WTF is wrong with me???

Donuts = fat, carbs, sugar
Chips = fat, carbs
Cake/Brownies = fat, carbs, sugar
Chocolate = sugar. fat

A note on this - it's not technically the sugar or the fat that causes the cravings, but the combination of the sugar AND the fat. It's why these things are like crack. That blend of sugar and fat that manufacturers have honed to prompt the most reaction in us, making us want more and more. Great for business, not so much for the belt.

Using food as a drug to temporarily ease or help forget pain or fill an emptiness in our lives must be addressed to successfully remove weight AND maintain a healthy weight for life. Anyone can remove weight through diet and exercise--but they only remove the 'symptoms' not the 'cause.'

"Our work is not to change what you do, but to witness what you do with enough awareness, enough curiosity, enough tenderness that the lies and old decisions upon which the compulsion is based become apparent and fall away. When you no longer believe that eating will save your life when you feel exhausted or overwhelmed or lonely, you will stop. When you believe in yourself more than you believe in food, you will stop using food as if it were your only chance at not falling apart. When the shape of your body no longer matches the shape of your beliefs, the weight disappears. (p. 80-81)”
― Geneen Roth, Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

I agree with everyone who says you're probably just hungry - which makes it hard NOT to eat too much at some point. Also (and this is in NO way scientific, just personal experience), I think our bodies get used to eating so much fat, sugar, salt, etc. and it learns to crave those things. Today, for example, I wasn't really in the mood for one particular thing for lunch, but I felt like I just wanted to go chow down on something fatty and greasy.

I ended up making a really good choice by reminding myself how I would feel after eating something like that. I would regret it, both mentally and PHYSICALLY. Next time you eat something, really take a minute to focus on how your body feels after you eat it. The more and more used that you get to eating nutritious food, the more you'll realize that your body may not like doughnuts as much as your brain does!

Like many of the replies, I can definitely relate. I've been logging on MFP since February and I diligently look at all my allowances (Cal., Carb., Fat, Protein, Sodium and SUGAR). Sugar is by far my worst enemy and I do not think I've been able to remain under the sugar goal since I joined MFP. What I'm learning, though, is I don't have to get my sugar from sweets/processed foods and that I'm getting the majority of my sugars from fresh fruits and in the foods I eat. Additionally, I found that processed foods do not satisfy me, and, like in your case, if they are there, I will eat them until there isn't any left and I have a trash can full of empty celophane wrappers with pink or yellow goo smeared in them and think that maybe if I lick them clean I will be satisfied (no, I've never actually done it) but even with the 100 cal packs, when you eat the whole box, it all of a sudden turns from a low-cal snack to something majorly harmful to my body. THEN I log my disaster on here and I am not only disgusted with my behavior (which is not emotionally driven) but I'm also frustrated that I now am left with virtually no calories for the rest of the day, and not to mention I now probably feel like **** and will feel like that until it moves through my system and then I realize that it just wasn't satisfying enough to make it worth it. And THERE is my motivation! I have literally felt ****ty for years and since I've been eating healthy and little to no processed foods I finally (FINALLY) feel balanced, even though my weighloss has been slow but gradual...

Another thing I did that seriously helped me was take a pictures all the foods I am eating, and ALSO taking pictures of the junk foods that I actively told myself not to eat and later that day when I find myself thinking about the s'mores made with pink peeps sitting in the office kitchen, I can look at the picture and I somehow find that oddly satisfying because I can tell myself that I did good by resisting it. Sure, I may look a bit strange taking pictures of the donuts, but I'll take the funny looks I get from others over the belly pains anyday.

Here's a fun blog that probably most of us can relate to:

http://deadspin.com/5545674/the-public-humiliation-diet-a-how+to

HA S NOTING TO D O WITH BEING UNHAPPY IN LIFE
IT HAS TO DO WITH IT TASTES GOOD AND ITS THERE

hat would be the answer for you. apparently though OP doesn't know or she wouldn't have asked.

OP, there have been some great suggestions. Make a list of possible triggers for you. The next time you push junk in your face, think about what you're feeling right then, and write it down. It won't come to you the first time, it will take patience to uncover what' going on inside that makes you want to eat.

Good luck! Message me if you want to talk.

bump

You could be an impulse eater also. I love sweets and will sometimes eat them even though i am not hungry. You saw the donuts and just reacted, you know they taste good. If you are not getting enough to eat on your daily diet may cause you to over eat also and lastly, if you are bored with your job you will certainly plow through those fiber bars.

