Really struggling with food, please help!

newlife888
newlife888 Posts: 83 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all, I have been trying to lose weight for a while. A while ago I quit smoking and became obese, over 200 pounds. I realized it was time to make a change, and started to work on losing weight by counting calories and working out, dropping about 60 pounds. About a year ago I changed jobs and fell off the wagon, regaining about 20 pounds. Last May I left the job and am now back in a less stressful situation. I have been working on losing the weight I had gained last year and towards my original goal but am having an incredibly difficult time with food. Exercise seems to be going well, but my eating is out of control. Without fail I will stick to my goal for 2-3 days and then go on a food binge, undoing all my hard work! I know that I am eating back my deficit in that one binge, but I have a really hard time stopping myself.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me for changing my behavior! My weight isn't budging and I feel so frustrated with myself. Please help! Any tips or support would be so appreciated.

Replies

  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    Are you binging because you're hungry? If so, try to eat more on a daily basis. Putting too many restrictions on yourself is a big reason many people slip up. Be reasonable with yourself! :)

    I struggle a bit with boredom eating, so I make sure to always have pre-prepared healthy snacks in my fridge. Sliced veggies and hummus, greek yogurt and berries, etc. That way when I feel like I want to stuff my face, I have something reasonable to do it with and I'm less likely to reach for the peanut butter or the chocolate. I also try to keep "junk food" or really calorie dense foods out of my pantry. I know my self control isn't 100% perfect and this helps prevent slip ups when coming home from a stressful day at work or something.

    Open up your food diary and I'd be happy to offer more suggestions ^__^
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    When you are staying on track, what do you eat? Do you enjoy the food? Do you feel hungry only before meals, or are you hungry most of the time?

    Many times people completely change their diet to lose weight, giving up all treats and foods they enjoy. Instead eating mostly salad and low-fat and/or low-carb foods that are not satisfying. I don't know if this is the case with you or not, but this type of total deprivation can sometimes lead to binge eating.

    Sometimes it's more helpful to make small changes, especially at first.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Ok, well, between the smoking and your weight fluctuations in different jobs, I think it's safe to say that stress is a trigger for you. :flowerforyou: I can't see your food diary to see what a normal day looks like for you or your macros - are you logging? How is your diet? Are you eating whatever you want in moderation, or are you restricting your foods? What do you binge on? When you binge, does it feel like hunger is driving you to do it, or is something like you're working at the computer and get a snack, then another, then another, and soon there's a pile of wrappers next to you?
  • newlife888
    newlife888 Posts: 83 Member
    I love the suggestion about pre-packaged veggies. I do enjoy the food I eat. I eat eggs, veggies and peanut butter sandwich for lunch and we make tasty dinners. Sometimes steak, sometimes roasted bird, all sorts of delicious home made foods. I do feel hungry yeah. I feel like the hunger builds over the course of a couple of days and then I just eat. Part of it is boredom and being tired. Another piece of the puzzle is that my husband has himself a junk food binge every single night. Once or twice a week I just join him. I am not sure exactly what breaks down, every so often I just feel like giving up so I do.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Can you ask your husband to do his junk food eating at the restaurant and away from you? I cannot imagine my boyfriend, who knows my plan, bringing home that kind of food and eating it in front of me.

    Otherwise, make sure that everything you eat is delicious. I want to look forward to every bite I eat so that I do not miss the other stuff. Also pay attention to your hunger. There are things I choose not to eat because they make me even hungrier than I was before.

    If you open your diary, we could be more helpful.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I wonder if you are on the right calorie level. When you set up to loose this 20 lb did you, does your activity level you gave yourself reflect your actual activity? If you are more active than you thought it could account for the build up of hunger.

    all the best
  • newlife888
    newlife888 Posts: 83 Member
    Stress is a huge trigger. Unfortunately I log my calories using google calendar, and not at all on my fitness pal. I guess I could try MFP's food logging app. I don't eat back any sort of exercise calories, which is why I prefer doing it on my own. Pre holiday goal was 1600-1700 calories per day. Now I'm just shooting for under 1900 and trying to take it 50 calories each week to prevent binging. I've still had two binges this week. Yes, I will talk to my husband again.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    Try making yourself really awesome "healthy" "junk food"

    Check out recipes from chocolatecoveredkatie.com and dessertswithbenefits.com :)
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Does the 1900 account for your calories burned during exercise, or is it 1900 as your target and you are exercising on top of that? Because it sounds like you might not be eating enough.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Maybe you can find something else to do when you're stressed? Meditate, read a book. Knit a scarf.
  • newlife888
    newlife888 Posts: 83 Member
    Thanks for all your feedback everyone! It's really helping me to process through this stuff. I think I am formulating a plan.
    1. Drink lots of water. I am certain I do not drink enough.
    2. Read about emotional eating... perhaps it will help me to process and understand binge eating another way?
    3. Write before I eat. Any time I get a craving I will write about my hunger levels and how I am feeling. I think that will help.

