I can't stop eating bad food.

Wannabebeautifulagain wrote: »

When I say bad food
..Let me elaborate...*fast food and high sugar foods* ...I thought that was pretty obvious. If you eat one huge thing then you will be starving the rest of the day trying to make the calorie deficit. So I'm curious if anyone else struggles with food addiction (eating too much to compensate for other things ) as you guys clearly don't understand.

Fast foods are not necessarily "bad". They are simply calorie dense, and generally not as nutritious as other foods. Doesn't mean you can't eat them if you don't have health issues that require you to eat a specific diet.

Sugary foods are also not necessarily "bad". They are simply high in sugar and calorie dense. If you're not diabetic there's no reason to eliminate them from your diet.

They key with those types of calorie dense foods is moderation. People who eat them exclusively tend to go over their calories because they leave them hungry, but blow their calorie budget for the day. If you fit them into your calorie goals there is nothing wrong with them in my opinion. I eat Pizza, other fast foods, and even sugary foods from time to time. I try to stay within my calorie goals though, and if I am going to eat a lot of that sort of stuff, I either prepare in advance by exercising more, or lowering my calorie intake ahead of it, or pay for it afterward with the same things.

Remember.. moderate not eliminate. Otherwise you'll end up craving them constantly and binge when you can't stand it any longer which will slow you down reaching your goals.

I don't think any food is bad food, unless it's past the expiration date and then you definitely shouldn't eat it and it's bad because it will make you sick.

Other than that, it's all about habit building. Most people when they decide they want to make a change they think it's an all or nothing situation . . . I've been there too! However, what does work best will change for everyone. Here are some suggestions.

Start Small - this means pick ONE thing: changing your snacks to be better nutritionally sound foods. Nail down that habit. Once you have it, pick another one like maybe changing your breakfast so it has more fibre/protein and will keep you fuller. Nail down one habit at a time and then slowly but surely I'm positive they will stick. Don't try to tackle everything at once.

Figure out when you eat - is it at night? Is it when something stressful happens? Is it when you're feeling sad or down on yourself? When are you making these nutritionally unsound choices . . . figure that out and then ways to combat it. If you're snacking at night in front of the TV you can either not watch TV and maybe go to the gym at that time instead or maybe prep some snacks ahead of time like veggies and dip (look on Pinterest to find lower calorie dip options using plain greek yogurt). If you can determine when you're doing this, it will help.

Meal Prep - I have found this to be the most helpful thing I've ever done. I own my own home so I am extremely budget-oriented. This means if I have bought groceries and have meals prepared at home I am not going to want to spend that money twice. It's my biggest driver. Find meals you like and that can be prepped ahead of time, either on the weekend or night before.

Talk to someone - if you think you genuinely have a food addiction find a counsellor who specializes in this. It is hard to talk to someone, to openly admit I cannot stop putting food in my mouth. But once it's out there and someone knows, it seems to drive you to make those changes. I can't explain it, but it's like it's not a problem until you say it's a problem and then once you admit it you feel like you need to figure out how to fix it.

Do some reading - there's a book called Salt, Sugar, Fat and it's based on how most of the "addictive" and historically "bad" foods are loaded with one, two or all of these ingredients and it's like a drug reaction in our brain. It takes time, commitment and consistency to get our brains off of these foods. It won't happen after just one meal, so you need to give it time and be consistent. You need to consistently make different nutritional choices.

Don't eat any of it - some people can portion and control themselves when it comes to the traditionally "bad" foods, but some people can't. Some people cannot just have a couple chips, they eat the whole bag. And for that reason they stay away from them completely. If you know you can't control yourself, you can't just have a little bit, then don't eat them. Over time you might find you can have a few and then walk away (and by time I mean months and months, not a couple days) but you might not be able to, even after years of portion control. Figure out what works for you and act accordingly. I can't control myself with chips, so I just don't buy them. It's that simple.

Don't Completely Restrict Yourself - people who follow really restrictive diets (not necessarily because of health reasons, but by choice) sometimes feel deprived and that leads to cheats and binges. For example, those who follow really low carb diets sometimes find themselves rebounding hard, and gain a bunch of weight because their bodies aren't getting what they need. If you love fries, for example, there's a bunch of alternatives to curb that craving and give you the satisfaction you need. Allow yourself to have luxuries - if you want the brownie eat the brownie. But know that you can't eat the entire pan of brownies and you cannot necessarily have brownies every day. I know this goes against what I said with not eating any of the "bad" food, but if you allow yourself a little bit I will bet you'll be less likely to binge at any other time. When you're restricted - from anything - and then you're suddenly allowed it you'll likely go overboard.

