Can't stop eating! Please HELP!

Dianaka

Hello all!
I am really looking for motivation. Over the last week, my family had a few celebrations and what was planned to be 1 cheat day had turned out into a week long feast. Dinner out 1 day, Baby's first birthday the next day, friends over next few days and baby shower potluck at work, PLUS tons of leftovers that are calling my name. I cannot stop eating. I am trying to up my water intake, ignore the food, but it seems almost impossible. I feels so gross and big. I have tons more weight to loose, and started out slowly but steadily and was doing great, exercising every day, eating right and I really do not want this to ruin what I have accomplished so far. So, I am looking for tips on how to stop this, since its getting harder and harder every day. Its like my head says I thing and I do a complete opposite.:). Thanks in advance.

WordToYourMamma

Sheer willpower, and it sucks. But its a trade, eat all you want and be big or be hungry and skinny. Up to you.

JaredBergeron

You still need to give your body what it needs, just make sure its the good stuff. Has anything worked for you in the past? Every considered the meal replacements?

Uerzer

TIP TO REDUCE WEIGHT
First turn your head to the right and then turn it to the left. Repeat this exercise everytime you are offered something to eat.


Its hard but its the only way XD discipline for the win!

nanodot

I would suggest going very cow-carb, high protein for 3 or 4 days. That's the only thing that broke my binging cycles. It shuts down the insulin roller coaster and gets you back in control.

terrellc1

Only you are in charge of what you put into your body. Stop making excuses...and PUT DOWN THE FORK.

cookingwithtrace

great tip!

TIP TO REDUCE WEIGHT
First turn your head to the right and then turn it to the left. Repeat this exercise everytime you are offered something to eat.


Its hard but its the only way XD discipline for the win!

Ashbee1224

You CAN stop eating all that crap. You have to WANT IT, like on a whole other level. You can do this! Think about how you will feel and how much healthier you will be for yourself & your family. I had to stop eating out, and if you're going out to eat to be social eat before you go and just get something small when you get there.

csue1970

I find that I do better when the "goodies" are out of my reach. I have the luxury of having get-together's at my dad's house (I live across the street) and I can leave them all at his house or send them home with other family members.

Try to give away what's leftover that you know you will indulge in. Don't beat yourself up. We all have times where we can't seem to stop eating. You're doing the right thing by looking for support here

Good luck. You can do it!! Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels!!!!!

riannenrings

i go through this a lot too. its like, eating whatever we want re-addicts our bodies to food.
Keep drinking the water, make yourslef exercise. Give away or get rid of any unhealthy food. do some yoga, meditate, re-center yourself and re-focus on what is important to you and why you are wanting to get healthy. and KNOW, that just like when you break your routine of exercising, that it easily becomes part of the routine again when you start and keep at it for a day or two..the same too will happen with food. you only need a couple good days to reinforce that routine in your brain again, and basically detox your body. thats my $0.02.

vzucco

Sheer willpower, and it sucks. But its a trade, eat all you want and be big or be hungry and skinny. Up to you.

I agree with the willpower part, but you don't have to be hungry to be thin! The key is to eat sensibly so your stomach shrinks, after that, fill up on healthy food, whole grains and fiber, they'll help you stay full longer. And eat slowly so your mouth has time to catch up to your brain and let you know you're full.

juliapurpletoes

if the leftovers are at your house toss them out now and just keep around what you know you can control for now. all is not lost, but learning how to see some foods as toxic and others as healthy may work for you. it's like understanding food on a different level, almost like medicine rather than anything else.

just a thought

quietlywinning

Before you eat anything else, eat something high in fiber - like a cup of raw veggies - drink 32 ounces of water, and wait 30 minutes. THEN you have permission to eat one other thing. In that 30 minutes, your body "registers" what you have eaten already, fiber is a good filler, and you have consumed a lot of the nutrients you need to satisfy you. It also gives you time to think about what you want most - all that junk food or a couple of bites to savor and a beautiful, healthy body.

