I think I'm addicted to food :(

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  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I think most of us here are addicted to food in some way. Even the successful dieters. I, personally still NEED to eat around 2500-3000 calories a day to feel satiated. In order for me to do that and be (and stay) successful I have to exercise a lot. I have found after the first 1.5 years though, that it's getting easier to stop eating before I am full. It's actually to the point now that I don't like the feeling of being too full to want to get up and exercise or move around. For me at least, exercise was the key to success. It was just as hard to get started with it, and it is equally as hard some days getting started but I feel great once it's over with and I've earned my calories for the day. For those of you who are having a lot of issues being successful, my suggestion is to increase exercise to earn more calories. It may be the only thing that helps.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    tiffsaddiction wrote: »
    I swear that they add chemicals into our food to make us addicted to them.

    this is true!

    Way to go, Murica', way to go!
  • cinnag4225
    cinnag4225 Posts: 126 Member
    Stress binger here, and I completely get it. I can't count the number of times I've wished I had someone I could call to talk me down from binging. It's not as bad now, but every now and then I have a day where I just want to eat, eat, and eat some more. Developing self control is key, but starting out is difficult. I find the easiest way to avoid a binge is to remove the temptation. I started going out for walks without my wallet, taking naps or going to bed early, window shopping, etc. I also cut myself off completely from foods I tend to eat mindlessly (chips, popcorn, gummies, etc), and I've found that a small coffee with a bit of cream and sugar generally suppresses boredom hunger. As others mentioned, getting professional help will go a long way, especially if you have trouble finding coping techniques. Don't feel alone. Many of us are here due to our unhealthy relationship with food. Also, don't fret too much about others' calorie habits. I can't operate under 1,600 calories a day because of the physical demand of my job and daily walks, and I'm routinely over my calorie limit (before exercise) by about 150 calories a day but am still losing.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    shanae727 wrote: »
    tiffsaddiction wrote: »
    I swear that they add chemicals into our food to make us addicted to them.

    this is true!

    Way to go, Murica', way to go!

    Then how come I find the most irresistible foods, the most tempting, to be homemade? Even foods homemade by me that I know with 100% certainty what I put in it? (Not that I cook without chemicals, of course, since everything is made of them and all.)

    I find it hard to believe that people really find fast food or store-bought stuff (whatever it is that you think has lots of "chemicals") is tastier than more whole-foods based foods, when prepared well. The "chemicals" in question are either preservatives to allow the food to be tasty and to last despite it being mass-marketed -- basically to make it more like homemade, without spoiling so easily -- or else cheaper ways to mimic ingredients that home cooks and restaurant chefs also use (basically fat, sugar, salt, other flavorings). What is new and special (although not that new anymore) is that packaged foods are both pretty cheap (especially in terms of time required to acquire them) and always easily accessible (people are more likely to grab an Oreo or a bag of chips than cook a meal in the middle of usual meal times). Not that they are magically harder to resist than mom's apple pie or grandma's lasagne or fried chicken or a grilled steak with roasted potatoes and some asparagus, all of which I think are instead likely to be much harder to resist and overeaten.

    I love food and have to exercise restraint to not overdo it, but I think this is normal -- what's not normal, historically, is an environment that allows for this regularly, should I choose to indulge. If one wants to consider this addiction, well, whatever works for you.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    mysteps2beauty wrote: »
    well, i use to love food too. then i got a health scare. so whenever you are ready to do this, take yourself to the doctor and he/she will tell you the real deal. humans are stimulated by pain or pleasure.

    food used outside of fuel creates a feeling of contentment to set off the anxious feelings one has. but exercise is a good replacement, it increases endorphines. so before you think you might get hungry, go for a walk, or even jog in place for two 15 minute sessions. blood gets pumping and you feel the edge dropping off.

    Great advice.
  • smsquash
    smsquash Posts: 38 Member
    One thing I've noticed is that if I'm prepared with healthy foods that I like, I'm less likely to eat whatever is quickest and most decadent. And once I've eaten something satisfying, it's easier to have the willpower to make other healthy choices.

