How to improve my relationship with food

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Mkneedtogetfit
Mkneedtogetfit Posts: 93 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I really struggle with binges. No matter how much I try to control portions when it comes to ice cream, chocolate etc. I have lost weight but my relationship with food hasn't improved as much as I would like. If I decide to have some ice cream, I can't stop at one serving. How do I bring about a change?

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  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    It takes time. If you're losing weight that's good. Just keep logging and doing your best. Alot of people find that the problem goes away on it's own. As you get closer to goal you have to tighten up your logging and you just won't be able to binge if you want to keep losing.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Buy/borrow two books:
    Intuitive eating by Evelyn Tribole, and
    Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook by Ellyn Satter.
    Read them. And practice, practice, practice.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    edited October 2017
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    If I have ice cream, candy, or junk food in the house I eat it.

    I will eat the whole thing.

    So I don't buy it and have it available.

    My suggestion would be to not have anything like that in your house.

    Know your weakness.
  • monokochan
    monokochan Posts: 31 Member
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    My appetite changed a lot with exercise. I crave sweet things a lot less (not completely gone though!) and opt for more healthy options. I'd also recommend only buying small containers of ice cream/chocolate (I think ben and jerry's has a 4 oz serving?) or not buying it at all. I try to keep unhealthy things out of my fridge, and when I go to the store I'm usually too lazy to pick it up. If you don't buy it from the store, that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat ice cream or chocolate or whatever. But maybe only go out to buy a scoop once in a while as a treat? :)

    And like the others say, it just takes time, and we all slip up now and then and have a whole pint of ben and jerry's when we know we shouldn't.
  • MizMareedy
    MizMareedy Posts: 148 Member
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    I've been trying to curb my sweet tooth with berries. It's working for the most part. I make a frozen protein + mixed berry smoothie each morning and it tastes like a milkshake (that I've not been able to have in years b/c of lactose intolerance) and fills me up. Sometimes I have trouble finishing it b/c it's thick and filling. Maybe try that for an ice cream substitution. 1 scoop protein powder - 1 tbs flax meal - 1.5 cup of mixed frozen berries - 2 ice cubes and blend it all together. I add a packet of sweet and low and it comes out a bit sweeter. It's under 300 (mine is 264) calories and very delish.

    For my crunch needs - I bought some almonds. I measure then and eat them slowly while watching tv.

    For my sweet needs like chocolate - I bought a chocolate protein powder and I'll mix it with a tad of water and drizzle over strawberries/blueberries. I'm always looking out for suggestions to help with chocolate cravings!!

    I too have a bad relationship with food. I definitely understand the struggle. I struggle most with comfort/processed foods.
  • nicolega2001
    nicolega2001 Posts: 48 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I say don't keep the binge foods around. If you really want something, go out and buy a single serving of that item. Or, find something healthier that can you can munch on that will distract you. For example, I used to really like eating out of a pint of Ben and Jerry's. Now I buy a pint of Halo Top (low cal high protein ice cream) instead and although it's tasty, it's not AS tasty as B&J, so I can contain myself to just eat a serving of it at a time out of the pint. I'm also personally a fan of 100 calorie pack snacks because I used to love eating chips or cookies straight out of the bag. The prepackaged servings help me to not overeat.
  • timtam163
    timtam163 Posts: 500 Member
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    One good step to take is to log your binges, and then let go of the shame that the accountability brings about. Nobody can see your logging but you; the shame you feel or don't feel is just about cognitive dissonance. If we are eating our feelings, bringing those feelings to the forefront helps us confront them and move on. I don't know if this will help you, but it helped me.
  • GlassAngyl
    GlassAngyl Posts: 478 Member
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    I'm the same with pastries or cheese cake so it is NOT allowed. I actually don't like regular cake or ice cream.. But yeah, if it's your weakness, either swear it off except on special occasions or just treat yourself during an outing and don't bring it home.

