I can't eat in moderation
gottogetinshape
Posts: 124 Member
How many other people have this issue? I like the idea of having a piece of toast and some protein for breakfast but I CANNOT have bread in the house because I know I won't be able to limit myself to one slice a day. If it's in the house and easily accessible then I will eat lots of it, not just one piece. I have little to no self control. This is the same with crisps/snacks, chocolate, etc. "Out of sight, out of mind" occasionally works for me but usually if there's comfort food around then I won't be able to forget it's there or moderate my intake. Do many other people have this issue and has anyone been able to turn their lack of self control around?
0
Replies
-
I used to have this problem. I now freeze my bread and take it out two slices at a time. Microwave thawed bread is horrible!
Crisps, snacks etc - I only buy low fat snacks. I buy hummus and veggie sticks for snacking on.
OK - chocolate. A "friend" gave me a 5lb box of chocolate for my birthday (thanks a lot!) They are still here, still in the cellophane and not touched. Why? because if I opened them, they would be GONE in a heartbeat. They sit there, and will do so as a reminder that one slip leads to meltdown(for me).. Eventually, I may give them away, but somehow its good to have them there.
So dont buy stuff that you know you cant resist and freeze your bread!
Good luck!0 -
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.0 -
With the MFP app, I tend to now view calories as currency. Although, in a way, it helps that I'm not much of a snacker so I'm not always tempted by treats (I'm a bit bougie, I will pound the hell out of homemade baked goods!). I don't know what your preferred foods are, but it may be good to research foods that tend to ward off hunger for longer. Lately I've been on a breakfast burrito kick (homemade pico, egg whites/sometimes one yoke, Trader Joe's bacon ends/pieces). I've started to add spinach to my eggs. To me, I don't even really taste the spinach much; just becomes a tasty part of my eggs! Perhaps this could be added to your toast?0
-
I also have this problem. Not with bread, but with lots of other things. I'll finish the package, plate, bowl, whatever. A lot of stuff I just can't have in the house. Some things I can buy in a smaller portion or individually wrapped. I also try to either measure out the food I'm cooking for just one portion, or put away leftovers immediately. I know that part of this is eating out of boredom, part of it is being bad at reading my body's hunger/satiated signals. For me the self control is not starting to eat whatever it is, because once I start I don't stop until its gone. So I guess the moderation has to happen before the eating starts.0
-
"For me the self control is not starting to eat whatever it is, because once I start I don't stop until its gone. So I guess the moderation has to happen before the eating starts" - Yes, same here! If I don't start, I'm usually ok. I do get sugar cravings but they are getting better, I think. A friend recommended taking Bio-Chromium to help with sugar cravings and I think they are helping. Thanks everyone for all your replies!0
-
I think we all have trouble with self-control while eating, thus the reason we are on this site! I don't purchase the unhealthy foods to begin with so they are not in the house for me to eat! Pretty simple!0
-
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
This.
Also who the **** eats one slice of bread a day?
That's not even half a sandwich.0 -
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
I'm with this one.
Anyone can eat in moderation.. but you have to have the willpower to do it.
What I do is:
Look at package for what I'm eating
Decide what a serving is
Take out said serving size
Put package away
Walk out of kitchen and eat.
Works like a charm for me.0 -
Then, I guess you will need to be more active.0
-
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
^this.
Unless you have some sort of medical condition that you should go see a doctor about, you absolutely can eat in moderation. The only reason you can't is because you've told yourself you can't.0 -
I believe a lot of people have trouble eating in moderation. If putting the object out of sight does not work, you can do as I do, which is to not purchase it anymore. For me, this is especially the case for cereal and peanut butter, and it turns out those were the only ready-to-eat things I had (ready-to-eat being 1 minute or less preparation), so disposal of such products helped me a great deal.