    I cook a bunch of random stuff on Sundays now. I make a pot of lentils, a pot of quinoa, roast up large quantities of random veggies I have in the fridge, fry up some tofu, wash and slice fruit, and make sure I have fresh, appetizing and washed salad greens in the fridge. Later in the week when I'm starving, it's easy to throw together a soup, a salad, a burrito bowl, a stir fry, etc. and I can do it quickly which is key when I'm starving. I also make something sweet that isn't quite as awful as store bought stuff but is still indulgent. Apple muffins w/cinnamon sugar topping. Homemade toffee (only need a tiny bit bc it's rich.) Anyway that way I can enjoy on the days I work out hard and it feels like a treat.

    I'm a foodie too. I'm never going to give up fat or sugar, nachos or pizza. I don't really want to. But even on the days I can't stand it and splurge, I add in a lot of veggies and raw fruit. It doesn't add a lot of calories but it really bulks up the meal so that I can eat much larger portions. For instance I'll add a big salad with apple slices, nuts, chèvre, herbs, maple roasted squash, and homemade vinaigrette with my nachos. It might cost me an extra 200 calories, but it adds a huge amount of food to my plate and I feel more satiated. It often allows me to have smaller portions of the really fattening stuff and still feel satisfied.

    I'll tell you another thing that works for me. Sometimes I take a week off. I don't track, but I still try to give myself healthy food. I also still try to stay active-ish but don't stick to my work out schedule. If I want a homemade sticky bun for breakfast, I have something healthy and then add a piece of sticky bun. I satisfy my cravings and take a break from the pressure. Sometimes I'll gain a pound or two that week, but when I start back up it comes back off. Not for the really hard-core, but it works for me.

    The only other suggestion I have is that drinking more water really helped me lose. I got an app called plant nanny that calculates how much water I should have, and reminds me to drink, drink, drink. When I started that, I started losing weight faster without changing anything else.

    Regular exercise has really changed my mental state and helped me stay more positive too. I'm a self-sabotager for some reason. Now that I recognize that, I watch for it and try to manage my craziness, lol.

    Anyway, hope that will help. Anyone can feel free to add me if you want a totally imperfect friend, lol.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I think we all feel that way to some extent. You are not alone. Mostly it is too much stress and too much food available, a bad combination. We all have to find ways to reduce stress and slowly change our environment to set ourselves up for success.

    There is nothing easy about it. There is nothing easy about logging food, there is nothing easy about a calorie deficit, even a slight one. Yes I know some days seem easy, but not really for most people. Most people this is the biggest struggle ever.

    Yes it is hard for me too! Even a slight deficit when I need it to manage my "checkbook".

    Why is it so hard? Because even a slight calorie deficit is UNDER what your body actually needs. It is corrective action to fix a health problem. It is medicine. You don't take the medicine forever, you take it in doses that only you can handle. What you can handle is different from the next person. The body is complex. There is no magic formula, but your body gives you answers if you listen. Be patient about that because if you have spent years not listening it's going to take TIME to learn to listen.

    Make maintenance days the light at the end of the tunnel. They are always a win because they are not OVER your needs. But you won't lose weight eating at maintenance either, you just won't gain. So if you want to lose weight, the slight deficit has to happen. It's easy to say well tomorrow is a new day, over and over, and get no where. While it's true, you need to push through at least one day. Then the next day can be maintenance. Just do a few days each week if you can at a slight deficit.

    In order to meet that deficit you pretty much have to PLAN your food before you eat it. If you eat first, most of the time you won't succeed for the day unless you are lucky. PLAN PLAN PLAN, yes it is a pain, but it is how you LEARN. You need to see the value of the food you intake.

    I still have to plan!!!!! But it's just what I do because I've done it so long. Like brushing and flossing and going to the gym, it just IS. You CAN do it too, if you never give up!

    Part of my success with diet is keeping cooked foods ready in the fridge so I can make soup, burritos, tacos, sandwiches, or whatever I'm in the mood for making that is still on track for my goals.
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