What is wrong with me....

Mctraill
Mctraill Posts: 6 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
I joined here only a few days ago and today I finally finished off setting up and introduced myself then 40 minutes later I make coffee and stuff half a box of cadburys dream chocolate fingers down the back of my neck without a single thought.... What is that all about...mindless eating is something I do often anyone else have this problem how do you stop it...
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Replies

  • dreamingdaughter
    dreamingdaughter Posts: 34 Member
    I keep myself busy :) or stay out of the house...
    Although I have a problem with over eating - so I tend to buy things in smaller packages, that seems to help me stop overeating!
    Good luck on your journey, we're all here for you!
  • Hi,

    Yes, mindless eating is so rubbish. I still do it, but instead of chocolate or biscuits. You have to commit in your mind that you want to do this. I have done it by banning foods I know I will snack on. Swapped my snacks.. for example crisps to popcorn and ryvita do a quite a good range of crunchy things. I also tell myself that I can have one thing if my calorie allowance allows. I also use distraction methods, like play a game or go for a walk. What is it that made you do this. Foe me it is my health but also the way I look in the mirror. Most of all forgive yourself... it is one slip, put it behind you and start again. We are only human :)
    Feel free to add me
  • Stonekerry
    Stonekerry Posts: 54 Member
    Nothings wrong with you! Habits take a while to change - I've quite often found myself happily munching without even realising it - or more to the point - even caring - until afterwards when I feel guilty as hell!
    Few things I've changed - plan your meals and snacks the night before and leave snacks ready cut up in the fridge so when you're hungry you can snack on healthy alternatives instead. Write everything down - even if you are over your calorie count - it helps me to become accountable and do treat yourself - but in moderation. Good Luck!
  • georgina1970
    georgina1970 Posts: 333 Member
    The way to do it is 'to be mindful of what you're eating.'
    Find yourself at the cupboard - question yourself, am I hungry or thirsty? Is it mealtime? What healthy choices do I have I front of me? Plan to have healthy meals and snacks available even when your out and about or at work.
    Go for it!
  • 1longroad
    1longroad Posts: 642 Member
    I know for me, out of sight is out of mind!! Either I just don't buy what I love, or I put it in the pantry, so I have to consiously think about going to get it, vs something better for me!!

    Best of luck, it's hard, but so worth it!!
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Add them to your food diary and do the best you can to meet your targets for the day with the rest of your calories. If they put you over calories, still log them and try to stick more to your plan tomorrow. Do NOT penalize yourself by eating fewer calories tomorrow. Just eat whatever your goal intake is and make a fresh start.
  • expoduck
    expoduck Posts: 59
    I still mindlessly eat sometimes. The thing is, over time I started to do it less often!

    Give yourself a chance to change. It won't happen overnight. :)
  • seriousgirl
    seriousgirl Posts: 16 Member
    I can do that too. Usually when stressed out. I found that I had to "clean" house and get rid of all tempting items, no candy, cookies etc. in the house. Instead I make sure to have lots of fruit, dried treats or frozen yogurt (small amount) so it can satisfy my sweet tooth, but even if I eat it all, it is not quite as bad as a whold box of candy. As you start the process you will find odd foods that seem like a treat, that you never thought of before. Oddly enough I love red peppers and hummus or celery and peanut butter. I do not crave the chocolate or sweets like I used to. I crave more of the salt. Any way be patient with yourself. It takes time to change habits and make "healthy" a routine. Best of luck to you!
  • rainydays5
    rainydays5 Posts: 217 Member
    I agree with several ladies here. My #1 thing to avoid mindless/over eating is to stay busy. I find the more I just sit around, the more I eat...out of boredom mostly. Another thing is remember its a habit and they are hard to break. I still have my days where I will catch myself eating out of boredom but I stop myself. Remember, you will have bad days but nothing is stopping you from picking yourself back up and continuing your journey! Yes that took me a while to learn too ;) Good luck!
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Try to get into the habit of logging things BEFORE you actually eat them. You may not alwaysbe successful, but the more you do it, the easier that parts get. Once you've logged something, it's easier to think about how it will effect your day, and if you do that before you eat it, you have a chance to decide if you actually want to eat it.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    1) Get that crap out of your house! Out of sight, out of mind. If you feel must keep it around for your partner or kiddies, write their names all over it so you know it's not for you and put it way high up in a cupboard somewhere. This is what I do with my Hubs cookies. Oh, also buy treats that are just for you. There are some low cal snack bars and protein bars out there that are pretty darn tasty!

    2) Plan your eating for the day and pre log it as much as you can. Before you eat anything, come on to MFP, see what you've planned to eat, notice those treats aren't on here but a piece of fruit and some yogurt is. Go for the fruit and yogurt and forget about the junk.

    3) If you do happen to want something extra, look it up and/or log it first The calories may shock you right out of eating it!

    If you're just bored, instead of reaching into the fridge or cupboard, get your exercise clothes on and go for a walk or head to the gym. Or call a friend, or pick up a good book, or come online and see what's up on the MFP boards. Anything to distract you...

    No more mindless eating!
  • nevergiveup51
    nevergiveup51 Posts: 48 Member
    Yes it happens to me what I did to stop it was I would log all my food for the day in the morning have a plan in mind. Gather all your foods for the day and if you need to pick at food then pick from what you already have calculated. And if you look up the calories and other information on what your about to eat it may stop you from wasting empty calories.
    Also there is stuff I cannot keep in the house until I gain more self control, salted peanuts is my downfall.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    well.. you are noticing your destructive behavior. That is a step in the right direction. So much of weight loss and fitness starts with awareness. Just log your food and become aware of what you're eating. It will all click and make sense... ahhhh that is why I am overweight... and then you start swapping the bad stuff for good tasting low calorie stuff and you start losing.

