Please help me

Stephoebe

I need help, motivation and support. I am a cumpulsive over eater. I vowed to stop for the new year but that plan was ruined by 11am today. I have finished off a box of biscuits and a packet of biscuits, quite a few croissants and chocolate bars. Today has been the worse day ever. I know I probaly put too much pressure on myself expecting everything to change for the better in 2011 but it is just getting worse. I read alot about COE and BED on other threads on these message boards but I dont want to ruin the up-beat and recovery focused atmosphere in them. I just need someone to help me.

MissAnjy

The first thing you need to do is ... remove all the crap food from your house. When you don't have it available to you, you can't eat it, right? Secondly, take it 10 minutes at a time and build up from there. Resist temptations 10 minutes at a time, and before you know it, you've done it all day. It's extremely hard to start, but once you get the ball rolling, it begins to get easier. Push yourself to start, make yourself resist, take it however slow you need to take it in order to do that. you can do this, you need to give yourself the credit. When you feel hungry, sit down & really ask yourself WHY you're hungry. Is it actual hunger? or is it because you're bored, watching tv, sad, happy, upset, etc. If you really are hungry, eat a small snack with a glass of water. It will fill you up between meals. Goodluck, you can do it. Stay tough.

NoAdditives

The first thing to do is to stop buying the foods that tempt you the most. Don't buy biscuits, croissants, chocolate, or other "bad" foods. Buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables instead. It's really almost impossible to eat too many vegetables!

Just take it one day at a time. Don't try to completely overhaul your eating and exercise habits at once, it's just too much. Change one thing at a time and once you've been successful with that change, change something else. And, if you can manage it without going crazy, give yourself a day off. Unless you plan on never eating sweets or junk food ever again, allow yourself one day, or even just one meal, where you can eat some of those foods. Because this is a lifestyle change, not a quick-fix diet. If you plan on eating chocolate after you lose weight, you can eat a little while you're losing if you're able to keep it under control.

joceyz1

I wish I had some sound advice for you, but I dont. I hope someone else can help. Im a pretty good over eater myself. I have found that when Im actively working out it feels like eating right is easier than when Im not and I just feel blah over all.

Hugs to you! i hope you are able to conquer this issue. Hang in there.

snobuny032

Great advice MissAnjy

The first thing you need to do is ... remove all the crap food from your house. When you don't have it available to you, you can't eat it, right? Secondly, take it 10 minutes at a time and build up from there. Resist temptations 10 minutes at a time, and before you know it, you've done it all day. It's extremely hard to start, but once you get the ball rolling, it begins to get easier. Push yourself to start, make yourself resist, take it however slow you need to take it in order to do that. you can do this, you need to give yourself the credit. When you feel hungry, sit down & really ask yourself WHY you're hungry. Is it actual hunger? or is it because you're bored, watching tv, sad, happy, upset, etc. If you really are hungry, eat a small snack with a glass of water. It will fill you up between meals. Goodluck, you can do it. Stay tough.

addman72

As the above posts mention , get the wrong foods out of the house.

Set a mini goal , where you got a week without junk food then reward yourself after the week is over.

Now to put into practice what I preach. lol

edebock

MissAnjy & NoAdditives both give excellent advice. I found the best way for me to replace unhealthy snacks with healthy ones (other than making sure that there aren't a lot of unhealthy options in the house) was to keep ziploc bags of pre cut veggies in the fridge at all times. If I have to cut & wash the veggies for a snack, I probably won't bother. I'll likely reach for something less healthy instead but if they're already there ready to eat, they're an easier choice. I've also started putting a plate of assorted fresh veggies on the table with most meals. I cut, wash & bag the veggies a couple of times a week.

Stephoebe

Thankyou everyone. It is helping me feel better by having people support me and talk to me. Any suggestions on coping when the food has to be in the house. I love fruit and vegetables and have loads available but I am living with two teenage boys and overweight parents who eat alot of junk. I have tried my hardest to persuade them to come with me on this journey to get healthier but they are not interested. Any way, the bad junk food is available in the house. Any tips on resisting??

paperboy

OK... Cleaning out the cubboard is a great idea... but for someone just starting... That's hard to do because you don't want to waste the money that's been spent on the food right? Yeah, I know I've been there. I'll just finish this box off and I won't buy anymore. But then you do. And then your watching TV and you're just going to have one little treat... and then you have eight... or just one scoop of ice cream and before you know it your scraping the bottom of the quart container.

The bottom line is... you've got to find a reason to want to stop. And, to be blunt, you've got to find a reason you want to live. And that's all I'm going to say because really, you watch the medical shows and you watch the biggest loser and you know what all that crap is doing to your body.

There are hundreds of people on this site and many others like it that are willing to chime in to your life and send you a supportive text from time to time and remind you that "Yes, You Can"... but the truth is you've got to make the choice to put the cookie down for yourself. I can sit here and type all day long about how empowered you're going to be to lose weight and to stop overeating and to set goals and achieve them and all the other really fantastic spiritual stuff that comes along with accomplishing goals for yourself that you never thought possible. But that comes after you make the decision for yourself to stop after one cookie... or stop after one cracker... or stop at one can of soda... or get up and go for a walk...

Btw the way... 2011 has 365 days in it... today was the first. You already know what happened... but there are 364 more to make the right decisions and choices for yourself.

