does anyone else overeat "healthy foods" i.e wholegrains!

This is exactly why I have been so slow to loose weight in spite of making a lot of very good lifestyle changes. Eating healthy food is good. Eating too much healthy food is not. I honestly thought I had to have some medical issue because after all I eat healthy and get lots of exercise. It turned out I needed to become more aware of how much I was eating.

I have had problems with eating for most of my life. Growing up in poverty (even homeless for a time) and in a home filled with drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and a step-parent with mental illness which lead to psychological, emotional and other kinds of abuse. As a teenager I locked myself in my room with books and food. I had a brief time when I was in my early 20's when I was at a healthy weight and felt great about my body. I had a husband that I loved and was building a great life. Then it all came apart when he became very ill and died a week before I turned 29. I turned again to food and within a year was up to well over 300 pounds and for a time I didn't care.

Then I started to pull together a little bit and started improving my diet as best I could. Ditched soda and salt and started eating more veggies and whole grains and less bread. I lost a lot of weight within a few months and then went on to years of having fluctuations in weight. Up 10 down 10 but never really getting anywhere,

I was stuck. Living day to day and loosing my will to even try...To be very honest. I just wanted my life to get over with already.

Then I met someone on line on a horse forum, who took time out of his life to try to help me. We got to be good friends and had many long conversations about life and even got together a few times. He helped me to get started again on a road that has ultimately led me to the point that I can now deal with food in a more healthy way. Before I could even start thinking about food as fuel and not comfort I had to make a lot of changes...

1) a change in my social circles. Surrounding myself with positive, upbeat people who while sportive were also very honest and realistic and did not enable my excuses. Ending relationships with people who enabled and encouraged bad habits and who created more drama and anxiety than they calmed.

2) an improvement in my income. I was barely surviving on a very low income. Affording healthy food choices seemed impossible when weighed against keeping the lights on and a car functioning so I could get to work. I lived on the edge of disaster every day. Through my new circle of friends and the martial art (aikido) that we practice together, I gained a sense of self worth that enabled me to reach up and try for a job that seemed above me. I got the job and a step up to a better life.

3) A change in environment. I used to live in a run down house. I lived in fear that the roof would fall in on me some night in a storm. My income was so low I could not afford even heat let alone repairs and improvements. It added to my depression so that I gave up even trying to clean and make it comfortable. I just huddled on the couch watching TV, eating and trying to just get through another day. My new job allowed me to move out of that hole to a sweet little apartment. Now I love to come home every day. I have heat in the winter and AC in the summer and the place is just comfortable and pretty and I really enjoy taking time to keep things neat and clean.

After getting all of the above issues that triggered my emotional over eating under control I finally came to the place where I can look at food as a fuel source and not an entertainment or a band aid for my emotions. I prefer to make choices based on sound reasoning and science which is why I ultimately came to MFP and started counting calories. So far I am thrilled with the results.

If I were still battling depression, living in unhappy circumstances and surrounded by negative people this would not be possible.

Loosing weight has a major psychological component. Unless you have your life together I think it would be very nearly impossible to really succeed. So if you have emotional issues related to food, you need to address those as well as your diet. Not saying it will be easy. I am still working on issues that I may never fully overcome. But at least now I can face down those demons and not allow them to control me.

You can do this. It is not going to be easy. But it is not impossible.

onmyown70 wrote: »

Hi,

I am just curious, I have been reading about reducing sugar, fat and salt (and about their addictive properties, and advice recommending filling our cupboards with wholegrains) however, I (a binger and trying to practice mindful eating etc) but I overeat healthy stuff; wholegrain bread, oat cakes, cereals, multi grain bagels....so I wondered if there are any others like me. At certain times of the month (sorry guys) I can't keep stocks of these foods in my house, I am a piggy nd stuff the lot- whole bags of bagels!

Foe me my issue with food is the quantity.... I actually lost weight when we went away and "less healthy" stuff i.e white bread bacon sandwiches for breakfast - yuk!

I was just curious- anyone else like me who can't let themselves have unlimited quantities of food....

Nobody can have unlimited quantities of food..."healthy" or otherwise. I eat very healthfully and I'm very fit...I've lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight all the while eating healthfully.

And "addictive" gets thrown around way too much...it's food...there are no "addictive" properties...it's not crack. There are certainly eating disorders and binge eating disorder is one of them and sounds more like what you're dealing with to me...generally there are underlying emotional issues at the root that have to be dealt with.

Yes, I have to pay close attention to what a serving is, and eat only one serving of any given food in a day (except non-starchy veggies, I have multiple servings of those). I weigh and measure. That way, I stay within my calories and get plenty of variety. I have always eaten good quality food, at least when I'm home, but if I'm not paying attention will definitely overeat on the "healthy" stuff.