What do you mean by that? Why is it the wrong time, wrong in what way?

    Eat when you’re hungry, don’t if you’re not - your body does not care what the clock says 🤷‍♀️

    Dawn phenomenon. In my experience it matters a lot what time I eat.
  • makinlifehappen
    makinlifehappen Posts: 110 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I'd say make a schedule. Map out what you plan to eat and at what time. After a couple of weeks re-evaluate and loosen up if you're on track.

    A little discipline. You were in the military so this should be second nature.

    This reminded me of Boot Camp, where I dropped @ 25 pounds in 6 weeks. Amazing what the combination of:

    1. Only being able to eat 3 times per day
    2. Only having 30 minutes to eat
    3. Having to drink two glasses of water with that meal
    4. Terrible food
    5. Lots of exercise

    did for weight loss!

    OP - I eat too much when I allow myself to get too hungry, so I work hard to make sure I don't let that happen. I eat pretty much on a schedule, I know what I'm going to have ahead of time, and allow enough time to make that happen.

    (See how I take responsibility and control there?)

    I agree, basic made it easy to lose or gain weight depending on your size going in. Deployments as well.
    Responsibility isn't a problem. My comment at the beginning I admit that the problem is me " I like food, I eat at the wrong times often, and when I do eat at the wrong time I eat the worst food I could."
    Control is however an issue.
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    I want to lose weight but have come to the realization that I like food, I eat at the wrong times often, and when I do eat at the wrong time I eat the worst food I could.
    How does one keep from eating at the wrong time?

    I have trouble moderating, so I have to cut out the "wrong" foods completely. If I had a bag of chips in the house this past weekend I would have ate the whole thing, so I just have to cut them out completely and not buy them.
    I like rules, so I don't eat after dinner.
    The mantra here is always that there are no bad foods, but it just doesn't work for me if I try to fit (what I consider) junk food into a calorie allowance. You have to know yourself and find what works for you.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    My solution to late night snacking was, and continues to be 'leave 300-400 calories for the end of the day'. I eat it most of the time. If, for whatever reason, I *don't* eat those snacks, I just keep track and eat them on the weekend so I don't leave my body at too sharp a deficit (or for me any deficit).
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    Small study - but still. Personally I don't think that we can definitively assert that meal timing doesn't have any effect on fat loss.

    Metabolic Effects of Late Dinner in Healthy Volunteers—A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial

    https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/105/8/2789/5855227?redirectedFrom=fulltext
  • dontlikepeople
    dontlikepeople Posts: 142 Member
    One of my favorite quotes is, "If it was easy, everyone would do it." That seems to apply to losing weight rather well. Will power is the only answer. I wish there was an "easier" answer, but at least it can't get more "simple!"
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    33gail33 wrote: »
    Small study - but still. Personally I don't think that we can definitively assert that meal timing doesn't have any effect on fat loss.

    Metabolic Effects of Late Dinner in Healthy Volunteers—A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial

    https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/105/8/2789/5855227?redirectedFrom=fulltext

    This graphic or a variant has been out there from various sources, Can meal timing make a difference, most likely but for the way the vast majority of the US eats it is majoring in the minors. Lot to fix before being concerned with meal timing:

    3re63cfwzotd.png

    I always find it interesting that the general consensus at MFP is that every morsel of food should be weighed and accounted for (CI) because small amounts can add up, but other factors that impact small amounts of calories (CO) are considered irrelevant.

    As the study concludes: "these effects might promote obesity if they recur chronically."

    "Lot to fix before being concerned with meal timing"

    The OP specifically mentioned meal timing, so while you might not think it is relevant, it seems that they do.
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    There are numerous observational studies that correlate meal timing with obesity, too many for me to believe that the connection is strictly behavioral rather than metabolic.

    I don't think it is irrelevant. But I'm not going to debate about it.

    (My post was basically in response to the one above mine that stated, in all caps, that "IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FAT LOSS". <<I just don’t think that statement is accurate.)

  • makinlifehappen
    makinlifehappen Posts: 110 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    33gail33 wrote: »
    I always find it interesting that the general consensus at MFP is that every morsel of food should be weighed and accounted for (CI) because small amounts can add up, but other factors that impact small amounts of calories (CO) are considered irrelevant.

    Lots of people here don't weigh food (or even log). What is generally the consensus is that weighing can help if someone thinks they are eating a certain calorie level and not losing. Often the issue there is a lack of accuracy.
    As the study concludes: "these effects might promote obesity if they recur chronically."

    Absent the study itself, rather than an abstract, I'm not convinced we can say much, but the abstract starts with the fact that late eating is ASSOCIATED with obesity and metabolic syndrome (which is likely bc late eating in people who don't control cals is associated with excess cals, IMO), and concludes not that it actually interferes with fat loss, but that eating dinner within one hour of going to sleep seems to "induce[] nocturnal glucose intolerance, and reduce[] fatty acid oxidation and mobilization, particularly in earlier sleepers." It then says -- without explanation in the abstract that "[t]hese effects MIGHT promote obesity if they recur chronically." (Emphasis added)

    And yeah, they might. I am open to meal timing having some small effect on calorie burning, and I also think it has a significant effect in some people on satiety and satisfaction. But the latter is why I think it is not a great idea to tell someone that if they want to lose fat they really should make sure they eat dinner by 6 pm (the supposed "routine" dinner in the study). Personally (and I am far from the only person in this situation), I normally work until after 6, and then commute home and sometimes then exercise. I really don't know anyone but retired people who can routinely eat at 6.

