Food addiction

senecarr wrote: »

There are several strategies to deal with problem foods.
Some people just eliminate them and don't keep them in their house. I think as a start while building dietary momentum it can help, but I think ultimately, permanently removing food for non-medical or non-ethical reasons is perpetuating an emotionally unhealthy relationship with food. There is some evidence that such restrictions lead to increased cravings because a person is making a food a greater and greater reward as now it isn't just the food, but the sensation of self-determination, not having to obey rules, even if they are rules you set on yourself.
Some people find that pre-logging their entire day, including exact numbers of snacks helps, i.e., "I have 1 cookie today at noon, 1 before bed, and tomorrow I can do the same! There will always be cookies! Yum."
Some find that taking snacks and repackaging them into individual servings helps, i.e. "I'm opening the cookie package. I get to eat the whole thing!"

diannethegeek wrote: »

gramarye wrote: »

senecarr wrote: »

There are several strategies to deal with problem foods.
Some people just eliminate them and don't keep them in their house. I think as a start while building dietary momentum it can help, but I think ultimately, permanently removing food for non-medical or non-ethical reasons is perpetuating an emotionally unhealthy relationship with food. There is some evidence that such restrictions lead to increased cravings because a person is making a food a greater and greater reward as now it isn't just the food, but the sensation of self-determination, not having to obey rules, even if they are rules you set on yourself.
Some people find that pre-logging their entire day, including exact numbers of snacks helps, i.e., "I have 1 cookie today at noon, 1 before bed, and tomorrow I can do the same! There will always be cookies! Yum."
Some find that taking snacks and repackaging them into individual servings helps, i.e. "I'm opening the cookie package. I get to eat the whole thing!"

This post is where it's at. My response is long and has two factors.

Food Tips:
At the start, I simply did not have certain things around. (Chips. Cookies I can more or less deal with, but salty snacks are my kryptonite.) If I really, really wanted something, I'd have to go out and get an individual portion of it. Laziness/being broke usually stopped me from doing it, but sometimes I chose to.

Later, when I became more comfortable with logging and felt like I could manage it, I started bringing in small portions and having them around, or buying a larger bag and portioning it out. It helped when I transitioned from working at home to working outside the home because I wasn't around the food all of the time and I could pack things as part of my lunch.

Nowadays, I don't have too much trouble with foods. I still struggle when there's chips nearby and I'm bored (read: most winter weekends) but overall, I have a lot easier relationship with smaller portions and moderation.

Other Thoughts:
Also! Have you looked into decision fatigue? Learning that willpower is a finite resource helped me feel less *kitten* about the days where I'm simply worn out at the end of the day. The combination of knowing I'll turn to food when I'm worn down and knowing what foods I'm likely to overeat has helped a lot in curbing those days where I undo an entire day or two worth of deficit.

(Note: It has not ended them. I polished off what was left of a box of Cheez-its, unmeasured, the first day of my period because it was late, I was tired and watching TV, and they were right there. Nothing is perfect, lol.)

Good tips in the quotes above. Another one to throw out is the HALT acronym. Try not to let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. These are times when our willpower is lower than normal and we're more likely to overeat. Now, that's a lot easier said than done, and strategies to help with those feelings, but sometimes it helps to know.