Help with overeating and compulsion

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emoniruth
emoniruth Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need help MFP. I eat when I'm not supposed to even when I'm not hungry and I eat the wrong things. It's as if I cannot help it most of the time. I really need help so I can get started and get my energy back thanks

Replies

  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
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    Well first off, you realize that there's a problem so that's the first step. The second step is figuring out ways to overcome the problem.

    Finding something to replace eating is super useful. Try drinking a glass of water every time you get the urge to eat something. Water is calorie free and will help you feel full, plus it's very important to stay hydrated. Another option is to go for a short walk whenever you feel the impulse to eat something. If you're an emotional eater, you can get away from whatever may be triggering you to eat and spend some time clearing your head and having some activity. If you're a boredom eat (like me) it gives you something else to focus on that isn't food.

    As for eating the wrong things, that's really tough. The biggest way to conquer that would be to limit your access to the "wrong things". Try to stop buying junk foods. Try reading "Eat This, Not That". It can give you some ideas of what to substitute to make healthier choices.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    Can you plan your day ahead of time to make sure it fits into your calories, then simply follow the plan?

    I take it further and often cook my meals ahead of time (freezer/batch cooker here), but it doesn't need to be that hard.
  • lynskaggs
    lynskaggs Posts: 2 Member
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    I love myself a set of rules and structure and can follow the rules. So I went to a nutritionist who gave me a set of rules. I eat breakfast (and she gave me 3 options for breakfast), a morning snack of carb/protien (and gave me options to choose from), lunch (gave me options for my servings and how to pair them) an afternoon snack (carb/protien) and dinner (with options).
    From there I could say "ok I have to make it until 10 am before I should eat again and I need to have 2 glasses of water before then"
    I meal plan ahead of time, dinners I do weekly and know what I'll eat for each day that week, then I pack all my food into a cooler for the day, the evening before so that I'm not tempted.
    Lemon in my water keeps my interested.
    Find what is triggering your overeating and attack it from that direction, for me it was lack of structure and I just didn't care enough. Then attack it from there! Also don't buy the foods that will tempt you!
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
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    kandell wrote: »
    Well first off, you realize that there's a problem so that's the first step. The second step is figuring out ways to overcome the problem.

    Finding something to replace eating is super useful. Try drinking a glass of water every time you get the urge to eat something. Water is calorie free and will help you feel full, plus it's very important to stay hydrated. Another option is to go for a short walk whenever you feel the impulse to eat something. If you're an emotional eater, you can get away from whatever may be triggering you to eat and spend some time clearing your head and having some activity. If you're a boredom eat (like me) it gives you something else to focus on that isn't food.

    As for eating the wrong things, that's really tough. The biggest way to conquer that would be to limit your access to the "wrong things". Try to stop buying junk foods. Try reading "Eat This, Not That". It can give you some ideas of what to substitute to make healthier choices.

    ^This. I would and can "boredom" eat, so replacing w/ other activities helps. I've conditioned myself and that took/takes time. Great advice here.

  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 647 Member
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    Sometime when I have a feeling that I don't like come up I try to run from it by going to the kitchen. We all have feelings that make us feel hopeless: Stress from work, boredom, feeling inadequate, shame from things we couldn't control in our pasts

    I really try to identify the feeling and accept the feeling. The practice is called being mindful. It is useful tool if you are a person who wasn't encouraged to express emotions or went through some kinds of trauma that is hard to verbalize. Sometimes I think of it as riding the feeling out out like riding on a boat on a wave. Sometimes I visualize the feeling as a leaf flowing by me in a stream.

    there is a lot more to it. It might be fun for you to add a Yoga class or meditation class that helps you practice mindfulness and being non judgemental with yourself.

    Think of it as exercise for your mind...opening up new neural pathways that equip you better to deal with uncomfortable feelings when they come up.

