Food Addicts Anonymous??

bluenote

Everyone's welcome here, kelynn. Jump right in! :flowerforyou:

The thyroid issues can throw your hormones completely out of whack, making you to either overeat or under-eat, depending on the diagnosis. It's a good thing you did get that checked out. You'll feel much more in control after you start meds (I will guess at synthroid). Feel free to join us anytime.

I fear leshawn may be still sick. Anyone hear from her? :frown:

richardsrm

not such a great weekend as far as control went. Some one gave me pumpernickel bread and dip.......yup you guessed it I ate and ate and ate..................Today is another day. I will leave yesterday behind. Good Luck to Kelynn, Thyroid is such a tricky gland. Anyone up for another week of the water challenge?

iRun4wine

Thanks for the warm welcome

I'm supposed to go back to the doctor in February. So, I'm deciding whether I want to wait it out, or call and tell them that I can't wait that long. I don't ever take medicine unless I really need it (not even a Tylenol) but this is getting out of control. I really think it's time for the meds. :ohwell:

Of course, it doesn't help that my Secret Santa at work gave me a 1 pound bag of Reese's Pieces today

bluenote

kelynn - Ouch on the Reese's Pieces (one of my personal faves!). Yes, I agree - don't wait until Feb. You really do need the meds.

richardsrm - glad you're back on track. :flowerforyou: Today is a new day! (Thank God)

Oh yes, I think another week of the water challenge is perfect. PLUS I think we should add eating more vegetables this week, at least one extra serving than we normally eat a day. So if you tend to ignore veggies and luckily get in one serving a day, push yourself to two servings. What do you think gang? We can do it!!!

Sunsh1ne, are you hanging in there????

Eava57

Does spinach dip count as a vegetable? lol Just popping in to say I drank my water today. We had a Christmas dinner/wine tasting last night and I knew I would retain water today. It is such a challenging week. I am trying to fit more exercise in my day but my calories are way over!!!! Hope everyone else is having some fun (not centered around food)!:bigsmile:

loopfinder

YES!!! I am def a food addict...binge eater to be exact. I eat like crazy (usually sugary foods) then exercise and starve to lose the weight I gained that month....but slowly losing motivation.

Eava57

Kelyn, you should be on medication for thyroid if you have a diagnosis. I've been on synthroid for 12 years now. In those 12 years my weight shot up 60 lbs. I had a double whammy when I was diagnosed. I had lost my father and think I was depressed without realizing it. Everyone said once you start the medication you will lose weight. It is a struggle but can be done. I have since lost 26 lbs. and am working on the last 33! Exercise and diet will do the trick....there's no magic cure. Good luck with your health.

richardsrm

I just need to brag to anyone out there! I made it through the yummy food trays today only taking one small piece of a choclate covered peanut concoction, no I did not eat the whole thing this time remembering my sugar cookie episode and the binge I had this weekend. Yea !!! for me!!!! baby steps........baby steps

bluenote

It sounds like we're all hanging in there! Congrats to everyone who is more aware of their eating this holiday than last! :flowerforyou:

Welcome, loopfinder. I understand your frustration perfectly. That used to be me - the binge then the starvation. But as you are finding, that method doesn't work, plus it is very depressing! It's like being in a hamster wheel with no exit. Use the MFP calorie counter and exercise manager and create a plan that works for you, without the binge-fests. Yes, they will keep happening, but if you allow yourself more planned calories to eat daily (weight appropriate), you'll find the binges come less frequently. Plus, drink at least 64 ozs. of water daily and things will settle down. I'm sure you heard this all before, because we binge eaters know what to do in our heads, but our addiction stops us from thinking clearly. :ohwell: Good luck on your journey and you are always welcome here!

melissahager

I too belong in the food addict group! Eating out and overeating are my down falls. And not just mcdonalds- I'd rather have a loaded sub or a great steak and salad. I definitely eat for comfort and when I am lonely. Usually once my kids are settled in bed for the night I begin to rummage through the fridge and pantry. And sadly we don't have any yummy foods! I purchase healthy foods for my kids- their snacks consist of granola bars and 2% string cheese. And I only buy them baked chips and 100 calorie pack or sugar free pudding for desserts! But it's not what you eat... its the amount. One bowl of cheerios may be healthy, but has anyone else sat and had 2 or 3 bowls in a sitting like me?

bluenote

melissa, I ate an entire box of Cheerios in one sitting! Sick as a DOG afterwards. Yes, I can relate.

richardsrm

Happy Holidays to my support group.............I am off until the new year. I hope I can keep the spirit of your helpful posts with me.
I plan to drink my water everyday I am not in flight and eat my extra vegigies.
Peace to all.

bluenote

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!

bluenote

Come back everyone! LOL

NurseMisty

Hello everyone. I want to join in. I actually looked into overeaters anonymous, but they don't have any meetings in my area. I have a major food problem that has gotten out of control in the last two years. That was right around the time we moved to a rural area and my son was diagnosed with Autism. Plus, I'm a nursing student. I did really good last April and lost 25 pounds. I've pretty much gained it all back.

