Don't know where to start! Addicted to takeaway food and miserable about weight!
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stucks7udent
Posts: 11 Member
Hello everyone,
I'm sure this isn't going to be a new discussion on a forum such as this. I've just joined in a bid to sort out my terrible eating habits.
A little bit about myself:
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Weight at current: Around 14 stone 4lbs (need to reconfirm but 2 weeks ago it was this)
Goal weight: Currently 10 stone would be great!
I've been overweight for 8 years now, gradually reaching this point - my heaviest. Have numerous health issues, possibly relating to my weight.
I REALLY struggle with strong cravings for anything junk related. Sweets/chocolate, crisps, cream cakes and most recently, takeaway food. Even if I cook myself a meal, by late at night, I'm craving any kind of takeaway and will order £10+ worth of food for myself. I'm usually not even hungry, but the intense craving won't go until I've eaten it. It's crippling my bank account and more so, my health. I feel horrible most of the time: unwell, tired, stomach aches, miserable. I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I NEED and WANT to lose weight. I don't see a future really where I'm this overweight.
I've previously had gym members and it's resulted in being a total waste of money. I can't seem to stick to eating healthy for more than a few days.
I don't know where to start or how to motivate myself to stick to anything.
I will be sticking around and giving this method a go.
Thanks to anyone who reads this post and look forwards to reading other peoples experiences and successes!
I'm sure this isn't going to be a new discussion on a forum such as this. I've just joined in a bid to sort out my terrible eating habits.
A little bit about myself:
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Weight at current: Around 14 stone 4lbs (need to reconfirm but 2 weeks ago it was this)
Goal weight: Currently 10 stone would be great!
I've been overweight for 8 years now, gradually reaching this point - my heaviest. Have numerous health issues, possibly relating to my weight.
I REALLY struggle with strong cravings for anything junk related. Sweets/chocolate, crisps, cream cakes and most recently, takeaway food. Even if I cook myself a meal, by late at night, I'm craving any kind of takeaway and will order £10+ worth of food for myself. I'm usually not even hungry, but the intense craving won't go until I've eaten it. It's crippling my bank account and more so, my health. I feel horrible most of the time: unwell, tired, stomach aches, miserable. I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I NEED and WANT to lose weight. I don't see a future really where I'm this overweight.
I've previously had gym members and it's resulted in being a total waste of money. I can't seem to stick to eating healthy for more than a few days.
I don't know where to start or how to motivate myself to stick to anything.
I will be sticking around and giving this method a go.
Thanks to anyone who reads this post and look forwards to reading other peoples experiences and successes!
4
Replies
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I suspect this is about the usual suspects - the combined forces of longing for good taste and mouthfeel, and the narrow - no, restrictive - definition of healthy food. Eating way too much junkfood way too often has both created a strong habit with strong reinforcers, and dulled your tastebuds so that many normal foods taste bland or too strong.
Everybody wants to lose weight, but that's not enough, we have to stop eating too much. Junk food is calorie dense, so easy to eat too much. If you stop wanting to eat too much, it will be quite easy to lose weight.
Your situation as presented has a couple of good incentives - you want to save money and you want to feel better and more energetic. Cooking more from scratch can be hitting two birds with one stone.
The crux is to find healthy meals you like. It shouldn't be too difficult. Look up recipes, find something that looks appealing. Write down the ingredients - this will be your shopping list - go shopping - cook - eat, enjoy. Rinse, repeat. Not that difficult, it takes an effort - not more effort, but a different effort.8 -
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
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I know it seems impossible at first. And yes, junk food is delicious! I'd suggest starting with one small change at a time. It could have nothing to do with eating. You could commit to walking for 10 minutes a day for one week and then up it to 20 minutes a day. You could commit to not eating after 8 p.m. You could commit to rewarding yourself with money every time you don't order take out. Telling yourself you won't ever eat sugar or junk food is a losing proposition because life happens. Find one small change you can make and stick to and then do it.
It sounds like your cravings have nothing to do with hunger, so eating an apple instead won't work. If you could find something else to do to distract yourself from the cravings, that might help. Or, say to yourself, if I really want take out in 30 minutes, I can have it. By then, you may have changed your mind. If you haven't, order only half of what you normally would.
