Feeling Compelled to Eat?

One of the things that has helped me the most is to buy the smallest portions of treats, snacks etc. I always eat to the end of the pack, so if the pack is small I stop! I have a supply of treatsize chocolate bars, mini wrapped cheeses etc for when I feel the need.

My biggest problem for years was late night snacking, because I would be on my own and too tired to think about anything other than what snack would be tastiest. I didn't have enough self control, and because no one was around I felt like I was in a little bubble where there would be no consequences.

I eventually realised that I never felt like this around friends or girlfriends because I was there with other people, most of whom were in better shape than myself. Plus, when someone else was there I was more likely to feel embarrassed about grabbing something extra to eat that we all knew I didn't need.

So now I have a picture of someone important to me on the fridge. It's the first thing I see and it makes me think about how I would react if they were right there at that very moment.

Works a treat. Obviously not the same treat I would have eaten, but you get the point.

One piece of advice -- never, ever eat a snack straight out of the bag or carton. Measure out a reasonable portion, close the bag and put it away, and then sit down to enjoy your snack. Better yet, buy snacks in portion-control packages - 100-calory bags of chips, or mini ice cream bars. Much easier to control that way.

You got this.........

Welcome to the 'club' looks like a lot of us struggle with the same issue. I have found that drinking water when that hits helps. It's also a matter of plain ol self control. I've gotten more in the habit of measuring out my chocolate almonds and putting the rest away. One thing I try to do when I can is savor those moments - no distratiions so I can fully appreciate the taste. Hope that helps.

eating one bite is making it worse. Like Lay's poato chip campaign slogan "You can't eat just one!" You are playing mind games with your willpower. It's hard enough looking at a cupcake and thinking it LOOKS good, but having a bite...a teaser...is so much harder when you say to yourself, that WAS good. And try to stop there. Usually you won't.
1. I only buy single portion treats. Like weight watchers or skinny cow icecream bar. I always stop at one bar but if I were scooping from a tub of icecream? No.
2. I make myself say no to temptation but plan that for my next treat. I can't have that cookie. But next time I have calories to spare I can have one.
3. Have plenty of treats that are healthy and/or low-cal. 100-calorie packs, Kashi oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, etc. Whatever you love. When u have a craving, reach for one of those instead.
4. I noticed I have less cravings when I workout a lot. Maybe I'm strength training my willpower muscles, lol. Maybe I just don't want to undo all the hard work I just did. Maybe one good choice leads to another and then another. Whatever the reason, I know working out not only boosts my metabolism but also decreases my appetite.


Hope that helps! You aren't alone in those feelings but we all have to do what works for us. For me, I would be sabotaging myself if I allowed my inner fat kid to convince me that if I don't give in to one bite I'll binge later. Especially if one bite often leads to a binge. Don't worry about a possible binge later. Fend off the possible binge right in front of you! Sometimes we take it day by day, but sometimes we are hour by hour or minute by minute.

something to think about-

Are you really hungry or do you just think you should eat something or craving something?
Go somewhere with no distractions for a minute and focus on yourself, are you really hungry or do you just want to eat to eat?

this has been helping me, and the scale!

You stop at half a carton? Congrats! They key is to work on not taking that first bite, right? I'm the same way. One bite, and I'm doomed to finish off whatever I've sampled.

Fight the bite.

Potato chips.... evil things. Same situation for me. I jsut stay from them but once in a while, I give in and eat some, lots and get right back to the PLAN. The key is to go right back to the PLAN. I don't let it become a whole week of crazy eating anymore.
Anyway, that's what I do.

I would suggest portioning. don't eat the whole quart of ice cream, scoop out to a cup. Put some chips in a bowl. Make it an effort to go get more. You can do this,

Chewing gum really helps me....can't chew it for too long otherwise I start getting hungry (im chewing so my stomach expects food I spose!) but chewing it till my mouth is filled with mint really takes the cravings away

Oh yea. It's human nature to crave something that is "taboo". So of course when we're trying to eat better and not get the nasty junk food we want it soooo much more than normal. Some things I do is, if I feel overly hungry I'll drink 2 cups of water to get my stomach to think it's full. It's helped in the past because I won't eat or my mind thinks it's full and the craving is gone. Or I'll eat fruits or a healthy protein bar (Special K has great ones). Don't worry we all go through it but at least we are trying to change ourselves for the better. I hope this helps out in some way. Good Luck!!!

My experience: cravings are strongly related to spikes and dips in my blood sugar.
Generally speaking, foods that are low in fiber and/or high in sugar tend to hit your blood stream fast sending your blood sugar up to the point where which your body needs to release insulin to protect your blood vessels (too high a blood sugar damages veins). Insulin makes your blood sugar drop quickly, making your body think it's starving-- thus triggering cravings and starting the whole mess up again.

I started to really watch the glycemic load of my foods and eat multiple smaller meals throughout the day-- I'm a total junkfood junkie but I've had no cravings after the first week and have lost a steady 2-3 lbs a week since then.

Send me a friend request if you'd like to get access to my food journals to see what I'm eating-- this and journaling seems to be the magic combo for me.