ALWAYS thinking about food
wenben4321
Posts: 5 Member
Lately, all I can seem to think about is what I’m going to eat next. I’ve been dieting since November and preplanning meals is always important, but it’s becoming almost endless. I can be eating lunch and thinking about dinner, or I’ll be at the movies and thinking about what I’ll be eating the next day, or I’ll be playing mini golf and just wondering what food will come next. I feel like I’ve been spending way too much time worrying about food. It’s not even worrying about staying under my calorie limit for the day that I think about because that’s not an issue for me. I feel happiest when I eat, but being distracted by the thought of what my next meal or healthy snack will be is just ruining a lot of experiences for me. Is this becoming an issue? I really have no idea how to solve it
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I am guessing here. It could be that you are not completely satisfied, bored, and/or hungry too often. Are you getting enough treats? Are you getting enough variety? Are you eating enough to shut your hunger down until the next meal? You have been at this for 6 months have you taken a weekend to eat at maintenance to take a mini-break?
If you don't think any of that will help you, you may need to seek out therapy.1 -
This may be different than what you are describing as it is not continuous for me, but I have noticed that I look forward to my meals and think about them way more. Previously it was just constant eating and very little appreciation for my food. Now I enjoy the spaces in between meals, enjoy looking forward to it, I pay more attention while I am eating it and thoroughly enjoy it. I feel like it is a much healthier attitude. If it is more like an obsession for you then maybe your calories are set too low?4
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I am not sure I would have lost the weight or be having success maintaining without a fair amount of consideration about my menu. Probably not the answer you work looking for, but 7 months isn't long enough to make it second nature.2
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If it's an issue, I have it, too.5
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I noticed your comment: I feel happiest when I eat.
I was like that too.
Finding other activities that gave me the same feeling helped immensely.
Perhaps that would help you too?5 -
bikecheryl wrote: »I noticed your comment: I feel happiest when I eat.
I was like that too.
Finding other activities that gave me the same feeling helped immensely.
Perhaps that would help you too?
Great advice. The same helped me too.
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OP - it's not as uncommon as you think. Most of us are here because we constantly think about food. As long as it isn't interfering with the life you otherwise want to lead, you're OK.
Check your calorie targets to make sure that you're not overly depriving yourself but overall constantly thinking about food is pretty normal.
Heck, when I was in loss phase I broke my days up in to three hour periods between meals. Breakfast...three hours...lunch...three hours...snack...three hours...dinner...three hours...snack/bed. As soon as I finished one meal I was already waiting for the next one.14 -
For what it's worth, my wife has been like this for as long as I've known her and she hasn't once been on diet. Now, I'm a sucker for pre-logging/planning my days so I'm always thinking at least a meal or three ahead and spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy thinking about food, mostly from a nutrition-balancing standpoint, but I understand the feeling of wondering if you spend too much mental effort on food.
If you've been dieting non-stop since November it's possible you need a break psychologically. A controlled weekend or week at maintenance won't alter your weight loss schedule too terribly much and may help reset your mindset so you're not so hung up on your meals.
Further, what is your deficit/calories set to? If you've lost a significant amount of weight since you started it may be appropriate to reduce your deficit as you get closer to your goal. It's generally ill-advised to attempt to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week. If you're exceeding that, you may be trying to go too quickly and this is partly your body reacting to feeling deprived.3 -
Ok. Well if this is normal for some people forget I said anything. It just goes to show you we are all not the same. I rarely have unintended food thoughts unless I am hungry and that is usually just before a meal.2
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Ok. Well if this is normal for some people forget I said anything. It just goes to show you we are all not the same. I rarely have unintended food thoughts unless I am hungry and that is usually just before a meal.
I thought your original advice was sound. I think about food because it's the one pleasurable thing in my life. Mine's a mental problem related to untreated depression rather than physical one. I'd like to be someone who only thinks about food when they're hungry.4 -
OP, you don't say whether or not you are hungry all the time. I tend to think about food when I'm hungry and don't have anything else on my mind. Some days--b/c I haven't figured out what satisfies me--I'm hungry a lot and I think about food more. If you are thinking about food b/c you are hungry all the time, then perhaps it's time to look into what might satisfy you more.1
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If you've been dieting non-stop since November it's possible you need a break psychologically. A controlled weekend or week at maintenance won't alter your weight loss schedule too terribly much and may help reset your mindset so you're not so hung up on your meals.
Maintenance is harder than eating at a deficit. It has increased my attention to detail in my diet. If the deficit is a little larger or smaller than you think, you still lose weight and probably at very nearly the rate you are shooting for. If you are off in maintenance, you start creeping up or down.
EDIT - @SoulOfRusalka commented below and in the spirit of full disclosure, I do have some issues with obsession. However, I still maintain that maintenance only intensifies it.1 -
Everyone is acting like this is okay when it's one of the most imprisoning aspects of an eating disorder. Obsession is not a good sign. Sure, appreciation of food is good, but it sounds like you're not even appreciating the food you're eating because you're thinking about what to eat next, and you can't enjoy other activities or the moment you're in because it distracts you. That's not a healthy way to live. I agree with @NovusDies.
People on here are telling you that it's okay because it's common. Not so. Obesity is common too, and that doesn't mean it's not a problem. You deserve to live your life presently and freely.