What's halo?

awoodnyc wrote: »

I honestly don't understand why people leave condescending/arrogant responses on other people's discussion. Heath is not a "one size fits all".
This site is supposed to be a supportive and safe environment.
Food addiction is real. Emotional eating is real.
Just because you personally don't struggle with something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

END RANT

Anyway!
I have the same issue, but i've been able to control it better the last couple of months and have lost 30 lbs, and food has a little less control over my life.

Some things that have helped:
- Intermittent fasting, I only eat in an 8 hour window. This makes it so I only have to think about food 2 - 3 times a day.
- I pre-log everything for the day pretty early on, whenever I have to improvise it increases my chance of choosing food that's higher calories (like pizza).
- Working out early in the day decreases my bad food craving.
- Halo top, a lot of people don't like it, but it satisfies my ice cream craving.
- Rice cake recipes are a life saver.
- Meal prepping.

neesa11 wrote: »

What's halo?

awoodnyc wrote: »

I honestly don't understand why people leave condescending/arrogant responses on other people's discussion. Heath is not a "one size fits all".
This site is supposed to be a supportive and safe environment.
Food addiction is real. Emotional eating is real.
Just because you personally don't struggle with something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

END RANT

Anyway!
I have the same issue, but i've been able to control it better the last couple of months and have lost 30 lbs, and food has a little less control over my life.

Some things that have helped:
- Intermittent fasting, I only eat in an 8 hour window. This makes it so I only have to think about food 2 - 3 times a day.
- I pre-log everything for the day pretty early on, whenever I have to improvise it increases my chance of choosing food that's higher calories (like pizza).
- Working out early in the day decreases my bad food craving.
- Halo top, a lot of people don't like it, but it satisfies my ice cream craving.
- Rice cake recipes are a life saver.
- Meal prepping.

Halo Top is fake ice cream.....some people like it (as you probably surmised, I'm not one of them).

Hey all, I think the OP is long gone.

So I used to be addict to lots of drugs. I am now 3 years clean ! When I got pregnant I surly did feel as tho addiction was the right word for my relationship with food . it started like every other addiction a little more food at every meal/session from healthy foods to more powerful taste sugar fast food type. Next thing I know I was eating all day long no meal times not for nutrition but to kill current moments with chewing and flavor 12 months and 100 lbs later I realise I need to quite food before it destroys me farther. Feels like the same pattern same obbsesion same damn struggle I had with quitting my mountain of drugs so uh.........YES I FEEL FOOD IS A DRUG just like meth,weed,extacy,dmt,spice,sassafrass, coke I was able to quite all those cold turkey after 5 year use ! You know what suck about food you can't just quit you need fuel if your a all or nothing type person its hard to learn balance possible but a MF struggle

@WildBill_CQ OMG you're terrible!! :laugh:

That is perhaps the creepiest meme I have ever seen (complete with spelling errors) :huh:

pinuplove wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

pinuplove wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

lisayunghanns wrote: »

I understand completely I too struggle with food cravings and even the thought of 1 slice of pizza @ 900 calories and eating brekky would be nudging close to full calories for day! MyFitnessPal has been a real eye opener on how many calories are "hidden" in fast food even chips !!!! Corn chips !! Been craving corn chips soooo bad then feel guilty when I had them

An ounce of tortilla chips is about 140 calories. That's nothing to feel guilty about, just have 140 calories less of something else that day and you're still at your goal.

Unfortunately for me, 1 once of tortilla chips is barely enough to get me started Doesn't mean I won't eat them though!

I mean, yeah. If portion control is harder with certain foods then it may be easier not to eat them.

But for some people, at least with some foods, having a reasonable portion will satisfy a craving.

I absolutely agree! I'm generally all about everything in moderation. Tortilla chips just get me. Especially with guac. Double whammy

WildBill_CQ wrote: »

pinuplove wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

lisayunghanns wrote: »

I understand completely I too struggle with food cravings and even the thought of 1 slice of pizza @ 900 calories and eating brekky would be nudging close to full calories for day! MyFitnessPal has been a real eye opener on how many calories are "hidden" in fast food even chips !!!! Corn chips !! Been craving corn chips soooo bad then feel guilty when I had them

An ounce of tortilla chips is about 140 calories. That's nothing to feel guilty about, just have 140 calories less of something else that day and you're still at your goal.

Unfortunately for me, 1 once of tortilla chips is barely enough to get me started Doesn't mean I won't eat them though!

feelin' ya girlfriend... those free chips at the tex mex restaurant. EVIL!

I fail in self-control spectacularly every time we go out for Tex Mex...

I hear Houston has some great tasting Tex-Mex

I feel the same way but it’s a good feeling.

dcglobalgirl wrote: »

Hey all, I think the OP is long gone.

This thread has taken on a life of it's own and the OP is no longer necessary