Complete failure.

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I don't want to sound whiny or like I'm just making a post for attention. I've had problems with this for so long and I am at my breaking point.

I am mentally addicted to food. That's the only conclusion that I can come to. When I'm dieting, all I can think of is all of the food I'm not eating. I'll do okay during the day and for dinner. But then at night as I'm reading or blogging, I can't stop myself. Lastnight, I drove to Burger King at midnight and got a large order of cheesy tots and a 10 piece nugget. With a Coke. Not diet. WTF?! I had already eaten dinner. I had already had my calorie intake for the day, maybe even a little over. But I couldn't stop thinking of them and wasn't satisfied until I had them.

I do this often and everytime, I find an excuse to start tomorrow but tomorrow comes and it's the same. I HATE the way I look and feel. It's all I think about everyday. Everytime I see someone healthy. Everytime I see jeans I'll never fit in. Everytime I see the way my friends and family look at me because I was never overweight until I got pregnant.

I've been on mfp for over a year. My logs are very sporadic because I never stick with it. I want to stick with it this time. I HAVE to stick with it this time. I turn 30 March 26th and tons of my friends/family/people I haven't seen in a while will be there. I want to atleast shed a few before then.

HELP!
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Replies

  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
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    Instead of trying to make larger changes, because you feel like you are addicted to foods, maybe you can try smaller changes over time. So this week try to cut out all soda. Next week, if you drive to BK, get a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a burger and nuggets.

    If it is really an issue, go see a therapist to find what is really causing you to try and fill some void with food.

    Best of luck.
  • sprintto50
    sprintto50 Posts: 410 Member
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    There are programs to help you with food addictions. Overeaters/Anonymous (O/A) helps millions of people around the world deal with food issues. It's not just for people with overeating problems, but any problem with food. I am not a member, but I have a good friend who was helped a great deal by this program. Just a thought.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    It's possible that 1200 calories is too low a goal for you and your body is asking for more nutrients. I know that when I try to be overly restrictive I'm far more likely to binge on unhealthy foods. You might try setting an easier goal like 1500-1700 calories, depending on your goals.
  • JacquiC72
    JacquiC72 Posts: 49 Member
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    I sometimes get like that. I've started asking myself if I want the food or if I need the food. I then give myself about half an hour (if I'm watching a programme, I'll wait until it's finished) and then ask myself again if I actually want any food. I find that the craving has usually gone by that time and it was just out of habit that I was wanting more food.

    Also, make sure you're getting enough variety and flavour (use herbs and spices) in the food you are eating. It's so easy to get bored of "diet food" if all you're eating is salad all day every day (as an example). One tip I've learned is I grate a small amount of strong flavoured cheese on any pasta and I find it helps me to feel more satisfied than if I just have the pasta plain. Other things like herbs sprinkled on chicken help.
  • Querian
    Querian Posts: 419 Member
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    There are programs to help you with food addictions. Overeaters/Anonymous (O/A) helps millions of people around the world deal with food issues. It's not just for people with overeating problems, but any problem with food. I am not a member, but I have a good friend who was helped a great deal by this program. Just a thought.
    This. I'm not a member but I have a friend who is a member via a call in group and she swears by it.
  • betsyr13
    betsyr13 Posts: 45 Member
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    When I've had this late night Burger King craving type of problem before, when I think about it, there is usually some other feeling besides being hungry that makes me want to eat that stuff, even if I'm full.

    I would suggest trying to stop for a minute and think about what you're feeling when you start to crave junk food. Are you angry about something? Depressed? Lonely? Stressed over family or work problems?

    If you can find another way to deal with whatever the feelings are, sometimes that can help stop you from eating.
  • Kaypix
    Kaypix Posts: 72 Member
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    This is just a thought, and although it won't fix the cravings, maybe every time before you get into your car, write down or audio record on your phone or something "Right now I am feeling ___________ because ___________" and keep track of those two entries. If you notice you're seeing "bored", "stressed", "lonely", etc. frequently, maybe look to a way to change that one thing a little bit.