Finally, add some friends here (maybe you already have?). This is an amazing group of people and I guarantee if you post something on your page, your friends will lovingly support you. Good luck!2 -
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
this.3 -
Hello. Everyone struggles with some type of food or activity that is a trigger to eat, and for me, even when I'm not really hungry. For example, after a long day, I enjoy watching a game on TV, but that's a trigger for me to snack. I used to easily put away 500-1,000 calories in snacking after dinner - a few cookies, a piece of cheese with crackers, a cold beer. That's 50% of my daily calories! Crazy!
Your brain is powerful, but it can be retrained. It tells you you need take-away, or salty food, or fatty food. For me, chips and cheese were slowly adding on the pounds. Now, I do this. First, when I'm enjoying a show on TV, and I want a snack, I force myself to first drink a glass of water and eat an apple. You would be amazed how often just doing this makes my craving go away. Second, I keep a pack of sugar free gum next to my chair. I'll pop in a piece of gum and chew for 20 minutes before I think about food. Third, I have some potato chips...but only once in awhile, and a very small serving. I've gone from daily bowls of chips and cookies to the occasional small serving of chips or one cookie. The change is remarkable, but it takes time. It took me over a month - probably almost two - before I really went without craving junk food all the time. Now, I actually enjoy the apple at night, and hardly ever buy the chips.
The other thing I forced myself to do was walk. I hate the gym. Why go to a place you hate? But you can pop in some earbuds, pick out a great playlist and walk for 30 minutes. This helps get you away from the place that you have your cravings, and walking is a great way to start getting active. I've found now I don't hate the gym, but I use it to keep at other exercise.
I'm not where I want to be yet - it's a long journey. But, I am eating less junk, dropping a few pounds and I feel better.
The other posts about finding good recipes, and make a shopping list are great ideas. You need to form new habits. They will come. It will feel forced for a bit, but after awhile, you will just adapt to this new lifestyle.
Lastly, create a new financial goal you want to save for. A trip or something to you want to buy. Take the money you spend on takeaway and put it into a separate account. Every time you resist the urge, add that money to your savings plan. In a year, you'll be healthier, happier, fitter, and have some $$$ to spend on yourself.
Good luck and keep on this website. Many amazing people on here willing to help, because we have all been there.2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
this.
Yes. And get some bloodwork done - low Vit D, for example, can lead people to feel depressed, tired, unmotivated. Such a simple fix. Wont help you lose weight, but may lift your mood enough to get yourself moving.
3 -
How are you during the day? If you are not super hungry during the day you could try intermittent fasting to bank those calories until later, or just eat very small meals to save calories. I have amazing control during the day and sh!tty self control at night, so I stopped fighting it and i IF now, it works well for my lifestyle. You can order take out but maybe order something healthy with a SMALL side of one thing that you're craving (I'll order a salad with salmon and a small side of fries). Focus on Calories (not eating more than you burn) then focus on Protein and getting plenty of it. This might help your energy and also help keep you satisfied. Exercise can be great if you want to have more calories to eat and still lose weight and tone up a bit but it is not necessary. There are many ways of losing weight, you just gotta find what works for you. But the keys to focus on are Calories and Protein.1
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TavistockToad wrote: »
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
this.
Yes. And get some bloodwork done - low Vit D, for example, can lead people to feel depressed, tired, unmotivated. Such a simple fix. Wont help you lose weight, but may lift your mood enough to get yourself moving.
Also this! Low vit d kicked my *kitten*.1 -
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I've been very aware of the fact I turn to food when I feel any sort of negative emotion for a long long time - boredom, anger, upset, general lowness, anxiety etc. I'm sure the list would go on. I've spoken to doctors regarding anxiety previous, as it is a trigger to a medical issue I have. But the leading information I have received was useless 'calm down' and offered some tablets.
I opted to avoid the tablets as it seemed like a brush off, when really I was looking for more 'talking' help rather than a tablet I'm going to rely on to be 'okay'.
In a sense, I feel I personally need to drag myself out of this hole I've dug myself into and that starts by fixing the predominant issue in my life at current - my weight and poor eating habits. It's just being able to commit myself for long enough to feel a change and keep me driving in that direction.
