Disgustingly obsessed with FOOD!!! Make it stop

I like to cook when I want to cook so I do on weekends and freeze. That way I can have a healthy homemade meal in a few minutes, but never have to cook when I'm not in the mood.

Are you currently logging everything you eat, including snacks? How far over your daily calorie goal do your snacks take you?

You could ask your partner to help you, perhaps. Every time you find yourself heading to the food cupboard for a snack, ask him to distract you.

Evening nibbles aren't necessarily bad. I like to leave calories for the evening so I can enjoy my snacks guilt free. Currently this means I have 50g of brie with crackers late at night. Yum ^^

Is preoccupation with food perhaps also tied with underconsumption? When I wasn't eating enough I also obsessed over my snacks/dinners. Now that I upped my calories, I only think about them when my stomach tells me it's time to eat them. It might be worth looking at your plan to see if upping your calories may make it easier to stick with your goal.

Oh, I should add that I had a healthy catering business because cooking IS my hobby. Make it work. If you like cooking, you can probably figure out ways to get the flavors you like without compromising your goals. I do love to grocery shop, meal plan, etc. Your obsession doesn't necessarily mean it's bad!

Have you read Thin Woman's Brain? I wonder if it would help you. It's basically a cognitive behavioral therapy manual for how to stop obsessing over food.

I recommend this tentatively because I've only read the amazon.com preview, but the author sounds a lot like you in terms of food obsessiveness, so it might be worth a look.

I think about food and my next meals a lot too. But that's the thing - my next meal. I don't go to the kitchen to have what I want NOW (unless I have the calories for it and I'm hungry). And I log everything, even if I go over, because it's just too easy not to log and not be accountable... but in the end you're just cheating yourself.

I kicked the habit (sort of, been a bad couple weeks) by logging my food and deciding that I don't want to be fat anymore. Food is still a hobby for me, but I try to use my 'obsession' to plan my meals around what I really feel like eating at the time... it makes me more satisfied and I'm less likely to resort to sweets because of that.

I'd agree to get a hobby, but it's easier said than done in my experience, especially if you don't have a lot of money. My other hobby has been exercise, pretty much, and that keeps me busy enough (and watching TV shows, which I do on my stationary bike, so it's win/win). And silly tablet games. People wonder what I do all day but between getting the kids ready for school, having my breakfast, working out, making and eating lunch, doing chores, doing groceries, helping kids with homework, and making dinner, it actually doesn't even leave me much time to read!

I too think about food all the time. How it will taste, how to prepare it, where to get my macros. What keeps me in check is logging the foods. With accurate logging there is slim to no chance I will binge or let the food control me.

InstructorNaomi wrote: »

Instead of making friends that makes food a priority or common outing, make friends with someone who follows a healthy lifestyle. What you're lacking is motivation and you and your partner should be helping each other. You have to stay productive! There's a hobby and interest for everyone. Once you find it not only will you distract yourself from food (it'll also better your relationship). I also recommend drinking a lot of water because usually when you're dehydrated you get the feeling that you're hungry and start craving unhealthy food. If you need any more advice I'd be happy to help.

I second this.

Rachel0778 wrote: »

Is preoccupation with food perhaps also tied with underconsumption? When I wasn't eating enough I also obsessed over my snacks/dinners. Now that I upped my calories, I only think about them when my stomach tells me it's time to eat them. It might be worth looking at your plan to see if upping your calories may make it easier to stick with your goal.

I was thinking this as well. OP, what are your stats (age, current weight, height)? In the beginning of my journey, my calories were far too low, so I ended up bingeing at night. These days, I pre-log all my meals the night before. I 'quick add' around 300 calories for evening snacks every day as a safety net so I don't binge and go over. At the end of the day, I substitute the quick added calories for actual calories/fat/protien.

joannie92 wrote: »

Also, I ❤

janjunie wrote: »

I'm going to tell you something that someone told me when I use to stay at home all day doing nothing of value. Get a hobby!. I know you might be thinking btch you don't know me, that's something along the lines of what I wanted to say to the person who said it to me, but it was true I needed to find something I enjoyed doing. It doesn't have to be something you stick with for the rest of your life, it can change, but do something that will take your mind off of food, there are other joys in life besides your next meal.

Btch you don't know me is exactly how I feel but it helps to know im not the only one that thinks it!! What did you take up as a hobby? Or multiple short term hobbies?

I started selling things on etsy, started out crocheting scarves for kids, then kids and women and eventually added vintage toys and books to the mix. It gave me something to do, I liked it and took up a lot of my time. Before that I got into a weird slump, both my kids were in school full time and I didn't know what to do with myself.

joannie92 wrote: »

Not sure what happened there but above post never sent all my typing.

Basically I think confidence is my drawback.

I don't want to get new friends as I love the ones I've got, and I'm useless at meeting new people!!

I do not under eat, my meals are huge and snacks even bigger.

I want to lose around 8 stone which wouldn'tget me to the healthy bmi but at this moment in in time my confidence is so.low that I don't want to exercise or get a hobby. I want to lose a few stone first and get some confidence back and feel I've achieved something.

Thank you everyone for the help and advice ☺

If working out is a confidence issue, start small. I'm not kidding when I say that I started by just pacing back and forth in my apartment. It truly did help. Then as I started to lose weight, I was confident enough to go outside with my fiancé. Then soon enough I was confident enough to join a gym, and I have had horribleeee gym anxiety all my life. But I knew that if I wanted to continue progressing, it was necessary.

Point being, you need to start somewhere. Even small steps lead to big accomplishments if you stick to them. But as other posters have said, you need to truly want it to change. In the end, making excuses is hurting no one but yourself, and each day lost is a day that you could have been one day closer to your goal.

I would just like to throw out there that the underlying psychological cause for obsessive behavior can & perhaps should be discussed with professional. Find a counselor or psychologist. just started therapy myself this year & it's helped me tremendously. It made me realize I'm stronger than I let myself think I am, and now working on my relationship with food as well.

Things I'll do when I feel the "munchies" coming...

-make a cup of hot tea (I love the fruity flavors, feels more like a "food")
-pick out what I want to munch on, then pre-log the calories of it. Once I see what it will do my daily goal, I am turned off from it.
-brush my teeth
-drink a big glass of water
-go for a long walk
-eat an apple instead (cut into thin slices so it will last longer)
-think long and hard about how not eating those extra calories will help that scale go down sooner