A boiled egg (but not deviled with mayo LOL) is a very good source of protein and other great nutrients and is very low calorie. Tuna or lean chicken on top of a garden salad with lemon pepper or lemon juice to moisten it will give you fiber and protein. Just eat what you need before you eat what you want. Make sure you have your nutrients and fiber in, and that will greatly reduce your hunger for non-nutritious, high caloric foods.

tiggerbounce411

YOU are going to have to force the issue for yourself. My recommendation is log EVERY SINGLE BITE you put in your mouth and look at it at the end of the day. That worked for me and I STOPPED eating crazy. Stop eating for FLAVOR, that is what I did and how come I am here losing now.. Now I have no problem turning away from things that I know will take away from my calorie allowance. If I want something, sure I may have a little...enough to get the taste and craving..for example a brownie, no more than a half of 1 square..and I am good. You have to make yourself stick to it. That is the only advice I can give you and I wish there was something else, but that is it girl, it is up to you. DO or DO NOT, there is not try. If I can do it, I know you can DO this.

nomnomzombie

I just had a couple days like this, went out on vacation and ate everything in sight. I'm also drinking water Don't despair though! You just need some momentum back! If I were in your shoes in the leftovers department I would throw them all away (wasteful, I know) or if you have a significant other who's not watching their weight, make them eat them. Just because they're there doesn't mean you have to put them in your body. Good luck!

kmbrooks15

I agree...unfortunately, it's down to sheer willpower. Only you can decide if it's worth it to you. Others can badger you, cajole you, humiliate you, yell at you, whatever...but it still comes down to a choice only YOU can make. We can all cheer you on and offer words of encouragement, but in the end, it comes down to you and you alone. We can't make you stop eating, and neither can the people around you. It's like a drug addict...those around them can remove the drugs, but if they don't want to stop, they'll find a way to get more drugs.

When you feel like all you want to do is eat, go for a walk instead. Put on some good music and take a good brisk walk. You'll feel better, and if you hurt while you walk, it will be a reminder of how much more of that you have to do if you continue to eat all the bad stuff. Eat something healthy. Are you allowing yourself some treats? If not, try that. Depriving yourself of everything you like will backfire. I use Skinny Cow ice cream bars as my treat. I've already planned for one for tonight when I get home from choir practice at church, but if I eat something not in the plan I've laid out for the day, I'll have to give up my Skinny Cow! Not wanting to miss out on that, so I will eat right the rest of the day so I can have it. You need to set up something like for yourself. Not all of us can eat 100% "clean", vegan, whatever. Find what works for you as a motivator.

Feel free to friend me on here if you want. I'm not one who thinks you have to be so strict that you can't ever have a treat. I'm also glad to listen to "venting"...I've had to do my share of it the last year!

deathstarclock

Put a sock in it.

LLaDonna

I suggest that you start saying out loud, " that's enough", or "i'll pass on that" or "i won't eat any of that now, maybe later". The voice in your head is saying this, but you've gotten good at ignoring it. Let the sound of your voice be the back up for your willpower when just thinking it isn't enough.

vdonovan2

i just joined for the exact same reason you post. its a mental thing. i like the idea someone posted about giving your body what it needs, just keep it positive and healthy! good luck!!

bmkell

Hi! I havedone the same thing.. I think I can have a cheat day than a week later I get real with myself when I feel bloated, gross and tierd. With practice and I mean lots of practice I have learned to ask myself before I cheat "Do I really want this? Do I want to feel like crap for a moment of pleasure?" I find more than not I won't cheat. It's a life style change.... Try to find something to keep your mind off those left overs. It's not easy, but bottom line is... How bad to you want to be skinny?
Good luck hun!

nanodot

Sheer willpower, and it sucks. But its a trade, eat all you want and be big or be hungry and skinny. Up to you.

I reject your reality, and substitute my own.

I am getting skinny, and I am never hungry unless I simply get too busy to eat. I do not crave carbs anymore. I can look at a caramel-covered cake and say "nice piping work on the icing" and wander off.

Our bodies are designed for moderate carbs. When we live in a constant insulin spike, things go really haywire, appetite especially.