Vitamin
I've had numerous blood works done in the past few months, some specific to issues I have and others a general tests for anything/everything shows as fine. So I would presume I'm all okay on that front. But I may make an appointment to ask about this.emmydoodles83 wrote: »How are you during the day? If you are not super hungry during the day you could try intermittent fasting to bank those calories until later, or just eat very small meals to save calories. I have amazing control during the day and sh!tty self control at night, so I stopped fighting it and i IF now, it works well for my lifestyle. You can order take out but maybe order something healthy with a SMALL side of one thing that you're craving (I'll order a salad with salmon and a small side of fries). Focus on Calories (not eating more than you burn) then focus on Protein and getting plenty of it. This might help your energy and also help keep you satisfied. Exercise can be great if you want to have more calories to eat and still lose weight and tone up a bit but it is not necessary. There are many ways of losing weight, you just gotta find what works for you. But the keys to focus on are Calories and Protein.
Day time, as long as I'm not alone or at home (so at work for example), I'm okay. Limited opportunity to go on a snacking session and as I'm busy, I guess I don't think about it too much unless I'm hungry. My choices of fo od could be better for breaks I'd say, but I don't feel the need to binge. Night time is definitely the worst for me - maybe because it's a time I know I should avoid eating so my cravings seem far stronger.
Thank you everyone for the advice, making notes as I speak.0 -
stucks7udent wrote: »
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I've been very aware of the fact I turn to food when I feel any sort of negative emotion for a long long time - boredom, anger, upset, general lowness, anxiety etc. I'm sure the list would go on. I've spoken to doctors regarding anxiety previous, as it is a trigger to a medical issue I have. But the leading information I have received was useless 'calm down' and offered some tablets.
I opted to avoid the tablets as it seemed like a brush off, when really I was looking for more 'talking' help rather than a tablet I'm going to rely on to be 'okay'.
In a sense, I feel I personally need to drag myself out of this hole I've dug myself into and that starts by fixing the predominant issue in my life at current - my weight and poor eating habits. It's just being able to commit myself for long enough to feel a change and keep me driving in that direction.
Vitamin
I've had numerous blood works done in the past few months, some specific to issues I have and others a general tests for anything/everything shows as fine. So I would presume I'm all okay on that front. But I may make an appointment to ask about this.emmydoodles83 wrote: »How are you during the day? If you are not super hungry during the day you could try intermittent fasting to bank those calories until later, or just eat very small meals to save calories. I have amazing control during the day and sh!tty self control at night, so I stopped fighting it and i IF now, it works well for my lifestyle. You can order take out but maybe order something healthy with a SMALL side of one thing that you're craving (I'll order a salad with salmon and a small side of fries). Focus on Calories (not eating more than you burn) then focus on Protein and getting plenty of it. This might help your energy and also help keep you satisfied. Exercise can be great if you want to have more calories to eat and still lose weight and tone up a bit but it is not necessary. There are many ways of losing weight, you just gotta find what works for you. But the keys to focus on are Calories and Protein.
Day time, as long as I'm not alone or at home (so at work for example), I'm okay. Limited opportunity to go on a snacking session and as I'm busy, I guess I don't think about it too much unless I'm hungry. My choices of fo od could be better for breaks I'd say, but I don't feel the need to binge. Night time is definitely the worst for me - maybe because it's a time I know I should avoid eating so my cravings seem far stronger.
Thank you everyone for the advice, making notes as I speak.
i would go back to the doctor and ask for a referral for some CBT. there is a bit of a waiting list for it on the NHS, but it would be worth it.2 -
I suggest a book, Habit by Duhigg. There's nothing inherent in junk food that insists it be eaten. Indeed you go to a lot of effort to bring it in to your home. The late night snacking is meeting a need. Find more productive ways of meeting that need and you will be better prepared to redirect your compulsion to eat late at night.
I think exercise might be a decent replacement. I think you are working off excess stress and energy. Carbohydrates have a sedative effect.1 -
stucks7udent wrote: »
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I've been very aware of the fact I turn to food when I feel any sort of negative emotion for a long long time - boredom, anger, upset, general lowness, anxiety etc. I'm sure the list would go on. I've spoken to doctors regarding anxiety previous, as it is a trigger to a medical issue I have. But the leading information I have received was useless 'calm down' and offered some tablets.
I opted to avoid the tablets as it seemed like a brush off, when really I was looking for more 'talking' help rather than a tablet I'm going to rely on to be 'okay'.