    To have a better relationship with food, stop feeling bad when you do over indulge. Call it your fuel day and admit it tasted awesome but time to get back on track.
    What helped me (besides low carb) was finding my maintenance..2440
    Calculating how many calories to lose
    .5 a week 2190
    1 a week 1940
    1.5 a week 1690
    2 a week 1440

    And understanding that a binge one or two days won't throw me off the wagon.. I'd have to eat 2690 calories a DAY for SEVEN DAYS to gain .5lbs that week. Most binges have you go over maintenance for a few days but chances are, once you admit to yourself you just needed the extra fuel for some reason, and get back on track, the calories will total less than your daily maintenance calories.. so you still lose that week, just not as much as you had hoped for.

    So count that week as a relaxed week and try harder next week. Binged again? That's ok.. watch your weekly total and just be happy that it was at or under maintenance. Chip away at them each week until you find a calorie goal you are comfortable with. Hover there a bit and then chip away some more. Get use to eating less SLOWLY. You don't have to suddenly starve yourself on a perfect 1200 calorie regiment. Work your way down to it at a pace you can handle. Some days you will eat less naturally.. others more.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I would suggest perhaps looking into a therapist for it if you're okay with that kind of thing. They can guide you with the steps you need to recover from binge habits in a nice environment. I have a therapist for other things and I have found her so valuable. I wouldn't be where I am without her.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
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    I keep "bad" trigger foods out of my house. Always keep good things to turn to and always keep myself as full as i can with low calorie vegetables. I make my meals delicious and simple (My main turn to is homemade oil free homefries with some form of a vegetable and some saurkraut-Ill use sauce, but very little just to give taste but not make it hyperpalatable so i enjoy but not just eat and eat and eat)

    If your like me youll find a way to make a non binge food into one. I recently did that with crackers id had for months and never touched, With peanutbutter i also hadnt touched...And chocolate chips...Again i never touched them lol. I kind of had to realize I was binging on them and smashed my crackers, Hid my peanutbutter and chocolate chips WAY out of reach.

    I tend to realize it, Give myself permission to eat 1 more, And then do what i need to to get rid of the temptation while im stilll satisfied from eating it. I had to learn to get out of the wasting food mindset. I had to drown 5 cookes last week, I had been sick and bought a large 24 pack of delicious bakery cookies to get my calories in so i didnt like die. They had served their purpose and it nearly killed me drowning them, Cookies are my ultimate favorite thing. But it beat the alternative. Even if it was only a few left im proud to say i drowned them.


    Its also good to note that sometimes nothing your doing wrong causes it. It just happens. Not every binge is stress related or because your not eating right or whatever. Its just life. Try not to beat yourself up over it. Be kind to yourself

    Sometimes you need to take care of yourself when your feeling strong in preparation for when your feeling weak. It all takes practice. And you will fail. Repeatedly. And that is OK. Aslong as you pick yourself up and dust yourself off 1 more time thn you fail. A step backwards sometimes isnt a bad thing. It allows you to look at what your doing, What may or may not be working, And try the step forward again more prepared.
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
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    It depends on what you're talking about the "I love ice-cream and I eat more than I should because it tastes great" or "I hide food, eat compulsively, and/or feel shame about what I eat and can't stop. For the first, I'd second the fit it into your calories and single serving packages. For the second, it becomes harder. A therapist might help? Otherwise, I found the Fat Nutritionist http://www.fatnutritionist.com/ interesting reading. She's all about intuitive eating and a healthy relationship with food. (She's not about losing weight, which I am but I think people who want to lose weight can still get some good advice.)
  • AllSpiceNice
    AllSpiceNice Posts: 120 Member
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    Great advice here! I've been maintaining for 2 years now and still struggle with the urge to binge once in awhile. What works for me?

    1) I avoid buying the trigger food at the grocery store and bringing it home! Unless it's a very small single serving size.

    I'm not perfect though, and sometimes that darn full size box of Cheese-its finds its way into my kitchen. In that case...

    2) have 1-2 servings and try to giveaway or destroy any extra! I'm with jaydedmiss - sometimes I have to throw that *kitten* out and pour something nasty on it just to be sure. Yes it's wasteful, but empowering at the same time.

    And no matter what...

    3) I log that binge! It might stop the binge from getting worse...or it might not. But at least I know the honest truth of how many calories I consumed. That hard reality helps keep me from buying more crap at the grocery store on the next trip. Most of the time. ;-)

    Good luck! You can do it!

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