Controlling my thinking

Belongs2God
Belongs2God Posts: 9 Member
edited September 23 in Motivation and Support
Hello everyone. I am a Christian romance writer who spends a lot of time sitting as I have several deadlines looming. I joined this site a week ago and was faithful to write down everything I ate. I did great until I got on the scale and saw that I gained. :-( Discouragement and anxiety always opens the door for me to binge. Tonight, I realized that if I could control my thinking, I could perhaps control the binges.

When you all want to binge, what do you do to control that? Or to control your mind? Some people have suggested going for a walk or something physical, but I am too big to do that and my doctor told me not to do much walking because of the bottom of my legs. So, other than physical things, what I'm asking is...how do you all deal with your mind when all it thinks about is food?

Any and all suggestions welcome.

Thank you so much.

Replies

  • the best thing I found to help me want to get healthier was to start reading about it....buy some magazines like Weight Watchers, Prevention and Self...they have tons of articles in there about fitness, nutrition, success stories, tips and recipes. I found the more I learned, the more interested I became...sorry to hear about your leg, though and hope it gets better soon. you can add me as a friend if you want. :smile:
  • Christie81
    Christie81 Posts: 88 Member
    Positive self talk helps me. I have also put up some positive quotes around the house and on the fridge. This one is my favorite: The rest of the world lives to eat, while I eat to live.
    Socrates

    This has helped me to be constantly aware of my goals and what I have to do to reach them. Ser backs are ok and they are going to happen. Don't give up and keep reaching for your goal :)
  • samb
    samb Posts: 464 Member
    Often what people see as hunger signs are actually signs of thirst, so I try drinking a full glass of room temp water with lemon. If after 15 min I still feel really hungry then I eat a healthy snack, like yogurt, an apple-usually something related to what I am craving - maybe even strawberries dipped in chocolate chips if I need the chocolate or a Kashi coconut dark chocolate granola bar. Eating healthy snacks often helps me to not binge, as does eating every 3-4 hours lightly. I also came across this pasta that I am going to order called "miracle noodle" and it has 0 calories and 0 carbs and well 0 everything basically, and supposedly is like regular pasta, reviews seem good too (and it is only made of water, a soluble fiber, and calcium-thats it!). My main suggestions against binging is to 1) plan your meals out the day before and try to stick to that (maybe even premake them), 2) if you have an extreme craving then have a taste of it or make it into a healthy version, and 3) eat regularly (every 4 hours or so) throughout the day so that you do not get to the point where you are starving, and lastly drink lots of water!!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I find something to keep me busy. If I'm working on a project I'll be too busy to think about food. I make jewelry, scrapbook, sew, knit, crochet, make greeting cards, etc. The biggest thing that helps is that with all of these activities I don't want to get my hands dirty because that will ruin whatever I'm working on. So even if it's something low cal like popcorn that I'm craving, I won't eat it because it will ruin my work.
  • I think what you’re asking is how you can disrupt the obsessive thought patterns that your normally try to silence with food. Aside from doing the hard introspective work (aka therapy) to get at why you punish and sooth yourself with food, there is a technique I learned to do to break myself out of thought patterns that were hurtful. It’s called mudra, and among other things is a concentrated breathing exercise. You can do these completely sedentary. Here’s a link to a few that you might find useful: http://www.innerpeacemassage.com/sixmudras.html . Often, just finding some space to breathe and quieting that anxious inner voice opens up space to get you to deal with those thoughts and feelings you were trying to squash with food. Because, for many of us, it’s not what we’re eating, but what’s eating us.
  • gina205
    gina205 Posts: 74 Member
    I got rid of all the things in my house that were my binge foods. My suggestion is to go through your cupboards and refrigerator and get rid of all the tempting things. I can't eat what's not there. I now keep veggies and fruits in my house for snacks. I think about all the things I want to do when I'm where I want to be and there's only one way I'm going to get there. I can sit back and let life pass me bye or I can be happy, healthy and live it. I remind myself that I have control over the food, not the other way around. Hope that helps.
  • Belongs2God
    Belongs2God Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you everyone for your wonderful, helpful suggestions. I appreciate them more than you all will ever know. I'm so glad I put my embarrassment aside and wrote my post.

    You guys rock!

    THANKS!!!!
  • x3mommy
    x3mommy Posts: 73 Member
    Remember--- Nothing tastes as good as the feeling of being thin! Glad you posted and got support!
  • Belongs2God
    Belongs2God Posts: 9 Member
    I just read a book I had gotten on my Kindle. The man suggested before you eat anything, that you take the time to write down why you are going to eat. By doing that, you will have time to stop and think about eating something first and you will also learn why you are going to eat. I thought that was a wonderful suggestion and worth sharing.

    Again, thanks for all your responses. It's nice to know that there is support out there and that people care. Thank you. :happy:
  • radicalreader
    radicalreader Posts: 207 Member
    I am also a writer/editor and I have noticed that I tend to nibble when I pause to think about what I'm writing next. I didn't even realize how much junk/snack stuff I put away over the course of the day.

    I made a commitment to myself that not a single morsel would cross my lips until after I had logged it into my food diary ... wow, that was the eye opener for me when I saw how those handfuls of peanut butter pretzel nuggets added up over the course of the afternoon. When I feel the desire to snack, I think through what I'm eating and WHY I'm eating it ... am I actually hungry? or I am really just bored? frustrated? procrastinating? fulfilling a need to chew?

    The first thing I did was to get rid of all the tempting junk and snack food. My teens weren't happy, but tough luck to them.

    Then I got an insulated water bottle to keep at my desk while I'm working.

    Then I stocked up on sugar-free gum and lots of ready-to-eat fruits and veggies already pre-bagged and portioned just in case my analysis tells me that I crave the sensation of chewing, but don't really need to eat heavy food.
  • Belongs2God
    Belongs2God Posts: 9 Member
    radicalreader

    I so understand what you are saying. Nibbling is my biggest problem. Especially when I get to a place where I don't know where to take my story next. Not writer's block, but just a scene. When I get anxious about that scene or meeting my deadlines, I tend to look for something to graze on. I am learning to not have the stuff by my chair where it's too easily accessable. If I have to get up and get it, I have time to think about what I'm doing. I'm ashamed to say that doesn't always work.

    After reading everyone's posts here yesterday, I am encouraged and have been given some wonderful ideas that are helping me today.

    Think I'll invest in gum stock. hehe I'm going to go and get me a bunch today. Not stocks, gum. *smiling*

    Thank you for responding.
  • I am going to check out the web site too that was previously mentioned.
    http://www.innerpeacemassage.com/sixmudras.html
    I am seeking peace of mind in this process. I want to get over this food obsession and not live to eat, but eat to live. I love MFP and am so happy to have found it. Feel free to add me as a friend. We all need lots of support in this weight loss journey and can do our best with the accountability of people who want us to succeed.
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