I can't stop eating!
dancingstarvic
Posts: 3 Member
Hi,
Can anybody give me any advice on how to stop eating?! Like how to take my mind off food? It sounds ridiculous but I have absolutely no self discipline whatsoever.. if I want a chocolate bar, I'm having it, even if I've just eaten three.. I don't eat because I'm hungry, I eat because I want to and food is permenantly on my mind. I'd always had a good metabolism but in the past year I've put just over a stone on and it's seriously getting me down!
Thanks in advance ☺️
Ps I'm extremely fussy so replacing the bad stuff with healthy options isn't easy!
Can anybody give me any advice on how to stop eating?! Like how to take my mind off food? It sounds ridiculous but I have absolutely no self discipline whatsoever.. if I want a chocolate bar, I'm having it, even if I've just eaten three.. I don't eat because I'm hungry, I eat because I want to and food is permenantly on my mind. I'd always had a good metabolism but in the past year I've put just over a stone on and it's seriously getting me down!
Thanks in advance ☺️
Ps I'm extremely fussy so replacing the bad stuff with healthy options isn't easy!
9
Replies
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Try planning your food in advance. If you already have what you are going to eat mapped out you still might think about food, but you know what you will be eating next. It may also be a good idea to plan set times you can eat. Breakfast at a specific time, maybe a small snack a couple of hours later, lunch at a specific time, and you get the idea. If you start thinking about eating lunch and it hasn't reached the time for your lunch then you have to wait.16
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The magic has to happen inside your head. Use the Food Diary to record the food you eat and even plan in advance the foods you plan to eat. Do that every day with every morsel and try to meet your protein macro early in the day, but also be willing to spread your carb macro across the day. Fat's ok, but best if it's like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. Peanut butter is good fat and protein at the same time.
After you pay attention and log your food for a couple of weeks, the magic starts to happen.7 -
Put the food down. Don't eat it.11
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Just stop6
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My friend has a great saying for that: "just put it down, and walk away".7
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Also maybe do some exercise when you are bored instead of eating? Instead of having a chocolate bar drop and do 10 push ups, 25 sit ups, go walk around the block...8
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dancingstarvic wrote: »Hi,
Can anybody give me any advice on how to stop eating?! Like how to take my mind off food? It sounds ridiculous but I have absolutely no self discipline whatsoever.. if I want a chocolate bar, I'm having it, even if I've just eaten three.. I don't eat because I'm hungry, I eat because I want to and food is permenantly on my mind. I'd always had a good metabolism but in the past year I've put just over a stone on and it's seriously getting me down!
Thanks in advance ☺️
Ps I'm extremely fussy so replacing the bad stuff with healthy options isn't easy!
You don't have to stop thinking about food, that's not why you overeat. You overeat chocolate because the chocolate tastes good and is available and you have made it a habit to overeat chocolate. You aren't supposed to stop eating. You just have to stop overeating. No advice is necessary or useful, just stop overeating. It can help a lot to not buy things you are most likely to overeat though.
Metabolism is a buzzword and means very little practically - you've gained weight because you have eaten too much and/or moved too little. Healthy food is not really a thing - an overall healthy diet is a thing - actually quite a few things, variety is important and you can compose a good diet however you like.11 -
I am a SAHM so food is always available. What I do is scheduled snack and meal times (in my case I don't snack after breakfast, but I plan 2 in the afternoon, one after my workouts and another after my son gets home from school because all the kids are having a snack then and I like sitting down with them ). I also prelog my day sometime in the morning. I schedule out my meals and then plan my snacks around the macros I need. Once all of this is done it's just a matter of sticking to the plan. It was hard the first week or so, but is now basically routine. My weekend is totally different because my husband being home all day changes how we eat. There are no snacks on the weekends except after dinner, but the meals tend to be bigger so it evens out.4
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I have been trying to journal. What is prompting me to eat? Is it because I'm stressed? Is it because I'm hungry? Is it reflex? Is it something else? For me, if I go off plan, it has more to do with my emotional state. That may not be the case for you, but I am finding that thinking about the why is helping me stop it.6
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dancingstarvic wrote: »Hi,
Can anybody give me any advice on how to stop eating?! Like how to take my mind off food? It sounds ridiculous but I have absolutely no self discipline whatsoever.. if I want a chocolate bar, I'm having it, even if I've just eaten three.. I don't eat because I'm hungry, I eat because I want to and food is permenantly on my mind. I'd always had a good metabolism but in the past year I've put just over a stone on and it's seriously getting me down!
