All I want to do is eat! What do I do?!

I can relate 100%. See a doctor before you see a psychiatrist! So many things can cause this. Even not drinking enough water. Are you depressed? Do you get enough sleep? Think of physiological causes first

Eat more high volume low calorie foods?

There is many reasons for this. Try eating carrots and celery and drink enough water. Thats what I do. Also are you eating enough protein.

I can fully relate to this, it seems that my body wants to keep its old caloric intake even as I try to adjust things downward. Fibromyalgia and a heart condition keep me fairly sedentary. I doubt that I am thirsty because I am drinking upwards of 5 liters a day.

Any suggestions?

I can relate! I've had the same feelings for several years now and looking back they correlated with my entering peri-menopause. so for me, I think it is crazy hormones. I have the greatest success in beating this when I eat healthy for a few days. I know it's not easy when your every waking moment is consumed with food. and like a vicious circle it seems the more "bad" stuff I eat, the more I want. but I think it's the sugar highs and lows that does it. trying to keep an even blood sugar level helps a lot!

When I feel like eating non-stop, it is usually because I am stressed or bored. If I exercise, it provides me with a more positive outlet for my stress/boredom and it is easier for me to keep on track.

Could you actually be hungry? Deficient in nutrients? How many calories do you net on a daily basis and how long have you been doing it for? You need to eat at a deficit, you don't need to rush this. For me, I find that I then obsess about food and I'm prone to bingeing - I need to eat good solid real food on a very regular basis!

I also find, if I eat processed food - sugary stuff, bread, any processed stuff, I tend to crave more and very quickly.

If I don't eat enough protein / fat / fiber, I get hungry - very quickly and often stay like that if I haven't started the day right. Sure, I don't think a bit of processed food is bad for you, but I do find it upsets me and makes me hungry.

I also get really really hungry if I am tired or I have not had enough water.

What's the best way to fight the oral fixation? Any tips would be great.

Habits related to oral fixation are hard to break - instead, try to replace them. You can try and replace high calorie snacks for low calorie snacks instead, there are soya chips (I don't like them, some people do like them though) which are low in calories, maybe nuts too or low fat yogurt (since they are low fat they also tend to be low in calories). For example, if I have anxiety I drink a cup of tea with Equal or Splenda. Or coffee, that usually keeps me going too. Sometimes it's just the urge to just bring something to our mouth. I find myself chewing straws, pens, pencils all the time LOL. I won't suggest bubble gum because that actually makes you hungry.

Personally, the tea really helps me - and it has no calories. But ultimately, you'll usually crave food high in calories, and at this point is all about mind control. Just say no! Of course, once a week won't hurt you if you cheat a little and go over your calories.

I also recommend that at the beginning try eating things that are low in calories so you can eat more of it and get full without exceeding your calories. It's very different eating 205 calories of broccoli (that's A LOT of broccoli) than 220 calories of a snickers bar.

At the end, remember that losing weight is all about calories in vs. calories out. Don't deprive yourself of the things you like the most, as long as it fits your calorie budget, you can have a cookie, or a slice of cake, or whatever it is that you want to eat. This will also reduce the urge to binge (in some cases, sometimes people can't have just a bit of what they like because they'll go on a binge spree).

Anyways, I hope this helps a bit!

I started on an anti anxiety/antidepressant a couple months ago so I feeling better now then ever before so I wouldn't think it's that. I've been feeling like this since about nov/Dec though so I don't think it's the medication. Guess I'll make an appt with my Dr and see what she suggests. In the meantime I'll work on changing my food as many of you suggested.
I work in an office so I'm stuck at my desk most of the day.

However, the medication could be why it isn't passing like normal. A lot of those medications do mess with the appetite centers of your brain. I still would talk to the doctor, you may be able to try something else with less dramatic side effects. Above all, don't just stop them because of this (I bet you know to not just stop them already ) I hope you can find a good solution. :flowerforyou:

I can totally understand what you are saying Tammy - I felt that way after I went off my dieting/calorie counting for the holiday. Many things came up in my life that were causing me stress and unrest - and they just fueled the fire for eating. I got to where I was feeling like you described - wanted to eat all the time - hungry, full - it didn't matter. And I did a lot - and really felt yucky - sometimes sick from it! Then I got sick of feeling that way -and I also made some decisions about some of the issues that were hanging out in the back of my mind stressing me out. I think both the being tired of feeling so badly physically from overeating, and dealing with some of the stressors and feeling like I was getting some control back in my life by making decisions about them, helped me want to gain more control in my life. I knew I couldn't go cold turkey and jump back into lower cals and eliminate the bad foods, so I raised my calorie limit to higher than it was but lower than I had been eating and started trying to aim for that limit each day. I didn't accomplish it every day the first week, but I congratulated myself on doing less cals than I had been - and by buying a few pre-portioned size snacks and making myself try to limit myself to one when I ate them, adding back in some bulkier, high nutrition foods with fiber like more fruits and veggies rather than as many sweet or salty snacks, (which really aren't physically satisfying but do meet that emotional satisfaction of eating or "treating" yourself), I started enjoying the emptier feeling and feeling more in control. I am now close to back to my original cals (which aren't low) and I have started losing again.

I really find that unresolved emotional issues or some other aspect of your life in which you feel "out of control" can show itself in your eating too - I should say in "my" eating. That has been true in my life anyway. But you also have to be feeding your body nutritious food, because that other stuff will not satisfy as long and keeps your body craving more, no matter how your emotions are!