Mindless eating
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friendlygirl316 wrote: »I love food that's why I can't say no unless it's fruit and vegetables.
So your eating isn't quite as "mindless" as you made it out to be. In fact it's not mindless at all. You make choices.
Right.
From my own experience, my "mindless" eating was an attempt to block conscious acceptance that the choices I was making were not in my best interests so I could perform the action without having to deal with the negative emotions that came with it.
Sometimes it is a case of facing up to yourself and what you are doing.
This.
OP, you're making excuses, and they're not even very good ones. You're the one who goes in the kitchen. You're the one who picks up the food. You're the one who puts it in your mouth. Literally every step of the way from front door to chewing, you could make a different decision, and you don't. If you're going to get anywhere, you're going to have to own that.
You talk about food like it just happens to you. Food doesn't just happen to you. Either take the TV out of the kitchen or find something else to do when you first get home - there are a million more productive and worthwhile things you could be doing than watching teen moms throw chairs at each other. If you don't choose to do either, fine, but understand that you made that decision.
You decide. You need to own your decision. If you're not responsible for your own actions in physically putting food in your mouth, who is?0 -
Mindless eating does occur randomly to me. I don't say to myself ok let's raid the pantry or the fridge. In fact nothing is going through my mind when I'm doing it. Like I said previously I've been doing it since I was a young kid so almost 30 years.0
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I use to be this way to a certain extent myself. Might I suggest chewing gum before you walk in the door at your parents house? You have to take the gum out of your mouth before you eat more food. That might give you a chance to consider what you are doing.0
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friendlygirl316 wrote: »Mindless eating does occur randomly to me. I don't say to myself ok let's raid the pantry or the fridge. In fact nothing is going through my mind when I'm doing it. Like I said previously I've been doing it since I was a young kid so almost 30 years.
Okay, but no. That may be what you tell yourself, but the only person you're fooling is yourself. You are, in fact, making a decision to raid the fridge. Your behavior is entirely under your control, and no one else's. The sooner you accept this very basic fact, the sooner you can begin fixing the things that are wrong with your eating. The longer you tell yourself that your eating is out of your control, the longer you will stay fat.
Which is more important to you, being a helpless victim of your body's actions and the food in the refrigerator, or being a normal weight? You can't have both. You have to choose.0 -
It's hard to choose because I love the wrong type of food but need to lose weight.0
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What is the wrong type of food, and what is love? Would you love a husband who abused you? Or would you rather find another? Foods aren't even good or bad, there are just good or bad amounts of foods.0
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Maybe you should try mindfulness. Basically means that you pay your full attention to everything you do. Mindful eating is helping me quite a bit.
Futurelearn.com has a free course on mindfulness if you're interested.
Agreed.
Sit down and eat without any distraction (no people, TV, radio, internet). Note the different flavour of the food, see the different textures on your tongue and how it feels when you chew/bite it. Make every spoonful an experience that should be enjoyed separately.
Several things will happen:
-you'll take longer to eat
-you'll feel full before you finish
-you'll probably feel quite chilled out
-you'll realise what food actually tastes like (it doesn't just fly past your taste buds!)0 -
friendlygirl316 wrote: »It's hard to choose because I love the wrong type of food but need to lose weight.
Are you sure you love it? Because you don't describe it like it's something you love. You describe yourself sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the TV, mindlessly (your word) stuffing food in your mouth as fast as you can so no one will catch you eating.
That doesn't sound like someone doing something they love. That sounds like misery.0 -
A good trick is to not keep any snack foods around. So there are no boxes that you can just open and start eating out of the box. Everything in your house should be an ingredient for a meal, not finger-foods.
