Feeding frenzy! Help!
joshualandin
Posts: 20
I experience the most frustrating experience. It normally happens during the evening (dinner). I will have my meal planned and portioned out yet once I finish it, I am still hungry. It is even more than hunger, I feel ravenous and I begin to eat anything not nailed down. I tell myself to stop, but it feels frantic, like there's blood in the water and even being full does nothing to abate the urge.
Here is what I have researched so far as to potential causes:
Emotional - trying to attain satiation (or regulation?) of emotional experiences through the reward from eating.
The type of food - high sodium with the right mix of fat and sugar can trigger dopamine release and activate emotional areas of the brain.
Being too hungry before a meal.
Behavioral patterns that are hard wired from years of improper eating.
What I have done so far to try and alter the behavior:
Eat every two or three hours to keep from feeling too hungry.
Reduced sodium and increased whole foods (versus processed and refined).
Plan meals out.
What I don't know a lot about is what it really means to emotionally eat and how to explore this more.
Any help, tips, or advice would be very helpful!
Here is what I have researched so far as to potential causes:
Emotional - trying to attain satiation (or regulation?) of emotional experiences through the reward from eating.
The type of food - high sodium with the right mix of fat and sugar can trigger dopamine release and activate emotional areas of the brain.
Being too hungry before a meal.
Behavioral patterns that are hard wired from years of improper eating.
What I have done so far to try and alter the behavior:
Eat every two or three hours to keep from feeling too hungry.
Reduced sodium and increased whole foods (versus processed and refined).
Plan meals out.
What I don't know a lot about is what it really means to emotionally eat and how to explore this more.
Any help, tips, or advice would be very helpful!
0
Replies
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Joshua, I wish I had some advice but I'm no expert. One thing I might suggest however is to have your thyroid checked. It's a simple blood test. Thyroid can affect our moods, our eating patterns and our cravings.0
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How about doing the opposite of eating every 2-3 hours (lowering your available calories by dinner) and instead look into Intermittent Fasting? Granted, the first few days are hard, but IF means that you could eat a TON around dinnertime and not blow your calories out.0
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For a lot of us, resolve often gets weaker as the day wears on. I don't know what it is about that period between dinner and bed, but it just feels like a great time to eat -- everything in the house. The only thing that gets me through it every evening is being strict with my calorie goal and telling myself that once my calories are gone, eating more isn't an option. Doesn't make it any easier, but if it's not an option, it's not an option, right? I mean, when it comes right down to it, I'm in control of what goes into my mouth. Usually.
I did just come off of a three- or four-week run of emotional eating. There was a lot going on, and I just didn't have the energy to fight the urge to eat all the yummy foods that soothe me. I kinda gave myself permission to go with it, though. I have to say, being back on track feels so much better than eating that cheesecake did. Except for those five minutes I was eating the cheesecake. It's such a short-lived high. That's why when we're overeating, we keep overeating. We want to string together as many of those little highs as we can.0 -
drink more water... try less carbs.. you may like IF as suggested... you may be eating at too large of a deficit... stress.... etc.... theres a lot of possibilities...
How long has this been happening? Can you point out a specific day or days in your diary? Is there a common thread between those days? Do you have anxiety problems to begin with? How active is your job? Whats your weight? How many days of the week does this happen? Is it after the use of any sort of vice? hmm..
as you can see.. i can only guess blindly without a lot more information0 -
My Mantra:
"FOOD IS FUEL"
Nothing more, nothing less, just fuel. It's helped me a lot with how I now view food.0 -
id try first by eating only complex carbs at night... fiberous foods (along with your proteins and other stuff)... a spike in your insulin from a bunch of simple carbs can make you feel REALLY hungry, like, twice as hungry as you were before you ate them.
if this fixes the problem than its probably an insulin issue.
Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal
Brown Rice
Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Pasta
Potatoes (red, baking, new)
Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Celery
Just to name a few!
give it a try... if it doesnt help than you;ve narrowed one possibility out of the equation0 -
Is it a brain shuts down, body takes over, everything in site gets eaten even when you don't want to eat it kind of binge? When I had those it was mostly because I was starving, and malnourished, so my brain would take over. Could be one reason. Have you tried upping your daily calories? A couple extra hundred a day to stop binges is better than binging, you can always work it off. Are you doing a non-carb diet or anything special? Cutting out carbs completely left me too hungry, eating too many left me craving more and I would binge. Are you not getting enough of your fats, carbs etc? Are you trying vitamins? Emotional eating tends to have emotion behind it. If it's frantic and mindless it's probably more malnourishment. Are you still loosing weight even with the binges? If so maybe you're just more active than you realize.
Try hot liquids, it can give you the illusion of feeling fuller.0 -
There are lots of books. I like 'Eating Less' by Gillian Riley.0
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How long has this been happening? Can you point out a specific day or days in your diary? Is there a common thread between those days? Do you have anxiety problems to begin with? How active is your job? Whats your weight? How many days of the week does this happen? Is it after the use of any sort of vice? hmm..
as you can see.. i can only guess blindly without a lot more information
This has been happening for as long as I can remember. Since I have started using MFP, it stopped until I lost about 20 lbs. I went from 300 to 275 and every time I get 275, I seem to binge eat and I am just bouncing back and forth between 275 and 280.
The days I binge seem somewhat random, usually I go a couple days then binge. It happens on a work day or an off day. I am not active during the day, I work out an hour each day, mixing cardio and strength throughout the week. This happens about 3 times a week. I occasionally drink alcohol but the binges come on sober days. I am not anxious but do have a lot of stress in my life around school.
I am not dieting in any specific way, I am eating meat, carbs, and fat as MFP recommends with a balance of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables.0 -
I think it might be medical. You should go get some blood work done.
It could be thyroid, diabetes, dehydration, low potassium, sodium, iron, calcium. Or really any other disease.
If you feel that urge just make sure you are eating as healthy as possible.
Also, try things high in protein! And drink a glass of water before and after every meal.
Good luck.0 -
your calories are way too low .. I weigh 100 pounds less than you and I eat around 1750 net. I think that might even be too aggressive for me. Losing a bit too fast... Quite frankly, you should probably be eating nearly 1000 more. NET! So ~2750+eat back exercise...
way way way too low....
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
use that calculator... any calculator is gonna say the same thing... way too low0 -
Emotional eating a lot of times comes from not knowing how to deal with your emotions, so using food as a comfort.
Usually you would eat because you feel stressed, depressed, angry, nervous ect.
Usually you would feel stress, panic, discomfort when food or food options are limited or taken away.
You may hide food or sneak food. Or not want to eat in front of other people.0 -
Emotional eating a lot of times comes from not knowing how to deal with your emotions, so using food as a comfort.
Usually you would eat because you feel stressed, depressed, angry, nervous ect.
Usually you would feel stress, panic, discomfort when food or food options are limited or taken away.
You may hide food or sneak food. Or not want to eat in front of other people.
NO.... he need to eat more.. period... any and every calculator online will agree that the deficit is huge....0 -
id try first by eating only complex carbs at night... fiberous foods (along with your proteins and other stuff)... a spike in your insulin from a bunch of simple carbs can make you feel REALLY hungry, like, twice as hungry as you were before you ate them.
if this fixes the problem than its probably an insulin issue.
Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal
Brown Rice
Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Pasta
Potatoes (red, baking, new)
Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Celery
Just to name a few!
give it a try... if it doesnt help than you;ve narrowed one possibility out of the equation
bump0 -
For those who say a larger deficit will just result in faster weight loss.. well.... I dislike the term "starvation mode", but, the reality of the hormone leptin, and its function, are quite real.
Poor leptin sensitivity combined with crash dieting seems pretty likely to mess up a lot of things.
“The reduction in thermogenesis during semistarvation persists after 12 weeks of restricted refeeding, with its size being inversely proportional to the degree of fat recovery but unrelated to the degree of fat free mass recovery.”
