Please help...can't stop eating junk!

Options
superwillpowered
superwillpowered Posts: 8 Member
edited March 2015 in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone,

I recently moved out of home and am working part-time and also studying full-time in an intensive, year-long programme at university. I now live in the central city where convenience stores are abundant. I have recently formed a bad habit where instead of doing work, I go to a nearby store to stock up on bad snack foods like muffins, potato chips, crackers, chocolate, ice cream, and proceed to watch irrelevant, uninformative, inconsequential TV shows or Youtube videos. It's been getting out of hand and I really can't go on like this but when I get 'in the zone' I can't stop myself. I just feel guilty and ashamed and disappointed in myself afterwards, but during the binge/in the act of buying the junk food, nothing rational enters my head. I have a history of binge and comfort eating but it's never been this bad, simply because I've never been so close to so much temptation. Another problem is that I am spending a lot of money on unnecessary unhealthy food, but I always somehow manage to justify/overlook that while I am buying the crap.

If anyone has any strategies or tips on how to avoid succumbing to bad food choices or breaking a binge habit, I would really appreciate you sharing with me. I am desperate to end this cycle and get back to normal. I know food should be seen as fuel but right now I'm using it to entertain myself in an otherwise stressful lifestyle...

Many thanks in advance!
«1

Replies

  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Options
    For myself, I had to be ready for the change. I had to want to be thinner and healthier more than I wanted the junk. I also made a conscious decision that I was going to learn to handle stress in a different way, and that I would work out my frustrations in the gym. I also cut out the worst offender, completely. It was a trigger food for me. No more Cadbury dark fruit and nut bars for me! Now if I want chocolate, I limit myself to 2 small squares of Lindt dark chocolate.
  • soybean32
    soybean32 Posts: 1
    Options
    You can always write me if you feel stressed and feel like youre gonna buy junk food. I do this with another friend....We talk each other out of it.... It really takes a team to get in the habit :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Options
    Do you have a cafeteria at school or are you cooking in your home/room?
    Can you go to a library / study room to get away from this environment and get some work accomplished?
  • lab1111
    lab1111 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    I am the same. Just a warning....I have been doing this for SO long that it is HABIT now!! I eat wonderful creative proper meals, but then sabotage my diet efforts with extra junk food binges...sweet, salty, ..its ridiculous!! I know what has to be done, but don't seem to have the drive and willpower to stop it. I plan, plan, plan every day and blame cold winter weather, AGE.. or whatever.... I f you're young try hard to get a hold of this bad habit right away...just saying!
  • nesian_twin
    nesian_twin Posts: 198
    Options
    Why cant you stop yourself? I'm sure that you can but you just dont want to. Sorry about being blunt but it all starts with mindset.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    Options
    Don't buy it... Don't bring it into your house.

    I've been at the grocery store many times and picked up things I should'nt be getting and I just have to put them back. You're in control.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Options
    Its nothing to do with willpower or drive - it is a decision that you make and that is the end of it. One week of that attitude and you will look back and wonder why you ever ate all that crap.
  • amw1919
    amw1919 Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    Have you stocked up on healthy snacks? Having plenty of healthy snacks on hand can help avoid that unnecessary trip to the convenience store. But it sounds like the issue may be that you are using the snacks/tv to avoid doing what you don't want to do - your school work. Make sure to take breaks while doing your work and save time at the end of each day for those activities (tv/youtube) after your work is complete.
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
    Options
    I'm in danger of falling into some of those traps myself.

    To get your studies back on track I suggest changing locations. As mentioned above, make use of the library or study hall or any place away from your home/dorm?

    Library would be good because they usually ban food.

    I had to do this for one of my classes in highschool to make sure i passed it. (I sat outside of the classroom after school to do homework and study).

    You can go cash only so ones you run out,..you're out.
  • ocaudle8912
    ocaudle8912 Posts: 13
    Options
    One thing that I do is I look through Pinterest for healthy recipes. I found Chocolate Mudslide Oatmeal (sounds sinful, right?) and it really helps to give me the idea of mmm chocolate without pissing off the MFP numbers and making myself feel bad. Really worth trying!
  • jul3
    jul3 Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    I do the same thing. It helps me put off doing something I don't want to do like cleaning the house. Maybe you are doing the same thing to stop from studying. Doesn't make sense but usually overeating doesn't. Figure out what your trigger is. Mine is sitting on the couch (only for a minute I say to myself) and it turns into an hour on the computer or watching tv all the while stuffing my face with food. What is your trigger? Is it sitting down to study? Walking by the convenience stores? Try to figure it out then change it. When I get home from work I don't sit down, I head right upstairs and start picking up, laundry etc by the time I get back downstairs the thought of mindless eating has usually left me. Work in progress but it is a start.
  • Marchmallow
    Marchmallow Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    Remember that it's your decision to buy or not buy the junk, no one can make that choice for you. This seems like self-sabotage behaviour, is there something underlying these junk sprees that you may be avoiding?

