How to stop eating once you start.
Sharp123321
Posts: 29 Member
My issue with weight loss is portions. I eat generally healthy foods except in some circumstances. However, whenever there is food on the table, I find myself unable to stop eating mainly if it is carbs.
For example, today I went to a breakfast potluck and told myself just to have a little because I am trying to loose weight. After putting all the food I ate in, I ended up with over 700 calories for breakfast. Most of it was from muffins, cookies, chips, and other junk.
I know I need to work on myself control but the thing is that this was me controlling myself.
For example, today I went to a breakfast potluck and told myself just to have a little because I am trying to loose weight. After putting all the food I ate in, I ended up with over 700 calories for breakfast. Most of it was from muffins, cookies, chips, and other junk.
I know I need to work on myself control but the thing is that this was me controlling myself.
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Finally, it's becoming a way of life. Joining the MFP community turned my life around. No more guilt about food. I learned that we all struggle. I felt guilty because I could eat an entire bag of cookies in two days. Even the most successful struggle with weight loss. It's not as complex as we make it.
I actually love logging now. Don't stop. Keep logging. Keep trying. It will become a new and rewarding lifestyle for you.2 -
Easy. Bring a big bottle of water with you. Alternate a couple bites with a big gulp of water. You'll feel full fast or kinda destroy your appetite.1
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I tried to drink water, but I kept going back for food even when I was full.2
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That's what you need to avoid. It takes practice but you can get there. Some foods may need to be completely avoided at first if you can't be satisfied with smaller portions but the ultimate goal is to eat what you want in moderation.Sharpgirl123 wrote: »I tried to drink water, but I kept going back for food even when I was full.
Think of your calories like money that you have available to spend. When you run low on money, do you keep buying things? No. You don't keep spending unless you want to go bankrupt. Calories can be used in the same way.
I budget out my calories. I have treats but ask myself if I really want to "spend" this many calories on this item. If yes, how large of a portion do I want?12 -
Don't have it on the table. Portion out your desired meal and tuck the rest away in the darkest deepest hole in the fridge/cupboard so it isn't sitting there taunting you. Once you are done you are done. You need a bit of self control and willpower in the beginning before you start forming habits. Just be firm with yourself and put your foot down. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect things to become magically different.1
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I live in a house hold where food is always out.0
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I live with my parents and my father always buys junk.0
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Sharpgirl123 wrote: »I live in a house hold where food is always out.
Then it's going to be a bit harder for you, but you can do it. Give yourself a couple of weeks of firmly saying "no" to overeating and you will find it gets easier with time and practice.
Edit: I actually find I do better with intermittent fasting in this regard. When you have rigid rules to eat very little on one day (or to eat almost nothing for a portion of the day) I'm less likely to break the rules because I can tell myself that tomorrow I get to eat at maintenance and larger portions of the food I like (or concentrated calories in the evening if you are doing 16:8). This is a band aid not a solution though. You do need to work on your self control. If you are able to resist at least once or twice a week you will already be doing better, so you can work up from there!3 -
I fill my plate with my portions, (weighing as I go if I have my scale handy- I don't like, take it to restaurants with me), eat what's on it, and then I put my plate in the dishwasher. Even if the rest of my family is still eating and socializing, I get rid of my plate. Then I have my glass of water, and hang out with my family.
Eating out, I ask for a box up front, divvy my food into portions, and put half my meal in my box. Then I can eat what's on my plate, take my time and enjoy it, and not have to worry about breaking into the box.
The work buffet is always a problem, but I find if I take a plate, put the fruit and whatever protein option is available on it the plate first, then there's a lot less room for that muffin, croissant, bear claw or whatever.
Eat what's on my plate, and when I'm done, get rid of the plate. Get a full glass of water or a cup of coffee, and keep that in my hands to continue socializing.
In the end, though, what it really comes down to is having the willpower to stop eating after your servings are gone.4 -
I so understand. If foods there, I'm going to eat it. I have had to clear out my house and not have it around. It's hard for you if the other people in your house keep food available. If you find an tips, please share, to help me and others who have no control when food is around. Good luck!!2
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It's going to be a bit harder because most of us just stopped having it around to begin with but for me, I live alone, I certainly don't buy single portions of everything. So I put what I'm going to eat on my plate and commit to eating that and only that. No going back for seconds. No freestyling. Same applies to buffet type situations (which I actually rarely have to contend with), one plate, not piled to ceiling and done.