As far as your habit of having to eat something, try to not do that for just a week. Your body will most likely get used to not expecting to eat all day, so you won't have that compulsion as much anymore. Getting through a week of that will be tough, but it will help.0 -
Larissa, the reason why I say I love food is because I can't say no to it especially junk food. In a way I see your point because sometimes I do feel miserable after eating mindlessly then eating dinner as if nothing happened. Like right now I'm feeling last night's effects and not hungry as I should be upon waking. EQ, healthy food just goes bad in our house.0
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friendlygirl316 wrote: »Larissa, the reason why I say I love food is because I can't say no to it especially junk food. In a way I see your point because sometimes I do feel miserable after eating mindlessly then eating dinner as if nothing happened. Like right now I'm feeling last night's effects and not hungry as I should be upon waking. EQ, healthy food just goes bad in our house.
I still have cravings for junk, but I can say no now. I used to feel defeated whenever I gave in, just hoped that I would get out of the craving-overeating-regretting cycle some day. I had the best intentions for the healthy food I bought (or maybe not, I think I mostly bought it as a "decoy", to make the heaps of junk look a little less terrible). I hade a garbage routine a couple of times per week, go through fridge and collect rotten food. I didn't want real food. But I thought real food was bad too, full of fat and salt, so I could just as well eat junk. It was a complete mess.
Nothing changed until I changed my behavior, attitudes and environment. I decided that real food, what my grandparents had eaten, had to be good enough for me too. What do I like? What do I really want? I want taste and texture and color. What food has that? I can cook. I can read. I love to plan. Use those skills. What does it feel like after I've eaten this or that? Pay attention. What foods make me satisfied, what makes me even hungrier? What can I stock up on, what gets eaten right away? Can I reduce the "power" that junk has over me? Will it help to keep it out of the house? Yes, out of sight IS out of mind. Tastebuds can adapt. Habits and preferences can change.0 -
friendlygirl316 wrote: »I'm not even hungry when I eat mindlessly. I just automatically do it when I'm home alone. I know I have things to do but don't feel like doing them as soon as I walk in the door.
My danger time is when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. I have to really watch myself then. I'm already hungry, so a bite here, a bite there . . . tasting the food as I'm cooking it (after all, I have to make sure the ingredients are fresh and cooked properly, right?). I actually have to plan and log in foods on which to snack while I'm cooking.
This may be too drastic but it worked for me. Those foods on which I would binge have been locked up and at my request, I don't have the key. After a while, I got used to eating dinner around 6 pm, then nothing else (except unsweetened tea) until the next morning. The food doesn't need to be locked up now.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »friendlygirl316 wrote: »Larissa, the reason why I say I love food is because I can't say no to it especially junk food. In a way I see your point because sometimes I do feel miserable after eating mindlessly then eating dinner as if nothing happened. Like right now I'm feeling last night's effects and not hungry as I should be upon waking. EQ, healthy food just goes bad in our house.
I still have cravings for junk, but I can say no now. I used to feel defeated whenever I gave in, just hoped that I would get out of the craving-overeating-regretting cycle some day. I had the best intentions for the healthy food I bought (or maybe not, I think I mostly bought it as a "decoy", to make the heaps of junk look a little less terrible). I hade a garbage routine a couple of times per week, go through fridge and collect rotten food. I didn't want real food. But I thought real food was bad too, full of fat and salt, so I could just as well eat junk. It was a complete mess.
Nothing changed until I changed my behavior, attitudes and environment. I decided that real food, what my grandparents had eaten, had to be good enough for me too. What do I like? What do I really want? I want taste and texture and color. What food has that? I can cook. I can read. I love to plan. Use those skills. What does it feel like after I've eaten this or that? Pay attention. What foods make me satisfied, what makes me even hungrier? What can I stock up on, what gets eaten right away? Can I reduce the "power" that junk has over me? Will it help to keep it out of the house? Yes, out of sight IS out of mind. Tastebuds can adapt. Habits and preferences can change.