    I know for me any time I start REALLY wanting something to eat I make myself clean the kitchen first, by the time I'm done it's usually too late and I'm not actually wanting to eat whatever it was in the first place (assuming this is all after dinner that is).
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    Maybe you're just hungry. What is your calorie goal? I know when I try for 1200 it just makes me want to binge. Upping the calories another 200 or 300 a day makes a world of difference and I'm still losing. It's worth a try.
  • O2BFatNoMore
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    You are not a failure, and I want to personnaly thank you for posting this. I, too, struggle with this almost daily. Today I brought in a healthy lunch, only to keep thinking about the $20 bill in my pocket. An hour before lunch the internal struggle began - and not that I was even really hungry. Before long I was contemplating my fast-food choices, already resigned to the fact that I was going to throw today away. In the end, I went to King Gyro and ordered a FULL SLAB of ribs (came with fries, of course). I've been depressed all afternoon, ashamed of what I've done and wondering how to even ask for support. WE ARE NOT ALONE! i, for one, will look into OVERATER'S ANONYMOUS. i wish there was a way to bottle up the horrible, nauseating feeling from having eaten like today so I could remind myself the next time this feeling comes around. WE CAN DO THIS!
  • sarahisme18
    sarahisme18 Posts: 574 Member
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    It looks like you've set your goal to 1200? For MOST people, that is way too low. You should read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Figure out what your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is, and eat at a small percentage cut of that. You'll lose weight slower, but you won't stall out, and your weight loss will be maintainable because you won't be losing muscle mass along with the fat. Also, you won't be existing in a state of semi-starvation and prone to binging.


    I was exactly in the same spot that you are when I first started here... in fact, I was pretty convinced that I had a binge eating disorder. Now I realize I just wasn't eating, which made me ravenous and prone to binging. Not a fun place to be, physically or mentally. You don't have to starve to lose weight, and enjoying/wanting food is not a bad thing!
  • mum212
    mum212 Posts: 173 Member
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    i do not deprive myself ever if i want something ill eat it.
    i just work out harder doing just dance just sweat for an hour or something simple like walking for a long time to burn off what i have gone over on my calories by stepping up the pace and putting in more effort. dont beat your self up about it. just dont let food get the better of you..
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
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    Make yourself log your calories you are about to eat BEFORE you eat them.

    Maybe logging 10 nuggets that are 1220 calories and 4680mg of sodium without the dipping sauce will spoil your appetite.
  • kkaci5
    kkaci5 Posts: 59 Member
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    I just checked out your diary. You are NOT eating enough!! NOT a willpower thing -- you're trying to starve yourself and your body is trying to correct the process. This has been the cause of so many failed diets over the years ... mine included.

    Try real food. Add in treats occasionally. If you exercise, your body needs more fuel -- eat those calories.

    Read In Place of a Road Map ... figure out your BMR etc.
  • musycnlyrics
    musycnlyrics Posts: 323 Member
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    Try to take into account what you are feeling when you want junk food.
    For me, if I think hard about why I want it (besides being physically hungry) then it helps me to calm my craving. For example, if I want it because it tastes good or because I had a bad day, then I tell myself the reasons why I shouldnt. I look at my MFP logs, I get on the scale, I reread my journal entries, etc to keep sight of my goal. I repeatedly tell myself that I will be pushing myself off course by eating these items and if I am truly hungry, then I will get a protein shake or some fruit, etc.
    A lot of this is emotional. I know that I "feed my feelings". If I'm happy I eat, if I'm sad i eat, if i'm mad I eat, etc
    I replace eating with other things. if im happy, i read or buy a new book
    If im sad, i write about my feelings
    if im mad, i exercise to blow off steam
    Anything to get my mind off of burgers and fries!
    good luck. try 3 fat chicks dot com
    they have a forum for overeaters and it might help to talk with those who experience the same things
  • LouiseH238
    LouiseH238 Posts: 199 Member
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    I think the posters above are correct - there is most likely a reason other than hunger that makes you want to eat like that. I know this well. I turn to food for comfort, when I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed. You need to focus on what that reason is, and healthy ways to deal with it.

    Some people will disagree with this, but I for one think that for many people there will always be more to food than just fuel for the body. I worked out that I ate crap to try and look after myself when I was feeling upset. I couldn't turn off the part of my brain that equated food with a reward, so I changed my thinking - now I don't eat takeaways to make me feel "safe", I cook and eat my own food, and my reward is that my meals are balanced and healthy and I'm looking after my body. That in itself is a good feeling! It's really great for your mental health. It's so hard to feel good in body and soul when you're not basing your food on nourishment.

    If you think this may be useful to you, perhaps take some time to read up on nutrition. Work out how many calories your body burns in a day, how many of them you can eat for sustainable weight loss, and what they should be made up of. You could also find out about the sort of thing that goes into processed food - Not On the Label by Felicity Lawrence opened my eyes.

    Good luck. It takes effort, but it does get better, if you try.

    Edited to add: your diary is sporadic, but if the few entries I can see are what you typically eat in a day then there is no way you are eating enough. It's not surprising that you're craving high-calorie junk if you're eating that little and you are going to get nowhere fast trying to lose weight that way. Take the time for yourself and log everything you eat in every day. Then look at the diaries of people on here and see the difference.
  • cattrill
    cattrill Posts: 74 Member
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    I think a good starting point would be to recalculate your goals, bmr, tdee etc and get the correct amount of calories for you.

    Secondly for me I had to start being honest with myself and logging everything I ate, and the true portion of what I ate. When I saw it in my diary I quickly recognised where I was going wrong and it made me less willing to eat an unhealthy takeaway!

