Food addiction. Help!
l19kiki
Posts: 3
I honestly think I'm addicted to food!!! I workout to eat more! Wth! Lol. Any tips for this food addict.
I can workout, but my eating habits are a mess.
I can workout, but my eating habits are a mess.
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Replies
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Unless you have a true eating disorder, you're not addicted to anything.
A lot of people work out to earn more calories.
In what ways do you feel your eating habits are out of control? If you're more specific, you might get some useful advice.0 -
I honestly think I'm addicted to food!!! I workout to eat more! Wth! Lol. Any tips for this food addict.
I can workout, but my eating habits are a mess.
Rather than being addicted to food, per se, you may be addicted to eating?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25205078
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OP, the best method I've used to manage to get my eating under control is to pre-plan and pre-log my food. Especially in the first month or two I really had to buckle down and eat intentionally. No grazing or mindless eating. It was hard but the effort you put in now will be completely worth it.0
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omg i'm honestly the same haha i run so i can eat more sugar0
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Prelog and Preplan your meals then hold yourself accountable for whats prelogged.0
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You need to be a bit more specific as to what your problem involves, but generally speaking, I would suggest NOT trying to solve whatever you've got going on by eliminating certain foods/food groups, or severely restricting any macronutrient category (carbs/fats/protein). You'll want to make sure you're eating enough total calories to keep you satisfied, but also eat for whatever your body composition goal is. In other words, if you're trying to lose body fat, you'll want to eat enough total calories to keep you satiated, but not so many that you're not losing any body fat (or gaining body fat).0
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Ok well, I might not have an eating disorder but I constantly find myself eating on a lot of crap!
For instance, I'll pack some carrots and hummus to snack on and I'll look for chips, crackers, bread, etc
Dinners are the worst. I'm so hungry after a good workout that I find myself eating anything in sight.
I know what I'm not suppose to eat, but I eat it anyways. I find snacking on healthy gets me bored so I tend to do intense workouts to eat what I want. Although, I know I shouldn't because I'm not seeing results.
When I did lose 20 pounds 3 years ago, I felt that I was hungry most of the time. I don't want to under eat as well. I just have really bad eating habits.
I like that idea of pre plan and pre logging food.
I'm going to try that.
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Ok well, I might not have an eating disorder but I constantly find myself eating on a lot of crap!
For instance, I'll pack some carrots and hummus to snack on and I'll look for chips, crackers, bread, etc
Dinners are the worst. I'm so hungry after a good workout that I find myself eating anything in sight.
I know what I'm not suppose to eat, but I eat it anyways. I find snacking on healthy gets me bored so I tend to do intense workouts to eat what I want. Although, I know I shouldn't because I'm not seeing results.
When I did lose 20 pounds 3 years ago, I felt that I was hungry most of the time. I don't want to under eat as well. I just have really bad eating habits.
I like that idea of pre plan and pre logging food.
I'm going to try that.
I'm glad you are going to give it a go. Eating intentionally has been the single most important lifestyle change I've made in the past year. I wish you all the best! Feel free to add me here is you'd like. My diary is open to friends.0 -
I think we all have a food addiction lol. I thought I had a bad one but after eating clean for almost a week I noticed it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Anyway, I see you are hungry most of the time. Depending on your day schedule plan it out. Eat 6 small meals a day.
1) Prepare your food. Have it made in advance. So you can pop it in the microwave ready to eat. Two days in the fridge any more should be in the freezer. Use natural spices to give the food taste. Remember carbs, vegetables, lean protein, and fruits. At night cut the carbs a little bit. You don't want to eat something that would be stored as fat later. Once you have all the food prepared it's seriously the best feeling in the world.
2) Eat more. If you are hungry that means you're not eating enough. After a workout try drinking a protein shake. Then have your next meal.
3) 6 small meals might mean small but honestly I stay full the whole day.
* Breakfast
* AM snack
* post workout shake whenever you exercise
* lunch
* dinner
* late PM snack
^ I sleep at almost 3am every day haha and with the last snack I eat that is low in carbs I sleep well at night no cravings. If you have a big breakfast with good snacks it will get you through the day!