In a sense, I feel I personally need to drag myself out of this hole I've dug myself into and that starts by fixing the predominant issue in my life at current - my weight and poor eating habits. It's just being able to commit myself for long enough to feel a change and keep me driving in that direction.
Vitamin
I've had numerous blood works done in the past few months, some specific to issues I have and others a general tests for anything/everything shows as fine. So I would presume I'm all okay on that front. But I may make an appointment to ask about this.emmydoodles83 wrote: »How are you during the day? If you are not super hungry during the day you could try intermittent fasting to bank those calories until later, or just eat very small meals to save calories. I have amazing control during the day and sh!tty self control at night, so I stopped fighting it and i IF now, it works well for my lifestyle. You can order take out but maybe order something healthy with a SMALL side of one thing that you're craving (I'll order a salad with salmon and a small side of fries). Focus on Calories (not eating more than you burn) then focus on Protein and getting plenty of it. This might help your energy and also help keep you satisfied. Exercise can be great if you want to have more calories to eat and still lose weight and tone up a bit but it is not necessary. There are many ways of losing weight, you just gotta find what works for you. But the keys to focus on are Calories and Protein.
Day time, as long as I'm not alone or at home (so at work for example), I'm okay. Limited opportunity to go on a snacking session and as I'm busy, I guess I don't think about it too much unless I'm hungry. My choices of fo od could be better for breaks I'd say, but I don't feel the need to binge. Night time is definitely the worst for me - maybe because it's a time I know I should avoid eating so my cravings seem far stronger.
Thank you everyone for the advice, making notes as I speak.
Start with small easy changes, make the daytime snacks healthier and less calories, utilize the time when you have more control to try to save most of your calories for the time you seem to want them most. Next I would pick a few good choices on some of those take out menus, and couple of side options that will help your cravings, so you have preplanned options and there isn't a choice to make. The hardest part will be ordering it without adding anything, just order quickly and don't think about it. Once you've eaten something healthier with that small side of something not, you might find you are ok with that and satisfied. Preplanning and being prepared can help you by taking the bad choices out as an option. as an aside someone said vitamin D, I agree just because they are finding most people are Vitamin D deficient so it's just a good idea to supplement
I know you said everything was normal with bloodwork, but remember the low end of normal is not optimal, it's just enough to keep you from getting sick/negative consequences. Best thing my Doc ( I work for) ever told me about nutrition. 3 -
stucks7udent wrote: »
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I've been very aware of the fact I turn to food when I feel any sort of negative emotion for a long long time - boredom, anger, upset, general lowness, anxiety etc. I'm sure the list would go on. I've spoken to doctors regarding anxiety previous, as it is a trigger to a medical issue I have. But the leading information I have received was useless 'calm down' and offered some tablets.
I opted to avoid the tablets as it seemed like a brush off, when really I was looking for more 'talking' help rather than a tablet I'm going to rely on to be 'okay'.
In a sense, I feel I personally need to drag myself out of this hole I've dug myself into and that starts by fixing the predominant issue in my life at current - my weight and poor eating habits. It's just being able to commit myself for long enough to feel a change and keep me driving in that direction.
Vitamin
I've had numerous blood works done in the past few months, some specific to issues I have and others a general tests for anything/everything shows as fine. So I would presume I'm all okay on that front. But I may make an appointment to ask about this.emmydoodles83 wrote: »How are you during the day? If you are not super hungry during the day you could try intermittent fasting to bank those calories until later, or just eat very small meals to save calories. I have amazing control during the day and sh!tty self control at night, so I stopped fighting it and i IF now, it works well for my lifestyle. You can order take out but maybe order something healthy with a SMALL side of one thing that you're craving (I'll order a salad with salmon and a small side of fries). Focus on Calories (not eating more than you burn) then focus on Protein and getting plenty of it. This might help your energy and also help keep you satisfied. Exercise can be great if you want to have more calories to eat and still lose weight and tone up a bit but it is not necessary. There are many ways of losing weight, you just gotta find what works for you. But the keys to focus on are Calories and Protein.
Day time, as long as I'm not alone or at home (so at work for example), I'm okay. Limited opportunity to go on a snacking session and as I'm busy, I guess I don't think about it too much unless I'm hungry. My choices of fo od could be better for breaks I'd say, but I don't feel the need to binge. Night time is definitely the worst for me - maybe because it's a time I know I should avoid eating so my cravings seem far stronger.
