Looking to banish that little voice in my head.....

MissMarthaGrace

....that keeps saying it's a GREAT idea to keep shoveling food into my mouth WELL AFTER I've had a nice healthy (OR, not so healthy) meal. More chips, more candy, more of everything I shouldn't be having more of! I'm a compulsive eater ~ I alternate sweet, salty, sweet, salty...that's my routine. I start out with one serving size of something, eat it and go back ~ several times ~ all the while this little voice is saying "you shouldn't be doing this - this is insane - you're going to feel bad about it later - stop it!!!!" Eventually I do stop - but this is happening more and more frequently and I need to get a grip or next thing I know the additional 20# I lost will join the current 10#. I'll be honest....I'm bored....I'm stressed....perhaps a little down. I've tried planning my meals/snacks in advance for the next day, the hot tea after dinner, brushing my teeth, going upstairs to bed early (which is really the only thing that works - but I'm not going to do that every night - I'm a girl that's got things to do - yet no motivation to do it because I feel "blah" from eating!). I joined MFP in hopes that someone out there knows what "voices" I'm talking about and has some (any) insight into how to banish that darn voice once and for all! It IS a mental game ~ and a game I'd like to kick butt in and win!

gothicprophet

A new voice that's just recently started creeping into my head when I get those attacks of the munchies says only one thing; "Is that <insert bad food item> worth having your brain eaten by zombies when Z-Day hits?!" Usually the answer is no and, while it's a highly improbable scenario, my fitness goals are for survival in those highly improbable situations so it works for me... At least it has over the last couple of days since I started my Z-Day preparations.

unsuspectingfish

I've had to just stop keeping extra food around my apartment. I also will brush my teeth early so I can't eat anymore. Lately, too, I take a drink of water whenever I get the urge to snack. I'm hoping I can condition myself that way.

unsuspectingfish

A new voice that's just recently started creeping into my head when I get those attacks of the munchies says only one thing; "Is that <insert bad food item> worth having your brain eaten by zombies when Z-Day hits?!" Usually the answer is no and, while it's a highly improbable scenario, my fitness goals are for survival in those highly improbable situations so it works for me... At least it has over the last couple of days since I started my Z-Day preparations.

Best. Motivation. EVER.

BeilaLin

A new voice that's just recently started creeping into my head when I get those attacks of the munchies says only one thing; "Is that <insert bad food item> worth having your brain eaten by zombies when Z-Day hits?!" Usually the answer is no and, while it's a highly improbable scenario, my fitness goals are for survival in those highly improbable situations so it works for me... At least it has over the last couple of days since I started my Z-Day preparations.

LOLING!!!

This Voice that you refer to I know about. But actually you have TWO voices. There is the "food noise" and the "food voice"....

Food NOISE tells you to:
-Eat whatever you want without forethought
-Shovel food down fast
-Eat fast food when you don't have enough time to think about/cook planned meals
-Not care about what is going into your body
-You messed up, so you may as well go "all out" and binge
-Eat because you feel bad/sad/bored/lonely
-Eat for reasons other than to feed hunger or provide you with nutrition

Food Voice tells you to:
-Eat what you want with some thought to it (planned meal)
-Eat at a normal pace, slow your eating, and wait to see if you're really hungry or can stop eating
-Eat healthy planned foods, or make better decisions if you're at a fast food restaurant (grilled chicken sandwich vs fatty burger)
-Care about what you are putting into your body...organic, fresh, whole foods, no chemicals, no food dyes, limit sugars
-Try to eat better at the next meal if you messed up, there's always tomorrow, or there's always the next meal to make it better
-Do something better other than eat...You're not really hungry, just trying to fill a void
-Eat because you are hungry or need nutrition

Do you see the difference in the food voice and food noise? These are 2 distinct voices that tell you to do different things.

The voice that says keep shoveling food down after your healthy meal is actually some other "food noise". Think about what this noise is caused by. Are you paying attention to what you are doing? Are you distracted by TV, family matters, cleaning, work, etc? Pay attention to what you are doing. Give eating your full attention. If you are actually doing so, and paying attention to the experience of eating, then pay attention to your hunger level. After several bites of the food, are you satisfied? Is the next bite going to be as stellar as the first bite? There comes a point where the food no longer tastes as good as it first was when you started eating it. There is a point of diminishing returns. Remember this when you eat snacks. It's easy to go overboard with snacking because you'll keep going until it makes you feel full or sick, and that is way past just one serving for most snack foods.

Also you seem to go from salty to sweet to salty and sweet again. Are you in search of a particular food that will satisfy a craving? Or is the food you are eating just not that great, and you'll find some other different food to make you feel satisfied? Practice eating EXACTLY what you want to eat, that way you don't go from one food the the next, trying everything under the rainbow until you are sick and stuffed and not really satisfied by what you ate. A decadant piece of chocolate cake would be a great dessert, if you only ate a few bites. You'd feel great and like you participated in life and normal eating.

However if you ate an entire bag of chocolate flavored rice cakes, you'd be eating WAY more calories and feeling sick afterwards, and still feel deprived.

When it comes to late night eating, try to establish a routine to signal you to STOP eating. The brushing teeth and hopping into bed routine works for SOOO many people and although you are busy, you still need to brush your teeth at some point. Everyone brushes their teeth at night, and they stop eating after that as well. It's not a bad thing that one must do this in order to stop eating. Many people brush their teeth right after lunch for this same reason, to stop eating and have a nice clean mouth feeling. It's refreshing and makes you stop eating and wait a bit to establish a "full" feeling from your stomach. That full feeling comes maybe 20-30 min after a meal. If not, drink some water and that fullness will kick in.

