Food Addicts Anonymous??

jesus4fr

Hi. My name is Melissa. I am a food addict. Bill paying day is my worst. Times are hard so this is very stressful. I have noticed that as soon as I get upset or mad about anything I want food. The other day I got some new that made me a little mad. What did I do.......headed straight for the closest drive thru. Thankfully the line was very long and I had some time to think about what I was doing. Food to me is like cigerettes or alcohol. Get any emotion other than happy and I am heading in that direction. And of course when I am done I feel horendous. But I still do it, day in and day out. I just have to find something else to redirect my energies. ****** Any tips out there? ******

kelly819

Jesus4fr,
I often have the same type of impulse eating. I think a tip is right in what you wrote, stopping & giving your self time to think about the choice before you make it. I've read things like before you reach for a food, drink a glass of water, chew a piece of gum or go for a walk, not only does it curb your appetite but it also gives you time to decide if you're really hungry or if it's boredom, or frustration or lonliness, etc. It helps to type this all out, because I need to take my own advice!:ohwell:

Sunsh1ne

My problem is with stress snacking. I'm learning to control it by keeping a hard journal of what I'm doing in edition to MFP, just a little notebook where I record when I eat, what I eat, and how I felt. It forces me to notice patterns that I could ignore before - like if I don't eat for six hours, I binge, but if I eat something like piece of fruit between meals, I don't. It also makes me stop and think because if I realize I was just rummaging through the fridge 30 minutes ago, I'm probably not eating because I'm hungry.

Another thing that works for me is drinking fruit teas instead of going for an all-out snack when I know I don't need to eat but I really really want something. If it has calories, it's got to be less than 10 for 8 oz because it's just the water you soaked the dried fruit in. I'm partial to Celestial Seasoning's cherry tea because it has a really strong flavor, so I think it tricks my brain into believing I had a snack.

The_BoSS

Sunsh1ne ", just a little notebook where I record when I eat, what I eat, and how I felt."


Sunsh1ne your idea about writing down all the emotions and motive thAT force you to eat was an excellent idea.. i never thought about it ! i think , if i do this i will see that this passion of food will uncover my worst character! well girl thanks for sharing your idea and experience!!!:flowerforyou:

rjpetty04

I think that this type of 'support' is not really support in my opinion. My husband would never say something like that to me. He would ask how I was doing on my calories for the day or something to that effect instead.

Tell him that it is not helping and it really hurts.

Sunsh1ne

yummygirl, I had never thought of it, either, it's an idea I got from this thread, actually. Which is one of the many reasons why I love it.

The_BoSS

sunsh1ne i just tried your idea and i'm so excited...i was in my desk while i felt a yummy smell coming over my nose and immediately i wrote down what i wanted at that time and while i was writing my emotions i started to feel and smell nothing! thank you so much sunsh1ne!!


i changed my username from yummygirl to Boss!

pizzafruit

Richie - I thought of you often and wondered how the scale situation turned out. I didn't send my spirit, I don't know how much it weighs.

Sunsh1ne - Logging emotions is a real eye opener. For me, repetative negative emotions really make me stop and take stock of myself; well worth the time and effort.

Last night as I sat eating popcorn micro-waved w/oil. I let my impulse overstep my good judgement and common sense. It would have been just as easy to skip the oil and use some butter buds for flavor. I wondered why the weekends are so hard for me. The popcorn and all other snacks don't make appearences just on the weekends. This stuff is around all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love down time as much as the next guy but I think the lack of structure that comes with a Sat. and Sun. can be a real hazard. This is another challange I need to work on. Adding a specific task or weekend activity is a step in the right direction. Just think how dull our lives would be without challanges. I tell myself not to fear the growth., Be open to change - change is a good thing.

Tonight will be an evening of good choices and judgement. Have a great evening.



I've decided that tonight will be a success and when dinner is over, eating is done for the day.

richardsrm

I just bought the scale.............actually I am going to be able to handle it. you know I am not perfect the number doesn't really matter changing does

Sunsh1ne

That's a good take on, it, Rich. It's not a number that matters, it's your health and happiness.

fooja

hi...im a food addict too!!! i love sweets!! cookies, cake with the buttercream frosting (mmmmm), chocolate, candy bars, and peanut butter!!!! and all that yummy goodness has gotten me to 229lbs! oh- and im addicted to pizza! this is the biggest ive ever been and i hate it and i hope i can get it right this time and get back to where i was!!

Sunsh1ne

Hi, fooja, welcome to the group!

I am really happy right now! I managed to ignore a cake for three hours, even while it was offered to me multiple times! I feel like I can do anything right now!

merryann

Oh how I understand. I teach fitness and encourage other people! I too am addicted to food. I love it. I can "be good" for the longest time, and suddenly fall off the wagon!! so very hard to get back on. Just started MYFITNESSPAL. A brilliant program One of my class participants told me about it yesterday. Good luck. Remember.. it is never too late to start over!!

richardsrm

merryann, thanks for the encouragement.....it has to be just a day at a time. Some progress is better than none. This website has been a godsend.

bluenote

I am agonizing over a 4 pound weight gain. I do not know why it is upsetting me so much. I know I am NOT quitting. I think I just need to know why. I've been reviewing my calorie and food logs and I see that I am habitually not eating all of my calories, and never my exercise cals. Any thoughts?

mylisa1

iam a food addict so i had lap band to help control my eating. down 25 lbs started at 265 .

