Healthy cereals-bingeing by 8am!

onmyown70

Hi,

I am on this forum all the time receiving advice. I think he thing is I wan to be normal.

We have guests over (very slim healthy eaters) they brought packs of this beautiful healthy looking Dorset muesli (nuts, raisins and oats and rye- not much sugar in this one - apart from the dried fruit), suggesting I try one bowl day. I made some for my son at 7am this am, I had one bowl (plan was to make it last all week). Whilst all the guests were sleeping, I had all my son's (he didn't like it) then I was in frenzy to get more. I had seven bowls!

Now I feel tired, sick ... I was in a "good" mood, maybe premenstrual. I haven't been starving myself, in fact we have had guests and we have had free rein of "trigger" foods and I haven't been restricting.

I'm coming to the conclusion I am not normal. i want to be the type of girl that has one bowl and then is full up and needs no more.

We have had guests and for this last few days I have let myself limitless quantities of food that they eat. I notice they all feel full up and I just want more. I eat until I feel sick. It's not because I'm down (I probably am anxious).

I wish I was normal, I wish I could be the normal the of person (like my parents!) that has ten cereals standing in a line and I would have one bowl.

My binge times, as I said before are always in the morning and ironically I don't actually ever feel "hungry in the am".

It's like I have to be mindful every second, because if I just do what I did this morning I sort of forget I just have the gluttony urge to just eat more if I start eating cereals/bread/cakes/biscuits. I could understand if i overate on unhealthy stuff... but it's the healthy stuff... sometimes even flaxseed bread... and my peak binge times are the am - when feeding my son/husband/step children or in the afternoons.

Sigh. Food seems to be my drug of choice and I am so contradictory. It upsets me so much and I know the consequences but if I am eating something and want more at that point in time, any negative side effects disappear from my brain (i.e. I know it will ruin my whole day as I feel so ill) yet I do it anyway.

Erinelda

I can't eat cereal either, or pizza without consuming as much as possible. I don't buy cereal and I have a pizza every 100 days. You shouldn't need to bring stuff like that in for your healthy guests. I'd be happy with fruit or oatmeal just the same at someones house.

Meerataila

i want to be the type of girl that has one bowl and then is full up and needs no more.

I want that, too. Not to mention I'd like to be a brilliant heiress with supermodel good looks. Seems I picked the wrong parents.

I tend to skip breakfast and I don't eat cereals or store bought granola bar type foods at all. I even have to be careful when I make my own trail-mix.

We all have to work with what we've got.

lizchic82

I hear you. I am trying to get some behavioural therapy sorted, as its a mental health issue rather than a hunger issue, I need to find out what triggers this reaction, and how to stop it happening and ruling my life every second of every day. Its awful, exhausting and bad news for you confidence. If I figure something out, or find a threapy that works, I'll let you know!!

115s

Get a food scale and keep weighing it. Eventually, it will become a hassle to weigh it. Don't eat anything you don't weigh. Problem solved itself for me.

MinnieInMaine

Think of it as a learning experience. I know I can't have ice cream in the house because I won't stay away from it. And as much as I like granola, it's too good and too high calorie to risk having it around.

And now you know you can't have this kind of cereal around so you won't buy it in the future.

Your binges are a bad habit and may be triggered by a certain emotion or state of mind (for instance, boredom is a trigger for me). Only you can put your finger on why exactly you do what you do. These are not changes that will happen over night but with time and practice you will get better and better. I find tracking can help with this becasue I don't want to see those extra calories. Before you eat it, log it, and then decide if that's something you really want to it.

I still catch myself thinking of what I could pull together for a snack instead of waiting another hour until meal time. But then I realize this is a rediculous waste of calories...and I'd rather use those on the yummy meal I'll be making soon. So I back out of the kitchen and find something to keep myself preoccupied for a while (read, play games on my tablet, etc).

Best of luck!

itsbasschick

i also weight and log absolutely everything. it helps break the habit / pattern of simply continuing to eat something i like. i don't find it a hassle, exactly, but if you have a bowl of cereal, then weigh your next bowl - as well as measuring the milk - it changes the mindless eating to more mindful. i found i've had few and smaller binges since i started logging.