4) Eat foods you like. I'm seriously sooo picky. Trust me I ate just the same as you did. Almost half of the bag of bread would be gone in one day I would dip it in cream cheese and just eat it all. Then the chocolates. Fast food. && the soda. It's not you it's the addictive ingredients in these foods. Try new foods if you don't like it return it to the grocery. Look up in myplate.gov ( daily meal plan ) to see an average of calories you should be eating in one day and try to reach that goal. Have a goodie once in a while.
Feel free to add me ;p!!0 -
Ok well, I might not have an eating disorder but I constantly find myself eating on a lot of crap!
For instance, I'll pack some carrots and hummus to snack on and I'll look for chips, crackers, bread, etc
Dinners are the worst. I'm so hungry after a good workout that I find myself eating anything in sight.
I know what I'm not suppose to eat, but I eat it anyways. I find snacking on healthy gets me bored so I tend to do intense workouts to eat what I want. Although, I know I shouldn't because I'm not seeing results.
When I did lose 20 pounds 3 years ago, I felt that I was hungry most of the time. I don't want to under eat as well. I just have really bad eating habits.
I like that idea of pre plan and pre logging food.
I'm going to try that.
stop looking at food in moralistic terms like "good" and "bad"
food is just food, it is energy that is broken down and used by your body.
when you lost 20 pounds how many calories per day were you eating? Did you restrict all foods that you viewed as "bad"?
I ask because a lot of people restrict foods to the point where they barely hit 1000 calories a day and then complain of starving….0 -
I knew we couldn't get past this weekend without another "I'm addicted to food" addiction. LOL0
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gabrielasilva0812 wrote: »I think we all have a food addiction lol. I thought I had a bad one but after eating clean for almost a week I noticed it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Anyway, I see you are hungry most of the time. Depending on your day schedule plan it out. Eat 6 small meals a day.
1) Prepare your food. Have it made in advance. So you can pop it in the microwave ready to eat. Two days in the fridge any more should be in the freezer. Use natural spices to give the food taste. Remember carbs, vegetables, lean protein, and fruits. At night cut the carbs a little bit. You don't want to eat something that would be stored as fat later. Once you have all the food prepared it's seriously the best feeling in the world.
2) Eat more. If you are hungry that means you're not eating enough. After a workout try drinking a protein shake. Then have your next meal.
3) 6 small meals might mean small but honestly I stay full the whole day.
* Breakfast
* AM snack
* post workout shake whenever you exercise
* lunch
* dinner
* late PM snack
^ I sleep at almost 3am every day haha and with the last snack I eat that is low in carbs I sleep well at night no cravings. If you have a big breakfast with good snacks it will get you through the day!
4) Eat foods you like. I'm seriously sooo picky. Trust me I ate just the same as you did. Almost half of the bag of bread would be gone in one day I would dip it in cream cheese and just eat it all. Then the chocolates. Fast food. && the soda. It's not you it's the addictive ingredients in these foods. Try new foods if you don't like it return it to the grocery. Look up in myplate.gov ( daily meal plan ) to see an average of calories you should be eating in one day and try to reach that goal. Have a goodie once in a while.
Feel free to add me ;p!!
Glad I read this0 -
Only buy healthy foods, you can't eat stuff that isn't in your house.0
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greghurley3950 wrote: »Only buy healthy foods, you can't eat stuff that isn't in your house.
no food is unhealthy or healthy…overall diet and dosage is what matters0 -
gabrielasilva0812 wrote: »I think we all have a food addiction lol. I thought I had a bad one but after eating clean for almost a week I noticed it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Anyway, I see you are hungry most of the time. Depending on your day schedule plan it out. Eat 6 small meals a day.
1) Prepare your food. Have it made in advance. So you can pop it in the microwave ready to eat. Two days in the fridge any more should be in the freezer. Use natural spices to give the food taste. Remember carbs, vegetables, lean protein, and fruits. At night cut the carbs a little bit. You don't want to eat something that would be stored as fat later. Once you have all the food prepared it's seriously the best feeling in the world.
2) Eat more. If you are hungry that means you're not eating enough. After a workout try drinking a protein shake. Then have your next meal.
3) 6 small meals might mean small but honestly I stay full the whole day.