    Another poster mentioned lack of structure and I fully agree that failure to plan is a plan to fail.
  • sandryc79
    sandryc79 Posts: 250 Member
    Options
    I have spent years binging and multiple diet periods where I failed due to my unhealthy relationship with food. Only recently have I developed changes in my lifestyle that feel healthy and sustainable. What works for me may not apply to you. If you continue struggling I would strongly advise counseling that addresses the behavioral and emotional aspects of your relationship with food. For my situation:

    I have anxiety about failing that lead me to often cut calories, then binge, then punish myself with stricter rules. I was always trying to play catch up with calories. I often justified my binges or pretended they were less frequent or impact full than they were. When the scale fluxuations reflected my erratic dieting I became discouraged and gave up.

    I now weigh myself only once a month. This allows me a more accurate picture of how I am really doing and reduces incidents of panic over normal weight flux. I also work hard to keep focus on eating healthy, staying reasonable about eating and moving more instead of settings weight number related goals. I give my body permission to get healthy at the pace that it wants to. Part of that centers around not seeing this as a diet to lose weight but as a change in the way I eat for the rest of my life.

    I eat lots of veggies and constantly find new ways to prepare them and incorporate them into my food. Every meal has protein and carbs. More veggies means more food volume and fiber and protein fill me up. I had to work hard to break my cycle of eating foods full of sugars high in calories but low in substance that left me feeling starving later because my blood sugar was constantly fluxing.

    When I am craving something bad for me I eat some baby carrots and pickles first with a big glass of water. If I am still hungry I have a yogurt or egg or cottage cheese...something with protein. If I am still hungry in 15 mins I have a small portion of what I was craving. I eat slowly and because I just filled up on healthy thing this works to keep my consumption in control.

    I find healthy foods that I like. Over time it is easier to eat these and fried foods, processed foods and other things that were big pit falls feel less desirable. I treated myself to fried chicken the other day and it seemed very greasy and unappealing.

    Moving more didn't happen until 6 week into my dieting. I got a fit bit and found the goal of increasing my steps very motivational. At first I hurt myself trying to do too much for my sedentary level of fitness. Now I pay close attention to how my body feels and week by week my endurance improves. I started with lots of small walks and I can do more and more.

    Most of all I cut myself slack. If I go over calories I don't try to make it up or punish myself. I refocus on living every day healthy. I plan my food for the whole day so I have a lot of small filling meals and I don't feel deprived.

    You are your own person so you have to find the balance that meets your own bodies physical and emotional needs. It is hard but it is worth it. I have not felt more energy or happier with myself in a long time.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    You just have to ... stop ... doing that. There is nothing we can do to help you if you won't first ... just ... stop, right?

    Stop.png
  • emoniruth
    emoniruth Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    Can you plan your day ahead of time to make sure it fits into your calories, then simply follow the plan?

    I take it further and often cook my meals ahead of time (freezer/batch cooker here), but it doesn't need to be that hard.
    I wish I could but I'm in college so I have to basically eat what I'm given .
  • emoniruth
    emoniruth Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    lynskaggs wrote: »
    I love myself a set of rules and structure and can follow the rules. So I went to a nutritionist who gave me a set of rules. I eat breakfast (and she gave me 3 options for breakfast), a morning snack of carb/protien (and gave me options to choose from), lunch (gave me options for my servings and how to pair them) an afternoon snack (carb/protien) and dinner (with options).
    From there I could say "ok I have to make it until 10 am before I should eat again and I need to have 2 glasses of water before then"
    I meal plan ahead of time, dinners I do weekly and know what I'll eat for each day that week, then I pack all my food into a cooler for the day, the evening before so that I'm not tempted.
    Lemon in my water keeps my interested.
    Find what is triggering your overeating and attack it from that direction, for me it was lack of structure and I just didn't care enough. Then attack it from there! Also don't buy the foods that will tempt you!
    Thanks so much for your response I appreciate your help and will use what you've told me to my advantage
  • emoniruth
    emoniruth Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    snowflakesav wrote: »
    Sometime when I have a feeling that I don't like come up I try to run from it by going to the kitchen. We all have feelings that make us feel hopeless: Stress from work, boredom, feeling inadequate, shame from things we couldn't control in our pasts