Thanks in advance ☺️
Ps I'm extremely fussy so replacing the bad stuff with healthy options isn't easy!
Try lot of stuff until you find healthy options that you DO like. I discovered that carrots baked with apples and spices (I omit the butter) taste delightful. Raw carrots are sweet and crunchy and really satisfy my desire to munch mindlessly. Apples are great too because they have fibre, and are sweet.4 -
When I can't stop thinking about eating, I tell myself I can have it in XX minutes. Then I try to go do something physical - take a walk, etc. Usually, if I can put off the craving and get in a little exercise, the craving goes away. If it doesn't, I log it and have it.
I also pre-log my food for the day, so I know what kind of wiggle room I have for the day. Like today, I have ZERO wiggle room.
But, as you can see, I've also pre-logged my half-pint of Ben and Jerry's. That stuff is so good, there is NO WAY I'm going to snack on something else throughout the day and not let myself have the ice cream.
Some days, I have plenty of wiggle room. That allows for office treats, etc.
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Plan ahead, have the full day's food ready in the morning and tell yourself that gone = gone.
Also google Gillian Riley - Eating less, I found that book very helpful.3 -
Thanks for taking the time to reply guys, really appreciate it. It's mainly when I'm in the office I have the attitude I noted (perhaps I need a new job haha!). I'm going to give it my best shot though, not only for my weight gain but for my health!6
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Beck Diet Solution, cognitive behavioral therapy
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What are you eating, exactly? Cannot view your Food Diary.1
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For trigger foods like chocolate I will save it for right before bed so I get a nice treat in and then I'm heading to bed so I can't over eat and obsess about having a 2nd serving11
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Change the channel...
Self control...4 -
oliverneedsyou wrote: »For trigger foods like chocolate I will save it for right before bed so I get a nice treat in and then I'm heading to bed so I can't over eat and obsess about having a 2nd serving
Your Dentist must freak out. Candy right before bed - the very idea.
Okay well brushing my teeth before I go to bed is part of the routine lmao2 -
I feel your pain! I have no idea but when you do find out, let me know.1
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Take in alot of water and try to mix in some almonds as well. They sent a signal to your brain that you are full and may get your mind off of food.1
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quiksylver296 wrote: »When I can't stop thinking about eating, I tell myself I can have it in XX minutes. Then I try to go do something physical - take a walk, etc. Usually, if I can put off the craving and get in a little exercise, the craving goes away. If it doesn't, I log it and have it.
I also pre-log my food for the day, so I know what kind of wiggle room I have for the day. Like today, I have ZERO wiggle room.
But, as you can see, I've also pre-logged my half-pint of Ben and Jerry's. That stuff is so good, there is NO WAY I'm going to snack on something else throughout the day and not let myself have the ice cream.
Some days, I have plenty of wiggle room. That allows for office treats, etc.
After I posted this, someone sent out a office-wide e-mail that said there is pumpkin cake in the break room. Helps make my point. Because I have pre-logged my day, I know what my choices are. I can have pumpkin cake, and no ice cream tonight. I can have ice cream tonight, but no pumpkin cake at work. Or I could have LESS ice cream, and a small piece of pumpkin cake.
For me, the choice is ice cream tonight and no pumpkin cake at work. Because the ice cream is delicious, and pumpkin cake may not be. For someone else, the choice could be different and still be an acceptable choice.
Knowledge is power!
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quiksylver296 wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »When I can't stop thinking about eating, I tell myself I can have it in XX minutes. Then I try to go do something physical - take a walk, etc. Usually, if I can put off the craving and get in a little exercise, the craving goes away. If it doesn't, I log it and have it.
I also pre-log my food for the day, so I know what kind of wiggle room I have for the day. Like today, I have ZERO wiggle room.
But, as you can see, I've also pre-logged my half-pint of Ben and Jerry's. That stuff is so good, there is NO WAY I'm going to snack on something else throughout the day and not let myself have the ice cream.
Some days, I have plenty of wiggle room. That allows for office treats, etc.
After I posted this, someone sent out a office-wide e-mail that said there is pumpkin cake in the break room. Helps make my point. Because I have pre-logged my day, I know what my choices are. I can have pumpkin cake, and no ice cream tonight. I can have ice cream tonight, but no pumpkin cake at work. Or I could have LESS ice cream, and a small piece of pumpkin cake.