Having this "food noise" late at night also can be due to in ability to hear your "food voice" because you are simply too tired to think clearly. You may have had a drink at night too, which can also cause you to not hear your "food voice". Tiredness and inebriation are both reasons why people eat late and too much at night.

Keep practicing hearing your "food voice" and seeing the difference between the two voices, and let the "food voice" speak loud and clear in your mind. Repeat in your mind the things you say to yourself that come from the food voice: "No i'm not really hungry, I'm just thirsty." or "I'm actually tired and need to sleep now, not eat" or "Do I really want to eat ____(snack)?" wait and ask yourself this again..."Do I really want to eat ____(snack)?" maybe you are just hungry for a normal meal.

When your food noise starts speaking to you, you need to STOP IT and tell yourself "STOP IT" and recognize that your food noise is trying to take over control. Let your food voice speak to you and ask you the appropriate questions "Do I really want this, am I tired, bored, sad, etc..."

Hope this works for you!

ziggy67

Whenever I eye up any 'forbidden foods' and temptation kicks in...a little voice reminds me "A moment on the lips...a lifetime on the hips". Never fails!

margo36

Next time you hear that little voice try painting your nails. You can't eat doing that trust me. By the time you have put on base coat, two coats of colour and a top coat you should have talked yourself out of it .

Missmissy0003

1. Are you keeping track of how many calories you are ingesting when you do this? That has been a big help to me.
2. I have certain foods that I know I cannot control myself around very easily. I try not to eat these foods very often and I definitely don't keep them in the house. Ice cream is a big one for me. So is French Bread.
3. I have gotten used to eating to a slight fullness and no more. I think it becomes habit after a while and you start to appreciate how good it feels to not be stuffed.
4. I have a book called "think thin, be thin". It has 101 tips and tricks. On page 87, One of them deals with us having various parts of our psych - like adult ego state, parent ego state and the child ego state. The child ego state can be rebellious or adaptive, but the rebellious child will say things like, "I want 2 cheeseburgers, a shake, and large french fries." Then the other personalities weigh in on the idea. If you acknowledge the child and what she wants to eat, but explain to her in a non-judgemental, loving way something like, "I know you would like to eat 2 cheeseburgers, a shake, and large french fries but that is really a lot of food and it will make your stomach hurt if you eat all of that". Basically, you just have to treat that child voice like a child.

jessdeweerdt

I totally hear you. Some things that I have done..
I put a sign on my refridgerator that says "make good choices." I'm thinking of adding one that says: "will _____ help me reach my goal, or will it prevent me?"
There was a time when I couldn't have too much junk in the house. I'm to a point now where I can just ignore it.
I keep a fat picture of me around (I would hate for the whole household to have to look at it on the refridgerator lol)
I keep track of my calories throughout the day so I know exactly how many I have. As a perfectionist, I try to stay close to goal.
You could also try salty and sweet without junk.. a lot of fruit is sweet, and you could add a little salt to tomatoes or cucumbers..
I remind myself constantly that weightloss is a journey, and a lifestyle change. I don't beat myself up for mistakes, but I do have a mental talking to if they are happening too often. I also punish myself with a hated exercise or an extra lap for screw ups, and I remind myself why I'm making myself do it.
There is no real answer... it's just really learning what the void is, because it's not food, and dealing with that issue. Honestly, everything else you do is masking the symptoms, not the problem. You need to deal with the problem, they why you are doing it. Nothing comes easy, that's for sure Good luck! And, remember, we're all here for you!

BeilaLin

1. Are you keeping track of how many calories you are ingesting when you do this? That has been a big help to me.
2. I have certain foods that I know I cannot control myself around very easily. I try not to eat these foods very often and I definitely don't keep them in the house. Ice cream is a big one for me. So is French Bread.
3. I have gotten used to eating to a slight fullness and no more. I think it becomes habit after a while and you start to appreciate how good it feels to not be stuffed.
4. I have a book called "think thin, be thin". It has 101 tips and tricks. On page 87, One of them deals with us having various parts of our psych - like adult ego state, parent ego state and the child ego state. The child ego state can be rebellious or adaptive, but the rebellious child will say things like, "I want 2 cheeseburgers, a shake, and large french fries." Then the other personalities weigh in on the idea. If you acknowledge the child and what she wants to eat, but explain to her in a non-judgemental, loving way something like, "I know you would like to eat 2 cheeseburgers, a shake, and large french fries but that is really a lot of food and it will make your stomach hurt if you eat all of that". Basically, you just have to treat that child voice like a child.

Interesting book! I will check it out!

I also agree that the food noise in my head sounds like a whiny child sometimes. It tells me that I want candy, or jolly ranchers (what 31 year old woman craves jolly ranchers? it's all just high fructose corn syrup and red dye 40!!). When you realize that you are hearing this voice calling you to eat non-sensible food, sometimes you have to just deny yourself a little. Not in a painful way, but in a way that allows SENSE to OVERRIDE your inner whiny child.

There is a bit of personal discipline involved with eating. Every person has this, and sometimes it's difficult, but it's worth having.

MissMarthaGrace

Thanks to everyone thus far! You've given me some things to keep in mind, other ways to look at that nagging voice and tips to tuning it out. There ARE foods that I cannot control myself around (York Bites or peanut butter pretzels anyone?), yet in the past I've refused to banish them from my cupboards ~ knowing that most times I CAN stick to a serving. Sadly it's those times that I simply can't that are the problem. I think it's time to stop bringing those items in the house ~ at least for now and find some healthier alternatives.

Yesterday was a successful day and so-far-so-good today! I just need to be more mindful of my actions and take it one day at a time....one day at a time.