Is it normal to want to eat until your full Everytime you ea

Josh, you are on the right track just being here. You have already lost 9 lbs. WAY TO GO!

A lot of us here have a problem with emotional eating.-that's how we got here in the first place! You WILL learn to overcome the obstacles..... being aware and taking it one step at a time will get you to your goal. Good luck and, please, add me as a friend, if you like1

I'm going to be quite honest and blunt here, and I hope I don't hurt your feelings, or have it come off rude.

I think the first step is to seek counseling....it's awesome that you understand there is a problem and WANT to fix it! And WANT to understand it...so BRAVO!

But I think it's CRUCIAL that you get your head completely around what you are about to do...there is no going back. A person in your situation, if relapsed, would probably not be able to get back out. So get your head around it, and get yourself ready for a whole new way of doing things and thinking.

It WILL be hard, VERY hard for the first few months, then it'll become second nature, and you will take less time in preparing your meals etc.

But get with a professional first...then I would possibly try to get with a nutritionist. They will help you to understand what you are eating and how it effects your body. Also how to come up with meal plans etc

Good luck on your journey and I wish you the best of luck!!

We all have issues around food, hence the reason we are all on here! Take it small steps at a time, rather than go mad and cut down drastically, reduce your order till that feels like it's too much as the food you eat now obviously does. Eating shouldn't bring you pain it should be a good experience. People here will back you up all the way, you just need to make small steps to set you on your way x

Hi, I'm no expert but I'd say start with small changes. Maybe every week you can set a mini goal like for instance, no soda or 30 mins of walking. How often do you eat? Start eating every three hours... if you go to McDonald's in the morning choose between 4 burritos or 4 sausage mcmuffins but dont eat all 8. 3 hours after breakfast have another little something and when lunch time comes around that you go to subway get1 footlong instead of two. You're right about missing out on something if you dont order two - you're missing out on your life. Right now you "live to eat" but you need to gradually change your way of thinking to "you eat to live." You matter! Take control of your life.. you can lose weight and you will. You do have willpower.

I think it's very common for people to feel the way you do, ashamed when you let yourself down, but unable to change the next time around. Psychologically, a lot of people eat because they are miserable, and are then miserable because they eat, and get into an awful catch 22 situation. all i can tell you is that you CAN change the way you think about food. My advice (for what it's worth):

1. Go see your doctor - they'll be able to help you work out a medically sound diet plan to help you on your journey. They'll also be able to help you find out if there is a PHYSICAL reason for your eating habits, or if it's psychological.
2. If they recommend see a therapist / counselor, DO IT. So many people on this site have suffered from depression / anxiety which has been related in so many ways to their weight. There's no shame in asking for help.
3. Make friends on this site! Everyone I've met on here has been so motivational and inspirational to me. They help you when you fall, and encourage you to do your best. Not to mention the great response when you do well. Having people support you in your journey is so important.

Just remember, it will be hard, sometimes it will be painful, but it is SO worth it. You'll get your life and your health back, you CAN do this

Wishing you success! Add me if you like.

Start small then raise your goals as you progress. For example, cut that subway sandwich to one foot long and a half, cut your breakfast burritos to 3 instead of 4. Then after you get use to that, drop it to 2 and so on.

The key here is not to set your self up for failure - far too often dieters set their goals way to high and when they don't reach them they feel even more miserable and give up.

I'm glad to see you taking control hang in there and GOOD LUCK!

Welcome and congrats on taking the first step. Thank you for sharing your story and being honest. I agree with my fellow MFP'ers.
1. This will only work if you are determined to succed.
2. Set mini goals, like mentioned.. only 1 footlong grinder is needed.
3. you WILL feel hungry the first couple of weeks b/c your body isn't used to getting nutrious food.
4. When you are hungry, instead of reachign for something to eat, go for a walk, climb stairs.....
5. Make sure you are drinking 100 ounces of water a day... that will also help curb your cravings.

You will not lose 300lbs over night, in 6 months or in a year.... This is a lifelong journey.... Remember, baby steps..
Just put one foot in front of the other. Do not look a month from now, just focus on your mini goal at the end of the week. Reward yourself for accomplishing that (but NOT with food). Then set a goal for the following week.
You CAN do this!!!

Good Morning Josh! First off, thanks for sharing. You are being fully honest and transparent which is one of the best things you can do. When we are honest with ourselves and our friends and family we see things a different way. That said, I am not a therapist, however...I do know of a program that might help you that is FREE!!!! It's called Celebrate Recovery, it is a Christ based 12 step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, but is really meant for anyone dealing with any sort of issue. I am on the leadership team for the ministry at my church and we have quite a lot of people there dealing with food issues...including myself even though I didn't realize I had them until spending time at Celebrate Recovery! You do not have to be a Christian to attend the meetings. You can go to www.celebraterecovery.com and find a group near you. There are 13,000+ churches around the world holding meetings so you should be able to find one! This would be a good start for you if you are unable to seek professional couseling/therapy right now.

Second, one of the most awesome books I've read this year was called "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. It's a super quick read as each page is just one of about 50 rules about eating properly. My personal favorites are not to eat any foods that have ingredients in them that you would not have on your pantry shelf in their singular form (like high fructose corn syrup, etc.) and there was one that I think might help you the most. It said that the phrase that the French say when they are hungry translates to English as "I have hunger," and the translation of the phrase they use when they no longer eat anymore food is "I have no more hunger." That blew me away. A lot of people say we don't need to get "full." We don't, they are right. However, a lot of people say, "Eat until you are satisfied." Well, that's very open ended and I think that we have a skewed image of what "satisfied" looks like anyway because we think of it in many different aspects of our life, being satisfied with our job, our house, etc. SO...when I actually sat down with food to eat, and started eating, I would take a few bites and think, "Am I still hungry?" If I was, I would eat a little bit more. If I wasn't, I stopped eating. You can always wrap up food and eat it later.

One of the best things you can do for yourself right now is stop going to fast food restaurants. Subway is relatively safe, but do whatever you have to do to trick yourself out of the thinking that you need to order two sandwiches. Order two 6" sandwiches until you find that that will be more than enough for you. In your head you'll still be getting your two sandwiches. Please feel free to add me as a friend or message me if you have any questions on what I wrote Have a great day!

Mary Beth

Maybe you need to step back and ask yourself why you feel the need to eat SO much food. Overeating is just one of our coping mechanisms....and there are many.....but something is triggering yours.

Next time you want to eat, could you have the presence of mind to ask yourself, "Am I truly hungry, or am I just wanting to eat for some other reason?"

I wish you so much luck...you are in a place that is difficult to get out of, but not impossible. Asking for help is the first step.

Since you don't have the money for a nutritionist, maybe this could help. Years ago I read a book called, "Thin Within" by Judy Wardell. It changed my thinking on why we eat. May or may not be in print, but worth looking for it. Used book stores or Amazon.com.

More recently, Gwen Shamblin put a book out called the "Weigh Down Diet." It is very religious (which I am not) so it was a little difficult to read, but the overall message is good.

Finally, in England last year, I picked up a self help book at Heathrow Airport...."I Can Make You Thin." Written by a hypnotist called Paul something-or-other. I dismissed it, until I went to a hypnosis show in Vegas last year and it turned out the hypnotist had trained under Paul. He was good....and it worked. Might be worth a look.