    Mentally, maybe speaking to someone will help but as you have lost some weight, I do reckon you are strong enough to achieve your goals, just need to ease up on yourself and be more realistic.

    Good luck :)
  • TheDarlingOne
    TheDarlingOne Posts: 255 Member
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    There are so many great suggestions here - I may try some myself as well! lol Thanks for the topic posting.

    My life with MFP has gone down like this - i had the acct for roughly 5 years, but NEVER looked at it past the 1st day i signed up for it....until jan of this year. my work has decided to allow us to access the website while we're on shift -so i figured why not.

    in jan. i gave it a "god's honest try" - i said eh, what the heck - i will log...EVERYTHING i put in my mouth for 1 week - it it proves me wrong, then it does, but hey if i'm right and there's "no hope for me" - then bam i got stuff to show these people out there! lol

    well low and behold - 3 lbs down 1 week - no exercise - and still eating what i enjoy.... i said hmmm maybe there's something to this...i'll give it one more week.

    by end of jan - i was down 10lbs - no exercise in volved and still eating what i like.
    then february came around - and so did....lady issues...you know the jist - and wham - i was up 5lbs! i was depressed hated it - didn't want to go back....

    but - i found slowly , the characteristics i had developed during month 1 - had....you guessed it - become a habit! i found myself looking @ food and going "really, it's not worth it ya know?"

    So - stepped in the scale this a.m. - at the end of february - with not much logging from me at all.....and shhhhh it's a secret for now i'm hoping it holds true til my march 1st official weigh in- but....i'm actually 3lbs LOWER than the last time I weighed in! woohoo. So i lost the 5lbs back down, and then some.

    MORAL OF THE STORY lol - try to make it a daily habit to LOG LOG AND LOG SOME MORE - if you do it for 1 month, you should start viewing food differently - and then when you get a craving for something - you'll look at your #'s and see if it's worth it or not. :)

    Also - feel free to add me - I will cuss food with you as the day is long - and also support you on that journey to birthday weightloss.
    My birthday is March 16th - and I've got a dr's appt - hoping to come in lower than when i was last in 6 months ago - woohoo!
  • cattrill
    cattrill Posts: 74 Member
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    I second this ^^. I stopped coming on here last year and the weight went back on. But even when I was on here the first time round I was only estimating and also not looking at the content of my food. Nowadays I go into a shop and before picking up something new I consider how much 'crap' might be in it. You honestly feel better eating fresher, less processed foods and though you think it impossible, it becomes habit! I now walk into a fast food court at the shops and the greasy food actually smells of that: grease. I used to eat McDonalds so frequently it was scary and did no exercise. Its amazing how lots of small changes can work, so dont give up and think its impossible for you, its really not :)

    I would like to stay though that chocolate and biscuits have always been my favourite indulgence and I actually keep them in my diary almost daily but so that they fit into my diary. I dont want to see this as a diet and theres no way I could give up chocolate forever so this approach may also work for you: everything in moderation and portion control!
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
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    If I forbid myself from eating something it becomes all I can think about. I have to phase out of the need to eat it by not making it special. Let yourself have BK for dinner every now and again (note- not for second dinner, just dinner!) and LOG IT. Pretty soon it may no longer be the special thing you can't stop thinking about.

    A side note- you mentioned feeling criticized by your family. I know for me, my overeating is often cause by the judgement I feel from my family. Its this weird twisted response to it, like I feel they should love me no matter my size and leave me alone so I want to eat out of spite just to show them that their judgements don't effect me and I don't need their approval. Backwards? Totally. Unhealthy? Absolutely. Overall unproductive? Definitely. But I would still always think....if I lost weight that's like saying THEY'VE won, like THEY'RE right....all the while I desperately wish I was thinner. I don't know, family relationships are complicated. In order to get past it I had to decide 100% I was doing it for me and me alone and haven't breathed ONE WORD of any of my new diet/ and exercise plans to my family. They won't know I've been training vigorously for a half marathon until I send them my finish line photo. I cut them out of it entirely and made it about me and me alone. Anyhoo, that's what worked for me, maybe it could help you too.

    You have lost a seriously significant amount of weight and you WILL lose more if you keep at it. You are NOT a failure. Good luck!!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Food addiction is not easy because unless other addictions where you can totally abstain you have to eat. Even if you dont have a perfect day log it. Dont feel embarrased or self concscious who really cares. First you need to get into your brain. This is the real hard work. You need to figure out why you are binging. This is the hardest and often times when starting off you dont know when you are going into that mind set. Once you are in that mindset even if you continue with the binge I want you to think about what is going on. Focus on the food what is driving you to eat it? Where are you mentally and physically? Perhaps you have that all or nothing mentality?