Get a food scale and keep weighing it. Eventually, it will become a hassle to weigh it. Don't eat anything you don't weigh. Problem solved itself for me.

icrushit

I find it quite difficult to eat portion amounts of cereal, even if its healthier granola or muesli. These days I just eat a bowl of full fat yoghurt, berries, nuts and seeds, and find it much more filling, although porrdige is not too bad either, even if I've given it up when low-carbing

sweetd6

All the "binge foods" you mentioned are carbs - cereals, breads etc. You just have to accept that you can't have them in the morning. Have an omelet with low fat cheese and fruit for your carb. Or have Greek yogurt with fruit, I've heard of no one bingeing on Greek yogurt. Maybe you can handle some carbs later in the day - if so make them whole grain. Wishing you were the type of person who can eat one bowl and stop isn't productive - you are who you are. But the good news is that you can manage your spaces and food so that you are as close to that kind of person as you can be. I had a weight watcher leader years ago who called them "red light foods", foods that you can't have in the house because you will binge on them. She told us to enjoy them in single servings when we are out, and never have them in the house. Peanut butter was one for her, and sometimes her friends would bring her a single serving of peanut butter to bring home. Seriously! But she had lost 100 lbs. and wasn't about to gain it back, she treated WW like alcoholics treat AA and it worked for her.

logg1e

I think pre-planning is key. Plan the day ahead and you'll know how much cereal you can eat. If at that point you decide to over-eat at least it's an informed choice; you choose whether to be slimmer or have a bit more cereal.

SingRunTing

Try some protein in the morning, it'll make you feel fuller for longer.

Try having cereal and some greek yogurt. Or mix peanut butter in it. Or eat whatever your protein of choice is for breakfast.

If you still want to overeat on cereal, then cereal may be a trigger food for you and you should avoid it.

HealthyGinny

Hi,

I am on this forum all the time receiving advice. I think he thing is I wan to be normal.

We have guests over (very slim healthy eaters) they brought packs of this beautiful healthy looking Dorset muesli (nuts, raisins and oats and rye- not much sugar in this one - apart from the dried fruit), suggesting I try one bowl day. I made some for my son at 7am this am, I had one bowl (plan was to make it last all week). Whilst all the guests were sleeping, I had all my son's (he didn't like it) then I was in frenzy to get more. I had seven bowls!

Now I feel tired, sick ... I was in a "good" mood, maybe premenstrual. I haven't been starving myself, in fact we have had guests and we have had free rein of "trigger" foods and I haven't been restricting.

I'm coming to the conclusion I am not normal. i want to be the type of girl that has one bowl and then is full up and needs no more.

We have had guests and for this last few days I have let myself limitless quantities of food that they eat. I notice they all feel full up and I just want more. I eat until I feel sick. It's not because I'm down (I probably am anxious).

I wish I was normal, I wish I could be the normal the of person (like my parents!) that has ten cereals standing in a line and I would have one bowl.

My binge times, as I said before are always in the morning and ironically I don't actually ever feel "hungry in the am".

It's like I have to be mindful every second, because if I just do what I did this morning I sort of forget I just have the gluttony urge to just eat more if I start eating cereals/bread/cakes/biscuits. I could understand if i overate on unhealthy stuff... but it's the healthy stuff... sometimes even flaxseed bread... and my peak binge times are the am - when feeding my son/husband/step children or in the afternoons.

Sigh. Food seems to be my drug of choice and I am so contradictory. It upsets me so much and I know the consequences but if I am eating something and want more at that point in time, any negative side effects disappear from my brain (i.e. I know it will ruin my whole day as I feel so ill) yet I do it anyway.

Honey, you are not "normal" and you are not "abnormal", you're just you.

I binge eat a lot too. I work on it. It's a work in progress and always will be I think and they are tons of people like us.