The only thing about OA that didn't look like it would be good for me (from looking at the OA website) is that I'm not interested in the "higher power" part of it. So if anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them. In the meantime, I hope I can join in the group! I hope everyone had a nice and safe holiday!

bluenote

cherryred, welcome! Everyone is welcome here. Tell us about yourself. :flowerforyou:

NurseMisty

Thank you zorahope! About me.....30ish, mom, wife, nursing student. Like I mentioned before I first came here in April 2009 and did really well for a couple of months. I lost 25 or so pounds, and have gained them right back. I don't get to get out much. My son who is three is also autistic, so driving a half an hour to town doesn't go well when I have him. I have him most of the time because other than the part time student status, I'm a stay at home mom.

I lost sight of myself a long time ago. I have tried so hard to make sure my son is in the best possible life for his disability, that I overlooked the fact that I was falling apart. I had post partum depression and found myself on zoloft. He has now started Early childhood and is saying a few words! It's been rough not being able to communicate with him.

Back to me....I remember awhile ago a woman who felt confident and happy and even sexy every now and then. She doesn't live here anymore. I eat all day....from the moment I get up tilll the moment I go to bed. Grazing all day and not even paying attention to what I'm eating to see if I enjoy the food or not. I can't remember the last time my stomach growled. Each time I put something in my mouth I say to myself "Cherryred, you have a problem." Well okay maybe I use my real name, but I think that thought everytime! So I don't even know how to take a first step.

When it was nice out, I could at least go outside...but over a foot of snow and 15 degrees doe

NurseMisty

Thank you zorahope! About me.....30ish, mom, wife, nursing student. Like I mentioned before I first came here in April 2009 and did really well for a couple of months. I lost 25 or so pounds, and have gained them right back. I don't get to get out much. My son who is three is also autistic, so driving a half an hour to town doesn't go well when I have him. I have most of the time because other than the part time student status, I'm a stay at home mom.

I lost sight of myself a long time ago. I have tried so hard to make sure my son is in the best possible life for his disability, that I overlooked the fact that I was falling apart. I had post partum depression and found myself on zoloft. He has now started Early childhood and is saying a few words! It's been rough not being able to communicate with him.

Back to me....I remember awhile ago a woman who felt confident and happy and even sexy every now and then. She doesn't live here anymore. I eat all day....from the moment I get up tilll the moment I go to bed. Grazing all day and not even paying attention to what I'm eating to see if I enjoy the food or not. I can't remember the last time my stomach growled. Each time I put something in my mouth I say to myself "Cherryred, you have a problem." Well okay maybe I use my real name, but I think that thought everytime! So I don't even know how to take a first step.

When it was nice out, I could at least go outside...but over a foot of snow and 15 degrees doe

NurseMisty

Thank you zorahope! About me.....30ish, mom, wife, nursing student. Like I mentioned before I first came here in April 2009 and did really well for a couple of months. I lost 25 or so pounds, and have gained them right back. I don't get to get out much. My son who is three is also autistic, so driving a half an hour to town doesn't go well when I have him. I have most of the time because other than the part time student status, I'm a stay at home mom.

I lost sight of myself a long time ago. I have tried so hard to make sure my son is in the best possible life for his disability, that I overlooked the fact that I was falling apart. I had post partum depression and found myself on zoloft. He has now started Early childhood and is saying a few words! It's been rough not being able to communicate with him.

Back to me....I remember awhile ago a woman who felt confident and happy and even sexy every now and then. She doesn't live here anymore. I eat all day....from the moment I get up tilll the moment I go to bed. Grazing all day and not even paying attention to what I'm eating to see if I enjoy the food or not. I can't remember the last time my stomach growled. Each time I put something in my mouth I say to myself "Cherryred, you have a problem." Well okay maybe I use my real name, but I think that thought everytime! So I don't even know how to take a first step.

When it was nice out, I could at least go outside...but over a foot of snow and 15 degrees doe

NurseMisty

Thank you zorahope! About me.....30ish, mom, wife, nursing student. Like I mentioned before I first came here in April 2009 and did really well for a couple of months. I lost 25 or so pounds, and have gained them right back. I don't get to get out much. My son who is three is also autistic, so driving a half an hour to town doesn't go well when I have him. I have most of the time because other than the part time student status, I'm a stay at home mom.

I lost sight of myself a long time ago. I have tried so hard to make sure my son is in the best possible life for his disability, that I overlooked the fact that I was falling apart. I had post partum depression and found myself on zoloft. He has now started Early childhood and is saying a few words! It's been rough not being able to communicate with him.

Back to me....I remember awhile ago a woman who felt confident and happy and even sexy every now and then. She doesn't live here anymore. I eat all day....from the moment I get up tilll the moment I go to bed. Grazing all day and not even paying attention to what I'm eating to see if I enjoy the food or not. I can't remember the last time my stomach growled. Each time I put something in my mouth I say to myself "Cherryred, you have a problem." Well okay maybe I use my real name, but I think that thought everytime! So I don't even know how to take a first step.