    Thanks you!!! :smile:
  • celtbell3
    celtbell3 Posts: 738 Member
    I always have healthy snacks available - and really working at minimizing junk. Keep as much whole fruits and veggies in your house as you can. If you buy veggies that need cut, do it when you get home from the grocery right away, package it, and put it in your fridge. That way you have little excuses. Popcorn and nuts are also healthy snacks.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    As a former smoker myself, I noticed a correlation between smoking and eating after quitting in terms of the oral fixation, and I still want to binge first when I'm stressed or emotional. That might have something to do with it as well.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Stress is a huge trigger. Unfortunately I log my calories using google calendar, and not at all on my fitness pal. I guess I could try MFP's food logging app. I don't eat back any sort of exercise calories, which is why I prefer doing it on my own. Pre holiday goal was 1600-1700 calories per day. Now I'm just shooting for under 1900 and trying to take it 50 calories each week to prevent binging. I've still had two binges this week. Yes, I will talk to my husband again.

    If you know you are going to have binges, why not eat lighter on other days? Instead of taking it up to 1900, if you dropped to 1500 on most days and then you have 600 - 1200 extra calories for a weekly binge day. If you plan for really high calorie day each week, maybe that will help you keep it to one day. Knowing that you can have <whatever> in just 2 days may help you resist <whatever> today.

    Sometimes it's easiest to just work around problems, instead of trying to fight them head on. There is nothing that says you have to eat the same number of calories every day to lose weight.
  • lauriet717b
    lauriet717b Posts: 3 Member
    Hi, My name is laurie. My daughter and I started our diets with MFP about a year ago in january. I find its much easyer to stay focased if you have a friend, sister cousin... to diet with you. it really helps you stay focused. By the end of October 2013 we had both lost 40 pounds. We both decided that we were going to take our times loosing. No big hurry. I was not in a hurry to gain weight so why be in a hurry to take it off. If I feel I need to binge I do, but I keep telling my self I have to be back on track. In October we both decided to take a break through the Holidays, and we did. We Are now back on track. In that 2 months off, I gained back 15 of the 40 I lost. I look at it this way, At least I did not put all the weight back on and am determand to take it all back off and more before October of 2014!!! Don't beat your self up!! We are all human and life can beat you up enough without you helping. :) Try a hobby of some kind. I just restarted a puzzle I put away half done from 8 years ago. No big hurry.... But I will finish it. lol.:wink:
  • Mav3rick54
    Mav3rick54 Posts: 180 Member
    May I offer another suggestion. Schedule yourself a "binge day", "cheat day", "free day".... whatever you want to call it every week. This works well for me. I am a major stress eater and I know it. I have a very stressful job and when I decided last October that I was going to make some changes in my life, I was 50-60 lbs overweight. Saturdays are what I call my free day. I eat whatever I want with no guilt. I eat within my calorie goals through out the rest of the week. If I get a major craving sometime during the week, I tell myself... OK, I will just have that on Saturday. What usually ends up happening is that I no longer crave what ever that something was by the time Saturday rolls around. I typically do not track what I eat on Saturdays....but if I feel like it, I will. I love to cook so I cook flavorful, healthy meals during the week and I might have a Big Mac or In and Out on Saturday. Again, something you might try. Good Luck. You can overcome this.
  • MommaSherryB
    MommaSherryB Posts: 79 Member
    If most of your food intake is when your hubby is eating junk food...maybe that is a small bond you two have together. I have heard of people who dread quitting smoking/drinking because that is a big thing they have in common with spouse.

    It will be tough - but if you want to be healthier and happier about your choices - go in another room during theses times. And also try to find something new that you too can have in common. I think every relationship goes through tough times where you feel that all you have are the little things in common. Hopefully you can create some new healthy rituals together.

    :)

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