I have noticed that if I eat sugar/carbs in the morning, I want more sugar and am more likely to binge. But I need brekkie so now I have some bland yoghurt or some cheese, or avocado, or nuts in the morning. Or eggs. And I don't have sugar of any kind before lunch (when I have fruits and vegs, or dessert).

Besides, your stomach can adapt... When you binge a lot, it expects a lot of food, and often. But when you make progress, it naturally expect less food and that's the awesome part. You just need to keep working at it and stop beating yourself when you have a bad day. You binge ate cereals this morning? Well, drink water, then eat protein and veggies at lunch and dinner and limit sugar for the rest of the day.

Good luck x

HealthyGinny

Think of it as a learning experience. I know I can't have ice cream in the house because I won't stay away from it. And as much as I like granola, it's too good and too high calorie to risk having it around.

And now you know you can't have this kind of cereal around so you won't buy it in the future.

Your binges are a bad habit and may be triggered by a certain emotion or state of mind (for instance, boredom is a trigger for me). Only you can put your finger on why exactly you do what you do. These are not changes that will happen over night but with time and practice you will get better and better. I find tracking can help with this becasue I don't want to see those extra calories. Before you eat it, log it, and then decide if that's something you really want to it.

I still catch myself thinking of what I could pull together for a snack instead of waiting another hour until meal time. But then I realize this is a rediculous waste of calories...and I'd rather use those on the yummy meal I'll be making soon. So I back out of the kitchen and find something to keep myself preoccupied for a while (read, play games on my tablet, etc).

Best of luck!

That also. If you can't eat some with moderation, keep it out of your house at first... I do that with PB (i go crazy with it), pizza, some cookies, ice cream...

RodaRose

It is o.k. not to eat breakfast. If you do eat breakfast, skip the carbs (I noticed that some people seem to be more sensitive to them than others.)
One thing that might work is to pre measure .
When you get the box/ package, weigh or measure the whole thing and make little containers or bags.
Then when you get up in the morning, you do not have to make any decisions. Eat the pre-mesured serving. At worst, you will end up eating a second serving. Then go on about your day.

GretaGirl8

granola is one of those foods that are good in theory. nutritious, tasty, high in fiber...but sooooooooooo easy to overeat. cereal in general is that way. the only cereal I don't binge in is All Bran. If you have ever had it--you would know why I don't binge on it.

MelRC117

I could honestly eat a box of cereal and not even really be full.

Not keeping it in the house at all is not an option as I have kids in the house as it sounds like you do, too. I have to just not even eat a single bowl. I don't have the willpower right now to limit myself (which is why I eat low carb) and I know I won't be full for very long with just a bowl.

I try to buy cereals that aren't my favorites so I don't give in as easily in a moment of weakness that the kids still like.

FindingAmy77

I don't eat cereal often but what I do when I buy it is take the entire bag and my scale and then put portion sizes into baggies, then I take all the proportioned baggies and put them back into the box/bag. THis way everything is portioned out ahead of time. I do this with bags of chips too. My husband gets a chuckle out of it and makes comments like oh look I am having two portions at a time. Oh well. Oatmeal is a way better and more filling choice most mornings. or eggs with vegies. We mainly use cereal as a snack before bed.

edit: you aren't alone in the binging on cereal thing. I will admit that I "snuck" into my husband's cereal (applejacks) this morning and by lunch ended up having two more bowls. Yep that was three for me today. Ooops. I have already put the rest into the baggies. Yes I do it for all cereal that enters my house. I forgot he bought it so when I seen it this morning it was calling my name. There is something about eating cereal with milk... its like you are drinking your food in a way so you end up eating faster and don't know when you had enough. That is my problem anyways. Now I wont have it for quite some time. At least I have it with almond milk so that helps a little.

SLLRunner

You DO have control over how much you eat, you just are not allowing yourself to have that power. If I can get over bingeing and allow myself ice cream, nuts, chips, and many other things in moderation, then anybody can learn portion control.

By the way, healthy or unhealthy food has nothing to do with anything regarding weight loss.

