How to not be obsessed with food?

riannenrings

I was hoping some other members might share some mental tricks they use in order to overcome overeating..talking yourself out of eating bad things...staying focused on goals, etc..
i realize that this is a lifestyle change that i need to make ...i've managed to make daily exercise (or almost daily) a regular habit, but the eating ... i cant seem to make it so that eating (or drinking) good things are not the focus of outings, or my nightly downfall etc....

i see people on here who say "i finally changed my eating habits"...how? I know what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, but HOW to actually stick to it? how do you do that?

how do you go out to restaurants, or go to parties, or go have drinks etc and not just throw away all your resolve ?! help me!

oh, and one other question. I recently started eating breakfast earlier in the morning and before I work out, and now I am seriously more hungry throughout the day..is this the goal? Now i just want to eat more!

thanks everyone

cowpacino

stop trying to play tricks on yourself and start taking ownership for what you do, you'll never succeed if you're dishonest with yourself

Luvmysixpack

The first thing I did was eliminate the things in my house I cannot have. That helped a lot. I did not buy things that would make me temped. That was the first step for me.

skb135

is that your picture? You are very thin, I cant imagine that you would need to worry about some extra calories.

riannenrings

haha thats Marilyn, not me

riannenrings

ugh, thank you. you're right. that's whats so hard sometimes.

rtmama

I agree, get rid of the bad foods in the house. If it's not there, you can't eat it. When I'm hungry, I just reach for something and eat...but I don't have any processed food in the house, so it's a "whole food" choice.

I do cheat about once a week, but everything else is basically home made. I don't shy away from high fiber carbs or healthy fat, but I do limit my refined sugar.

You can talk about it over and over but you have to just stop talking and just do it. I talked about 'eating healthier' for months, but something just has to click for you to finally get it!

I think my ah ha moment was when a facebook friend posted:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me."

That was just about 2 years ago, and I'm still going strong. 60+ pounds lost, and maintaining!

GOOD LUCK!!!

DeBlue

I don't know - we all struggle with this at one time or another or we wouldn't have ever even visited this type of website.

Make a list of things you agree to honor, sign it and post it on your refrigerator. 1) I will eat only reasonable portions 2) When I have a craving I will wait 10 minutes and write about whether I am hungry or really sad or angry or scared 3) When I think about a food item calling from my kitchen, I will take a walk first and appreciate the light feeling of my body 4) when the clock strikes six PM I will not put so much as another morsel of food or drink into my mouth.... think about what your weaknesses and temptations are and write your own promise note.

Hope this or a better idea helps get your momentum going!

bcattoes

For me two things made me change my unhealthy eating habits. First was having children. I did NOT want to raise my kids so that they had to overcome unhealthy eating habits in the future. And that worked, they are both grown now and are very healthy adults, one raising her own child to be a healthy eater (when he was 4 his favorite meal was baked mauhi mauhi and whole grain couscous with mixed veggies). Now, what keeps me on track is age. I just have to work harder now to be thin and have to worry about cholesterol and BP and all those things that I didn't use to worry about. But I am no saint. I like to eat drink and be merry, so I do in moderation. When I go to a party I eat what is offered and get back on track the next day. And I exercise.

The_Saint

I stopped.
Thinking about food as a means of pleasure, I started thinking about food as fuel.
Granted certain foods taste good, or better than others.
Duality sets in.
Do I need to eat dessert? If so,do I need to eat the entire piece of cheesecake?
Or is it possible to enjoy from one bite, what I would enjoy from 7 bites?

I do have my occasional cheat meal. When I do, they are EPIC. I know they are going to be that way, because I plan them that way. Which means I know what I'm going to be getting myself into. I'm doing it on purpose, there is no feeling bad about it afterward, I had plenty of time to turn the ship around. No use worrying about it after the fact, get back to the system.

I am in control of what I eat, because I make it that way.
I am in control of how much I eat, because I make it that way.
I am in control, not the food.

Sorry if this got weird.

rtmama

I also forgot to add that it doesn't happen overnight.

I developed better and better eating habits over time. My food diary is a lot different than it was when I started, or even last summer. You grow and learn new things slowly so it sinks in.

One step at a time

Pangui

For me, I have to be willing to adjust my eating behaviors to address the most current challenge I am facing. For so long I thought you had to eat 5 small meals a day to achieve optimum weight loss. That was undoable for me because every time I sat down for a meal, I couldn't stop eating. It's not like I was craving fatty or sugary things. I just couldn't stop eating.

Once I realized that my control was out the window every time I ate, I opted to take a different approach. I limited myself to two meals a day. For those two meals I let myself eat as much as I wanted. I was completely satisfied. I was able to resist the hunger at other times because I knew that when it was time to eat again, I could eat what I wanted and not feel guilty. In fact, I had more control once I gave myself permission to have more.

While this approach didn't work every day, it did bring me some small successes and gave me a sense of control. Now I am able to use the tools on MFP and I no longer have to limit myself to 2 meals a day. Once the control sets in, you can adjust your eating patterns to a more moderate approach.

I had a really stressful day at work last friday and I was mindful that I would have to be extra careful about eating that night. I planned for other ways to feel pleasure. I spent time in my garden and I had a nice long bath. You need to have a list of things that you can do instead of eating when you know you will be up against strong urges. You will have to find your own list, but some suggestions are gardening, hobbies, puzzles, baths, reading (books or magazines), exercise, calling a friend, or just focusing on your goals.

Sunday was my anniversary. I wanted to go out to a nice dinner and not worry about my eating. I was very careful to eat very lightly for breakfast and lunch and I gave myself permission to go over that one meal, because this was a once a year event. As it turned out, I managed to stay 60 calories under my daily goal, even though I ate so much that I felt stuffed.

I think I will always be obsessed with food. The important part is that I also need to be obsessed with controlling my behavior. Focusing and planning are the keys to gaining control.

riannenrings

Thank you saintsparrow.. haha no it didnt get weird i appreciate your sharing your strategies. I am going to try to adopt them!! Thank you!

I stopped.
Thinking about food as a means of pleasure, I started thinking about food as fuel.
Granted certain foods taste good, or better than others.
Duality sets in.
Do I need to eat dessert? If so,do I need to eat the entire piece of cheesecake?
Or is it possible to enjoy from one bite, what I would enjoy from 7 bites?

I do have my occasional cheat meal. When I do, they are EPIC. I know they are going to be that way, because I plan them that way. Which means I know what I'm going to be getting myself into. I'm doing it on purpose, there is no feeling bad about it afterward, I had plenty of time to turn the ship around. No use worrying about it after the fact, get back to the system.

I am in control of what I eat, because I make it that way.
I am in control of how much I eat, because I make it that way.
I am in control, not the food.

Sorry if this got weird.

riannenrings

thank you every one for spending your time on this.... every one had awesome strategies to share... I really appreciate it.

riannenrings

thank you every one for spending your time on this.... every one had awesome strategies to share... I really appreciate it.