03258

First of all....you are in the right place with MFP. And second, the fact that you are reaching out for help means you really want to find a way to do this.

I think most of us on this site have felt the way you do now. I KNOW I have and will again. It's an ongoing battle. I think of it like any other addiction. I can't think about days or weeks without eating my favorite foods. That's impossible for me. I have to take it a day, a meal, sometimes an hour at a time and just focus on the moment. Like....I won't have that piece of pie right now because I can have it later. I don't tell myself that I can't have it...I just tell myself I'm going to wait abit. Then, SOMETIMES you won't feel like eating it later, and sometimes you will. If I feel like eating it, I try to just have half of it. Or at least leave some little tiny piece left. Slowly (sometimes VERY slowly) you develop new habits. But its VERY hard...

TAke and care and good luck to you.,

You can do this.

You are not alone. :-)

Sp1nGoddess

I agree with dropping your carbs and increasing protein to break the craving cycle. Get rid of processed foods with wheat flour or sugars. Make yourself drink a glass of water and eat all your veggies before you can have the rest of your meal. Generally if you can wait about 20 minutes most cravings will pass, find a diversion that you like. (i like to move out of the kitchen and read)

Also understand that you really do deserve to have the healthy fit body you want. Keep your eyes on the prize - you can do it!

bmkell

I agree with the low carb.... It truely has helped me!

VICKYORTIZ

i agree with this!

webdiva1

Drastic times call for drastic measures, right? So consider doing whatever it takes to change your behavior. For example ...

Carry water with you everywhere, and drink LOTS more than 8 glasses a day. Opinions here on MFP vary, but if you're anything at all like me -- I suspect you could double that every day without any harmful effects. Speaking just for myself, it REALLY cuts down on the hungries.

Put PostIt notes on your fridge and cupboards that say "Step AWAY from the refrigerator". Or something to that effect.

Give the leftovers away.

Take good stuff to your potlucks, and only eat that.

When friends come over, prepare and serve only good, healthy, fresh food.

I'm sure you can come up with a zillion other things. What it comes down to, though, is what you've already discovered: you have to change your behavior.

You know what you need to do ... or NOT do, as the case may be, right? So start thinking about it every single time you reach for something to eat. Are you REALLY hungry? If so, drink an 8 oz. glass of water and wait for half an hour or so. If you're still hungry then -- by all means, eat something. Just choose something healthy.

You can't change the last week, but you can DEFINITELY learn from it. Based on your post, you're not happy right now. So learn from that. Next time you want to eat something, remember how you're feeling right now, and ask yourself if it's worth feeling that way again. (It'll be a trick question, but it's one worth asking anyway.

Speaking just for me, being really conscious of WHY I want to eat has been almost as important as WHAT I eat. Just gotta get your head around it, know what I mean? You can change your behavior starting right this minute. So come on ... let's go do it. I know you can.

TXBlonde81

I'm not sure what you have in the leftover department but throw out any type of sweets and then if you have main dishes you could try freezing them in X serving containers - 1 serving for you and X for remaining family members but no extra. That will solve the issue of the leftovers right now.

After that it is just learning moderation - not to binge and not to completely eliminate.

Heidi1987

TIP TO REDUCE WEIGHT
First turn your head to the right and then turn it to the left. Repeat this exercise everytime you are offered something to eat.


Its hard but its the only way XD discipline for the win!

Haha!!! I LOVE this!! :laugh:

erinrose07

Don't have the mentality of, "tomorrow will be better." Start now. Stop eating. Throw out the leftovers and have your old normal dinner. Then tomorrow morning have your normal breakfast and so on.

erinrose07

If it helps, right now I totally want to eat more goldfish with my soup.....but i'm quite sure that i've had enough, so i'm going to stop while thinking of you!

kducky22

Whenever I find myself grabbing for icecream or something when I'm not hungry, I tell myself over and over again:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"
"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"
"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"
"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"

It usually works for me.. Willpower is one of the hardest things to gain, I'm right there with you!