Take out your food scale, read serving size, weight out said serving size, put bag away, and have said serving. You're done, go do something else. That's the mechanics of it, anyway.

The bottom line is you need to make sure you are getting enough protein, fat, and carbs in your diet, that you are eating enough calories throughout your day, and--this is the big one--you need work on changing your relationship with food.

Find out why you are bingeing. Work on those issues. Create some new tools for yourself other than overeating. Talk with a professional.

Oh, and I like the poster upstream who said to take out your food scale and weigh every bit you are eating of that food. Log it too. It's a real eye opener.

daydreams_of_pretty

Try taking a few days off from added sugars/lots of carbs and then avoid eating large quantities of sugar/carbs at one time. You might want to check out some cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques for dealing with binge eating, anxiety, emotions, coping, etc. Using techniques for overcoming addiction can be helpful. Right now you probably can't have any of those trigger foods, but if you can break the cycle then you might be able to enjoy them in regular amounts in the future. You may never be able to eat cereal or bread for breakfast, but you could still enjoy baked goods or ice cream as treats after you reset yourself.

Brandolin11

You DO have control over how much you eat, you just are not allowing yourself to have that power....

Find out why you are bingeing. Work on those issues. Create some new tools for yourself other than overeating. Talk with a professional.

^^This. I highly recommend checking out the Overeaters Anonymous program as a great addition to all the other things you are doing. If you are willing to learn, you CAN accept that you're not normal (there is nothing wrong with that, join the club!), you CAN learn how to gain control, and you CAN get freedom! :flowerforyou:

grandmaalltheway

I love cereals but have to watch the carbs,because I just want to eat more.

StrawberryJam40

Try some protein in the morning, it'll make you feel fuller for longer.

Try having cereal and some greek yogurt. Or mix peanut butter in it. Or eat whatever your protein of choice is for breakfast.

If you still want to overeat on cereal, then cereal may be a trigger food for you and you should avoid it.

First..this.

And, what works for some doesn't work for others. So, as much as they love their cereal doesn't mean you have to or that it will work for you.

I basically have given up cereal. What I like either has too much sugar, and less sugar I don't like the taste. And, I really do great making sure I have protein with every meal. Not that I limit carbs, but it really changes my mind on what's for breakfast.

bethanyka

like others have said, this is behavioral. it's non-hunger eating

you are not alone, i've struggled with this as well
i do not believe the answer to this is not having the item in the house, or eating something else/ substitutes.

for me, i am trying to combat the behavior, the relationship with the food.

others have suggested OA. i can't speak to that, but i have been in therapy and a self help book ( how to eat cake and fit in skinny jeans - by Josie Spinardi) to really, really help me re-examine my relationship with food.

with that, i'm seeing great results. in my mood, weight, and outlook.

leahraskie

Eat a piece of fruit or vegetable with it, or try protein as well. Cereal is not filling unless you eat a ton of it, and milk's protein content isn't high enough to combat the carb load.

Iwishyouwell

A good chunk of my childhood fatness was fueled by overeating breakfast cereal. At some point in my teens I stopped eating it as breakfast and it became the perfect topping for ice cream.

I haven't had cereal in years. I don't see the point in it as a breakfast food. To me it's a dry snack or, again, the perfect topping for ice cream. I think there are just loads more plentiful, satisfying options for breakfast than trying to portion out an appropriate amount of cereal.

extra_medium

Get a food scale and keep weighing it. Eventually, it will become a hassle to weigh it. Don't eat anything you don't weigh. Problem solved itself for me.

Unless you had the scale hooked up to my body in an elaborate manner that would deliver an electric shock every time I ate something I didn't weigh first this wouldn't work on me. Once it became a hassle, I'd stop weighing rather than stop eating.

onmyown70

Interesting, listening to some of you, about binge eating. When I used to live on my own I did binge eat but I kept all food that I overate out of the house or only brought it in limited portions. So I was happy but I worked out that I needed to get up and get out, now I have to wait for my family to eat - or the guests too. I am constantly being asked for food by the kids and it's my own fault as I just can't resist it, I'm serving up and thinking "h I'll have one portion with them".....