Thank you everyone for the advice, making notes as I speak.
Any reasoning for the bolded part? There was one more point I wanted to address, but decided to wait out - fear of food. If you feel that food has power over you, even magical powers ("calories eaten after 6 PM stick to your hips"), it's very difficult to resist cravings. Our current food environment is hard to navigate. You need a basic understanding of nutrition, eating behavior and social dynamics.2 -
As far as cooking, perhaps you might want to try a meal delivery service as a way to get you motivated to cook. I was eating take out a lot a year ago because my job was so demanding (and I hated it). Of course the best thing that happened to me was to lose the job, but even before that, in order to resume cooking, I got a meal recipe delivery each week. I was able to ease back into cooking without having to plan and grocery shop. I love to cook, so once I got back into it after a few months I was able to cut back on the meal delivery and plan myself. Because the food was so good I looked forward to it. It is not cheap but it was cheaper than eating 2-3 meals a day out! It also was healthier and less calories. There are a lot of issues to your situation, which some already addressed, but I wanted to include this as something to consider. I won't recommend any particular company but from your language sounds like you are in the UK and I believe you have some of these services there too. (I'm in the USA).1
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Seems as if you have a very unhealthy relationship with food in general.
Maybe see a therapist, start a proven training regime that focuses on compound lifts (Thinner Leaner Stronger, StrongCurves, StrongLifts5x5, etc), track everything you eat (MFP) and learn about proper diet and exercise so you can start making informed food choices.
"Healthy" food is rarely bland, you may just be so used to high levels of salt, fat, sugar, etc. that you cannot appreciate it yet.
Tastes and flavors are subjective but you will lose most of your "cravings" over time, especially when you stop indulging in them.
Every time you have a "craving" drink about 12oz of water and then wait about 30 minutes before deciding to eat. You are usually not "hungry" but are just accustomed to eating.
Another method is to mix a scoop or two of whey protein in that glass instead of just plain water.
You choose to give in to "cravings." No one can fix that for you.
You are not "addicted" unless you have knocked over a few gas stations to buy takeout food.
Saying you are "addicted" externalizes the problem (you eat more than you need) as if it is beyond your control.
Take responsibility for your choices.
Also, stop thinking in "Stones" of weight and marginalizing the numbers by using bigger units of measure.
Be honest with yourself and your goals: you weigh about 200+lbs and want to get down to about 140lbs.
You can do that in about 40 to 50 weeks at a safe and reasonable rate.
Yes, it could take 6 months to a year to lose 60lbs safely and effectively.
You need realistic expectations also.
I recommend all of the women I coach read "Thinner Leaner Stronger" because it teaches about diet, exercise, useless supplements, fake diet pills, and more.
In short, get more "exercise" so your body needs more calories to maintain your weight but eat fewer calories than that number and you will lose "weight".
If you will not develop the discipline to make better choices regarding diet and exercise then you will not reach your goals.
Make better choices instead of making excuses.2 -
I spent many years working nightshifts, and although i stopped ten years ago now i still used to eat at 9pm 10pm,up to about 19months ago when i started my weightloss, which i'm sure added to my weight problems.
so definately not eating after 8pm( actually in my case 7pm ) this really helps.
And i usually walk every day, again when i first started it was only 10 minutes a day.
As other people have said, maybe you should be seeking medical advice regarding your eating habits.
In my own case regarding take away food , chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks etc i just stopped eating it going 'cold Turkey' so to speak, i knew that if i had a square of chocolate i would want the bar, or a bag of crisps i'd want the multipack.....i know not everyone will agree with this, but if we don't change our eating habits, etc we won't change our bodies.
i have also put in quite a few posts that i feel that 'mindset' is key,and that i my case is why for 49yrs of my life i didn't lose weight- and now i am.
good luck on your Journey, there are lots of great people on here, so use their knowledge , but definately seek some medical advice.
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Believe me I know exactly what you're talking about
I was a food addict, severely depressed, eating 1000s of cals in junk food daily. I gained 10 stone and ended up with all the metabolic diseases.
