Why do I turn to food?

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jdbulger1018
jdbulger1018 Posts: 14 Member
in Motivation and Support
My food has been on point for several days now and I was starting to feel good about myself...... then something stresses me out what did I do???!! I went and ordered pizza and milk shakes.
Why do I do this to myself? That pizza tastes great and it made me feel better for about 5 seconds. Now I'm left feeling terrible about myself and having a hard time getting back on track.

Replies

  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
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    Few reasons:
    1. Stress can cause stomach sensations that feel a bit like hunger. Food can temporarily soothe them.
    2. While you are eating you are not thinking. Its a way of escaping the stress. As soon as you stop eating you go back to thinking.
    3. Habit. You associate food with feeling good.

    Best thing to do is acknowledge that food wont help and try to accept the emotions and sit with them for a while. Cardio helps shut out the thoughts. I like to swim.
  • LucasWilland
    LucasWilland Posts: 68 Member
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    Whitezombiegirl wrote: »
    Few reasons:
    1. Stress can cause stomach sensations that feel a bit like hunger. Food can temporarily soothe them.
    2. While you are eating you are not thinking. Its a way of escaping the stress. As soon as you stop eating you go back to thinking.
    3. Habit. You associate food with feeling good.

    Best thing to do is acknowledge that food wont help and try to accept the emotions and sit with them for a while. Cardio helps shut out the thoughts. I like to swim.

    Good explanation. Another thing to note is that some foods can trigger a release of dopamine by the hypothalamus, which can cause you to feel really good when you eat them. These foods are known as hyperpatable because manufacturers produce them to have the right ratio of sugar, salt, and fat to trigger dopamine release and cause you to keep coming back to them. But hyper palatability goes beyond just sugar, salt, or fat, none of these things on their own cause you to overeat, but texture and even the way a food is colored can all increase its palatability. This is why some people can eat an entire canister of peanut butter while others can eat bars upon bars of chocolate.

    In the case of medicating with food, it is likely that you are looking for the dopamine hit associated with hyperpatable foods.
  • LucasWilland
    LucasWilland Posts: 68 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Also, you may have a case of the hedonistic principle, which is where the moment you say that you can't have something, the more you want it. If you are on a very strict diet plan, then you could perhaps benefit with being a little more flexible with food choices and including some of the less healthier foods that you really enjoy on your plan. The research consistently shows that flexible dieters are less likely to suffer from eating disorders, health problems, and be healthier overall. A good recommendation is to ensure that at least 80 to 70% of the foods you are eating are whole minimally refined foods, and the rest can be made up of whatever you want. However, I would still try to avoid industrial trans fats if at all possible. The research consistently shows them to be awful, as the body has no mechanism to actually metabolize them efficiently.
  • jdbulger1018
    jdbulger1018 Posts: 14 Member
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    LucasWilland wrote: »
    Also, you may have a case of the hedonistic principle, which is where the moment you say that you can't have something, the more you want it. If you are on a very strict diet plan, then you could perhaps benefit with being a little more flexible with food choices and including some of the less healthier foods that you really enjoy on your plan. The research consistently shows that flexible dieters are less likely to suffer from eating disorders, health problems, and be healthier overall. A good recommendation is to ensure that at least 80 to 70% of the foods you are eating are whole minimally refined foods, and the rest can be made up of whatever you want. However, I would still try to avoid industrial trans fats if at all possible. The research consistently shows them to be awful, as the body has no mechanism to actually metabolize them efficiently.


    I totally agree! I was doing paleo for a split second and it was so restricting that I couldn't do it. I try to eat healthy for the most part but leave myself a little wiggle room to have that sweet if I have the cAlories for it. Telling myself I can't have something just makes me want it so much more. I think I was just looking for the feel good that you were talking about in the previous post
  • Deadlifting_Away_Doritos
    Deadlifting_Away_Doritos Posts: 93 Member
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    jdbulger1018 wrote: »
    LucasWilland wrote: »
    Also, you may have a case of the hedonistic principle, which is where the moment you say that you can't have something, the more you want it. If you are on a very strict diet plan, then you could perhaps benefit with being a little more flexible with food choices and including some of the less healthier foods that you really enjoy on your plan. The research consistently shows that flexible dieters are less likely to suffer from eating disorders, health problems, and be healthier overall. A good recommendation is to ensure that at least 80 to 70% of the foods you are eating are whole minimally refined foods, and the rest can be made up of whatever you want. However, I would still try to avoid industrial trans fats if at all possible. The research consistently shows them to be awful, as the body has no mechanism to actually metabolize them efficiently.


    I totally agree! I was doing paleo for a split second and it was so restricting that I couldn't do it. I try to eat healthy for the most part but leave myself a little wiggle room to have that sweet if I have the cAlories for it. Telling myself I can't have something just makes me want it so much more. I think I was just looking for the feel good that you were talking about in the previous post

    Today is a new day. Don't guilt yourself. It only makes it harder to stay on track.
  • sammyjo0218
    sammyjo0218 Posts: 108 Member
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    When I start to get stressed I go to my workout room turn up the music and do cardio or weights before I think about walking to the kitchen. Or look up stuff online that interests you and read. If i decide to splurge on pizza or something else I think about all I have to do to burn it off or make sure I have a pretty good active day. Other times if I have it I put alittle on my plate and store the rest right away and have a side of salad or fruit.

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