I'm a addict!!

cwalters81

I have never posted on a blog before, but here I am and I am on Day 8 of tracking and trying to get a hold on things!

I realized something today that I have probably known all along that I am a food addict. I've heard the saying "live to eat or eat to live" and I have been definitely living to eat! The hard part for me is the more I think about dieting the more I think about food and I have to work that out as well as finding time for exercise! I work full-time, part-time student and a mother of two young boys, so finding time is difficult, but I'm done and I need to make a change. I weigh 193 and I didn't even weigh this much at 9 months pregnant with both of my kids! My down fall is sugar cravings and sometimes salty food, so any advice or tips & tricks on how to help curve those cravings would be great!

I decided to post because I have tried to do this alone and I always fall off the wagon, so I know after reading many posts on here that maybe support from others who are going through the same thing will help keep me going! My ultimate goal is 135, short term I would like to start off by losing at least 20 lbs in the next few months.

Thanks,

Carol

Sandikh

Welcome Carol...!

tfox123

I found that Vlasic baby whole dill pickles cures the salt crave (they are very salty) and don't have a lot of calories.

JanerZzz

I think the best thing you can do is start thinking of this differently...this is not a temporary diet (throw that word out of your dictionary), this is a lifestyle change to a healthier you. So start out by changing your eating habits...bit by bit...ridding your home of as many processed foods as possible would be a step in the right direction...setting yourself up on a structured routine would help as well. Planning is HUGE. So plan your meals a week ahead (as much as possible), plan your work outs.

It'll get easier with time even if it seems like a huge undertaking now...you're on the right path already being here.

So welcome. Add me if you'd like :flowerforyou:

KDemon

I have never succeeded with solitary significant weight loss. I have yo yoed up and down about 20lbs for the past 15 years and feel really positive about MFP. I have only been talking to others on the site for abouta week and I feel so much stronger about sticking with my plan - even when I had a birthday this week I got right back on track the following day.

Support seems to be the key for me right now, maybe it is what you need too.

Add me as a friend if you would like.

Good luck on your journey.

Karin

Jade_Butterfly

Hi Carol,

Truly having the support of everyone here is a good thing, and yes we all encourage each other when we are doing good or bad. The important thing is to be open and honest. There are many people with many good suggestions and advice. Now as far as sodium, you need to cut it down as much as possible, which is to say eat as naturally as possible even though you are a parent. Limiting processed foods as much as possible. You will find that when getting in here and making changes it is really not quite as tough as people think. If you really like things like that there are many low sodium options, or things that have a lot of flavor and lack the sodium all together. As far as sugar. I would suggest making sure that you are getting enough fruit in your diet. Others eat sugar free puddings and jellos. There are low cal dessert options too, like healthy choice 100 cal fudgebars, skinny cows of any kind, Vita tops. . . And there are a lot of good recipes here on the site, as well as many of us know of a lot of low cal recipe sites. Hope this helps! :bigsmile:

FaithandFitness

Welcome! Feel free to add me as a friend . . . friends make the journey more fun!

I am glad you are finding something that works for you. I understand about trying to stay away from foods, and that when you are trying to stay away from them you want them more and more.

Some things that I do are . . .making sure I have plenty of good choices to grab during the day, making sure there aren't things like an open bag of chips in the van with me as I drive around town, I head upstairs at night away from my food cupboard after I am done tyding the kitchen at night, that way I have to walk farther to get to snack food. That way I am either too lazy or I turn myself around in time. I also keep water handy at all times. If I think I want some cake left in my break room I drink a bunch of water so that I am too full to enjoy the cake, that usually works (note the usually).

There will be peaks and valleys during this journey, don't be too hard on yourself during the bad times and be darn proud of yourself for all that you accomplish. Every healthy choice is a small victory!

hamsmash

I feel your pain, After my son was born I really liked just hanging out enjoying the baby. Packed on 50 pounds from already being overweight... I love my sweet treats, heck food in general is Awesome. What i am mid stride doing is trying to cut down on all the sweets. Converted from regular soda to either diet or plain ice tea with the goal of cutting out the diet soda completely. I also try to budget myself at least something a little sweet to help with the craving. I also found that hard candy isn't a bad way to get a lil sugar fix. the hard disc and jolly rancher sized hard candies are about 20 calories each so you can have 2-3 and not destroy your daily goals. Hope one day to not have the sweet tooth i currently do..

TonyTrinch

Welcome aboard! I've been here for about three weeks now and the first most immediate change I noticed was that when I started logging every piece of food I eat on my food diary, that caused me to be more conscious of the foods I choose to eat during the day.

Reading the forums and commenting every now and then has also helped. Feeling connected to a larger community of folks struggling with simular issues and talking openly about it has been a great boon to getting me to move forward.