First of all I don't know what you mean by real food. I never really paid attention to taste and texture of food. I've always been a fast eater. I can't cook. The 2 times I've tried I ended up burning them. Junk food isn't laying around the house, it's in the pantry. I'm not the type who likes to eat plain food. Like when I eat a salad I used to put a lot of ranch dressing on it. Recently I tried zesty Italian dressing and actually like it.0 -
positivepowers wrote: »friendlygirl316 wrote: »I'm not even hungry when I eat mindlessly. I just automatically do it when I'm home alone. I know I have things to do but don't feel like doing them as soon as I walk in the door.
My danger time is when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. I have to really watch myself then. I'm already hungry, so a bite here, a bite there . . . tasting the food as I'm cooking it (after all, I have to make sure the ingredients are fresh and cooked properly, right?). I actually have to plan and log in foods on which to snack while I'm cooking.
This may be too drastic but it worked for me. Those foods on which I would binge have been locked up and at my request, I don't have the key. After a while, I got used to eating dinner around 6 pm, then nothing else (except unsweetened tea) until the next morning. The food doesn't need to be locked up now.
Logging is hard for me to do because I tend to do it after I eat. When I'm eating mindlessly I have no idea how much I'm eating of eat food. At dinner my parents usually fix my plate for me.0 -
By real food, I mean traditional, tasty family food, that our parents and grandparents ate, and that you still can order at restaurants (not fast food). Food made from real food ingredients, vegetables, fruit, grains, meat, fish, butter, oil, dairy, eggs, nuts, prepared correctly, with the right amount of salt and spices.friendlygirl316 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »friendlygirl316 wrote: »Larissa, the reason why I say I love food is because I can't say no to it especially junk food. In a way I see your point because sometimes I do feel miserable after eating mindlessly then eating dinner as if nothing happened. Like right now I'm feeling last night's effects and not hungry as I should be upon waking. EQ, healthy food just goes bad in our house.
I still have cravings for junk, but I can say no now. I used to feel defeated whenever I gave in, just hoped that I would get out of the craving-overeating-regretting cycle some day. I had the best intentions for the healthy food I bought (or maybe not, I think I mostly bought it as a "decoy", to make the heaps of junk look a little less terrible). I hade a garbage routine a couple of times per week, go through fridge and collect rotten food. I didn't want real food. But I thought real food was bad too, full of fat and salt, so I could just as well eat junk. It was a complete mess.
Nothing changed until I changed my behavior, attitudes and environment. I decided that real food, what my grandparents had eaten, had to be good enough for me too. What do I like? What do I really want? I want taste and texture and color. What food has that? I can cook. I can read. I love to plan. Use those skills. What does it feel like after I've eaten this or that? Pay attention. What foods make me satisfied, what makes me even hungrier? What can I stock up on, what gets eaten right away? Can I reduce the "power" that junk has over me? Will it help to keep it out of the house? Yes, out of sight IS out of mind. Tastebuds can adapt. Habits and preferences can change.
First of all I don't know what you mean by real food.
This is a good time to train yourself to eat mindfully. There are techniques you can use. Slow down, savour.I never really paid attention to taste and texture of food. I've always been a fast eater.
How many times did you fall over before you learnt to walk?I can't cook. The 2 times I've tried I ended up burning them.
It's the same. It's available. Just don't buy it if you don't want to eat it. I learnt this really clever "trick" from EQ over here - every food should be for a planned meal, nothing just to be "snacked" on.Junk food isn't laying around the house, it's in the pantry.
There you have it. Nobody likes plain food. Food has to taste good. Make your food taste good.I'm not the type who likes to eat plain food. Like when I eat a salad I used to put a lot of ranch dressing on it. Recently I tried zesty Italian dressing and actually like it.
Then prelog. Nobody can control their intake after the fact. Serve yourself unless you're in a restaurant. You don't have to eat up if you haven't served yourself. And not even then.friendlygirl316 wrote: »positivepowers wrote: »friendlygirl316 wrote: »I'm not even hungry when I eat mindlessly. I just automatically do it when I'm home alone. I know I have things to do but don't feel like doing them as soon as I walk in the door.
