I am bingeing on sweets and I don't know how to stop it...

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Replies

  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    Agree with the others that you may not be eating enough. Try adding more protein. Also are you getting enough sleep.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    My sugar cravings magically disappear when I eat more protein.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    The trick that works with me, if I am paying attention, is to cut it in half and eliminate the part I don't want. Get a coworker to split the candy bar. Throw half a donut in the garbage before taking a bite of the goodness. I checked into a hotel and was given a cookie, I pulled off a bite and threw the rest away...before I knew how tasy it was.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited January 2016
    freesoul wrote: »
    I work in a group home and we are expected to eat with the clients because it builds community. The meals are very healthy and there are plenty of good snacks like fruit,yogurt, nuts etc.... And I eat these things and drink a glass of water and then still binge!!!

    I'm not hungry I just want it...I even tried drinking tea instead...seriously how do you just not grab it! Am I the only one with issues?

    You're not the only one :) There have been lots of threads by people struggling with temptation at work, especially during the holidays last year.

    I took a look at your diary and am trying to figure out which meal you're having at the group home and then binging - is it dinner?

    I noticed you are very low on fiber. Try working up to 25 g of fiber a day and see if that makes over eating less desirable. I especially like to add chia seeds to smoothies for this.

    I don't see a lot of vegetables in your diary. High volume, low calorie foods like broccoli will help fill you up.

    Cognitive/behavioral tricks might be even more helpful. This book was available in my library system so maybe yours as well:

    The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

    Can thinking and eating like a thin person be learned, similar to learning to drive or use a computer? Beck (Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems) contends so, based on decades of work with patients who have lost pounds and maintained weight through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Beck's six-week program adapts CBT, a therapeutic system developed by Beck's father, Aaron, in the 1960s, to specific challenges faced by yo-yo dieters, including negative thinking, bargaining, emotional eating, bingeing, and eating out. Beck counsels readers day-by-day, introducing new elements (creating advantage response cards, choosing a diet, enlisting a diet coach, making a weight-loss graph) progressively and offering tools to help readers stay focused (writing exercises, to-do lists, ways to counter negative thoughts). There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if readers learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach. (Apr.)
  • freesoul
    freesoul Posts: 24 Member
    Wow!!! Thanks so much!!! Lots of good suggestions here.

    I understand the concern about not eating enough- don't worry too much, the low cal limit is more of an alarm than something I am trying to reach, I only worry about net cals (not before exercise-typically an extra 300 cals a day walking) and also I'm really short at 5 feet and I'm older so I need less food.

    One contributing factor that I can think of, is lack of sleep...most of my shifts are evenings some until 2am and one is overnight awake! Yep, midnite to 8am

    Also I have anemia. For the last 3 years. Caused by liver problems so it is intractable but maybe it leads to cravings?

    I think that more veggies would help- I just need to be motivated to prepare them. I take Metamucil for fibre. I will add psychological tricks like thinking of the residents food as not my own, and delaying. I am thinking about an infused water bottle you can put fruit in...
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    freesoul wrote: »
    I work in a group home and we are expected to eat with the clients because it builds community. The meals are very healthy and there are plenty of good snacks like fruit,yogurt, nuts etc.... And I eat these things and drink a glass of water and then still binge!!!

    I'm not hungry I just want it...I even tried drinking tea instead...seriously how do you just not grab it! Am I the only one with issues?

    You do learn self control. Each no builds your will power.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    freesoul wrote: »
    Wow!!! Thanks so much!!! Lots of good suggestions here.

    I understand the concern about not eating enough- don't worry too much, the low cal limit is more of an alarm than something I am trying to reach, I only worry about net cals (not before exercise-typically an extra 300 cals a day walking) and also I'm really short at 5 feet and I'm older so I need less food.

    One contributing factor that I can think of, is lack of sleep...most of my shifts are evenings some until 2am and one is overnight awake! Yep, midnite to 8am

    Also I have anemia. For the last 3 years. Caused by liver problems so it is intractable but maybe it leads to cravings?