For me, the choice is ice cream tonight and no pumpkin cake at work. Because the ice cream is delicious, and pumpkin cake may not be. For someone else, the choice could be different and still be an acceptable choice.
Knowledge is power!
This process you describe alone lets one take a moment and basically count to 10 or take a step back and think before just acting..
You went through many thoughts on how to arrive at "your" best choice..
Nice job and love the logic!!
eta I always love having something more in the p.m. to look forward to rather than spare of the moment cake.. I would probably regret it when time to eat the p.m. yumminess came around.6 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »When I can't stop thinking about eating, I tell myself I can have it in XX minutes. Then I try to go do something physical - take a walk, etc. Usually, if I can put off the craving and get in a little exercise, the craving goes away. If it doesn't, I log it and have it.
I also pre-log my food for the day, so I know what kind of wiggle room I have for the day. Like today, I have ZERO wiggle room.
But, as you can see, I've also pre-logged my half-pint of Ben and Jerry's. That stuff is so good, there is NO WAY I'm going to snack on something else throughout the day and not let myself have the ice cream.
Some days, I have plenty of wiggle room. That allows for office treats, etc.
After I posted this, someone sent out a office-wide e-mail that said there is pumpkin cake in the break room. Helps make my point. Because I have pre-logged my day, I know what my choices are. I can have pumpkin cake, and no ice cream tonight. I can have ice cream tonight, but no pumpkin cake at work. Or I could have LESS ice cream, and a small piece of pumpkin cake.
For me, the choice is ice cream tonight and no pumpkin cake at work. Because the ice cream is delicious, and pumpkin cake may not be. For someone else, the choice could be different and still be an acceptable choice.
Knowledge is power!
Or you could have your last remaining calorie of pumpkin cake
Down to the last calorie-I love it! That's awesome planning
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I usually have an issue with sugar close to my TOM or when I'm stressed. yesterday happened to be both and I was craving sweet tarts or skittles. I knew I had plenty of room in my calories for a pack of skittles, but thought about how it would make me feel if I had them, I knew it wouldn't make me feel any better. I think the best thing to do is to figure out what's making you crave stuff, if its stress, get up and walk away from your computer for a bit.
Another thing that has really helped, is planning out my meals and snacks, during the week, I know when im going to eat (breakfast between 8-9, snack at 1030 (unless I included my snack w my breakfast), lunch between 12-1, snack at 3, and dinner between 5-6. Trust me it's been a struggle but once you figure out your triggers and pre-plan meals it's easier.1 -
dancingstarvic wrote: »Hi,
Can anybody give me any advice on how to stop eating?! Like how to take my mind off food? It sounds ridiculous but I have absolutely no self discipline whatsoever.. if I want a chocolate bar, I'm having it, even if I've just eaten three.. I don't eat because I'm hungry, I eat because I want to and food is permenantly on my mind. I'd always had a good metabolism but in the past year I've put just over a stone on and it's seriously getting me down!
Thanks in advance ☺️
Ps I'm extremely fussy so replacing the bad stuff with healthy options isn't easy!
You don't need to replace the bad stuff with anything. As you say, you aren't eating out of hunger. You know that you are overeating so really it all comes down to you. You have to want to stop more than you want to continue.
I'd suggest asking yourself why you are eating. Are you bored or stressed, for example? Then try to fix that problem. Get a hobby, find ways to manage stress other than eating.0 -
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quiksylver296 wrote: »When I can't stop thinking about eating, I tell myself I can have it in XX minutes. Then I try to go do something physical - take a walk, etc. Usually, if I can put off the craving and get in a little exercise, the craving goes away. If it doesn't, I log it and have it.
I also pre-log my food for the day, so I know what kind of wiggle room I have for the day. Like today, I have ZERO wiggle room.
But, as you can see, I've also pre-logged my half-pint of Ben and Jerry's. That stuff is so good, there is NO WAY I'm going to snack on something else throughout the day and not let myself have the ice cream.
Some days, I have plenty of wiggle room. That allows for office treats, etc.
So jealous of your allowable calories! 2 -
I have the same issue, and have found that having a protein heavy shake(50+ grams) for breakfast helps to set my day off right. Carbs are a huge binge trigger for me, so I tend to avoid them until lunch or dinner.1
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