    I really try to identify the feeling and accept the feeling. The practice is called being mindful. It is useful tool if you are a person who wasn't encouraged to express emotions or went through some kinds of trauma that is hard to verbalize. Sometimes I think of it as riding the feeling out out like riding on a boat on a wave. Sometimes I visualize the feeling as a leaf flowing by me in a stream.

    there is a lot more to it. It might be fun for you to add a Yoga class or meditation class that helps you practice mindfulness and being non judgemental with yourself.

    Think of it as exercise for your mind...opening up new neural pathways that equip you better to deal with uncomfortable feelings when they come up.

    Another poster mentioned lack of structure and I fully agree that failure to plan is a plan to fail.

    Thank you, I've been trying yoga and it's hard lol but I'm not going to give up that easily . Thanks for your help !
  • emoniruth
    emoniruth Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    sandryc79 wrote: »
    I have spent years binging and multiple diet periods where I failed due to my unhealthy relationship with food. Only recently have I developed changes in my lifestyle that feel healthy and sustainable. What works for me may not apply to you. If you continue struggling I would strongly advise counseling that addresses the behavioral and emotional aspects of your relationship with food. For my situation:

    I have anxiety about failing that lead me to often cut calories, then binge, then punish myself with stricter rules. I was always trying to play catch up with calories. I often justified my binges or pretended they were less frequent or impact full than they were. When the scale fluxuations reflected my erratic dieting I became discouraged and gave up.

    I now weigh myself only once a month. This allows me a more accurate picture of how I am really doing and reduces incidents of panic over normal weight flux. I also work hard to keep focus on eating healthy, staying reasonable about eating and moving more instead of settings weight number related goals. I give my body permission to get healthy at the pace that it wants to. Part of that centers around not seeing this as a diet to lose weight but as a change in the way I eat for the rest of my life.

    I eat lots of veggies and constantly find new ways to prepare them and incorporate them into my food. Every meal has protein and carbs. More veggies means more food volume and fiber and protein fill me up. I had to work hard to break my cycle of eating foods full of sugars high in calories but low in substance that left me feeling starving later because my blood sugar was constantly fluxing.

    When I am craving something bad for me I eat some baby carrots and pickles first with a big glass of water. If I am still hungry I have a yogurt or egg or cottage cheese...something with protein. If I am still hungry in 15 mins I have a small portion of what I was craving. I eat slowly and because I just filled up on healthy thing this works to keep my consumption in control.

    I find healthy foods that I like. Over time it is easier to eat these and fried foods, processed foods and other things that were big pit falls feel less desirable. I treated myself to fried chicken the other day and it seemed very greasy and unappealing.

    Moving more didn't happen until 6 week into my dieting. I got a fit bit and found the goal of increasing my steps very motivational. At first I hurt myself trying to do too much for my sedentary level of fitness. Now I pay close attention to how my body feels and week by week my endurance improves. I started with lots of small walks and I can do more and more.

    Most of all I cut myself slack. If I go over calories I don't try to make it up or punish myself. I refocus on living every day healthy. I plan my food for the whole day so I have a lot of small filling meals and I don't feel deprived.

    You are your own person so you have to find the balance that meets your own bodies physical and emotional needs. It is hard but it is worth it. I have not felt more energy or happier with myself in a long time.

    I am going to counseling now at my college and they are trying to figure out the problem Thank you for your advice
  • emoniruth
    emoniruth Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    You just have to ... stop ... doing that. There is nothing we can do to help you if you won't first ... just ... stop, right?

    Stop.png

    You're right and I'm trying . Thanks so much for your support

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