    I think that more veggies would help- I just need to be motivated to prepare them. I take Metamucil for fibre. I will add psychological tricks like thinking of the residents food as not my own, and delaying. I am thinking about an infused water bottle you can put fruit in...

    I have anemia. Do you get your levels tested regularly? With aggressive supplementation I manage to stay in Low Normal. Eating more protein (and fiber) definitely helped with cravings but I do not know if that was related to iron or not.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    SLLeask wrote: »
    Are the chocolates and biscuits things you took in or are they there for the residents? If you have taken them in, then simply don't. If they are in the cupboards for the residents then think of them that way (even if you are allowed to eat them too, just change the rules in your head! ;) ). They are NOT yours, you wouldn't go into a friend's house, have lunch with them and then rummage in their cupboards and start eating their chocolate now would you? And if you would, think of someone else, like an Aunt or someone whose house you wouldn't... But in the end, it really does just come down to willpower, which do you want more, to feel satisfied when you look in the mirror or to feel satisfied for the two minutes it takes you to snarf that chocolate...? Go chat to a resident when you feel the urge. Good luck.

    Really good advice for the situation!
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    freesoul wrote: »
    Wow!!! Thanks so much!!! Lots of good suggestions here.

    I understand the concern about not eating enough- don't worry too much, the low cal limit is more of an alarm than something I am trying to reach, I only worry about net cals (not before exercise-typically an extra 300 cals a day walking) and also I'm really short at 5 feet and I'm older so I need less food.

    One contributing factor that I can think of, is lack of sleep...most of my shifts are evenings some until 2am and one is overnight awake! Yep, midnite to 8am

    Also I have anemia. For the last 3 years. Caused by liver problems so it is intractable but maybe it leads to cravings?

    I think that more veggies would help- I just need to be motivated to prepare them. I take Metamucil for fibre. I will add psychological tricks like thinking of the residents food as not my own, and delaying. I am thinking about an infused water bottle you can put fruit in...

    I have anemia. Do you get your levels tested regularly? With aggressive supplementation I manage to stay in Low Normal. Eating more protein (and fiber) definitely helped with cravings but I do not know if that was related to iron or not.

    Interesting. I also have had a lifelong history of anemia. And when I say eating more protein helps, I really mean eating more meat has helped me. It's always possible that improving my iron levels is a factor.

  • putupurdukes
    putupurdukes Posts: 8 Member
    I am not reading all the replies. My thoughts could be echoing others' thoughts. A couple of things: I make worse decisions when I do not have enough sleep. Make sure that you are getting enough. Everyone is different. I can function on 6 - but it's not enough. My minimum is 7 with the optimum being 8 hours. L-Glutamine has really helped me curb my sugar cravings. I was in a program that promoted this and it really helps me. I take 1500-2000 mg/day. There are some people who shouldn't so check with your physician (liver or kidney disease to name two types.) Like others say, make sure you are eating enough. Sounds like you are an impulsive eater. It will help to not have these items available at least until you break your cycle. There are some items, that no matter how long I go without eating them, I can not have them - not even in moderation. I like them TOO much. :/ Other foods, I can have in moderation once I've gone without them. Only you will know which items trigger you. Last thing: I really like a "sweet finish" to a meal. I have a dark chocolate (I think it's 70% cacao) and I break off 2 little squares after ending my dinner (about 35 calories) and the richness of the chocolate really is enough to satisfy that need. You might try that. If it still triggers you, get them away from yourself! Out of sight, eventually out of mind! Good luck! I struggle too!
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
    I haven't read what anyone else has suggested, but I say ditch sweets entirely. You sound like me in that anything sugar is a trigger and once you start eating it you can't stop. I stopped eating it altogether, and replaced with lots of protein rich foods/snacks. My cravings disappeared, and I was very full to boot. I abstained for a few months, and now I have something once in a while. I don't necessarily think is a great idea to cut things out of a diet altogether, but this was the best way I found to stop the all day everyday craving.

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