It's just one of those committed self control things that comes with practice. I can have just about anything in the house now after a year of logging and even on the odd occasion I give myself permission to eat what I want I am finding I am naturally stopping after not much more than a measured portion. Getting to this point feels so much better than eating a whole bag of Kettle chips in one sitting ever did!2 -
Sharpgirl123 wrote: »I live with my parents and my father always buys junk.
I went through the same with my parents. I actually had to ask them to put it away so it didn't tempt me. I always knew where it was, but knowing that it wasn't for me made it a lot easier to avoid.
Some people find it easy to stop/have small portions, I struggle with that like you do, but it gets easier to manage.
Unfortunately, the only person who can stop you, is you. We all have ups and downs, good days and bad days, but the key is to not let the bad stuff get you down. Keep going and remember what is going to make you happier in the long run.
Good luck 2 -
Self control around food is like a muscle - you have to work it out to make it stronger.
Ok, so you ate 700cals (approx) this time. But hey, it could've easily been 1000cals! Next time try for 600cals, then the next time 500cals.
It will only get easier if you keep trying - any attempt (even if it fails) is worth the effort in the long run.4 -
1. Everyone has 'trigger foods". These are foods that are difficult to stop eating. Mine- and it sounds like yours- are REFINED CARBOHYDRATES. If that's the case- look at it like a DRUG. You can't do "just a little" heroine. I eat ZERO refined carbs. Once I got past the "withdrawal period" of a week or so, I have *never missed them". I can eat TONS & TONS of filling, healthy actual FOOD instead.
2. I regularly eat over 600 cals- of GOOD, HEALTHY food- for breakfast. You do NOT have to starve yourself- and as they say, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". You can lose weight on a LOT MORE FOOD than you think. Very low calorie is not a good idea- and if you're always hungry, you may want to consider EATING MORE!! (but still at a SMALL calorie deficit). That's something you can keep up for the LONG HAUL. I've lost 31+ lbs since January- eat **constantly** and LOVE the food I eat. I have never felt a hunger pang or felt deprived- and thus have no desire whatsoever to "cheat". I'm eating over 1500 cals a day now, and still losing about a little less than a lb a week, which is just fine w/me.
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Sharpgirl123 wrote: »I live with my parents and my father always buys junk.
It is his food, not yours. Leave his food alone.
Even if he offers it and/or it is actually available for you to take, I find it helpful to think of food I haven't purchased myself as someone else's food. I wouldn't dream of going into the fridge at work and helping myself to someone's sandwich, and so in the same way, if someone brings food to work to share, I just think of it as their food, not mine.
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The issue is what the added carbs do to you. For me, when I eat inappropriate carbs, it just makes me feel hungrier. I tried really hard for a long time to control how much of those sorts of foods I could eat, but I wasn't able to control my appetite. Eventually I stopped eating them altogether. It was hard. Very hard. I couldn't taper off. I had to go cold turkey. I did this cold turkey thing lots of times, and failed over and over again. I finally figured out that I needed to replace those carb calories with something else that wasn't going to make me feel hungry all the time or hungry for more. And that was healthy fats.
Now, I set my level of protein I need per day and make sure to eat between 20-30gm of protein at each meal. I make sure to have at least 2 to 3 servings of non-starchy vegetables at each meal. And I eat fats like avocado, raw almonds, walnuts, or pecans (no more than a handful), full fat yogurt, fatty cheeses, olive oil, uncured bacon, and cream and butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows. I also use the rendered fat from the bacon, and from chicken that I roast. My protein sources are fattier as well, like salmon, chicken thighs, the fatty bacon, lamb chops, and grass-fed ground beef that is not lean or extra lean.
At first, I had to eat A LOT of fat to deal with hunger. I didn't worry about the calories at all. I ate healthy fats until I was satisfied. I didn't gain any weight from eating the healthy fats. I found that over time, I slowly didn't need as much fat, and my calories started to drop.
Another thing that helped me was to take l-glutamine powder about 15 minutes before each meal. It helps my body to better use the protein and cuts my carb cravings.1 -
ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »I fill my plate with my portions, (weighing as I go if I have my scale handy- I don't like, take it to restaurants with me), eat what's on it, and then I put my plate in the dishwasher. Even if the rest of my family is still eating and socializing, I get rid of my plate. Then I have my glass of water, and hang out with my family.