When it was nice out, I could at least go outside...but over a foot of snow and 15 degrees doesn't work for me. I guess I could make an excuse for everything...I just need to stop making them and make the decision to change for good huh? Anyway, thanks for letting me join!

Eava57

Welcome, cherryred. I am new to this thread too. Everyone is so supportive and helpful. Congratulations to you for taking that first step to help yourself. I know you are under a tremendous amount of stress. One of my best friend's son also has been diagnosed as autistic. She works very hard to provide her son with all the best care and in doing so she neglects her health. I am trying to motivate her (and myself) to take better care of our health. You are still young so you can prevent a lot of health issues from developing later on. I am in my fifties and am finally taking the right steps to improve my health. It is never too late! Hope we can motivate one another.:flowerforyou:

bluenote

Absolutely, Eava. We are here to help one another on our journeys. Cherry, that is a lot of stress going on for you. I am a teacher and I currently have five autistic students spread out over 6 classes (I teach elementary music). I have gotten to know their parents very well and yes, they are all trying to make sense of everything everyday. But it gets better. I recommend you going to a support group in your town/city. You will LOVE the human interaction with other family members of autistic kids.

Cherry, you have a LOT of focus on food right now - well, who blames you? Your life is topsy turvy. But you CAN and WILL do this, my friend. Start with a small goal, like for instance, every time you think of food outside of your regular meal time, drink water instead, or walk around your house - find something else to do. Try to get food out of your focus, even for three hours one day. Start small and watch yourself grow stronger everyday. And remember, we are here for you, sister! :flowerforyou:

Eava57

Great advice for all of us. You are an inspiration, zorahope. Now I remember you saying you are a music teacher. Both my boys are jazz/music students (college and high school). We definitely support the ARTS!

bluenote

Wonderful, Eava! What instruments do they play?

dms24

I love, love, love you guys!! I can't believe how many posts this thread has gotten! It's amazing that there are so many others out there feeling the same way I do. So I have been crazy stressed with school lately. Gained back 4 pounds officially but I had a great workout day today and am eating really well so no guilt on my shoulders- just pressing on. The funny thing is that I gained some weight back because I STOPPED LOGGING IN MY FOOD!!!! I thought I was eating within my limits (Guess I wasn't ). Anyhoo, the life of a food addict Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Back to the grindstone for me. We can do this together! Your posts have motivated me - thank you!! I want to be tone by May (I am in one of my best friend's wedding!) I don't want a muffin top so please kick me in the butt if I start slacking! Love to you all

dms24

cherryred96, I am a nursing student too:) What semester are you? I start nursing 3 in Jan (maternity and ped's) then one more semester after that:) That's why I gained back 4 pounds

dms24

oh, and cherryred96, my nephew is autistic too. He was dianosed around the time he was 3, he is 12 now. It's still hard to communicate with him as well but he understands us. He still is considered to be on a 3-4 year old mentality level but he is very smart in other areas. It's very hard on my sister who, is also a nursing student, and her weight has fluctuated as well. You can do this!!! If you have gotten as far as signing up on this website, you are motivated enough to follow thru. I have "failed" countless times. I gained some weight back to but I refuse to get sucked in to my usual self hating routine. No more! One day at a time so if you have to start over each day it's ok There are worse things to worry about right? Like our health Happy holidays:)

bluenote

Well put, dms. We are in this together, for better or for worse! Wow, are we married? LOL :laugh:

Consider it a promise - we will officially kick your butt if you start slacking! Make yourself more accountable by logging your food every single day and drinking your 64 oz. of water. Then let us know how you're doing, every day if you need to. That's why we're here! :flowerforyou:

buggaboo73

Oh God, me too. My husband left me for someone else late last spring and while we've worked hard to keep it as amicable as possible (we have two kids ages 5 and 9) - it still really hurts. On top of that I now suspect he's actually been cheating for years, including during my last pregnancy. I'm 5'4 and I was 175 before all this started so I was chunky, but now I'm up to 200 and I'm pretty mortified about it. I realized not too long ago that there is so much pain in my life right now that pretty much the only thing that makes me happy is eating what I want.

Well along with getting all the emotions worked through I'm ready to work through the food issues as well. My grandmother got me a 750 piece puzzle for xmas and I have to say, in the evening instead of munching I now plop myself in front of the puzzle and transfer my "just one more bite" mantra into "just one more piece before I got to bed". So maybe that will be useful to some of you too.

:flowerforyou:

bluenote

That is great advice, buggaboo! I never thought about doing a puzzle and I love them! Thanks for the tip!
I went through that exact thing with my divorce - depression, huge weight gain. I, too, thought that food was making me happy. But it really isn't the FOOD that makes us happy - it's the control issue. After something as traumatic as a divorce, we feel out of control. We can control what goes in our mouths - we can't control things like divorce and stupid men (LOL - sorry guys, not all men of course). So we control feeding our void. But what I found out through YEARS of therapy is that I can also control what goes IN my mouth, and still get that great sense of being in control of my life. So now I am feeling MORE in control by choosing what I eat, instead of just eating to be numb. Does that make sense?