Question for others who also have issues with moderation

Francl27
Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm still working on it myself but I've noticed that very often, I'll be eating a cookie... and WHILE I'm eating the cookie I'm already thinking about eating more.

How do you get to the mindset of just enjoying what you're eating without thinking about getting more? I mean, the second cookie will not taste different than the one I'm already eating, so why can't I just enjoy that one as if it was the second one?

Does anyone else do that, and have you managed to overcome it? I mean, I lost 80 lbs... gained back 5 in the last 3 years, still want to lose 10, but it would be so much easier if I stopped overeating on bread, chocolate, and cookies..
«1345

Replies

  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I'm still working on it myself but I've noticed that very often, I'll be eating a cookie... and WHILE I'm eating the cookie I'm already thinking about eating more.

    How do you get to the mindset of just enjoying what you're eating without thinking about getting more? I mean, the second cookie will not taste different than the one I'm already eating, so why can't I just enjoy that one as if it was the second one?

    Does anyone else do that, and have you managed to overcome it? I mean, I lost 80 lbs... gained back 5 in the last 3 years, still want to lose 10, but it would be so much easier if I stopped overeating on bread, chocolate, and cookies..

    Find something to distract yourself and hope someone else eats all the rest of the cookies in the meantime. (it can be a somewhat decent strategy for me as long as it's not a follow heavy milonga. I'm not so great at self control).
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    I'm trying to practice mindfulness in all aspects of my life, and food is one of those. Trying to intentionally enjoy the cookie as it is now, and not worrying about anything else during that time, whether it is the cookie or anything else going on in my life. My mind tends to wander while I'm eating, and I want another food thing because I didn't really enjoy the first one ('cause I was thinking about something else, even if it was just another cookie).


    This is what I am doing atm as well.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I focus on the immediate budget and the overall long term goal and don't think of this any differently than finance. Sure that extra cookies is going to taste good, but I don't need it. I savor the cookie I have.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    pre log your day and then see how many calories you have left and how many cookies, ice cream whatever that you can fit into it..that is what I used to do..
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    *If possible, log immediately after eating. It makes you consider whether that second one is worth it.
    * When you figure out the calories, try to put it into context of your workout.
    * Don't eat crappy cookies. Or any other mediocre food. I mean, cookies are a reason to live, but crappy cookies just fill up your food budget and it's actually not that satisfying.
    * Plan cookie eating when possible. Part of being mindful is making the cookie part of a plan that eliminates guilt. If you bank calories, or otherwise make sure you have them fit into your day, it's much more enjoyable.
  • itsreneabitch
    itsreneabitch Posts: 2 Member
    I pre-log my meals each day so I can plan my snacks accordingly. I rarely buy cookies and the best way I deal with wanting those unhealthy snacks is it is the first thing I set in the cart when I shop, in the seat part for children so it isn't easy to miss. By the time I am done shopping I am ready to put it back and I never leave with it. Sometimes just having it within reach, in my possession, for a small amount of time is just as satisfying as actually consuming it.
  • surlydoc
    surlydoc Posts: 10 Member
    I don't keep packages of junk food in the house, as a rule. I only buy single serving desserts- usually, I just have a dessert at a restaurant or, if buying from the store, find the individual servings.
    Because I have the same problem (am always thinking of the next cookie, slice of cake, etc), I only allow myself one dessert a week. That way, I can have a larger portion and not feel as though I am over indulging too frequently.
    Finally, pre-logging in MFP helps control those cravings for high-calorie, low quality food. If I know there isn't room, I can talk myself out of indulging.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2017
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    Mostly, by knowing I'm not going to be eating more. It's just not an option. No 'maybe if'; this is my one and only cookie, and the rest have already gone into the airtight box in the cupboard.

    This. I have a planned after dinner dessert. It might be cheese (which I used to overeat) or ice cream or a macaron from this new bakery near me or something else. I measure out my portion, put it away, and enjoy what I am having. If the possibility to have more is open I will want more, but if this is my dessert and no more I am able to focus on it.