Eating out, I ask for a box up front, divvy my food into portions, and put half my meal in my box. Then I can eat what's on my plate, take my time and enjoy it, and not have to worry about breaking into the box.
The work buffet is always a problem, but I find if I take a plate, put the fruit and whatever protein option is available on it the plate first, then there's a lot less room for that muffin, croissant, bear claw or whatever. Eat what's on my plate, and when I'm done, get rid of the plate. Get a full glass of water or a cup of coffee, and keep that in my hands to continue socializing.
In the end, though, what it really comes down to is having the willpower to stop eating after your servings are gone.
In addition to the above which is great advice, why not try...
1. Using a smaller plate to "trick" your mind into thinking you are eating more?
2. Another trick would be to have one serving then wait 20 minutes (drinking water while you do) and then re-evaluating whether you need that extra plate (notice I said need not want, we all want extra it's whether we need it to survive is key).
3. Drink a bottle of water (500ml) before eating, this will full you up significantly and will hopefully stop you snacking without thinking and awareness of your body.0 -
I have that issue with party buffets and lunches at conferences etc. Proud of myself yesterday - I just played up couple of little sandwiches, fruit and one little bhaji and took my plate and cup of tea to a table where I "networked" too hard to go up for more.
I also went to one of those buffet pub meals at Brewers Fayre last night (not my choice!) and rather than have burgers with baps or hotdogs in rolls I filled my plate with a chicken breast, more meat, corn on the cob, salad etc. I felt full, ate a lot of calories but not as many as if I'd gone mad.
It is hard but it doesn't have to mean you can have a muffin just don't eat all of the muffins.
Plate up, move away from the buffet and don't go back.
Or fill your boots and don't have any other meals. If that's the pay off I'd rather have a smaller buffet.0 -
Fill a plate, eat what is on the plate, and do not go back. You know your hands are controlled by your brain. And what goes in your hands and then into your mouth, is all controlled by you..
This process is the one thing you can control, now tap into your power and just do it!
edited to say: a person has got to want to do this (and "this" being all things that you want to achieve which is weightless, eating healthier, and being a better version of yourself), don't keep yourself from achieving all these things!2 -
The one method I have for dealing with this issue is logging every single bite. I am committed to logging as accurately as possible and not leaving a single bite, lick, or taste off my log. This helps me be more mindful when faced with temptation, because I don't want to log a muffin, then a pastry, then some Nutella, then half a cookie...I really understand what a struggle it is day after day when you are surrounded by food...another trick I use is to drink a protein shake before I go out for a meal so by the time I get to the restaurant I am not famished. I don't know if this will help you or not, these are my tricks.0
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I so understand. If foods there, I'm going to eat it. I have had to clear out my house and not have it around. It's hard for you if the other people in your house keep food available. If you find an tips, please share, to help me and others who have no control when food is around. Good luck!!
Me also. I keep it out of the house. I had trouble with husband bringing junk food into the house at first. He didn't get it until I explained how difficult it is for me to know x,y,z is in the house. I told him not to bring it out and eat it in front of me anymore.
I stay away from buffets if I can because I love them and want to try everything. Then my plate is too full. I can go to them now if I tell myself that it is not a free for all time for me. I will put low cal veggies on 1/2 of the plate, starchy veggies or carbs on 1/4 of the plate and put protein on 1/4 of the plate. That will fill me up. I will be stricter the rest of the week but this kind of eating keeps me from going overboard with calories if I have to go to a buffet. I will only eat one plate of food.1 -
Sharpgirl123 wrote: »I live with my parents and my father always buys junk.
It is his food, not yours. Leave his food alone.
Even if he offers it and/or it is actually available for you to take, I find it helpful to think of food I haven't purchased myself as someone else's food. I wouldn't dream of going into the fridge at work and helping myself to someone's sandwich, and so in the same way, if someone brings food to work to share, I just think of it as their food, not mine.
That works for me also regarding family members.. I treat food at the supermarket like that. Lol. I will see an end cap and tell myself, " That is someone else's food not yours." They are mind games. But they do work.1 -
Ultimately you have to decide you want it more than the food. There are no tricks, secrets or easy ways out. It's hard... if it wasn't everyone would do it and it wouldn't be such a big deal.
