Hey, you? WTF is your problem?

I actually genuinely want to know.

We're all here for a reason - we're heavier than we'd like to be. There'll be different reasons for each of us. For me, it's that I eat when I'm not hungry, and then spend a lot of time wondering if I'm hungry or not. I'm basically always thinking about food. If there's cheese or any other tasty snack-food in the house, I'll eat it even when I don't want it. Psychology reckons I'm trying to fill some void, which is probably right, but I don't know what that is (I'm actually a pretty happy, emotionally well-rounded person so I've no idea what it is I'm 'missing'!).

Have any of you found your void, or put your finger on the problem? Why do you eat too much?

xx
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Replies

  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    I have to keep my hands busy. Sitting at the computer, I tend to be a grazer.
    As the saying goes, I named my demon and made it mine, so now I know what NOT to do. I'm more concious of it.
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    For me, it's boredom - if I work from home, sometimes I just can't help myself - or stress.

    That and wine. :tongue: :drinker:
  • Zombie_Sam85
    Zombie_Sam85 Posts: 9 Member
    I find boredom is a major factor for me. I'm a gamer so I can spend hours on end not moving my eyes from my TV and not have the urge to eat or in my case smoke.
    But when I'm in work and it's quiet or at home with nothing to do i find myself wandering to the fridge or snack box to see what's there.
    Sometimes I can munch so much i feel sick!

    I'm going to try and keep myself busy, might help me with my smoking problem :)
  • That's really interesting - thanks all!
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
    Sitting in front of a screen makes me want to eat.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    While I think that's true to some extent for me, I don't think it's the case for everyone. Some people just like to eat. We evolved to enjoy foods that are high in calories, because that helped us to survive. Now, those foods are readily available, and we have easy access to far more energy in food form than we could ever need, but we are still genetically predisposed to wanting to eat those foods. Eating food gives (most of) us pleasure, so we do it.

    (Also, not everyone's here for the same reason. :smile: )
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
    I found that when im trying to lose body fat I obsess over food . Eventually you have a " I don't care attitude" and you eat what you want because the mind is always so focused on food .

    Get your mind on to other things that are worthy of your thoughts :wink:
  • crys_aintgivingup
    crys_aintgivingup Posts: 115 Member
    I think it's a form of procrastination for me. Every time I have some difficult task at hand, I find myself wandering to the snacks shelf. It feels like some kind of quick comfort, but a very unhealthy one!
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    My problem is that I think I'm large, even when I see pictures of myself next to other people I consider small, and realize that the little shrimp is me. But I'm much more accepting of myself, regardless, than I've been in the past.
  • While I think that's true to some extent for me, I don't think it's the case for everyone. Some people just like to eat. We evolved to enjoy foods that are high in calories, because that helped us to survive. Now, those foods are readily available, and we have easy access to far more energy in food form than we could ever need, but we are still genetically predisposed to wanting to eat those foods. Eating food gives (most of) us pleasure, so we do it.

    (Also, not everyone's here for the same reason. :smile: )

    Yeah, that too! i do just love food, but there does reach a point when you've eaten so many Doritos you could hurl and you're not enjoying them but you have to finish the bag because *UNKNOWN REASON I DO NO KNOW WHY I DO THIS*, it's more about something in your head than... is homeostasis the word I'm after?
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    While I think that's true to some extent for me, I don't think it's the case for everyone. Some people just like to eat. We evolved to enjoy foods that are high in calories, because that helped us to survive. Now, those foods are readily available, and we have easy access to far more energy in food form than we could ever need, but we are still genetically predisposed to wanting to eat those foods. Eating food gives (most of) us pleasure, so we do it.

    (Also, not everyone's here for the same reason. :smile: )

    I think, in the end, this is what I'm dealing with. I simply love high-fat food and large volumes of it. I like the feeling of being super-stuffed and I like the taste of those super-stuffy foods.
  • Irishmaggie
    Irishmaggie Posts: 5 Member
    I think I was grabbing for the wrong kind of food when stressed or had a craving. I've switched my diet to be more "clean eating" and cut out fast food. My cravings for greasy carb loaded food have pretty much disappeared without much effort on my part.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    My problem was a change in training that didn't suit my body at all.

    Until 2009 my activities consisted of a bit of running (no further than 10k), the odd spin class, a fair bit of weight lifting and lots of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (5x a week). I was a lean size UK8 (US4) pretty strong and very flexible and I was never injured.

    Then I got involved in distance running and shortly after that distance triathlons (half and eventually full Ironman distance) and despite my training load having more than doubled I carried on gaining weight. I had been advised by my coach that there was no time in my training schedule for weights or yoga. I lost all my lean mass and all my flexibility and I ate loads. I had enormous endurance and could cycle for 6 hours or run for 4, but my body was ruined. By the time I did my IM I was a size UK12 (US8). I had severe overuse injuries that meant I did next to nothing for the subsequent 2 years, and how we're in 2013, I'm a UK14 (US10) with 40 pounds to lose.