* Breakfast
* AM snack
* post workout shake whenever you exercise
* lunch
* dinner
* late PM snack
^ I sleep at almost 3am every day haha and with the last snack I eat that is low in carbs I sleep well at night no cravings. If you have a big breakfast with good snacks it will get you through the day!
4) Eat foods you like. I'm seriously sooo picky. Trust me I ate just the same as you did. Almost half of the bag of bread would be gone in one day I would dip it in cream cheese and just eat it all. Then the chocolates. Fast food. && the soda. It's not you it's the addictive ingredients in these foods. Try new foods if you don't like it return it to the grocery. Look up in myplate.gov ( daily meal plan ) to see an average of calories you should be eating in one day and try to reach that goal. Have a goodie once in a while.
Feel free to add me ;p!!
So much wrong here.
No need to cut carbs at night. Carbs don't get stored as fat if you are in a deficit.
It is okay to be hungry and does not mean you should automatically eat more.
The must eat breakfast is just bro science.
nope. It IS you. You are the one eating the food.0 -
Ok well, I might not have an eating disorder but I constantly find myself eating on a lot of crap!
For instance, I'll pack some carrots and hummus to snack on and I'll look for chips, crackers, bread, etc
Dinners are the worst. I'm so hungry after a good workout that I find myself eating anything in sight.
I know what I'm not suppose to eat, but I eat it anyways. I find snacking on healthy gets me bored so I tend to do intense workouts to eat what I want. Although, I know I shouldn't because I'm not seeing results.
When I did lose 20 pounds 3 years ago, I felt that I was hungry most of the time. I don't want to under eat as well. I just have really bad eating habits.
I like that idea of pre plan and pre logging food.
I'm going to try that.
You aren't addicted to food. You simply lack self-control. This will become easier over time.
If you can't control yourself around chips, crackers, and bread, don't buy it (until you learn self-control).0 -
OP:
What are your eating habits? Give us a typical day. Or open your diary.0 -
In all seriousness, I always felt that constant hunger when I ate too many carbs and too much sugar. Up your protein intake, esp. at breakfast. I try to aim for 100 g of protein a day, and stay around 100-125 carbs. Cutting out gluten/flour helps me not because I think I am celiac, but because it becomes a slippery slope -- pasta leads to bread which leads to cookies, cakes, etc...
Upping protein is amazing because I can eat breakfast at 7 or 8 AM and not even be hungry until 1 or 2 PM -- that NEVER would have happened before.
Example meal: Omelet with two eggs, 1 egg white, ham, a tiny bit of cheese, mushrooms. A clementine and a coffee -- easy peasy!0 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »Ok well, I might not have an eating disorder but I constantly find myself eating on a lot of crap!
For instance, I'll pack some carrots and hummus to snack on and I'll look for chips, crackers, bread, etc
Dinners are the worst. I'm so hungry after a good workout that I find myself eating anything in sight.
I know what I'm not suppose to eat, but I eat it anyways. I find snacking on healthy gets me bored so I tend to do intense workouts to eat what I want. Although, I know I shouldn't because I'm not seeing results.
When I did lose 20 pounds 3 years ago, I felt that I was hungry most of the time. I don't want to under eat as well. I just have really bad eating habits.
I like that idea of pre plan and pre logging food.
I'm going to try that.
You aren't addicted to food. You simply lack self-control. This will become easier over time.
If you can't control yourself around chips, crackers, and bread, don't buy it (until you learn self-control).
Yep. Simple as that. I love cheesecake, so I try not to make it often as my willpower goes out the window when there's one sitting in my fridge.
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greghurley3950 wrote: »Only buy healthy foods, you can't eat stuff that isn't in your house.
But you can create a calorie surplus by eating "healthy" foods.
OP, eat food, all foods, within a calorie deficit. That's all you have to do.
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Ok well, I might not have an eating disorder but I constantly find myself eating on a lot of crap!
For instance, I'll pack some carrots and hummus to snack on and I'll look for chips, crackers, bread, etc
Dinners are the worst. I'm so hungry after a good workout that I find myself eating anything in sight.
I know what I'm not suppose to eat, but I eat it anyways. I find snacking on healthy gets me bored so I tend to do intense workouts to eat what I want. Although, I know I shouldn't because I'm not seeing results.