Exercise your willpower muscle and it will get stronger. Log in advance to plan your day and stick to the plan. Allow treats so you don't go insane, but keep to your goal as much as possible. If you go over on a day, think about why it happened and what you can do to avoid it in the future.
It's all you. You've got to be determined, dedicated and take control. It's not something you can do half arsed.2 -
It takes time to form the habit of making better choices. If I had been you I would have chose one piece of bread and the rest would have been protein/fibre. Its all about learning to say no to too much of a certain thing. It does become very natural eventually to do this and not even think much about it.2
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I lived with a big eater when I was trying to lose weight at first. Someone who seemingly could eat any junk and not gain. Yay for his 24-yo male metabolism. I'm gonna share what helped me change my cravings for sweet muffins and the like.
Do these things have labels? At my very highest weight, here's something I did. I cut out highly processed sugars and fats. So let's say there's a shelf full of little debbies and such. I'd look at the labels. I'd not eat the ones that contained corn syrup (especially high fructose corn syrup) and "hydrogenated" fats. I'd still eat a muffin or whatever, it's just I'd opt for the ones that had real sugar and real butter or whatever.
It's not that these products are bad. It's more that the body is more satisfied with the taste of butter. It turns on hormones that help us feel like we've actually eaten 300 calories of sugar and fat. This way, I was still getting a treat, I was still enjoying foods. I was just giving my body a bit of an edge in the fight. Gosh, now when I eat little debbies, the sweetness and such tastes so CHEMICAL to me. It's easy to just eat one zebra cake, since they taste rather powdery and chemical to me now.
It didn't happen overnight, but it only took about 30 days for me to start disliking eating TONS of sweet breads.0 -
Thanks guys! All your advice is great.0
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something I do for carbs anyway is I say that I won't eat it if it is something I can make myself and I will only eat things that are made by friends/family from scratch or if it is from a real bakery. It doesn't always work. Wawa sizzlis have saved my morning on more than one occasion, but for the most part it curbs my carb intake. I am a good baker. I love to bake. I just don't have a ton of time. I have to choose what I am going to make carefully.
For instance I have been dying to make lemon crinkle cookies. But I am so tired when i get home from work that I don't get to it. This weekend will be busy so no bread baking. And there you have it, no extra carbs. Although I do have a birthday cake to make....le sigh.0 -
I'm the same! Don't let it put you off!! You just need to get used to less calories apparently it takes about 4-6 weeks for a small change in your routine to become a habit so just try and reward yourself once a week! That's what I've been doing, though I still have my slip ups! It's normal!1
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Prelog food. Look a the numbers. Make a choice.
Eat slowly and really savor food. Wait 20 minutes after finishing before getting more food. When you don't want to eat more throw things away, put them away, drink some water, brush your teeth, pop some gum in your mouth (mint works for me), leave the table/room/building, or get busy with something else.
Talk to yourself. Reflect on how much you want to reach your goal versus eating food because it is there. Tell yourself that you have had enough food, you are not hungry, this food is not rare and you will eat again when the time is right.
If you go over just log and move on. It takes time to learn portion sizes and change habits. You don't have to be perfect every day.
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Loads of good advice already given. Here are a few more tips that I've found useful.
1. Get the other guests on your side:
I tell the guests at the buffet that I'm on a strict diet? I find I usually get most people's help and support, even if they are strangers.
2. Just say no:
It's easy to eat very badly at buffets. Even food that might seem wholesome if you'd prepared it at home may well be stacked with cheap catering ingredients and bad fats. Sometimes I avoid the buffet by taking my own simple foods and go outside to eat it. I often find others there as well.
3. Eat beforehand:
With a breakfast buffet, I tend to eat something healthy before I go out. At the buffet I just take tea or coffee. Both are surprisingly high in useful minerals.
4. Partition the table:
I divide the table into yes an no foods. Most buffets have something healthy. I position myself near the healthier option, then if the conversation flags I'll find myself reaching out for a square of melon and not the bacon croissants.
6. You don't have to sparkle 24/7:
In a social situation I sometimes find I'm lost for words, or worse feel alone in a room full of people. I just make my excuses and leave the room, go to the lounge/garden/ladies and chill out for a while. I go back once I've got a new burst of enthusiasm to network.
Good luck,
Keep that willpower steely!
Wendy0
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