Out of control!!

Fashionista012

Hi Everyone, I Just joined this site. My friends have had great successes on this. My biggest problem is when the hunger monster gets a hold of me, I don't think straight. I can't think of anything but how to get my hands on food. I dream about it, I play scenes over and over of how I can be alone to eat. This is not normal. I have no money for therapy or rehab, but honestly I feel like this is what heroin addiction would feel like. So I know all the rules, but how can I gain control when I am in that state? I don't make wise decisions. I could have a full and complete meal. 30 minutes later, feel like an African famine child who has not eaten in 3 years and will kill to get food. I have in the past stolen money to get food!!!! (From parents wallet, etc) this is a serious situation which has haunted me my whole life. Can anyone help me take control?

NancyAnne1960

I started out eating a lot of Navy beans - really filled me up, and then I could pay closer attention to the rest. There is a Navy Bean and ground beef soup that I really liked, and 1/2 - 3/4 c. filled me up so I didn't think about it so much. Protein is good, cut back on the carbs to start. Good luck. You can do it!!

realme56

Plan your meals, shop for easy fixes> veggies in microwave bags, frozen (skinless/boneless) chicken breasts thaw fast and are portions, have a cooking day where you have meats, veggies, breads, potatoes readily available, Hummus and chopped veggies are great snacking things as are pickled veggies. Keep sweets in the house that are portioned. I have a wonder dark chocolate that has .33oz pieces, I choose one or two a day.

I eat 6x day!! Check out peoples diaries if you need ideas..many are public as mine is. Good luck, at least you already have friends here!

bigfatbino

Don't worry. What you're feeling is perfectly fine. The secret is in re-training your metabolism to accept foods at regular intervals, and choosing the right foods to go in the tank.

For example: I used to suffer the same problem you describe. The hunger pangs hit, and I transformed from mild-mannered cool guy in sunglasses to a pizza and hot wing destroying machine. It took nearly three painstakingly tedious weeks to retrain my metabolism by:

a. Eating a healthy breakfast

b. eliminating ALL (yes, every last one of them) Soda's and beer from my diet.

c. Exercising once a day at least for 60 minutes (even walking counts)

d. eating several meals throughout the day that were high in fiber, protein, and complex carbs

e. no candy

f. eating nothing after 9:00pm, unless I was getting back from the gym and needed protein to feed the muscles.

That sounds like a lot, and it is. But it's not as difficult as it looks. I still get the munchies and want my "bad for me" food once in a while, and I partake of it. But I don't make it an everyday practice, and now that I'm much more active, I know my newly trained metabolism will quickly burn off what I ate.

The keys for keeping the hunger monster away were: Freshly made BLACK coffee, lots of fiber, high protein, and fresh veggies/fruits.

It is hard for a little while, but you do get used to it pretty fast.

Go for it, you can do it!

Diosadealimentos

Thanks for the courage to post this! What are you describing is called food addiction and while not exactly like a heroin addiction there are many similarities, including: preoccupation with scoring, lying/stealing to aquire the subtsance, isolating, the sense of spiraling out of control and using to to numb or feel. They say that admitting it is half the battle, so I say celebrate your clarity and keep searching for tools that will support you on the journey. In the binge moments, see if you can bring awareness to that moment, to the act of eating. Ask yourself questions like, "Am I truly hungry? What is underneath the desire to eat? Is there any other acceptable way to soothe myself in this moment?"

Also, you may want to check Overeaters Annonymous, a recovery program for compulsive over-eating. It's peer run, in person meetings are by donation, they have some helpful literature and nearly hourly meetings you can dial into! Their website is: http://www.oa.org/

May the dust settle and you find balance on the journey!

Fashionista012

Thank you so much for really great advice. Thank you for taking the time to answer