    Also, and it may not be OP's issue, but it was mine, focusing on and thinking about the thing I am eating while I am eating it, not doing it as a supplement to some other activity (i.e., wanting to eat while watching a video).
  • jvcjim
    jvcjim Posts: 812 Member
    I pre-log my meals each day so I can plan my snacks accordingly. I rarely buy cookies and the best way I deal with wanting those unhealthy snacks is it is the first thing I set in the cart when I shop, in the seat part for children so it isn't easy to miss. By the time I am done shopping I am ready to put it back and I never leave with it. Sometimes just having it within reach, in my possession, for a small amount of time is just as satisfying as actually consuming it.
    Ido this with booze.... if there is no scotch, gin or cognac in the house that is all i want... if i know there is some and i can have it whenever i want it ... i do not crave it
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,797 Member
    I've always had that problem, that's why before mfp, I didn't lose weight. I ate "healthy" but too much. I still have that temptation. I just ate lunch & want more of the same or a "snack" to have but I have a glass of water or iced tea & tell myself I'll wait 20 min & if I still want something I'll have it but usually after 20min I don't. It's a matter of walking away right away.
  • phlegmfatale1
    phlegmfatale1 Posts: 24 Member
    i have to not eat foods like that when i'm ravenous. if i'm super hungry it's going to taste 30000x better, and will be easier to overeat.
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
    Portioning out helps me a LOT. If there is a bag of chips in the house, there is a good chance I will eat the whole bag (or want to and struggle resisting that urge). It's easy to think "just a tiny bit more..." But if I buy pre-portioned "treats" (string cheese, 100-cal bags of chips/cookies/chocolate/trail mix, mini ice cream cones) it's easier to stop at one. Having those around gives me something to look forward to and the ability to tell myself "I can have another tomorrow."

    At restaurants I'm trying to get back into the habit of asking the server to have half of my meal boxed up before it's even served. At first I felt awkward asking that but honestly, it usually results in some sort of comment from the server like "that's a good idea, I should remember to do that!" and a little laugh. Or they just don't care. If someone gets weird about it, I think that's a THEM problem. Or if that's uncomfortable for you, splitting your meal in half as soon as it arrives so you see it as two meals. That helps me avoid the "just one more bite" scenario.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »

    I pretty much stopped eating at the movies/while watching TV when I joined MFP.

    It's just the whole 'thinking about eating more instead of appreciating what I have' mentality that really annoys me. I wish I could understand why eating only one serving is so hard sometimes, when the next one is just going to taste the same... and I could just eat the first one more slowly and appreciate it more or something.

    Is it possible to just take off the table the idea of having more? That is what really helped me, with all sorts of things, the idea that I'd eat what I put on my plate and no more, not today. I stopped having seconds. Now I sometimes do give myself permission to eat as much as I want, but that's a choice, and not something I do when logging.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    For me, this is a complex and ever evolving issue. Right now...

    I just don't let myself have the option of "one more" of certain foods. I don't buy cookies, chips, ice cream, candy "for the house" anymore. I'll eat as much as I want when there's an occasion, and home alone is never going to be an occasion.

    I have had success with another approach for homemade cheesecake though. It was interesting. I ate 1/6 of it every day for 6 days. That was a big chunk every day, but I could easily have eaten more. But I was also satisfied. I knew I had to eat it somewhat quickly, but I also knew I would have cake for six days if I spread it out. I really wanted to eat cake for six days, so I made that happen. I felt strange, like a different person. It was great.

    The line between "real food" and "junk food" is getting blurry, relieving a lot of stress. I consider how each individual food will make me feel, at that moment, in that amount and in that context, instead of separating foods into good/bad.

    For "regular" "extras" (nuts, honey, dried fruit etc), I will eat according to weight trend and fancy. My meal plan creates a very slight deficit, so I have to eat something extra occasionally. That feels great. But I do have some trouble moderating those extras, and occasionally has a tendency to be more and more often, so my weight will go up from time to time. Then it's back to just meals. Right now I'm on a "cut", and I'm fine with that too.

    Not fearing food or irrationally thinking one bite will make me gain ten pounds, has helped tremendously. I've also become more picky (in a good way) - not primarily because of the calories, I want everything I eat to be worth it in every aspect - so I don't eat anything just because it's "healthy", and I won't eat something just because it's there.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »

    Is it possible to just take off the table the idea of having more? That is what really helped me, with all sorts of things, the idea that I'd eat what I put on my plate and no more, not today. I stopped having seconds. Now I sometimes do give myself permission to eat as much as I want, but that's a choice, and not something I do when logging.

    Yeah it's what I used to do lol. But it's harder now for some reason!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »

    Yeah it's what I used to do lol. But it's harder now for some reason!

    I go through periods where it's harder than others, definitely.
This discussion has been closed.