I think I'm an introvert and I definitely binge more now having a child (and my husband's children) and having guests round. So my self analysis for you all :-) the thing is I'm in a situation that won't change for a long time- the kids are young and I will always get a bit anxious before we have friends to stay and I have to prepare/provide food and on top of this my husband is fussy (as are his children) and they like sugary/carby foods.... again not their fault, I need to exert willpower, but I'm often tired and demotivated at weekends...

It's not worth breaking up a marriage over and the situation won't change so I have to. I have checked out local OA groups but they are over ten miles away and on evenings-my other half works late and I have to look after our child.

So sorry to moan. I'm trying to work it all out.

Running helps, but I need to get up and do it... if I don't do it first thing it's a bit too late.

I appreciate it's all my own fault and I'm responsible. But I will always tell myself, in the moment, "just this once" "or moderation is they kety, be normal ad have a little of what you fancy" "You must still be hungry (after a massive meal), or I don't tell myself anything I just clear up the plates and eat what the kids have left... or have my hand in the cereal when I feel tired and stressed. Sigh.

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

Honey, you are not "normal" and you are not "abnormal", you're just you.

*THIS*

Did you realise, onmyown70, that you have used the word 'normal' 5 times on this thread? Ask yourself what is 'normal'? "Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected". We could argue that based on the replies you've had here that *you* are the normal one and your guests are the abnormal ones. Seriously - scrap this notion of normality. It isn't helping you. It (if I'm reading your posts correctly) adds to your sense of guilt which is such a wasted emotion, especially when it comes to food intake. Start having more confidence in you. Stop looking at, and trying to emulate, others. What works for them maybe (probably wont) work for you. Have confidence in your own ability to make decisions on what you want to eat. It maybe that you skip breakfast (there is no law that says you must eat it).

Mmm just read this through and it's very preachery. Sorry!! But I'm going to post it anyway because I think it needs saying

onmyown70

Honey, you are not "normal" and you are not "abnormal", you're just you.

*THIS*

Did you realise, onmyown70, that you have used the word 'normal' 5 times on this thread? Ask yourself what is 'normal'? "Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected". We could argue that based on the replies you've had here that *you* are the normal one and your guests are the abnormal ones. Seriously - scrap this notion of normality. It isn't helping you. It (if I'm reading your posts correctly) adds to your sense of guilt which is such a wasted emotion, especially when it comes to food intake. Start having more confidence in you. Stop looking at, and trying to emulate, others. What works for them maybe (probably wont) work for you. Have confidence in your own ability to make decisions on what you want to eat. It maybe that you skip breakfast (there is no law that says you must eat it).

Mmm just read this through and it's very preachery. Sorry!! But I'm going to post it anyway because I think it needs saying

This is a really supportive post, thank you. I do feel massive guilt, I do feel abnormal as it seems all my husband's family, all our friends, work colleagues in the past are all so different from me. Everyone has advice for me too.. and it doesn't help.

Thanks again for replying and sorry for the repetitive use of terminology.

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

This is a really supportive post, thank you. I do feel massive guilt, I do feel abnormal as it seems all my husband's family, all our friends, work colleagues in the past are all so different from me. Everyone has advice for me too.. and it doesn't help.

Thanks again for replying and sorry for the repetitive use of terminology.

Firstly, you do *not* need to apologise to me or anyone. I was only meaning to show you how negative you sound/harsh you are towards yourself. You should have more confidence. Okay I admit that is not easy to gain, you can't just flick a switch and magically be more confident - but it is something you should try to work on.

As for everyone having advice for you (I assume you mean your friends/family/colleagues)... the trick is to hear them, nod in the right places, and then ignore everything they say. Have more faith in you. Eat less, move more And if you want to hear/read the real way to lose weight scour the MFP forums. It is a treasure trove of information.

And my final thought - have you ever considered that while they are all so different from you, they are also so different from each other... unless of course they are all clones and you're living some weird Sci-Fi life