I feel part of the joy in my life is taken away when i can't

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Mybetterme
Mybetterme Posts: 80 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anybody else feel this way. i mean after I eat too much I feel gross but while I am eating donuts or a big nice meal full of fat I really enjoy it and am missing it. What sorts of things have u done to replace the joy eating brings. I realize losing weight feels fantastic but eating is so instant.
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Replies

  • bmw4deb
    bmw4deb Posts: 1,325 Member
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    I look for ways to make my favorites lower in calorie and fat.
    I know what you mean by wanting those foods and enjoying them
    till there gone, really is like any other addiction you enjoy while doin it
    but instantly regret it when its over.
  • TexasNurseMom78
    TexasNurseMom78 Posts: 897 Member
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    This is somethign I have struggled with too. Every specail occasion is celebrated wtih food, and I am an emotional eater for sure. So I have had to learn to channel taht into something else. What is that? Different things different days. Somtimes I go for a walk, clean my house, call a friend, get on MFP! And I try not to feel guilty or have a treat or "unhealthy" meal every once and a while.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    junk food used to be a comfort to me, but now I think of it in terms of putting on weight and how much gym time I would have to have to work it off.
  • Forensic
    Forensic Posts: 468 Member
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    *shrug* Do what you can to 'earn' a treat. Make room for it in your day and then have a donut. As a treat. Once in a great while. Just... moderation, right?
  • FabOma08
    FabOma08 Posts: 500
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    *shrug* Do what you can to 'earn' a treat. Make room for it in your day and then have a donut. As a treat. Once in a great while. Just... moderation, right?

    Exactly! It's learning moderation that's hard. But if we want to enjoy life rather than obsess over calories, we have to learn it!
  • luvmybentley
    luvmybentley Posts: 74 Member
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    junk food used to be a comfort to me, but now I think of it in terms of putting on weight and how much gym time I would have to have to work it off.

    I agree, once I learned to calculate the calories in everything I'm eating, it's no wonder I put on the weight in the first place. I'm appalled at the amount of calories in some of the foods I used to enjoy, now they make me cringe. I've turned into the calorie police, I don't even bring many processed foods into the house anymore, and no more KFC or Dairy Queen for my family.

    I'll save the "joy" for special occasions only...once a month tops.
  • krishnapu
    krishnapu Posts: 11
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    I have made little changes like switching from ice cream to frozen yogurt. I know it's still an indulgence, but it's got less than half the calories. And going out to get frozen yogurt still lets me enjoy the process of going out to get a treat on a hot night. We have a place called Yogurtland here in Denver... it's like an even better Pinkberry. A whole cup can be less than 350 calories -- it's about 30 calories per ounce. I think it tastes just as good!

    Little changes like that have helped me stay on track while still indulging and enjoying life. I agree -- food and eating are one of life's joys and taking that away can be pretty devastating!
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    I love Cadbury Creme Eggs. I love them so much that I will eat them until I feel sick, and then I'll eat another to see if it will make me feel any better - which it never does and I feel even more sick. I never learn...

    BUT

    I bought a big box of them (48) for my birthday about a month ago. Two days after my birthday I decided that I'd had enough of being a fatty, and I was going to do something about it. So I popped the eggs away and joined the gym. When I'd finished my first workout at the gym, I thought 'yes! now I can have a creme egg cos I've done so well!'. I logged on here and found out that the creme egg was more calories than I'd worked off... so disheartening. Anyway, I then decided that since my goal is to lose 50kg, I'll eat one every time I lose a kilo. Not a kilo in total, but a week where I lose a full kilo. That means that when the eggs are gone, I'll be at my goal weight!!

    The hard part has been sticking to not eating them until weigh-in day, and then not having one if I don't lose a full kilo. It's motivation for me to do well - especially as I know that during the week, if I don't have that second helping of dinner, or if I get out of bed and go to the gym, when I don't feel like it, that I'll be rewarded for those efforts. I LIVE for Sunday nights to see if I get an egg... and so do my friends cos I post it on Facey!!
  • bethy73
    bethy73 Posts: 39
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    I feel that way too and I'm still struggling with it a little bit. For example, this afternoon I called my mom up and told her that I was bored and wanted to come and spend some time out on her deck since it was so nice outside. So, she came and picked me up [I'm in a wheelchair and can't drive right now]. Thing is, after she picked me up, she instantly headed to the Dairy Queen and said, "Let's get a hot fudge sundae". Now, she knows these things are a weakness for me, and she also knows that I am on this diet plan, but her logic is that for over a week now, I haven't been eating enough calories and the computer has been telling me that I need to eat more so I'm not in "starvation mode". [My logic is "Hey Mom, take a look. Do I LOOK like I'm starving???] Then, she decided to take me and my sister, brother-in-law, and niece out for supper. They all ordered cheeseburgers and bacon cheeseburgers and fries, as much as I wanted one too, I looked on the menu to see what I could find that was healthy and settled for a cup of soup and a grilled chicken sandwich with yellow mustard. Don't get me wrong ~ it was very good, but I've gotten so that I feel guilty if I order something that's "bad" for me, no matter how much I want it. I'm hoping that this feeling doesn't last forever. But, I can guarantee you that the first thing I did when I came home was turned my Wii on and worked out for an hour ... =)

    Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through. I'm just chalking it up to the fact that I'm still a "newbie" and have only been at this for about 3 weeks [just about]. I'm betting that the longer I work at this and the more results I start to see, the less "let down" I feel, and I bet you will feel the same way. Feel free to add me as a friend and we can go through these little battles together.