Sunsh1ne

It could be from exercising. A pound of muscle is much denser than a pound of fat, so if you're gaining muscle mass, you could be seeing volume loss, so to speak, but the number on the scale is actually going up. Did you take base waist/hip/neck measurements? Now might be a good time to update those measurements.

richardsrm

blue note-one post I read talked about starvation mode. Seems if you don't eat enough your body triggers and requires less. you might want to look into it.

mylisa= good for you I have been told the bannd really helps

Sunsh1ne

No check-ins for two days, it's like Christmas week all over again. Everyone doing ok?

bluenote

It could be from exercising. A pound of muscle is much denser than a pound of fat, so if you're gaining muscle mass, you could be seeing volume loss, so to speak, but the number on the scale is actually going up. Did you take base waist/hip/neck measurements? Now might be a good time to update those measurements.

You know, I never did take my starting measurements. Drats! I will take them tomorrow. I've done OK with upping my calories the last two days to 2K. I did gain 1.5lbs. (again - sigh) but I think my body is adjusting to getting out of starvation mode. Time will tell. Please time, be kind! :grumble:

Sunsh1ne

Hey, you're sticking with it. That counts for big points. Are you at least feeling any better, physically?

Sunsh1ne

Hey, bluenote, I was watching something on TV and there was a spot about weight loss plateus. The nutritionist on the show said to change your workout by adding interval training, trying new cardio workouts, or adding 5-10 extra minutes to your workout routine. Hope this helps! :flowerforyou:

richardsrm

It is tough stuff hanging in there. you know we have to remember it isn't just a matter of less food for us there is the whole addiction side too. We have to eat...........sometimes for me it is like a tight rope walk. Glad we are here to help each other. ten pounds and holding.

Sunsh1ne

Another win for the little notebook! Today I was helping out with a Girl Scout troop my mom works with, driving them to ice skating and chaperoning the trip. Afterwards, there were... snacks. And by snacks, I mean a lonely little fruit and vegetable platter in a sea of chips and cookies and sodas and brownies. I was writing it all down as I went and that really helped me keep myself in check, just looking at it on paper and realizing what it would add up to later. Seriously, this is the best $3.97 I've ever spent.

Sunsh1ne

GAH, and just like that, stress level through the roof. I have this whole complicated background situation I'm bringing into this that I'm not totally sure I'm comfortable sharing but the relevant part is that I'm scrambling to put together a trip in the next two days so I can spend Tuesday through Friday of next week traveling internationally for business, and it's insane. I don't want to travel alone because some lily-white girl traveling in Central America alone is like a sunburnt target, the tickets are an arm and a leg, my mother can't get off work, and I have to wrap up my internship a week early for this. Not to mention the food in Honduras - the food! I can't eat cilantro, and cilantro seems to go on everything healthy, and everything without it is delicious, but deadly. ARGH!!!!

bluenote

GAH, and just like that, stress level through the roof. I have this whole complicated background situation I'm bringing into this that I'm not totally sure I'm comfortable sharing but the relevant part is that I'm scrambling to put together a trip in the next two days so I can spend Tuesday through Friday of next week traveling internationally for business, and it's insane. I don't want to travel alone because some lily-white girl traveling in Central America alone is like a sunburnt target, the tickets are an arm and a leg, my mother can't get off work, and I have to wrap up my internship a week early for this. Not to mention the food in Honduras - the food! I can't eat cilantro, and cilantro seems to go on everything healthy, and everything without it is delicious, but deadly. ARGH!!!!

Wowsa, Sun. Have you thought about food plans any further? Best to go with a good mindset.
Thanks for the plateau info. I think I'll switch up the old bike and add something else to it.
Yes, I am feeling better - but still on all the meds for another week. I had a REALLY GOOD cry while stretching this morning and I almost feel normal today! :happy:

richardsrm

glad you are feeling a little better bluenote, Sunshine I am not keen on traveling alone either.......it is one of those things I know I need to start doing. I hate to eat cilantro. I guess I would need to bring a container of slimfast to hondurus or starve:laugh:
It is sunday my day to over eat..........or should I say battle my demon not to over eat. It is when the house is quiet and there are leftovers from the days before that I seem to think I should eat all of them. God

---

Grant me the courage to throw them out and stick with the plan...........just writting it made me feel like maybe today will be different and I won't sabotage my health. I will be thinking of MFP folks as I clear out the frig. Hugs to all Richie

Sassy_Girl

I completely understand. I am sure I have yo-yo'd enough throughout my lifetime to have gained and lost a ton of weight. It is so hard and so many of us find food a comfort, when in reality it is a culprit. I think with me it's about getting my mind on the big picture. I have some personal goals for myself and I need to be able to move to acheive them. Our health as we age doesn't have the elasticity to continue to jump back and forth. I'm now at the age I feel it's now or never. I guess when faced with the option of eating or achieveing my set goals, I just have to decide which do I want most? Though I am a strong believer that you can eat all foods in moderation and planning. We all need to support each other and yes, we may stumble but keep looking at the big goal. For some it's about looks, others it's health, some it is being able to be inclusded, or romance. I like to visualize how it will be for me and that helps me when it gets tough. I'm sure some people probably think I'm just ignoring them when I take these few seconds to visual the me I want to be but I have to do whatever it takes.

Sassy_Girl

Sassy_Girl

That is so strange as I had a 4 pound gain this week and have been 100% on the program with eating, drinking water and doing the excercises to my ability. If you figure out if there's something in the air, please share

Sassy_Girl

richardsrm

:so there I am doing so well tossing out the goodies:sad: then there it is a deluxe opened can of cashews....my grandaughters favorite..............started chowing down...........then ...........yes I stopped myself.....:flowerforyou: I threw out the rest! ran over here to the computer to validate my little victory!:laugh: lord I am going to take a shower and get BUSY! Good Thoughts today!