Thinking of food all the time!

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Before i embarked on this healthy lifestyle (due to overweight, high triglycerides an newly diagnosed diabetic) i never thought about food until it was almost time for my meal..however now that i am watching what i eat its all i think about!!! Anyone else have this problem?? Its driving me nuts!

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  • Sheisinlove109
    Sheisinlove109 Posts: 516 Member
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    Are you exercising at all? You don't need it for weight loss but it has sure helped with my mind. I workout daily for this exact reason. It helps me keep in mind that those three cookies are 30 min of hard work and I can eat them inside of a minute.

    Other things I do is save calories for snacking, drink a lot of water. It amazing if you read labels how much a similar item can have much lower calories/fat. Sometimes just brand makes a huge difference. I also eat higher protein snacks. Many snacks without protein just don't fight it for me. Things I like....nuts, cream cheese and pretzels, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, string cheese, baby carrots and hummus, etc.

    Are there days where I feel like I could eat my flip flop? Absolutely!

    Make sure your calories are proper for you. Maybe slow your loss down or up the exercise so you can eat a little more.

    Friend me if you'd like

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Thinking about food a lot isn't necessarily bad. Awareness of food intake is a good thing. If you need to pay attention to what you eat because of health, it should actually be a priority. But what are those thoughts made up of? All the things you (don't think you) can't eat? Or all the things you look forward to eat? If you plan your meals, thinking about food can be limited to the time you need to dedicate to plan and eat. But if you can't stop thinking about food and this interferes with your life, it's time to see a professional.

    In the meantime, read this: What is Normal Eating?
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
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    I did for the first few weeks but after that I stopped being quite so obsessed.
  • EmbeeKay
    EmbeeKay Posts: 249 Member
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    When I am thinking about food, I think about how I want to spend my calories the next day and I pre-log it. It's kind of a fun little exercise for my brain :-). And I second the exercising suggestion. Sometimes I feel hungry and I can't stop thinking of food, but I know it's psychological. A 20 minute workout is a fantastic appetite suppressant.

    I think when you are adjusting to a new way of eating, changes like this happen. I think it takes a while to get used to a new habit. I've been consistently logging for three months now (after having done it intermittently for a few years), and it occupies a lot of my brain. Macros, meal timing, cravings (I'm pregnant)... I think about food a lot. But I kind of see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it will always be this way. Once I truly figure out what works best for me (which will probably change as I finish up my pregnancy and nurse my baby, and then eventually stop nursing), I don't think I'll think about it so much anymore.
  • sophie7591
    sophie7591 Posts: 78 Member
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    I thought about food constantly before and I still do now. But now I'm mostly thinking about what I'm going to prepare for my next meal. I also learned I am an emotional eater. I only think about eating "something bad" when I'm stressed out.
  • bigguyreed
    bigguyreed Posts: 64 Member
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    YES, YES, When I first started my weight lose journey every time I worked out I would get hungry. I would eat what I needed to eat and nothing more. I would still be hungry so I would drink some water. Now a couple yrs. later that doesn't happen very much. I'm diabetic already so I'm fighting that as well. So if you can lose the weight before you become diabetic you are better off. If I can say anything to help you, I would say do not let yourself become diabetic, fight it now. Diabetic Meds. can make it harder to lose weight, at least for me.
  • lilysillycat
    lilysillycat Posts: 159 Member
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    When you are diabetic, if you eat carbs, you are going to have cravings all the time.
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
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    When you are diabetic, if you eat carbs, you are going to have cravings all the time.
    This is not true. Even diabetics should eat a 50% carb diet. But try not to eat too many free sugars e.g. added sugar in colas, ice cream etc. Diabetes is a syndrome brought on by too much visceral fat which blocks up the insulin secreting beta cells in the pancreas. So you've developed the syndrome by over eating - you increase the symptoms by eating too much simple sugar. Try the Newcastle diet. It worked for me and my symptoms disappeared within nine weeks. (Ive now been symptom free for a year).

    Here's the link. http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Services/A-Z/DiabetesService/PatientsCarers/Documents/SJH NEWCASTLE DIET BOOKLET2012.pdf
    But I didn't buy the preparations simply made nutritious home made soups and full milk shakes.
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
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    Didn't read other comments - for me when I was thinking about food 24/7 (literally every minute of the day) I was eating way below what I was supposed to. Maybe look at your numbers again? Or check out your goals. Are you trying to lose your weight too quickly?
  • havronab
    havronab Posts: 40 Member
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    I agree with @alondrakayy Maybe review your calorie goals. I lost about 100 lbs years ago very quickly, but was under-eating (1000-1200 cals/day) and losing too quickly. I was obsessed with food and constantly thought of it and also had issues with mood swings and energy. This time around I've committed to eating more calories (around 1700-2000), eating when hungry, and adding in regular exercise. I am happy to say I am no longer obsessed with food (though I'm now obsessed with fitness goals, but whatchya gonna do), have again lost 100+ lbs, and feel that this time I will be able to keep it off as I now have a healthy relationship with food and my body.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    Before i embarked on this healthy lifestyle (due to overweight, high triglycerides an newly diagnosed diabetic) i never thought about food until it was almost time for my meal..however now that i am watching what i eat its all i think about!!! Anyone else have this problem?? Its driving me nuts!

    Yup. It's a natural consequence of fat loss. Hungry all the time.
  • ultima199
    ultima199 Posts: 2 Member
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    Exercise always helps as others have said. Also like they said increase your water intake. Also look at your diet as you might be able to make some adjustments that keep you satisfied for longer. Do allow some snacks too. When I worked a desk job I kept a bag of almonds in one of my drawers.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I still do. Always have... it's just more obvious now because I used to just go and get it... so obviously I didn't get to actually think about it too long...
  • tdmarion40
    tdmarion40 Posts: 14 Member
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    Im not necessarily hungry just thinking about food lol...ive got my calories set at 1600 a day and ive lost about 15 pounds in about 6 weeks. I am exercising i walk at least 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes...
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Yes. This is my life now. I never used to think about food like this.
  • Nbaker0909
    Nbaker0909 Posts: 102 Member
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    I did in the beginning, but it stopped after the first few weeks. I also log all of my food for the next day at night now. I find that helps me not think about it so much. My food is logged measured and packed for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. All I have to do is enjoy my food throughout the day- it really helped me stop thinking about food all the time. Hope you find a method that works for you!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    It took me 18 months to get to the point that I'm not constantly frantic about my next meal. No real advice, but I know how it is.