    I've gone back to what works for me... eating when I'm hungry, short runs, lots of walking, just re-started Vinyasa yoga and about to re-start weights.
  • oboeing
    oboeing Posts: 1,816 Member
    i'm a complete emotional eater. i don't really show much negativity on the outside, i tend to bottle it. and then i eat. like a mad woman. i continuously struggle with this. i eat when i'm not hungry. i feel like i have no self control. i give excuses.

    and i perpetually let myself down. i swear over and over it's not gonna happen again, and then my resolve crumbles.

    so i pick back up and try again...
  • leadiax3
    leadiax3 Posts: 534 Member
    I binge in the late afternoon when i went too long without eating during the day. I used to binge when lonely or stressed out. Then purge. I am working on my issues. It takes a lot of honesty with oneself to decipher what a void is really about.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Same as you, just craving foods all the time and eating them even when I wasn't hungry. But logging my food has helped a lot, I guess because it makes me accountable or something and I'd feel even worse if I knew I went over my calories... so I figure it's not worth it.
  • MFPRat
    MFPRat Posts: 201 Member
    Instead of saying what I really want to say and being honest about my feelings, I stuff food in my mouth.
  • Frankii_x
    Frankii_x Posts: 238
    Emotional eating. I always used to find an excuse to eat. If I was sad I'd 'treat' myself to a takeaway and my body weight in chocolate/ice cream. If I was happy we'd go out for a meal and 'treat' ourselves and have a few drinks. If I was indifferent - I'd go out because it might cheer me up!

    Everything I used to do was linked to food! Positive, negative or otherwise. I had to learn to disassociate my feelings from food.
  • OllyReeves
    OllyReeves Posts: 579 Member
    I know it's really clichéd, and makes me sound like a right sap, but I eat for comfort I think.

    If I'm feeling low, I eat. I'm trying very hard to break that habit, but it's hard. Really hard.
  • junip1977
    junip1977 Posts: 111 Member
    I'm an evening grazer. I do great all day but the few hours I am watching tv at night, relaxing equates to me having to snack on everything under the freaking sun! Can't seem to break this habit. I will start with something healthy like a fruit which then turns to something salty, then sweet, etc. Oh well, that is why I am here, trying to improve on my weakness!!
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
    I'm here because if I don't log what I eat, I do overeat like most people.

    Mind you, my over eating is probably to maintain.

    I really really like BIG portions, this helps me use portion control.
  • amsipub
    amsipub Posts: 84 Member
    I mindlessly eat when I'm not tracking my food intake. I eat when I'm hungry, stressed, frustrated, bored or for no apparent reason when I'm not tracking. When I track I'm more mindful of what I consume and I weigh if the food is worth it to put into my body (sometime a treat really is worth it) ;)

    I also could move a lot less if I didn't wear my activity monitor and make myself do extra steps on the stairs at work and commit to exercising like I have.
  • My problem started from foot surgeries,I couldn't do anything so 3 surgeries and a year later I found I had developed eating out of boredom and emotionally eating to fill the void from not smoking.But now that I am allowed to use my exercise bike and prepare healthy foods with minimal pain,I am getting back to a healthier lifestyle.
  • dcdickerson2
    dcdickerson2 Posts: 65 Member
    I wondered why I had such a problem with emotional eating when I am not particularly stressed, usually happy and a pretty well rounded individual... then Iearned a new term: Situational Eating. That's it! I eat it because it is available. In many settings - at work because someone brought it in and I want to try it, with friends, because we are all having a glass of wine and some appetizers, - at home because I'm alone and I know it is in the fridge or pantry and I like it and I love the mindless munching while reading. I'm a situational eater and I can find an eating situation almost anywhere, anytime.

    So now I have something to get a grip on, and to try and do something about. It helps. Journaling my food daily helps. Keeping my hands and my mind busy doing something that makes it hard to eat at the same time helps. Planning my food day helps. Taking a deep breath, concentrating on the sights and sounds of the moment and waiting for the urge to pass helps.
  • 1longroad
    1longroad Posts: 642 Member
    Stress, emotions, celebrations, socializing. Heck, I didn't even have to have a reason. I just love food!
  • lilbearzmom
    lilbearzmom Posts: 600 Member
    Two things for me: boredom and coping. Literally, if I stubbed my toe, next stop would be the fridge or cupboard. I see a therapist now and I posted before about something she told me during my last session- don't let yourself get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. All eating triggers for me, including boredom.
  • mercurysfire
    mercurysfire Posts: 144 Member
    i'm not an office kind of person but i have to pay the bills. add to that the backasswards crap and bureaucratic nonsense of a state job and then you get frustration. then every month we have a potluck or something and a giant sheet cake. sugar/carbs light up my happy sensors and i can get through the rest of the day. it's like they only know how to reward us with food. and a paycheck. but if they could pay us in office potlucks they totally would.
    but then if i have a day at home where totally slack off, i feel like i've always got my head in the pantry looking for a snack. cheese and stuff i can take or leave- high carb sugary stuff will get me hook line and sinker though and in no time flat even though i know i will feel awful afterward.
    i have an incredibly active mind, but it seems like sometimes it sucks all the energy from my body to fuel whatever stupid idea or fancy i have going in my skull and no energy left to actually do anything about it. i'm trying to fuel my body the right way so i can start working on those ideas, but it seems like an uphill battle all the time. cravings and pitfalls. "just one won't hurt."
  • curly1980
    curly1980 Posts: 117 Member
    I ate the most when I was on my own, I would see those couple of hours if "me time" as a treat and I would treat myself by eating all the bad things I didn't want my boys eating. Even thinking about it now gives me a happy inside glow (rose tinted glasses). Boys in bed, me on the sofa watching a good film and a ton of food. That was (still sometimes is) my idea of a relaxing, pampered night.

    Now I paint my nails, snack on better options and tell myself no! I trod icing exercise helped, I didn't want to "undo" my hard work.
  • curly1980
    curly1980 Posts: 117 Member
    *introducing
  • sadiebrawl
    sadiebrawl Posts: 863 Member
    I found that when im trying to lose body fat I obsess over food . Eventually you have a " I don't care attitude" and you eat what you want because the mind is always so focused on food .

    Get your mind on to other things that are worthy of your thoughts :wink:


    this is me too...