WTF is wrong with me???

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  • TX_Aggie_Dad
    TX_Aggie_Dad Posts: 173
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    Could simply be that you don't want to lose weight bad enough. You favor the short-term satisfaction of eating something that tastes really good over the delayed satisfaction of losing weight and looking better. That makes you similar to a large portion of the population that cannot muster the will power to do what is difficult. This isn't easy. You aren't trying hard enough.

    Or would you prefer we make excuses for you?
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
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    bump
  • jennpaulson
    jennpaulson Posts: 850 Member
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    I'm not an expert, but I know what has started working for me. You're hungry when you wake up in the morning, don't wait until you get to work to eat (whatever you decide to eat) and have to pass by every McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Denny's and Panera (plus the gas station markets) on your commute. It's just too much temptation when you're already hungry. Eat before you leave home.
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
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    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.
  • ShaniB729
    ShaniB729 Posts: 18
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    There's nothing wrong with you! This is a normal and very human thing to do. One thing you can try is to really figure out how you're feeling when you eat. It sounds silly (and sometimes it feels silly) but when you're going in for those donuts, instead of focusing on how much you shouldn't eat them, try focusing on why you feel like you need them.

    I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm stressed or unhappy or just bored. I eat to feel better. Sometimes it works, sometimes it just makes me feel worse. Try journaling if that's something that works for you.

    Or you may just be on too strict of a diet and your body is telling you it needs a change. Experiment. See what works for you.


    Awesome advice
  • takuwinds
    takuwinds Posts: 67 Member
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    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
  • meaganwilliams1
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    Figure out what your triggers are. I eat like that when I have had a bad day or if something "negatively extra" happens in my life. Sometimes I eat like that when I am overly hungry, so like someone else said planning ahead is a big help (a skill that I have yet to master). Sometimes I just wanna eat it all. I let myself have a day where I just let it all hang out. That way I don't feel cheated. I love sweets and am gonna eat them. I am just trying to exhibit some self control and eat them one day out of the week instead of everyday. You'll figure it out. Hang in there:)
  • ddslowly
    ddslowly Posts: 46 Member
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    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 :)
  • jenniejengin
    jenniejengin Posts: 785 Member
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    bump
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    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.
  • greenmeena
    greenmeena Posts: 118 Member
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    We are wired to want sugar and fat. It's in our genetic makeup. You have all my sympathy, seriously!! We are faced with so much easily obtained poor food choices.
    Now, how to overcome? I love some of the advice above:

    *Don't try to shoot for too low a calorie goal- it will make you eat out of control.

    *DO (DO IT!!) the Whole 30 program, start now, don't wait, you'll be so happy that you did. http://whole9life.com/start/
    That program has helped countless people to kick cravings and get on a better way of eating.

    *Unless you're doing the Whole 30, don't completely deprive yourself (unless cold turkey is better for you) because it makes you want to binge later. For example- i love chocolate. Total chocolate *kitten*, here. If I buy milk chocolate I will eat all of it, right now. I have discovered I can't do that with dark, dark 80% chocolate. I can ration it out much easier.

    *PROTEIN, and GOOD fat (like coconut butter, coconut oil) helps you to feel satisfied so you can cut back on the super sugary processed carbs.

    *Make a rule that if YOU didn't make it, you can't eat it. That includes desserts! Then train yourself to make dessert foods that are healthier, like things made with apple sauce instead of sugar, etc. Because it takes so much work, you'll be cutting back on how much you take in.

    Be gentle on yourself. The harder I try to lose weight, the more crazy my binges get unless I follow all my own advice, above. You can do it. Set a goal, let yourself have some wiggle room, and make a promise to yourself to cut out processed foods so you can stop craving them.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    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.
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I used to do this because I had a literal chemical addiction to dairy and gluten-containing products because of my intolerance to them. Maybe you have a sugar addiction, maybe it's emotional eating...it can be hard to say. I personally had to just go cold turkey and stop eating foods that I would mindlessly binge on. I threw everything away in my apartment and went shopping and only bought good foods - no junk was allowed in my place. Now that I have a handle on my eating habits I do have the occasional treat and it doesn't even bother me anymore (so long as I have the dairy/gluten free version so I don't get sick).

    I agree with some other suggestions here though. Eating when you are hungry will help you. And good job on portioning out stuff to take with you instead of a whole bag/box of something to keep at work. I can't do that either or I would snack when I'm bored at my desk. I would do that a lot as well at home when watching TV or movies - just eat, even if I wasn't hungry.

    Every time you feel an urge to just eat junk, force yourself to stop and remember how you feel about it. Will that food taste as good as you will feel when you get the weight off you want to lose? I don't think it will!!
  • Capt_Inzane
    Capt_Inzane Posts: 733 Member
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    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.
  • kellykw
    kellykw Posts: 184 Member
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    I can relate! Since I started eating a lot of good fats and nearly eliminated refined carbs, my cravings are pretty much zero. I'm not saying it will work for you, but it has done wonders for me. Working out hard also helps because I don't want to undo all of my hard work by stuffing my face with things that make me feel terrible.
  • Robin_Anne
    Robin_Anne Posts: 54
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    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 B). 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...
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    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!!!!

    maybe it's because you're stuck in a pattern. have you tried changing your routine (breaking your pattern)? eating at home for breakfast instead of waiting until work (or eating half your breakfast before leaving for work and finishing your breakfast at work). instead of leaving the box of fiber one brownies at work just bring in one brownie (if it's not there you can't eat it).

    the most important you did make though is you are learning from your mistakes. and hey sometimes we just need to eat the darn gas station donut. cut yourself a bit of a break. you're learning and that's the most important. you didn't put on the weight overnight and you won't loose it overnight either. if you stop beating yourself up over slipping eventually you won't feel the urge to overindulge.
  • cpilson
    cpilson Posts: 10 Member
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    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.
  • JinxRita
    JinxRita Posts: 191 Member
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    You could just be bored at work, too. I tend to eat the little treats if they're around and I've got nothing better to do for a moment. I do my best to try and substitute that with a big gulp of water though. :)
  • bluejeansbaby03
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    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!