Food Addiction

miacwhite
miacwhite Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How is it possible to allow food to control me? If I am not completely flat out busy, ALL I think about is food. Yesterday was an extremely difficult day for me. My fiance is on this journey with me, but has decided to take the weekends off so to speak. Left to my own devices I managed to eat over 700 more calories than my allotment. Knowing the entire time what I was doing to MYSELF!!! Why do I allow this to happen? I did hold true to tracking. It really is an eye opener, but it isn't everything. I have to be the one to stop ME from sabotaging my own success. How can I keep myself inline?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    Practice, like anything else.



    It's a habit you've developed as a coping strategy for your life. It feels good. You have to break a habit, is all. Just like any other bad habit, replace it with something else.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Keep journaling and tracking. Like already noted, you need to practice this. When you are thinking about eating and aren't truly hungry, go do something else for 20 minutes. Take a walk, wash the dog, fold laundry, WHATEVER. I find that if I can adequately distract myself, the craving goes away... This is much harder on the weekend, when I don't have work to distract me. It is not easy. I struggle constantly. But I keep working at it, and I've lost 15 pounds since Christmas - slow and steady.
  • LisaLamb1
    LisaLamb1 Posts: 149 Member
    It would help if you open your diary so others can see and make some helpful suggestions. Try and concentrate on one thing at a time, for instance, if you drink a lot of soda, try cutting back (or cutting it out) first, once you have a hold of that, move onto the next thing. That alone can cut out a lot of cals. Or, maybe set a goal of eating 6 - 8 fruits/veg per day - if you do that you won't have as much room for other things.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    Like cmriverside said. Practice! It's a habit that needs breaking. Believe me, I have been there! You just need to stick with it and develop your willpower..It will come! When your hubby starts indulging a little, feel free to join him but with HEALTHIER alternatives. If he is snacking on chips, pop yourself some air-popped popcorn. If you are craving ice cream, try some homemade fro-yo. Greek Yogurt, your favourite fruit(I go for mixed berries) and pop in the freeze for 20 minutes. If you go to a restaurant, plan ahead! Take a look at the menu online, and plan your meal. And order first, so you aren't tempted to back out and get the more unhealthy option. Order sauces and dressings on the side and opt for healthier sides like veggies, etc.

    You and your hubby can totally adjust yourselves to each others routine. My fiance is a minor league Baseball player, he is very active and can pretty much eat WHATEVER he wants so I know the feeling of wanting to join in with him. I do, just with healthier options!

    Good luck! You can totally do this!
  • Ginoo
    Ginoo Posts: 56
    I have been watching Supersize vs Superskinny on Youtube. I find it very motivational. Every time I want to stray and realize I am in danger, I watch an episode or two and that whips me back into line again.
  • jacquelyn_erika
    jacquelyn_erika Posts: 524 Member
    Also in agreement with everyone else...practice.

    I love food. LOVE IT. I could eat all day long. I am rarely ever satisfied after a meal. I'm the type of person who ALWAYS wants something sweet after lunch, dinner, whatever. I have trained myself to have a different relationship with food. I cannot train myself to really think differently about it because, well, I also think about food all day long. But, I look at it as fuel for the time being, and allow myself to have treats here and there.

    If I ate food as much as I thought about it, I would be severely obese and in big trouble.

    You can do this. I promise.
  • gapm
    gapm Posts: 48
    You might check out Overeaters Anonymous if you think you do have a food addiction.

    For myself I have found that certain situations and settings trigger overeating. One example is the candy dish at work. If I eat anything from it, I am done. There is no such thing as eating just one piece of candy from that candy dish. Once I allow myself to eat anything from it, it will take me weeks before I retrain myself to ignore it. And it is a training process that takes a lot of work to teach myself to ignore the candy dish at work.

    Sometimes I have a desire to crunch, meaning chew on crunchy food. It took a long time to convince myself that I could satisfy that urge with plain fresh vegetables or apples, but once I tried it, I found it it was true. It might be considered overeating because I am eating for a reason that is not driven by hunger, but I figure plain fresh vegetables or apples are much better alternatives to cookies or chips. The other thing I learned in the process is that it is actually possible to get full on nothing but plain fresh vegetables.

    Have you checked to make sure your calorie guidelines are realistic? There are some good links on this site for checking that. If you really are hungry because you need more food, that could be a problem.

    As already mentioned, there is also the possibility that you have some coping mechanisms related to food that you need to change and that will take practice.

    Hang in there! Keep at it and you will find what works for you.
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    ME TOO! I know the way I think about food is not normal.

    I still haven't mastered how to conquer my addiction, but you've got to keep trying. All good advice above.

    Exercising helps me stay mentally strong. Exercise is a great stress reliever and I find the more active I am, the more healthier foods my body wants.
    Drink lots of water. It isn't so much "because you feel fuller". Again, it helps me stay mentally strong.
    I am best at avoiding temptations and making good food choices when I am mentally strong. Strong enough to cope with outside stress & not relapsing into the old habits of using food as a stress-relief.

    Good luck. I, too, had a horrible weekend. TGIM - Thank God Its Monday!

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