With respect to the bread issue, my advice is either to try freezing the bread or purchasing one that is meant to be frozen (such as Ezekiel 4:9), a method which worked out well for me. Another suggestion, should you choose to get rid of what you consider "comfort food" and assuming you don't already know this, is to instead buy plain popcorn (a snack which I recently discovered). One bag is approximately 100 calories, and can keep you munching away for over 20 minutes.
Best of luck in your struggle!0 -
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
This.
Also who the **** eats one slice of bread a day?
That's not even half a sandwich.
^ This. Buck up.0 -
You wouldn't take too much medication, would you?0
-
You wouldn't take too much medication, would you?
Maybe once.....0 -
There has only been one thing, over six months later, that I have not been able to bring back into the house:
Cereal. I used to eat a box a day. A month ago, I bought a box of Apple Jack's and thought I'd give it a go. Did alright for a week, then woke up in the middle of the night and had four bowls in a row. Threw the box out the next morning.
Some of us do have food that are incredibly, ridiculously hard for us to control ourselves around. If it is that strong a problem, do not bring it home.
Other things, like soda and cookies and chocolate, I have learned to eat in moderation over time. It's a learning process, trial and error. You'll eventually figure out what those foods are and how to best keep yourself when around them.0 -
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
This.
Also who the **** eats one slice of bread a day?
That's not even half a sandwich.
Me for one - a piece of toast will often be the only bread I eat all day. Of course I eat more on other days.
I'm like that about trail mix and roasted nuts. I'll have one pinch more until I'm stuffed to the eyeballs or it's gone. So I don't buy it anymore unless I'm on the go and buy a small, single-serve package to stand in for a meal.
Hopefully you aren't that way about everything. You have to learn to stand up to temptation, but sometimes it's best to start by staying away from foods that grab you by the throat and drag you around the kitchen until they're all gone.0 -
Sometimes people who crave carbs need more of the B vitamins. Do you need supplements? I tend to crave them when i am tired. How about napping instead of eating?0
-
I've been a lot better about it in the past month or so. Even though I've technically never been overweight, I think I just completely, totally, FINALLY decided that I was DONE with the random binge-y type episodes I'd been having about every 7-14 days over the past couple of years. I was sick of feeling like crap the day after, sick of having this list of foods in my head that I couldn't control myself around, and irritated by this one secret part of my life that was NOT right. It was also becoming increasingly apparent to me that learning to be moderate (or some days forcing myself to be moderate-haha!) was the key to a good lifelong relationship with food-I know some people can and do exclude entire food groups, sugar, etc., but to me that doesn't work. There are break room treats at work, personal favorite junk foods, impromptu parties, etc. and you just need to learn how to navigate them. Another thing that I finally am fully realizing is if you want ("want" in any sort of rational way, not in an I'm-going-to-eat-it-ALL way) whatever "bad" food is involved, it's totally okay and normal to eat an actual serving size/normal amount and then just move on with your day! That isn't bad or "falling off the wagon." It's what people who have a good relationship with food do! If you go over some on your cals with tracking, no worries! It is a little detour/part of life, not a reason to eat until the point of sickness. I've been faithfully tracking everyday, and trying to make overall good choices, and it's so encouraging to see that even on days where I'm enjoying some treats, it's NOT like I just at 4000 in a day. Oh, and try to eat slooowly, sitting down, off a plate...that will help more than you think!
I also got a lot better about really thinking through WHY I was eating and thought a lot about the saying "If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution." I just had an episode last night that a short while ago would have lead to consumption of many slices of the cinnamon swirl bread that is sitting in my freezer - I found out I didn't do so well on one of my finals and definitely was upset and almost embarrassed. A few minutes after this realization, I thought, "Well, my day ended on a pretty crappy note; might as well keep eating sweets!" (I'd already had a slice of the bread). But then I was like, no, I'm NOT hungry. I actually was craving a comforting/uplifting activity and realized I was getting tired, so I grabbed my new library book, made a mug of tea, and then about an hour later went to bed. And here I am today, feeling a lot better, calmer, and more well rested...WITHOUT a food hangover.