I eventually got to the 'last straw' and started looking for help like you are now. I found a personal trainer and the results have been spectacular. I didn't know that at the time.
That was 12 weeks ago and I've not eaten any junk food since I started. There is a lot more I can share, if you'd like to chat then message me.1 -
You could also benefit from meal templates and working in good eating habits that way whenever you do takeaway.
Some references suggest eating 1/2 plate veggies (salad, broccoli, green beans, cabbage), 1/4 plate lean protein (fish, chicken, tofu, etc), 1/4 plate starchy carbs (rice, potato, pasta).
http://www.denbahamas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/plate-planner-guide.jpg
Work with your habits, add good things to your life, keep progressing, it's just about learning and data points.
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emmydoodles83 wrote: »
Start with small easy changes, make the daytime snacks healthier and less calories, utilize the time when you have more control to try to save most of your calories for the time you seem to want them most. Next I would pick a few good choices on some of those take out menus, and couple of side options that will help your cravings, so you have preplanned options and there isn't a choice to make. The hardest part will be ordering it without adding anything, just order quickly and don't think about it. Once you've eaten something healthier with that small side of something not, you might find you are ok with that and satisfied. Preplanning and being prepared can help you by taking the bad choices out as an option. as an aside someone said vitamin D, I agree just because they are finding most people are Vitamin D deficient so it's just a good idea to supplement I know you said everything was normal with bloodwork, but remember the low end of normal is not optimal, it's just enough to keep you from getting sick/negative consequences. Best thing my Doc ( I work for) ever told me about nutrition.
This is true, and something I never considered. It's definitely something I will look at, could be a simple fix and worth a try. Thank you.lucerorojo wrote: »As far as cooking, perhaps you might want to try a meal delivery service as a way to get you motivated to cook. I was eating take out a lot a year ago because my job was so demanding (and I hated it). Of course the best thing that happened to me was to lose the job, but even before that, in order to resume cooking, I got a meal recipe delivery each week. I was able to ease back into cooking without having to plan and grocery shop. I love to cook, so once I got back into it after a few months I was able to cut back on the meal delivery and plan myself. Because the food was so good I looked forward to it. It is not cheap but it was cheaper than eating 2-3 meals a day out! It also was healthier and less calories. There are a lot of issues to your situation, which some already addressed, but I wanted to include this as something to consider. I won't recommend any particular company but from your language sounds like you are in the UK and I believe you have some of these services there too. (I'm in the USA).
I actually enjoy cooking, if I am home, I will cook from scratch for family. It's just that on top of this, I will eat takeaway food too - more so if I'm away from home. Less people to judge me and super accessible with the all the services around me. I like this idea however, but it would be an expensive option I believe.Seems as if you have a very unhealthy relationship with food in general.
Maybe see a therapist, start a proper training regime (Thinner Leaner Stronger, StrongCurves, StrongLifts5x5, etc), track everything you eat (MFP) and learn about proper diet and exercise so you can start making informed food choices.
"Healthy" food is rarely bland, you may just be so used to high levels of salt, fat, sugar, etc. that you cannot appreciate it yet.
Tastes and flavors are subjective but you will lose most of your "cravings" over time, especially when you stop indulging in them.
Every time you have a "craving" drink about 12oz of water and then wait about 30 minutes before deciding to eat. You are usually not "hungry" but are just accustomed to eating.
Another method is to mix a scoop or two of whey protein in that glass instead of just plain water.
You choose to give in to "cravings." No one can fix that for you.
You are not "addicted" unless you have knocked over a few gas stations to buy takeout food.
Saying you are "addicted" externalizes the problem (you eat more than you need) as if it is beyond your control.
Take responsibility for your choices.
Also, stop thinking in "Stones" of weight and marginalizing the numbers by using bigger units of measure.
Be honest with yourself and your goals: you weigh about 200+lbs and want to get down to about 140lbs.
You can do that in about 40 to 50 weeks at a safe and reasonable rate.
Yes, it could take 6 months to a year to lose 60lbs safely and effectively.
You need realistic expectations also.
I recommend all of the women I coach read "Thinner Leaner Stronger" because it teaches about diet, exercise, useless supplements, fake diet pills, and more.
You are right with regards to my relationship with food. And I like the suggestion of drinking 30 minutes before eating - I don't drink enough anyway.
I do choose to give into craving, I often have talks with my parents as they've seen me very miserable over the years because of my weight. They've said, and I agree, I either need to make a change or accept this is who I am - nobody can make changes for me. It has to be me. And I know this, but it doesn't make it easier unfortunately.
I usually do count in lbs, but it's actually easier for me to quantify. I used stones and lbs in this instance as it's what it asked for when I signed up ; rather than me trying to lie to myself about the situation. If anything, I'm less hung up on the numbers and more concerned about the way I look and feel. I can see and feel I'm overweight. I could weight 400lbs, ultimately doesn't matter, because currently I'm not content with the way I look. If this makes sense.
I'd like to lose my weight by next summer - I have some big events coming up, a graduation for one, where I know I don't want to look this way in my photographs.
I very much appreciate your advice, it makes sense and will take it on board.1 -
emmydoodles83 wrote: »stucks7udent wrote: »
Have you spoken to a medical professional about the possibility of depression? It's not at all uncommon to turn to food to cope. You won't make any headway if you're treating symptoms rather than causes.stucks7udent wrote: »I just can't be bothered with life really - not in a suicidal sense, but in that everything is too much effort and laying in my bed is all I want to do.
I've been very aware of the fact I turn to food when I feel any sort of negative emotion for a long long time - boredom, anger, upset, general lowness, anxiety etc. I'm sure the list would go on. I've spoken to doctors regarding anxiety previous, as it is a trigger to a medical issue I have. But the leading information I have received was useless 'calm down' and offered some tablets.
I opted to avoid the tablets as it seemed like a brush off, when really I was looking for more 'talking' help rather than a tablet I'm going to rely on to be 'okay'.
In a sense, I feel I personally need to drag myself out of this hole I've dug myself into and that starts by fixing the predominant issue in my life at current - my weight and poor eating habits. It's just being able to commit myself for long enough to feel a change and keep me driving in that direction.
Vitamin
I've had numerous blood works done in the past few months, some specific to issues I have and others a general tests for anything/everything shows as fine. So I would presume I'm all okay on that front. But I may make an appointment to ask about this.emmydoodles83 wrote: »How are you during the day? If you are not super hungry during the day you could try intermittent fasting to bank those calories until later, or just eat very small meals to save calories. I have amazing control during the day and sh!tty self control at night, so I stopped fighting it and i IF now, it works well for my lifestyle. You can order take out but maybe order something healthy with a SMALL side of one thing that you're craving (I'll order a salad with salmon and a small side of fries). Focus on Calories (not eating more than you burn) then focus on Protein and getting plenty of it. This might help your energy and also help keep you satisfied. Exercise can be great if you want to have more calories to eat and still lose weight and tone up a bit but it is not necessary. There are many ways of losing weight, you just gotta find what works for you. But the keys to focus on are Calories and Protein.
Day time, as long as I'm not alone or at home (so at work for example), I'm okay. Limited opportunity to go on a snacking session and as I'm busy, I guess I don't think about it too much unless I'm hungry. My choices of fo od could be better for breaks I'd say, but I don't feel the need to binge. Night time is definitely the worst for me - maybe because it's a time I know I should avoid eating so my cravings seem far stronger.
Thank you everyone for the advice, making notes as I speak.
Start with small easy changes, make the daytime snacks healthier and less calories, utilize the time when you have more control to try to save most of your calories for the time you seem to want them most. Next I would pick a few good choices on some of those take out menus, and couple of side options that will help your cravings, so you have preplanned options and there isn't a choice to make. The hardest part will be ordering it without adding anything, just order quickly and don't think about it. Once you've eaten something healthier with that small side of something not, you might find you are ok with that and satisfied. Preplanning and being prepared can help you by taking the bad choices out as an option. as an aside someone said vitamin D, I agree just because they are finding most people are Vitamin D deficient so it's just a good idea to supplement I know you said everything was normal with bloodwork, but remember the low end of normal is not optimal, it's just enough to keep you from getting sick/negative consequences. Best thing my Doc ( I work for) ever told me about nutrition.
Yes I was going to say the same thing. Most people are low on Vit D, and its hard to overdose without going totally nuts, so supplementing (while waiting for a test even) is fairly harmless. It could take a few days/weeks to make an impact if it is going to, so just add it to your arsenal.1
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