    I recommend keeping a cravings journal, where you write down the time and date, what you're craving and how you are feeling at the same time. Chances are that confronting it in black and white on the page can help you talk yourself out of doing it.

    I also second above replies in that you should not keep any junk food in the house, at all. Case in point, this morning I was craving something sweet, but I had a few kiwis staring at me from the counter top rather than chocolates, so I ate a kiwi, and guess what? It satisfied the sugar craving.

    Good luck, I'm not saying any of it is easy, but sometimes we have to be strong and just say no.
  • KrunchyMama
    KrunchyMama Posts: 420 Member
    Options
    If you don't have money to spend on junk, then you won't spend it. Sounds like your trigger is stress, and you are avoiding work because it sounds overwhelming. Make up a list of healthy whole foods that you like, and go buy them for snacking while studying. Things like grapes or veggies and dip. Then put away your bank cards so that you don't reach for them.

    If your school offers counselling then set up appointments with a counselor so you can break down all your school work obligations an set up plans to get the work done. Does your school have a gym? If so, then set up gym times between studying. And if your school doesn't have a gym, then maybe you could take the money you are spending on junk and get a gym membership or personal trainer instead. Or, look at how much money you are spending on junk and put it into savings instead, for a trip somewhere in the world as a treat for when you complete your school year.
  • superfox12082
    superfox12082 Posts: 512 Member
    Options
    http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/25-life-hacks-to-eat-better/
  • khaleesikhaleesi
    khaleesikhaleesi Posts: 213 Member
    Options
    Food therapy can be extremely helpful for these types of behaviors. Or, maybe therapy in general. Not saying you're crazy, at all-- just saying that there's an underlying issue that it might be helpful to talk to someone about. I have a food obsession that stems from years of an eating disorder-- I spent so much time thinking about food, and when I got pregnant and stopped denying myself, I went nuts. That's where I am now. I still think about food all the time-- what I could eat, what I should eat, etc.-- but I just try to obsess over things that aren't completely bad for me. I still buy junk, but it's getting easier to ignore it. I've had a box of Thin Mints for almost a week now, and I think I've had about 10 of them!
  • jmurphy2529
    jmurphy2529 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    I also struggle with binge eating and I completely understand how all rationale about why you shouldn't be doing it goes straight out of your head. I feel like I'm finally emerging out of a binge cycle that pretty much lasted 15 months. In that 15 months, I gained 25 pounds and my self esteem plunged to ever new lows!! I have now gone about 6 weeks now without binging and here is what has been working for me. I do not keep anything in the house that I am prone to binge on. I actually bought a safe that when I do buy foods that I am prone to binge on go directly in the safe. My two teenage daughters only have the keys. The other thing that has really helped (probably the most) is that I have been honest with my kids and my friends that I am a binge eater. It helps that it has taken away the "secret" element of binging. It holds me accountable. I hope something I have said or others have said helps you out. It is hard and so emotional dealing with binge eating.
  • ballerinababe88
    ballerinababe88 Posts: 1
    Options
    Keep junk out of the house, save the money for better things. Keep in mind that while a treat once in a while is great, junk is detrimental to your health and well being.
  • erinm5
    erinm5 Posts: 55 Member
    Options
    Make one small change at a time. If you go ahead and try and cut it all out at once then it seems like torture. But try with baby steps. If you are going to the store, instead of buying chips, chocolate, candy pop etc, just buy one. Small changes work to build good habits. You can do this!
  • believeinme0430
    believeinme0430 Posts: 270 Member
    Options
    erinm5 wrote: »
    Make one small change at a time. If you go ahead and try and cut it all out at once then it seems like torture. But try with baby steps. If you are going to the store, instead of buying chips, chocolate, candy pop etc, just buy one. Small changes work to build good habits. You can do this!

    ^^^This^^^
    I was a major bing eater too. I would be good all day and then destroy it at night when I got home from work. I lost 90lbs and put 20lbs back on because of my binge eating habits. I knew I had to get it under control and the only way was to allow myself treats here and there or I would crave it and then binge. I started with slowly cutting out the crap food and adding in better choices and making sure I track everything. You have to have the mind set that you want this or it won't work. I knew I hated how I felt after I ate those things and if i get the urge I ask myself do I truly want it or I am trying to fill another need and is it worth the calories for that day. At that point I am able to walk away and not eat it and then feeling of pride comes and that is the best feeling ever!

Categories