Feel free to friend me as well!

cangel81603

Hello and welcome. I too crave sugar like crazy!! This being why I'm here.. to lose all the cakes and candy bars that have stuck to my butt for to many years..lol. When I want something sweet I eat Quaker mini rice cakes.. chocolate or carmel. Also pudding, yogurt or 90 calorie snack bars. This usually settles my craving for a while. Also if you have that hungry feeling alot of times your dehydrated so always drink a glass or two of water and see if that may take your mind off it. I've found that drinking warm water (room temp. bottle water) makes me feel full. The more water you drink the better. Hope this helps and good luck:)

ShiloughCoy

The most important thing for me has been to address and change my thoughts about food as a "reward", a "stress reliever", a "comfort", and a "friend to turn to". I've decided to change the way I run my life and give up my all-or-nothing habit. So what if I have an ice cream with my daughter? If I'm not just running toward a four week goal, but am changing the way I eat for life, there is room for a little bit of ice cream on a hot day

Good luck to you. Remember, you're not alone in this struggle!!

Bmorrow

Welcome...You are among many just like you, including me! I have had 5 children and like you, weighed more when I started here than I ever did w any pregnancy....I mean REALLY. Anyway, after yoyoing for most of my life and starting a new diet Monday (and being done w it by Weds) I decided that I needed something that would help me lose the weight by eating foods that I like to eat, ya know, the breads, pasta, potatoes and yes even desserts. On MFP, I have learned to do that simply by modifying the amount, choosing low calorie breads and limiting the amount of desserts. I have also incorporated exercise(I've always been active, but I mean EXERCISE). Started slow and have added more gradually when I felt like my body was ready for more. I have lost 12 lbs. in three months (ticker says 9, but lost some b/4 I started), not 20, not 40 not 80 like some of my friends that have been on here the same amount of time as me, but my objectives have been met... Into one digit clothes, BP at a healthy level and I feel great! BUT HONESTLY, I am sure that I would not have still been with it if it were not for the wonderful folks on here...their incouragement and motivation have kept me going and I'm sure you will feel the same in about a month. Would love to be your friend and join you on your journey.

khrys1

I have had the same issue- I have had to totally cut out the items I crave (because I can't just eat one), or have tried chewing spearmint gum, because NOTHING goes with the taste of spearmint! Get all of your "weakness" foods out of the house and set up a support system for yourself- including us! Good luck to you and feel free to add me as a friend!

DeenaSteelerGirl

You and me sound alot alike. I too am a busy mom of two young boys. And work full time with a husband that works opposite shift than I do.. so finding me time is hard... but with that said.. you need to. I have been making time for exercise. It is a must. Also log everthing you eat.. this will help alot with knowing what calories you take in and need to cut out. I will friend request you because I believe we can help each other. I too am looking to loose about 20 lbs before swimsuit weather. Good luck to you.

shellypoo7

Welcome! We sound like one in the same. I'm a single mom of 2 kids (1 and 16) and tend to snack alot on things that aren't good for me. But I have this stickler for eating things that taste good and we both know if it tastes good - more than likely it's too many calories associated with it.

Good luck!

ButterflyKristen

You can DO IT!!! Here's a trick: In addition to keeping a food diary, try also writing down your feelings when you are craving a specific food that you know you should not have (for whatever reason, i.e. had not banked calories for it or it's a habit food). For example, I really like to have cereal before bed (a sure weightloss killer). Oh, yes it is healthy cerial, but by the time I'm done, I've consumed over 300 calories b/c I like raisins and walnuts in it. Anyway, I started writing in my journal one night and wrote how I was CRAVING cereal. I asked my self "why? I'm not hungry. I ate plenty of healthy dinner and if I eat this cereal, it will just put off yet another day of weight removal.... etc" You get the point. So, give journaling a try. Write whatever comes to mind.

Feel free to friend me. (I'm new to MFP too).

mkennedym

high fiber foods are generally accepted as good at curbing your appetite, so try to eat foods high in fiber. for sugar cravings, i've read that eating fruit is a good idea (or having some fruit juice) because the natural sugars in fruit help defeat cravings and natural sugar is not as bad for you as high fructose corn syrup (the sugar that most american foods use because it is cheaply produced).

your best bet overall is to start off small (try losing a lb a week through mild exercise and cutting back your calories by 300-500 calories a day under maintenance level) and then working your way up to losing 2 lbs or more a week (2 lbs a week is generally considered the maximum safe weight loss per week in humans, so don't go overboard). going too hard too fast generally burns people out and they are back to their old ways within weeks.

Caharleygirl

Hi...yeah I hear ya.. I too am a food addict especially carbohydrates!!! I find that by cutting out all bad carbs, I crave them less. What I mean by bad carbs (for me not everyone) is things like white bread, white rice, white potatoes, and sugar...you get the idea. I also really restrict my sodium because I retain water alot and it's not good for me. So when I'm wishing I could have a sweet/salty treat...I usually go for grapes and cheese. I particularly love those mini Babybel light cheeses. I hope this helps you. I'm kinda a newbie on here and am still learning. Please feel free to friend me and we can help each other along this journey to a healthier life!!!

scmcgee

Hi Carol, I am also addicted to SUGAR! I just join this week on MyFitnessPal and I am already loving up. Please add me as a friend. The support is incredible and I like tracking my food intake and daily excersise. I chew a lot of gum now - Trident is only 4 calories - to help me with my sweet cravings. I also stopped drinking all sodas - Diet Coke was my drink of choice. Drink lots of water and move your body. I have lost 2 pounds in week! YEAH!! Good Luck and know you have support.