Keep moving forward.

wanderinglight

I agree with MissAnjy. Ten minutes at a time is the way to go. I've been there (I am there) with you. I still struggle against polishing off the bag rather than stopping at a few. I've learned that it is easier for me not to start eating something bad for me than to just have a few and then stop. I walk, brush my teeth, do ten situps, log on here and read through a thread...and sometimes still none of those tricks work and I need to dig deep inside and call upon my inner strength to stop.

Since the junk food is going to be in your house whether you like it or not, see if you can confine it to one cupboard or one shelf in the refrigerator. Then tell yourself that that area is not for you. Maybe down the line it will be for you, but for right now, that is not your shelf. Chances are, down the line you won't even want it. You are on your own journey. It's too bad that others in your house aren't joining, but this is your time to be selfish and walk your own path by yourself. Every day you will get stronger.

I have to play mental games with myself when I'm surrounded by junk food (at my sister's house, which I totally associate with eating yummy stuff). I pretend there are maggots crawling on the chips. I picture pubic hair on the cookies. If I have already started eating a bag of potato chips and I realize that I need to make myself stop, I will pour vegetable oil or orange juice over them so I won't finish them. This might be disgustingly TMI for some of you and it might sound crazy, but that's what I do and it works.

I never feel guilty about throwing away half a bag or container of something either. Whether it is in my stomach or in the trash is irrelevant.

darcyinks

Steph, this is your NEW Mom talking! Stay out of the kitchen! Just don't go in there unless you absolutely have to. Let your family know why you are avoiding the kitchen. Now go to the store and get small snack baggies a small cooler and some healthy snacks. Nuts, veggies, etc. No processed snacks, they are not healthy nomatter what they say. Portion out your snacks into the little baggies and put then in your cooler with an ice pack. Not real ice because your stuff will be swimming in water and then it gets gross. When you think you are hungry or bored or just want to eat, take a hot shower or bath, excersise, dance, go out with your friends. Anything to get your mind off food. If you are still hungry after that, you can eat a snack pack. Wait 30 minutes and if you are still hungry have another. The thing is to get your mind off food!

legacysh

Love Paperboys honesty. So true, if YOU don't make that choice, NO willpower is going to be enough to get you through it. Unfortunatly I got the kick in the pants because of my health, and its a constant battle, but not one of those foods makes you feel as good as a walk down the block, or stepping on a scale a finding out the numbers are going down. Look for other things to satisfy whatever the food is giving you...

rjlam

Not to sound repeatitive but get rid of all of the tempting foods and replace them with good snacks. I suggest you take the time to prepare snack foods like cut up carrots and celery ready to be eaten when you get the hurge to bing. The other suggestions is take the 10sec rule. when you get the feeling that your hungry count to 10 then if you still feel hungry drink a glass of water (8oz) then wait 10 minutes. Nine times out of ten you body is really craving water and not food. Hope this helps. Take it one step at a time. Good luck

Stephoebe

Just want to say a huge thankyou to everyone who has given me suggestions to help me control this. Your support has really given me a boost. I did good today! Thankyou xx

Stephoebe

I have suffered a huge relapse.
I have my carrot sticks, and made soup. Meals are ready in the freezer. I even made some flapjacks, cut into small cubes and froze them in the hope i could have a little cube when I am peckish. I made enogh to last over two months, using over 350g of oats) and i have ate the lot. I also just ate my brothers sugarry yoghurt, my mothers tea cakes and my dads doughnuts. This is the second day running. i am awfully embarrassed writing this now but I had to write this to hold myself accountable for my actions.
This is getting serious. My bones and muscles ache and my body is changing for the worse. I need to stop! I am falling apart. I should be studying right now but I feel like if I do anything other than focus on this message right now I will start to binge again. I hate this, I hate my life right now. I am ashamed of myself and the the fat greedy person I have become. This is my worse nightmare.
I know exactly what I have to do to stop but I just cant. I feel sick now. Its like all I think about is food. Not eating it. Even when I am not hungry. My whole life is being ruined by food.

MrsWard2002

We started watching what we eat when my husband had a heart attack. I use the MyFitnessPal on my IPod so it can be with me at ALL the times. I enter food before I eat it. I think of the number calories I can have in a day as "money". When I want something to eat, I say do I want to "spend" that amount on that item? Most of the time the answer is no....and I find something better and less calories. Such as sugar free pudding or jello; 100 calorie snack pack or a cup of fruit. I find veggies that are 25 to 30 calories for 2/3 to a cup. I use those to "fill" my plate. Then have chicken or pork, measuring out a serving. I find new recipes, paying close attention to serving size and calorie amounts. I try to make 2 or 3 new dinners a week. When we find one that we really like, I'll make it again. Get rid of the junk food and replace with fruit, veggies, and low cal snacks.

Good luck

wanderinglight

Stephoebe -- I'm glad that you still checked in even with a relapse. I also know how hard it can be when none of the usual tricks (go for a walk, chew a piece of gum, brush your teeth, etc) are worthless when that voice is telling you to eat eat eat. Stay strong and try for 10 minutes at a time. Read this thread, and copy down anyone's advice that resonates with you. Little victories lead to big victories. Thinking of you.

BeachbodyCoachFletcher

Rule #1 (for me at least): Never beaet yourself up over setbacks. I am an overeater too. Three turgey burgers tonight - should have stopped at 1 but just kept going till I felt sick. We all do it sometimes. But if you beat yourslef up, you will get depressed and guess what, you will want to eat again. Just accept it, pick yourself up, come talk to some great people and get on track. Remember, you are strong and you can achiev what ever you really commit to.

The only person you can control is you, and you are the only person that can control you.

Good luck