Wow, this sounds like I may have wrote it. Finally someone like me. I love to eat, I like how it makes me feel while I'm eating. Then I ignore the side effects (weight gain) and think it will go away by itself. I have to hit rock bottom before I do something about losing weight and being healthy. I'm so glad I found this place

well, in these specific examples, i'd say
-your body needed food and went with what was first available. you might want to consider eating some or all of your breakfast at home.
-work is BORING. it leads to mindless snacking. i have a pretty good handle on cravings and no longer hit up the vending machine but, if it's in the office, it gets eaten more quickly than i'd originally planned.

see, nothing wrong with you at all

An apple is actually filling, try eggs for breakfast. A big breakfast helps me get through the day. Either poached eggs on a round flatbread or else steel cut oats. You can still have treats now and then but not all the time.

I am like this too. I reached my goal weight 6 weeks ago and it's still a struggle for me. It's REALLY hard to wait in line to get my morning coffee and not get a donut/muffin too. I will once a month or so, but every day I really want one. I just have to force myself. When they ask "would you like anything else?" I basically scream "no!" before I can change my mind!

What another poster said about reducing sugar intake definitely does help with the cravings though. I notice that I have a much harder time the few days after I do give in and have a treat. I regularly (3X a week maybe) have lower-calories treats though, like frozen yogurt with fruit on top and skinny cow ice cream.

Just force yourself to stay on track, and then think about how freaking awesome you are for resisting And give yourself a treat every now and then! We are human and sometimes we just need a damn donut.

I grew up with another binge eater (my mom) and at a young age understood that food was used as a coping mechanism.

Since then I've obviously grown up and learned more about why I would binge eat. One thing that has helped me is make sure I get enough sleep and workout daily. These help me relieve stress and honestly just make me a better person.

As for other cravings I still get them and have learned to substitute sweets with healthier foods. Some alternatives are almonds (be careful though don't eat the entire bag), carrots, celery (not a huge fan but I dip it in hummus/dips), fruits, anything thats more organic.

The last time I went and binged eat I was upset that some plans got cancelled on a saturday night and drove to get Del Taco (same as Taco Bell) and was so upset with myself when I saw the #'s on my diary I decided no more. Since then binge eating seems easier I think you just curb it to the point where it's manageable and then when you slip (we all do) something clicks and you decide NO MORE!

I dunno rambling now but hope something above helps you.

I think it just comes down to you didn't want yogurt for breakfast. I've got a truckload of greek yogurt in my fridge. Do I want it every morning? Not really. I like it but I don't love it. You reached for the doughnuts because you didn't want the yogurt. Come up with a breakfast that you'd really like or rotate out options (a PLAN . Or just eat the doughnuts (allot for the calories....it's early in the morning so you have all of the daily ones to use up). So, let's say they added up to 700-800. Ok.

Don't feel guilt. Just say that you wanted them. For the rest of the day, stick within your daily caloric range and/or work out later to burn off (if you are hungry for other meals) more calories.

The food loses the "forbidden fruit" aspect when there are no good foods or bad foods. For me, when I eat what I want within the daily range, the "junk food" loses its power. I like healthy food but sometimes, you just need a doughnut from the gas station.

No psychotherapy needed! Yum...

Why do I binge? Today, I had yogurt and cheerios waiting for me at work for breakfast. But what did I do? I had to stop for gas, so I went in and bought 2 bakery donuts and stuffed them in my face on the way to work.

Last week, I brought a box of Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies to work. Thinking I would keep them in my desk and eat ONE when I had a craving... NO.. They were gone in two days.

I am learning from my mistakes.. I know now that I cannot bring an entire box/bag of anything to work... I portion everything and only bring one portion...

But what gives?? Why oh Why am I like this? Why can't I just STOP eating!!!!

Carbs and sugar are tasty, yo.

It's a hard habit to break, one exacerbated by the extreme cost of high-quality food in relation to the cost of thoroughly-refined garbage.

I have been in recovery from binge eating and bulimia now, have had the issue since high school, and for me it was not feeling safe and wanting to hide from others so I ate, ate, ate, and did it some more thinking the extra weight would keep me safe. I believe it is individual for each person why they eat. Stay strong!