Cannot stop eating

super_jade

I read some where (might not work no one spasm over it!!) But some people are afraid of getting hungry.
So you don't eat at all that day till like 6pm say. You will get hungry in that day. But you will also notice that it goes away after a little bit and you forget you were hungry. And hopefully walk away from it not as frightened of going with out food, obviously if your diabetic or what ever thats not an option but you could try it?
I also find that if im hankering for a snack i dont need i will drink a full glass of water and go away and do something else if in 10 minutes i can honestly say i am hungry then i will eat it. Majority of the time i forget i was hungry in the first place and can wait till lunch or dinner or what ever is next.
Hope that helps.

Shelgirl001

One thing that may help you really think about what you eat and why and when you eat might be to journal your thoughts each time you go to the kitchen for food or a drink. It might help you clarify a trigger for your eating binges. It can put you in touch with yourself better. You could also do the same thing after you eat too much.

xachooo

I think there might be something to the drinking enough water---you could make tea and drink that? It has a ritual component, gives you something to do and might give you something else to think about other than food. And I don't have candy at home, or chips, or a lot of other junk. If i am willing to go to the store for it, then i must have ACTUALLY wanted it rather than just being bored!! (but hey, who am I to talk. I also still seem to be eating too much in spite of this...)

Lalaine1

Hi Lalaine,

You are definitely not alone in this. A lot of us are over eaters or grazers... It’s good that you are choosing healthy foods, but yes in time that this can cause weight gain. Usually when someone over eats like this it’s because of other issues going on. So first, don’t beat yourself up. It’s a process of Identifying why you are eating like this. Are you stressing out? Feeling out of control in your life or overwhelmed, Depressed, Board? Feeling aggression or anger, fear, all of these things can cause this type of eating and to stop over eating you need to identify what its caused from and work on those areas in your life. Finding other means to deal with underlying issues.
If you are not an emotional eater, then could be from Dehydration, Do you drink much water? Or if you are only eating say veggies and no fat based foods or enough protein, It could be that you are just not getting satisfied.

Hope this helps

I do drink a lot of water, so I don't think that is the problem. I think you're dead on with the boredom eating though, I eat because it's there, and because I don't have anything else to do or would rather eat than do whatever it is I have to do. I really don't eat much fat. I didn't even consider that would be an issue! Thanks so much for the advice. Tomorrow is a new day, all of your encouraging words honestly mean the world to me. For the first time I'm actually thinking I may be able to beat this.

Pebble321

It's not easy, I know!

You might like the book "Eating Less" by Gillian Riley.
She talks about addictive eating behaviour and some very practical strategies to recognise and control it. Interestingly, she doesn't recommend that you try to lose weight, but thinks that if you get eating under control, that will happen naturally. I found it a really useful read.

Lalaine1

It's not easy, I know!

You might like the book "Eating Less" by Gillian Riley.
She talks about addictive eating behaviour and some very practical strategies to recognise and control it. Interestingly, she doesn't recommend that you try to lose weight, but thinks that if you get eating under control, that will happen naturally. I found it a really useful read.

That sounds like exactly what I need! I will definitely look into it. I'm really interesting in modifying not only the behavior, but the reasoning behind it.

crafty_65

Do you think you might be missing something in your diet? I use to feel the same way and I haven't had that feeling in a while. Hunger is your brain's way of telling you I need you to give me something I need. It doesn't always have to be a lot, it just has to be the right thing. That is my experience anyway.

Mom22C2001

I have noticed that since i started with the application 2 weeks ago i watch what i eat ALOT more. Just having to log everything i eat is a good reminder of how many calories i am taking in. I log the food before i eat it. It gives me more of a sense of "control".

Pebble321

It's not easy, I know!

You might like the book "Eating Less" by Gillian Riley.
She talks about addictive eating behaviour and some very practical strategies to recognise and control it. Interestingly, she doesn't recommend that you try to lose weight, but thinks that if you get eating under control, that will happen naturally. I found it a really useful read.

That sounds like exactly what I need! I will definitely look into it. I'm really interesting in modifying not only the behavior, but the reasoning behind it.

Yup, it was really helpful for me. I bought it as an ebook on my iPhone Kindle app - the best $10 (or so) I've spend in ages!

Robin_Bin

Others have suggested some good things... look into addictive eating, make sure you're getting enough water, check whether you're missing other nutritional needs, and in the meanwhile until you get it under control, eat things that are not calorie dense.

I'm not an expert, but I collected some information about cravings in a blog entry -- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/cravings-282817 See if any of those ideas look like they might help. For instance, if your body is not getting enough protein, it can cause that desire to browse until the need is met.

Oh, and one more thing... until you understand the cause and can get it under control, use delays... try to distract yourself and take a few more minutes before each time you graze.

Good luck!

betrayalunknown

Yep, I do that too. I honestly eat around 3,500 calories a day due to my over-active mouth. Granted most of this is healthy food... I like to binge on baby carrots, light kettle corn, apples, watermelon, etc. But because I can never stop eating, I end up getting in too many calories a day.

However, I do work out a lot...... I work out on the elliptical for at least two hours a day, sometimes 2.5 hours, even. And some strength training throughout the week, too.

So I guess it balances out... But I've been trying to slim down/ tone up for a half a year ... but to no luck, because I eat so damn much. And I know my eating is causing me to not lose weight (sometimes gain a pound every other week)... but I cannot help it. I constantly feel hungry, and my mouth always needs to be eating something. Like right now, I had a pound of baby carrots, a box of organic frisee, a bag of frozen broccoli and raw broccoli slaw.... half of a watermelon, a pint of raspberries and half a box of strawberries.