    So does that mean I cannot lose fat? No, in fact I lost weight as fast as predicted or more when eating dinner routinely at 9. (Of course, that is not within an hour of when I go to bed.)

    I seriously doubt CO is significantly impacted by eating at 6 vs 9, and as theoldguy said, I would focus on other issues, including what helps me feel sated and satisfied and not hungry. If eating earlier is helpful here, I would recommend that, but if eating later works better (absent other health issues related to that), I would not say that one still should eat earlier because there might be a small CO advantage. So many other things affect CO. (Similarly, I would not recommend eating a diet that is 65% protein just because protein digestion burns more cals.)
    "Lot to fix before being concerned with meal timing"

    The OP specifically mentioned meal timing, so while you might not think it is relevant, it seems that they do.

    OP did not say initially why he was concerned with timing or why he thought he was eating at the wrong time. Subsequently he said "dawn phenomenon," which seems to be T2D or insulin resistance related. Quick googling does suggest that maybe that's related to eating too many carbs late in the day, but I think OP should clarify why he thinks he is eating at the wrong time and, if so, what his struggle is with wanting to eat then.

    Dawn phenomenon regarding insulin resistance, non diabetic related. I worry about this because my sleeping habits reflect a toddlers. While there is a hint of sarcasm there it is not far off. In short I sleep when my body gets tired enough to sleep as a result of apnea and insomnia.
    I recognize that plays a part in weight loss as well or lack thereof. I was the same way in the Military, but it was beneficial.

    My worries are that if I eat when I am awake all of the time to get in the proper calories or protein at least, than I will be eating between 2 and 6 am half of the time. And that while I attempt to not have terrible foods, life goes on and it happens. But does it have a profound effect at night time hours due to the circadian rhythm?
    The problem isn't what I struggle with in eating, it is that I don't struggle with what I am eating. Other than there are never sodas or complete trash in the house. If I decide I want a snack. I eat it. Regardless of what else I have eaten during the day/night. That being said I also rarely encounter day above 1500 calories and often get the "you aren't eating enough" warning when entering my foods for the day. Some days my macros are low. One day a week so far I have gone over with either carbs or fat but not both.
  • s1im62
    s1im62 Posts: 31,307 Member
    edited December 2021
    Plans are worthless, but planning is everything - Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Plan to succeed. Easy to say, but hard to do! Unconsciously we often do things that set ourselves up for failure.

    Some things I do food-wise to prevent sabotaging myself...
    - Don't buy it. If I don't buy that carton of ice cream or bag of chips it won't be sitting there waiting for me to eat it.
    - Make a grocery list (and stick to it). Plan to buy good foods before going to the store, and don't buy the junk that's going to blow up your calorie goal.
    - Brush and floss. May not work for everyone, but I carefully clean my teeth when I've eaten all I should for the day. When I feel the urge to eat more, I remember that I want to keep my teeth clean until tomorrow.

    Find things that work for you. It takes time and maybe several failed attempts, but success will come if you don't give up the fight!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    My worries are that if I eat when I am awake all of the time to get in the proper calories or protein at least, than I will be eating between 2 and 6 am half of the time. And that while I attempt to not have terrible foods, life goes on and it happens. But does it have a profound effect at night time hours due to the circadian rhythm?

    The problem isn't what I struggle with in eating, it is that I don't struggle with what I am eating. Other than there are never sodas or complete trash in the house. If I decide I want a snack. I eat it. Regardless of what else I have eaten during the day/night. That being said I also rarely encounter day above 1500 calories and often get the "you aren't eating enough" warning when entering my foods for the day. Some days my macros are low. One day a week so far I have gone over with either carbs or fat but not both.

    Yeah, I suspect it's not ideal to eat in the middle of the night -- I do believe that circadian rhythm matters to some extent, but also it seems likely to interfere with sleep and digestion and to be worse if one is IR. Maybe try planning meals/meal timing ahead for a week and see how that goes. I would make sure you get the MFP recommended cals. It also might help with sleep patterns.
  • charitybella84
    charitybella84 Posts: 3 Member
    What?! food is Awesome! We’re meant to enjoy food as humans I think. abandonment of self control is another thing. Just like the military you’re going to need to plan and be consistent in a routine as far as food goes. Daily.
    What I found helps as a motivator is to look at people who have lost weight on the community boards here.
    As a veteran one thing I do recognize is are my food choices ghetto? Am I working out like I’m a 20 year old still?
    I hope that helps!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    there is no bad food or bad time.

    just bad QUANTITIES and poor NUTRITION.

    even junk food is fine in limited quantities (hell i just had a small brownie with my coffee LMAO)

    what I recommend is re-evaluating your perception toward food, and learning how to eat a well balanced diet, that includes those things you are considering 'bad'.
    Cliffs Notes of Weight Loss:
    • small, sustainable changes
    • Understand weight fluctuations are normal. Thinks of a roller coaster, not a steep mountain slope down. Some weeks up, some weeks down. Its the OVERALL TREND that matters
    • Learn to weigh your food ON A FOOD SCALE
    • Learn how to find ACCURATE DATABASE ENTRIES
    • BE ACTIVE - get off your butt and MOVE. Find SOMETHING you enjoy. If your activity is limited, find ways to move that you are ABLE to do
    • Deprivation is the key to Binging and falling off the wagon. Learn how to fit your favorite things in regularly. There are no 'bad foods' Just 'bad quantities'.
    • One 'bad' day will not undo your deficit.
    • You did not gain the weight quickly. You will not lose it quickly. Better to lose it slowly, and KEEP IT OFF, then lose it quick, and gain it all back and more!