By the way, this explains what some people refer to as “metabolic damage” and although this is not a scientific phrase, you can see that it too is a reality. It is the lag time between when a diet ends and when your metabolism and appetite regulating mechanisms get back to normal. Last, but certainly not least, and perhaps the best indicator of starvation mode is the hormone LEPTIN. you could spend weeks studying leptin and still not cover all the data that has been amassed on this subject. Leptin IS the anti starvation hormone. Some people say leptin IS the starvation mode itself because it regulates many of the negative effects that occur during starvation. leptin is secreted mostly from fat cells and it signals your brain about your fat stores. If your fat stores diminish (danger of starvation), your leptin decreases. If your calorie intake decreases, your leptin level decreases. When leptin decreases, it essentially sounds the starvation alarm. In response, your brain (hypothalamus) sends out signals for other hormones to be released which decrease metabolic rate and increase appetite.
This is just a short excerpt I could find that kinda explains it a bit....0 -
Emotional eating a lot of times comes from not knowing how to deal with your emotions, so using food as a comfort.
Usually you would eat because you feel stressed, depressed, angry, nervous ect.
Usually you would feel stress, panic, discomfort when food or food options are limited or taken away.
You may hide food or sneak food. Or not want to eat in front of other people.
NO.... he need to eat more.. period... any and every calculator online will agree that the deficit is huge....
He specifially asked about it, so I was answering his question. I don't neccessarily believe this is what is wrong with him.0 -
your calories are way too low .. I weigh 100 pounds less than you and I eat around 1750 net. I think that might even be too aggressive for me. Losing a bit too fast... Quite frankly, you should probably be eating nearly 1000 more. NET! So ~2750+eat back exercise...
way way way too low....
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
use that calculator... any calculator is gonna say the same thing... way too low
This would be my guess as well. There's no need to starve yourself to lose weight!
Also, re: quality vs quantity of food - protein and healthy fats are both good for a more satisfied feeling. I've also noticed for me, certain foods give me indigestion which often feels like hunger. For instance, if I eat an apple or raw carrots by themselves I'm ravenous but if I eat them with a sandwich or peanut butter, I'm fine.0 -
when I began to research my emotional eating I came across these triggers:
Loneliness - I was a traveling consultant for 16 years and had many, many dinners alone, coupled w/an insanely stressful job and travel schedule. Now that I am home every evening with the hubby and have a wonderful, low stress job - I don't get the hangries when I hit the door.
Increase in protein. I eat 5 smaller meals during the day (I never at much at a sitting anyway) and I'm naturally not a sweet or carb person, but I found that when I'm at of over my protein limit for a day, I'm much more satiated and for longer.
This next one is going to sound silly, but (a) I don't bring the tempting food into the house and if I do it is a single portion and (b) I change my clothes immediately. WHY? I've found that once I'm out of the office wear and into my yoga pants and t-shirt, I'm not motivated to get re-dressed to go back out (especially when it is too hot or too cold out)and get something.
Last one, if I am hangry when I hit the door I usually grab some cheese. It fills me quickly and doesn't break my calorie as I count it as part of my dinner.:glasses:0 -
I get the same way, I can be fine all day long and then come 7-8 at night I want to eat everything. I would try to have plans set for after you eat (like a class of some sort, for example I take a dog training class in the pms) so that you don't have access to the foods when you are feeling like that.0
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Don't listen, the forums are worthless.0
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I experience the most frustrating experience. It normally happens during the evening (dinner). I will have my meal planned and portioned out yet once I finish it, I am still hungry. It is even more than hunger, I feel ravenous and I begin to eat anything not nailed down. I tell myself to stop, but it feels frantic, like there's blood in the water and even being full does nothing to abate the urge.
Here is what I have researched so far as to potential causes:
Emotional - trying to attain satiation (or regulation?) of emotional experiences through the reward from eating.
The type of food - high sodium with the right mix of fat and sugar can trigger dopamine release and activate emotional areas of the brain.
Being too hungry before a meal.
Behavioral patterns that are hard wired from years of improper eating.
What I have done so far to try and alter the behavior:
Eat every two or three hours to keep from feeling too hungry.
Reduced sodium and increased whole foods (versus processed and refined).
Plan meals out.
What I don't know a lot about is what it really means to emotionally eat and how to explore this more.
Any help, tips, or advice would be very helpful!
This is me. To a T! I try my best but really make sure I leave the brundt of my calories for the evening to cover the damage that I know i will do. I do it regardless of how much or what types of food i had eaten earlier in the day. Im actively working on it but it is very difficult!0 -
JSW0
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