    ~Beth
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I love your little reward system. Where can I get a big box of Cadbury eggs?
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    I love your little reward system. Where can I get a big box of Cadbury eggs?

    I got them on a website called Catch of the Day. It has daily specials and I caved cos it was my birthday!!
  • helloiloveukitty
    helloiloveukitty Posts: 448 Member
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    I'm thrilled with how I look naked now, so that > stuffing myself any day any time ever. Not to say that I don't occasionally have a treat but it is just that, occasional and a treat...not huge crazy overeating every day like I used to do.
  • Mybetterme
    Mybetterme Posts: 80 Member
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    Something so satisfing about being really full too. Like always being a little hungry makes me uneasy.
  • kaitimae
    kaitimae Posts: 727 Member
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    I have talked about this with my therapist not too long ago. And he did some research, and told me that bingeing actually produces endorphins while we are eating - so it is a chemical bodily response, which is why you feel good while you are actually eating.

    He also said that it is the ACT of bingeing, not what you eat, that produces the response. Obviously the *best* outcome when you feel like emotional eating is to find something else to do. But if you know ahead of time that you are going to eat whatever you see when you walk in the house - make it something healthy. Eat a whole carton of berries. Or a huge bowl of fresh veggies. The act of eating that much food will produce the same response - and it will be far healthier to eat fruits and veggies.

    In the long run though - you don't want to be emotional or binge eating for the rest of your life. Work on lessening the amount of food you eat when you are emotional, not taking it all away at once, and work on eating better foods. Over time, you will need to use it less and less I think.

    One thing that really helps me when I feel like emotional eating, is writing. Sometimes I write in my journal about how I'm feeling or things that are bothering me. Other times I work on my creative writing projects. Finding something you really love to DO (not eat) and pouring your emotions into THAT will be a far healthier long term practice. The more creative and active you can be, the better.
  • suzooz
    suzooz Posts: 720 Member
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    Like other posters, I have learned to substitute lower calorie treats like Skinny Moos and Vita Top Muffins when I need a treat. Or I'll save up for a special treat, such as the Baskin Robbins Flavor of the month (I have been waiting for the June flavor of the month since it came out in April. Now I'm just waiting for a nice day to mow the lawn so that I can burn off enough calories . . . )

    There are moments, though, where I have indulged in something bad, only to discover that it really doesn't taste as good as I remembered. Like, does anyone else notice that a Big Mac and fries doesn't taste quite the same as it once did? I try to remember those instances when I am craving something bad and try to talk myself into something a little better for me.

    And -- I have also implemented the rule where I have to be able to work off all of my "treat" calories -- this helps, too, since I can only exercise off about 300, unless I mow the lawn, of course!
  • MTriplettBaker
    MTriplettBaker Posts: 7 Member
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    I changed my "JOY" . I still like to eat, but I am finding ways to enjoy what is good and healthy for me. I have really focused on finding joy in seeing those numbers go down on the scale. Food and Moscato wine was like a drug addiction. Temporary enjoyment and then you are depressed about the outcome later. So now I think before I put food into my mouth, and actually ask myself "is this going to make me unhappy late?"r. I know the mind is a powerful thing, and we have to learn to take control of that power, and make it work in a postive ways.
  • chezmama
    chezmama Posts: 396 Member
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    I haven't denied myself any of the foods I love but I try to stay under my calorie goal, or if I go over, I try not to go a lot over. My weight loss is probably slower than most but it is steady and I do not feel deprived of any joy. I feel like I could eat like this forever, so I don't worry about "going back to old ways,"
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I haven't denied myself any of the foods I love but I try to stay under my calorie goal, or if I go over, I try not to go a lot over. My weight loss is probably slower than most but it is steady and I do not feel deprived of any joy. I feel like I could eat like this forever, so I don't worry about "going back to old ways,"

    Sometimes I wish MFP had a 'like' button for comments like this. I totally agree with you. This is how I am doing it and it is working. I don't know about my weight loss being slow. Some might criticize that I'm losing too fast, but I still have my moments. But you totally expressed my outlook on the whole situation.
  • ascoope
    ascoope Posts: 42
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    I can so relate- it's something I am still really struggling with right now. I'm not the kind of person who can buy a bag of my favorite chips and have a couple- I'll eat the whole bag. If I just avoid those foods altogether I'm generally much better off. I still indulge every now and then but mainly at restaurants where the food won't be tempting me in my kitchen for the next week.

    I'm trying to think of food as fuel for my body- not entertainment. It's tough! I think our culture has a very strange relationship with food, we see it much more as a social/pleasure thing than we do as nourishment.
  • fridaysgal
    fridaysgal Posts: 37
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    I haven't denied myself any of the foods I love but I try to stay under my calorie goal, or if I go over, I try not to go a lot over. My weight loss is probably slower than most but it is steady and I do not feel deprived of any joy. I feel like I could eat like this forever, so I don't worry about "going back to old ways,"

    Sometimes I wish MFP had a 'like' button for comments like this. I totally agree with you. This is how I am doing it and it is working. I don't know about my weight loss being slow. Some might criticize that I'm losing too fast, but I still have my moments. But you totally expressed my outlook on the whole situation.

    *LIKE* and *LIKE*. I've read books on this topic and strongly believe that depriving yourself of everything will more often lead to failure. For instance....you're having a huge craving for chocolate but you've forbid yourself from it so you go to the kitchen and get something else. When you're not satisfied, you go and get something else...etc. In the end you actually eat more calories than if you'd eaten a small piece of chocolate and been satisfied. This approach has so far been working for me as well.

    Keep going!

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