In an hour I will probably eat a few apples.

Yes, I am full beyond belief but I can always make room for more.

And it sucks.....

So yes, there are people that can relate to you... so do not worry, you're not alone in this.

For me, my over-exercising justifies my over-eating. And I wish I could stop both.

Lalaine1

Yep, I do that too. I honestly eat around 3,500 calories a day due to my over-active mouth. Granted most of this is healthy food... I like to binge on baby carrots, light kettle corn, apples, watermelon, etc. But because I can never stop eating, I end up getting in too many calories a day.

However, I do work out a lot...... I work out on the elliptical for at least two hours a day, sometimes 2.5 hours, even. And some strength training throughout the week, too.

So I guess it balances out... But I've been trying to slim down/ tone up for a half a year ... but to no luck, because I eat so damn much. And I know my eating is causing me to not lose weight (sometimes gain a pound every other week)... but I cannot help it. I constantly feel hungry, and my mouth always needs to be eating something. Like right now, I had a pound of baby carrots, a box of organic frisee, a bag of frozen broccoli and raw broccoli slaw.... half of a watermelon, a pint of raspberries and half a box of strawberries.

In an hour I will probably eat a few apples.

Yes, I am full beyond belief but I can always make room for more.

And it sucks.....

So yes, there are people that can relate to you... so do not worry, you're not alone in this.

For me, my over-exercising justifies my over-eating. And I wish I could stop both.

This is EXACTLY how I am. Nonstop. Fruits and vegetables mostly, which fill me up quickly but that's completely irrelevant. I keep eating anyway and it sucks. I hate the physical and emotional feeling that goes along with overeating to that extent.

Robin_Bin

Consider whether you're getting enough protein and fat in your diet.

cloud2011

I may be in control, but this is something that feels entirely out of my control. It wouldn't be an issue otherwise. Does anyone else have helpful advice, or am I the only one that struggles with this?

Maybe this is your answer, you feel out of control and the eating habits you describe reflect that feeling, rather than the other way around.

I agree with another poster, that talking it through with a counselor might help. Couldn't hurt, right?

LowcarbNY

I've been like this in the past and felt out of control. Now I'm doing Fast-5 and I feel so powerfully in control. I'm either eating or I'm not eating. No snacks, mini-meals, tiny portions ... I fast , and then I eat, a lot, and I'm full and satiated and happy and losing weight quite quickly at the same time.

mahnazy

If you live on your own, don't buy stuff that you munch on. Therefore, you'll have nothing available when you go for that glass of water.

I used to be the same, now I only keep ingredients that I will use for cooking, or, food that I will be eating for Dinner etc. In regards to biscuits, I basically only keep the stuff I tend not to gorge on - no jaffa cakes etc! But I keep the digestives etc in case I get guests.

Plenty of apples, fruit etc, but nothing like ryvitas etc as I finish them all.

It isn't ideal, but each time I go to my parents, I see a stacked full kitchen, and although I wish I was able to do the same - I can't because I just end up eating everything.

ShilohMaier

I eat until I'm beyond full, and I eat when I'm not even hungry. I can't seem to control it and I'm at a loss for what to do. It's not as easy as just stopping, trust me, I've been trying. Sometimes I even get a sense of panic when I try to tell myself not to. I hope I'm not alone in this... it's not a matter of hunger, even. I'm just frustrated and upset with myself and really don't know how to get this under control. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much.

A lot of these responses are typical dieter responses. It's NOT just about will power. It's NOT about drinking more water, warmer water, flavored water... it's not even about making healthier choices when you do stuff yourself, or trying to distract yourself by doing other things. After reading your statement about panic, the first thing that came to my mind is that you may want to have your insulin checked.

This is no exaggeration- I would have full blown panic attacks if I wasn't eating constantly. I would get migraines. I had food in my mouth about every 20 minutes to stave off the anxiety, the shaking, and the headaches I was getting. Didn't matter if it was carrots or chocolate. I HAD to keep eating. I thought it might be food addiction- and it was, in a sense. Carbs are just brutal for me. I am insulin resistant, and my blood sugar was spiking and crashing so drastically, I was out of control. Some people with insulin resistance don't get that bad, but I do. No appetite suppressant in the world will help with this problem because it's not your appetite. No amount of water will curb the drive to eat because it can't balance your blood sugar. You can't distract yourself from the need to eat because your body is in a tailspin. The only thing that helped me was getting on insulin medication (metformin) and following a low carb diet. About three days in, I was a new person. My entire mood had changed. I stopped obsessing about food, the headaches went away, the anxiety went away. My husband never believed me that I was doing everything I could to control my eating, but that I couldn't. He just kept telling me I was weak. But he noticed the difference almost instantly in my personality and my eating when I got my sugar under control. Even if your problem isn't severe enough to require meds, I'm betting if you cut down on carbs you will get more in control. Even healthy sugar sources like fruit can send you spinning out of control. Sugar is sugar is sugar. I would stuff myself sick with apples, and it would only get worse.

sassyrenkenberger

I have the same problem, except I crave Chocolate 24/7! It sucks... I can't buy more than one candy bar at at time or one of those packages that has the small snack size bars in it, I can't control myself. I feel like there's something wrong with me.... LOL. Good Luck!

Juliane_

Exercise MORE if you can't control your portions.

Spokez70

You said grazing which for me is is the worst- gets me in trouble every time. If you want some chips or whatever then go and count/weigh/measure what is a reasonable serving for yourself, put the food away, log it in MFP, and go enjoy your snack. If the bag of chips is just sitting there on the counter then I will grab one (or two or a handful) every time I walk by and end up eating way too much if it.