When I did lose 20 pounds 3 years ago, I felt that I was hungry most of the time. I don't want to under eat as well. I just have really bad eating habits.
I like that idea of pre plan and pre logging food.
I'm going to try that.
As you say, you might not have an eating disorder but it is worthwhile acting now so that you do not develop one in the future. MFP's Facebook page had a recent article called
"5 Steps To Break Free From Binge Eating" which might be of use you. If you do not have a FB account I would be happy to paste it for you. There are some really helpful hints in there to help you get started.
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OP I think it goes a bit beyond pre logging because you have to get control of what you eat and in what proportions. It would help if you opened your diary (assuming its accurate) so that people can understand what you are eating. I do a lot of gym time as well, but make sure im properly fueled up with water and carbs during. If its the post gym when you are hungry then thats where you need extra calories alloted.
I eat chips and chocolate but not before ive had fruit veg lean protein and complex carbs to fill me up. You need to get what you eat as well as amounts under control to get you into deficit and weight loss.0 -
OP, if you are struggling, try starting out as simple as possible. Put your stats into MFP, and set your goal to 1 lb per week to get your calorie goal.
Then for a few days, eat without worrying about your goal, just weigh and measure your food, and log everything accurately. Then take a look back at those days. Were you over your goal? By how much? Where did most of your calories go? You will probably see places where you have to improve and things you are already doing great. Are there calories that would be easy to get rid of? Where were you most hungry? What did you eat that didn't fill you up?
You will probably quickly see patterns and opportunities for improvement. Now you can start really trying to hit your calorie goal every day, and continue to tweak what you are doing as you go to make it easier. Pre-logging is a great idea so see if that helps you. And don't feel guilty if you slip up every once & a while, that's life! Good luck0 -
OP, if you are struggling, try starting out as simple as possible. Put your stats into MFP, and set your goal to 1 lb per week to get your calorie goal.
Then for a few days, eat without worrying about your goal, just weigh and measure your food, and log everything accurately. Then take a look back at those days. Were you over your goal? By how much? Where did most of your calories go? You will probably see places where you have to improve and things you are already doing great. Are there calories that would be easy to get rid of? Where were you most hungry? What did you eat that didn't fill you up?
You will probably quickly see patterns and opportunities for improvement. Now you can start really trying to hit your calorie goal every day, and continue to tweak what you are doing as you go to make it easier. Pre-logging is a great idea so see if that helps you. And don't feel guilty if you slip up every once & a while, that's life! Good luck
This is the best advice. Great for anyone starting out.0 -
Yes, kimny72's advice is fabulous, as is the suggestion to pre-log and plan your day.
Related to that, I'd recommend looking over your day and taking note of how the food choices affected you--were you hungry only an hour after breakfast? What did you eat for breakfast? Does adding more protein or fat or skipping breakfast entirely help? Would adding a mid-morning snack be feasible? Same for the rest of the day. Some people find they like eating lots of small meals, whereas others (like me) feel more satiated if we can eat a smaller number of larger meals (I usually like 3, although sometimes I have a snack depending on workout time) and that we prefer just feeling a bit hungry in-between on occasion if necessary.
If you aren't eating your "healthy" snacks because they seem boring and so are tempted to eat other foods, you might want to find snacks you enjoy more--sometimes I like a protein bar or flavored yogurt (the horror!) ;-) for that purpose, although sometimes I like just having a piece of fruit or nuts or raw veggies.
If there are foods you have trouble fitting in unless your calories are a bit higher (and I know MFP puts a lot of people on 1200, especially if you asked for 2 lbs/week), that might be a sign that 1200 just isn't realistic for you and exercising more to eat more makes sense (or perhaps lowering your goal some). I'm 5'3 and in my 40s, which means that now I'm near goal my maintenance would probably be near 1600 if I weren't exercising. I'd rather not be restricted to 1600 forever if I can avoid it (or lower), so being active IS a huge priority of mine, and that I find it motivating and it promotes health are an additional bonus.0 -
greghurley3950 wrote: »Only buy healthy foods, you can't eat stuff that isn't in your house.
no food is unhealthy or healthy…overall diet and dosage is what matters
Certain foods aren't healthy - really ????
Care to explain?0
This discussion has been closed.
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