My danger time is when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. I have to really watch myself then. I'm already hungry, so a bite here, a bite there . . . tasting the food as I'm cooking it (after all, I have to make sure the ingredients are fresh and cooked properly, right?). I actually have to plan and log in foods on which to snack while I'm cooking.
This may be too drastic but it worked for me. Those foods on which I would binge have been locked up and at my request, I don't have the key. After a while, I got used to eating dinner around 6 pm, then nothing else (except unsweetened tea) until the next morning. The food doesn't need to be locked up now.
Logging is hard for me to do because I tend to do it after I eat. When I'm eating mindlessly I have no idea how much I'm eating of eat food. At dinner my parents usually fix my plate for me.
Any more now, and I'll think you're just looking for excuses
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You need to disrupt your old patterns. Anything will do.
- Moving the snacks somewhere else (like, needing a step stool to reach them) can help.
- Take up an activity that requires your hands that isn't eating. This can be knitting, crochet, or sudoku.
- For all that is tasty, find more fruits and vegetables you enjoy. Perhaps make a "rule" that you must eat an apple before hitting the snack bag.
- Measure out one cup of a favoured snack, and set the timer for two minutes. Try and take two minutes to finish the bowl. This is mindful instead of mindless eating and will help you be aware of what you are doing.
- Consider pre-logging your meals as a new habit.
If your old habits aren't working for you, something needs to change. If you change nothing, you will continue as you always have.
Two failures at cooking doesn't mean you can't cook. It means you need more practice.0 -
Excellent advice!0
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Oh, I was going to mention that craving bland foods and even chewing ice is a known symptom of iron deficiency. If you know you are anemic taking an iron supplement might help curb your desire for bland foods.0
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Ya know friendly, its great you posted and are open to finding more out about yourself. Keep thinking about this, the answrs will cme to you by just keeping an open mind. The tips about where and how to eat food are going to help a lot, to sit down and focus on the food, one bite at a time is very grounding ( stabelizing ) suprisingly it can help a lot! Also, givingup TV while you eat will be hard, as mentioned, for the first week, after that give up the junk food, it will be hard for one week. By then you will notice you feel better. Also, by logging all your food, doing those other two things, you will be able to see the results in you calorie intake. That might give you hope and incentive to try more helpful things.
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friendlygirl316 wrote: »positivepowers wrote: »friendlygirl316 wrote: »I'm not even hungry when I eat mindlessly. I just automatically do it when I'm home alone. I know I have things to do but don't feel like doing them as soon as I walk in the door.
My danger time is when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. I have to really watch myself then. I'm already hungry, so a bite here, a bite there . . . tasting the food as I'm cooking it (after all, I have to make sure the ingredients are fresh and cooked properly, right?). I actually have to plan and log in foods on which to snack while I'm cooking.
This may be too drastic but it worked for me. Those foods on which I would binge have been locked up and at my request, I don't have the key. After a while, I got used to eating dinner around 6 pm, then nothing else (except unsweetened tea) until the next morning. The food doesn't need to be locked up now.
Logging is hard for me to do because I tend to do it after I eat. When I'm eating mindlessly I have no idea how much I'm eating of eat food. At dinner my parents usually fix my plate for me.
Well, this is the answer. Stop eating mindlessly and work on eating mindfully. Decide what you are going to eat and focus on enjoying it (and interacting with others if others are there) when eating it. Plan and log it first. If your parents make dinner, choose what you put on your plate and log it then.
Learning how to cook is a skill you won't regret, either.
You don't have to choose between losing weight and foods you love, you just need to learn how to eat them more mindfully, so you will appreciate them more in smaller quantities, and how they can fit into a calorie appropriate diet. Make a practice of thinking before you eat -- decide at the beginning of the day how you plan to eat and think again when eating meals. Have planned eating times and stick to those (not everyone does this, but it really helps me). Take note at the end of the day of what went well and what did not and try to understand what happened that made things easier/harder. Mindfulness is a skill and habit that just takes some time to learn.0
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