Sorry this is kind of rambling - hope it makes sense. I can tell you that it is sooo worth working on moderation and seeing the success. You'll slip up sometimes but that is all part of learning :-)0 -
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
QFT!0 -
Sorry, I couldn't understand your OP. It sounded like some sort of excuse or perhaps a fishing line for justification and approval.0
-
How many other people have this issue? I like the idea of having a piece of toast and some protein for breakfast but I CANNOT have bread in the house because I know I won't be able to limit myself to one slice a day. If it's in the house and easily accessible then I will eat lots of it, not just one piece. I have little to no self control. This is the same with crisps/snacks, chocolate, etc. "Out of sight, out of mind" occasionally works for me but usually if there's comfort food around then I won't be able to forget it's there or moderate my intake. Do many other people have this issue and has anyone been able to turn their lack of self control around?
Willpower is a muscle, exercise it and it will get stronger. It's not convenient, but it's a must, or you'll not get what you want for long.0 -
Sorry, I couldn't understand your OP. It sounded like some sort of excuse or perhaps a fishing line for justification and approval.
A bit.0 -
I used to have that problem. It's how I got fat in the first place. The first few weeks were torture. I was constantly battling myself. But if you do something enough, it becomes habit.0
-
How many other people have this issue? I like the idea of having a piece of toast and some protein for breakfast but I CANNOT have bread in the house because I know I won't be able to limit myself to one slice a day. If it's in the house and easily accessible then I will eat lots of it, not just one piece. I have little to no self control. This is the same with crisps/snacks, chocolate, etc. "Out of sight, out of mind" occasionally works for me but usually if there's comfort food around then I won't be able to forget it's there or moderate my intake. Do many other people have this issue and has anyone been able to turn their lack of self control around?
if you don't have self control you have to eliminate the culprits from your diet COMPLETELY until you break the psychological addiction.
after a period of time you can slowly reintegrate the foods and see how it goes. unless you develop self control you are doomed to fail. end of story.0 -
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't- You're right."0
-
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.
Unless you have some sort of psychological issues going on, in which case counseling can really help!0 -
It's not that you can't, it's that you won't.
You just have to decide to make your eating habits a priority.0 -
There are two things going on... one is managing calories, etc. The other is managing your mind. The harder is the second ut once you're in the "zone" with it, it becomes easier. It's just hard - not impossible- to get there. You have play psychological games with yourself. Ice cream was a red light food for me. I told myself I can't have it for one year- not forever- just one year. On my birthday I can have it. I cannot believe how much I was absentmindedly eating it until I took it out completely. Moderation only works for foods once your mind is in check. In the meantime, cut it out...tell yourself it's temporary, not forever.0
-
I disagree with the "can't means won't" philosophy. I usually have a serious problem controlling portions if I am REALLY hungry when I start eating or if I'm on a day off with nothing to do. Part of this, for me, is having a mental disorder (ADHD,) but for others it could just be boredom or old habits. I find that having a really solid routine, even for my off days, helps a lot with this problem. If I have a day where I'm just hum-drummin' around the house, the loaf of Udi's Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin bread is as good as gone, and so are about half the delicious veggies and fruits in the fridge. I just.... love food.
I have a really fast metabolism and a low body fat percentage (19.2% as of today,) but that doesn't mean I don't get serious stomach aches from eating waaaaaay too much deliciousness!
Routine. It's tough, but it helps. 0 -
Another option is to actually break everything up into servings as soon as it comes into the house. Meat gets rebagged into smaller portions and put in he freezer, ice cream gets shifted into single serving containers and put away, chocolate (my kryptonite) gets broken into single rows and put into the fridge (I HATE cold chocolate so therefore have to wait for it to warm up), bread gets separated into 2 or 4 slice packs bagged up and frozen etc etc. then when you want something take 1 bag. That way there is no thinking when you are hungry, or bored or whatever you know one bag at a time.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions