starting again...issues with recreational eating

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keziak1
keziak1 Posts: 204 Member
in Getting Started
I've lost and regained the same 30 lbs for years now. It takes a lot of overeating to pack the pounds back on. I'm sick of being a slave to my junk food impulses. I have many non-hunger reasons I eat the wrong food. One of them is basically recreational, something to do that isn't work-related, provides transitory pleasure. I know I need to find other things in my life to give me similar good feelings. How have you conquered non-hunger eating?

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  • cassandranken
    cassandranken Posts: 129 Member
    edited December 2015
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    You're probably really tired of hearing this...I definitely was...but I've been following low carb/keto for 18? days now, and after the first week and a half I was having 1/3 of the cravings I used to. The first week was the hardest. I LOVE Totino's Party Pizzas, and can eat an entire microwave pizza to myself. It's all I could think about. Yesterday I passed a shelf of them in CVS and didn't even bat an eye. I also would drink 2-3 sodas a day and now I have MAYBE one 7oz coke zero. Haven't even been wanting those, though, either.

    Low carb may not be for you, but it's worked for me pretty well so far. Just know that it IS possible. Just find what works for you.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    Replace it with something. Go to the gym. Volunteer. Knit / quilt / paint / woodwork to keep busy. Journal.
  • keziak1
    keziak1 Posts: 204 Member
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    I do have a really bad relationship with sugar, not so much the bready carbs. I like to think that I am a self-aware person but I think I have some work to do to identify my true feelings (example am I really hungry at night or just eating out of habit?). I don't have much free time on my hands but still found time to go to drive-throughs and convenience stores.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Yeah, there's probably more here than meets the eye. One thing that worked for me was that I would know I'm going to feel awful after eating those empty calories. I could not seem to manage to "budget them in" for my day. Logging them helped because gradually, BEFORE I ate them, I'd think, "Well crap. I really don't want to log this. I can't afford the extra x-00 calories if I'm going to stay on track. WHY, WHY DID I DO THAT?????" And gradually, I would realize, "Wait, I didn't eat them yet. I LOGGED THEM, but didn't eat them! I feel so much better. Go do something else." and later, muuuuch later, I'd delete them since I never did eat them :) Yeah, I know, lots of internal dialogue, but for those of us who eat mindlessly, learning to be mindful is a process just like learning to do anything else. Find what works for you--and then stick to it. You're not the only one. And there are a gajillion success stories here.
  • keziak1
    keziak1 Posts: 204 Member
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    This is one of the best places to go when working on food and weight issues, but when I'm eating badly I don't spend time here! Strange about that.

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