    It is a process that takes time.

    Also..don't get down on yourself as an excuse to give up....
  • I've been planning on what I’m going to eat tomorrow today. Breakfast lunch, dinner and small snacks in between. I also portion things out in zip lock bags so I only get that much. I know in my mind what I’m going to eat and when I can have it. I find planning it and eating 6 times a day makes me less hungry. I do however get the urge to pig out sometimes. If I do cheat, I cheat with something I have already portioned out and always add it to the food diary. It is hard sometimes, but I try to ask myself if I’m really hungry or do I just want to eat because I want to.
  • cbumbalough
    cbumbalough Posts: 142 Member
    I joined here only a few days ago and today I finally finished off setting up and introduced myself then 40 minutes later I make coffee and stuff half a box of cadburys dream chocolate fingers down the back of my neck without a single thought.... What is that all about...mindless eating is something I do often anyone else have this problem how do you stop it...

    When you figure it out, let me know...

    I've noticed that I do that when I'm bored mostly. Try getting out and doing something. That's all the advice I have. I'm not really in the position to be giving it (5 ft 5, 300 lbs.).
  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
    At least you noticed it, the old you wouldn't have cared or posted it... Habits take a while to form, maybe you really are trendy too take the journey
  • "half a box of cadburys dream chocolate fingers" this made me laugh. i do it too. and refuse to feel guilty. but push it back all the same. lately ive began looking at my nutrition intake on mfp and it is revealing how much and what balances i have been eating up. i came to mfp through my girlfriend when i bought a bike six weeks ago. if i didn't ride the bike 1 to 4 hours per day, give or take, it would tear me apart being on mfp, metaphorically speaking, if i were over dramatic.

    what i found thinking about the anxiety rendered onto the human via the dietary rhetoric was be careful with the words we use to describe our food experiences. so, "stuff half a box of cadburys dream chocolate fingers down the back of my neck without a single thought" could be rephrased as - i permitted the chocolate biscuit to glide into my stomach via the hand i love. or - cadburys chemical concoction is a distance from "dream" but it will nourish me for a short time.

    one could argue just as easy there could be "something wrong with you" if you did not eat the biscuits and did not drink the coffee.
  • flabbermantel
    flabbermantel Posts: 6 Member
    Yep I used to do similar but not now and never again :-)
  • One day at a time and one slip up at a time. Just keep pushing, don't stop.
  • Leather_N_Lace
    Leather_N_Lace Posts: 518 Member
    At least you noticed it, the old you wouldn't have cared or posted it... Habits take a while to form, maybe you really are trendy too take the journey

    Couldn't have said it better.
    Now log it in your food diary. Find friends that will hold you accountable without making you feel bad.
    We all have days and struggles. I love chocolate. It is my Kryptonite. But I try to only eat the very dark and limit my intake.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    If I had a box of chocolate anything around, I'd stuff it down my throat without hesitation too. I just have to face the fact that I have no willpower and not buy the stuff.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    perhaps you didn't have a plan. if you have a plan you can follow it. if not, then mindless eating may ensue
  • ttruhol
    ttruhol Posts: 4,326 Member
    Hi! Guess what!! Your human and we have all been there :ohwell: . I find for myself if I don't buy it I will not go out and get it, also by writing everything down and I mean everything you can see what you are eating and what kind of calories they are. Tomorrow is a new day. I think like some of the others have said planning is key. Good luck with your quest, remember it is a marathon, not a sprint. You can do it!!!
  • If you don't have those items in your house, you will not eat them. I have the same problem that's why I will not even buy 100 calories snack packs, I'd probably eat them all at once. I keep vegetables and fruit, makes me think twice as if I'm really hungry or not really.
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
    I find that for me, since I have the time and ability to, getting used to planning meals for the day or a day in advance, then logging any other foods prior to eating it so I can see the effect it will have on my end of day results. It often convinces me to make better choices.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Yeah, it takes time to build new habits. Rome wasn't built in a day. Also, it can sometimes be a psychological reaction to the fact that you're "on a diet". Just keep logging, keep making the good choices, and these moments will become fewer and fewer. Remember, successful people aren't successful because they never fail; they're successful because they never give up.
  • Helen_Luvnlife
    Helen_Luvnlife Posts: 230 Member
    Nothing is wrong with you, but it does take time to develop new habits. One thing I do is look at the calories and figure out how long I need to exercise to burn the item off. Then you can have the treat only after you workout. Walking 3 miles so you can eat that candy bar makes you really think about how bad do really want it.
  • lee91356
    lee91356 Posts: 330 Member
    it takes time to change habits and as much as we wish it happens overnite it doesnt. keep at it and slowly the cycle will break. and dont beat yourself up if you slip every now and then its life. After over a year of hardwork I started eating horribly for over a month and all my old habits came back, now I'm trying all over again to rid myself if them and its like I'm starting from scratch. It's hard, but I hope that I will be as focused and disciplined as I once was again.
  • tworthen79
    tworthen79 Posts: 1,173 Member
    I use to eat when depressed, stressed, happy and when I'm bored. I'm a stay at home mom, so I get bored a lot. I try to keep busy by, cleaning, decorating, organizing, running errands and when I get the urge to snack, I grab strawberries or almonds. I understand your frustration, I would constantly sabotage my plan to lose weight. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just get up tomorrow and try again. And keep trying until you get it right. You only fail, when you fall and stay down.....don't stay down!!!
  • SherZano
    SherZano Posts: 9 Member
    excellent advice! I started to log food before I ate so that I could subtract or add while knowing what I am eating and how much it was going to cost me. This gives me much more control over my bad habits.
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