One major cause of this is eating too little. You might want to increase your calories (even to maintenance) and see if it helps. Take a break until you feel better. If that doesn't work, it wouldn't hurt to see a therapist if you can make that happen.8 -
Just to be clear I know very little about eating disorders or how to recognize them. I have no idea if the OP fits some criteria or not. My original response was based on my previous experiences in which I was dieting and being too strict, staying too hungry, or doing something like Slimfast and became incredibly bored. At that time food did fill my thoughts until the diet inevitably failed.8
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SoulOfRusalka wrote: »Everyone is acting like this is okay when it's one of the most imprisoning aspects of an eating disorder. Obsession is not a good sign. Sure, appreciation of food is good, but it sounds like you're not even appreciating the food you're eating because you're thinking about what to eat next, and you can't enjoy other activities or the moment you're in because it distracts you. That's not a healthy way to live. I agree with @NovusDies.
People on here are telling you that it's okay because it's common. Not so. Obesity is common too, and that doesn't mean it's not a problem. You deserve to live your life presently and freely.
One major cause of this is eating too little. You might want to increase your calories (even to maintenance) and see if it helps. Take a break until you feel better. If that doesn't work, it wouldn't hurt to see a therapist if you can make that happen.
By definition, all of us who track calories or macros have a version of an eating disorder. OP, I have the same problems. It just gets worse when I am stressed or at work. I think it had to do with several factors. First, when we lose weight the brain kicks in and makes some of us food focused. Now I have always been food focused, but being leaner just makes it worse. Survival and all that good stuff. Lack of sleep can make this worse. As we lose weight, leptin, one of our hunger hormones produced by the fat cells goes down. When people don't get enough sleep, it also goes down. It has an effect on our hypothalamus, which is our hunger center. One last thing I think it has something to do with, is control. Some of us live under a calorie restriction. I am coming to believe when you restrict something, it just makes you think about it more. Just my thoughts.6 -
I used to think about food all the time when I ate more high carb/high fat foods that didn't satiate me. Upping my protein helped considerably.
For example, I can eat 400 calories of popcorn and butter and want more food an hour later. But 400 calories of chicken, broccoli, potato, and butter, will keep me satisfied for hours.
If tweaking your macros doesn't help, these are good suggestions as well:I am guessing here. It could be that you are not completely satisfied, bored, and/or hungry too often. Are you getting enough treats? Are you getting enough variety? Are you eating enough to shut your hunger down until the next meal? You have been at this for 6 months have you taken a weekend to eat at maintenance to take a mini-break?
If you don't think any of that will help you, you may need to seek out therapy.
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What is the nature of those thoughts? Are you happy or worried? If worried, are you just worried about the fact that you're thinking a lot about food? As an adult, you have to think about food. As an adult in a society filled with food, you have to think a lot about food, and you can't avoid being reminded of food. Having enough to eat, and delicious and safe food as well, is a great gift, but a gift that has to be used responsibly.
If you're worried, do you feel restricted, or are you over-restricting?2 -
When I started I used to spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about what I could prepare for my next meal. I have tended now to push all that time together into one session a week when I plan my week's menu and draw up a shopping list. With that done I don't need to think about food again for the week, other than a nice anticipation of my next meal, or to actually prepare it. Life happens and sometimes the meals need swapping about but they are generally nutritionally pretty similar.0
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I reckon I spend about 90% of my waking hours thinking about food. What I'm going to eat next, what I can fit into tomorrow's calories, how I'm going to offset a restaurant meal.... it seems to take up waaaaay too much thought! Am really hoping I can move away from this mindset at some point.2
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Youre body is starving. That's the whole point. If your body hadn't evolved to keep its fat stores then your ancestors would have died out. Once you get to your desired weight, hold at maintainance calories for 6 months to a year and you'll feel fine0
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HI All. WenBen4321 - I totally agree.
I have frequently told people that I have a food addiction. I simply LOVE food and generally the more calories it has, the more I crave it. but unlike drug or alcoholic addictions, you can't give it up / go cold turkey / go to rehab. (although I suppose dieting is rehab of a sort!!!)
I too think about food a lot, what I'm going to have and when I'm going to have it but really need to knuckle down and start shifting some weight that's crept back up on me. Today is ReStart day.
So - in addition to all your great comments above....
What is the food that keeps you full and satisfied for the longest time that you enjoy eating and that doesn't rob you of a day's calorie allowance???0 -
SoulOfRusalka wrote: »Everyone is acting like this is okay when it's one of the most imprisoning aspects of an eating disorder. Obsession is not a good sign. Sure, appreciation of food is good, but it sounds like you're not even appreciating the food you're eating because you're thinking about what to eat next, and you can't enjoy other activities or the moment you're in because it distracts you. That's not a healthy way to live. I agree with @NovusDies.
People on here are telling you that it's okay because it's common. Not so. Obesity is common too, and that doesn't mean it's not a problem. You deserve to live your life presently and freely.
One major cause of this is eating too little. You might want to increase your calories (even to maintenance) and see if it helps. Take a break until you feel better. If that doesn't work, it wouldn't hurt to see a therapist if you can make that happen.
I tick off a lot of boxes on ED check lists and I don't have an ED. Don't assume I have an ED because I think about food most of the time. As I said, food is my one pleasure in life. It's the only way for me to get through my depression because the doctors I've seen refuse to give me medication to balance my brain.
I chimed in that I have those thoughts as well to let OP know they're not alone. I know first hand how horrible it is to realize you're the only person who has a certain problem. It's comforting to have someone else say "Hey, I have that too. You're not alone in this."6 -
elisamckenzie700 wrote: »What is the food that keeps you full and satisfied for the longest time that you enjoy eating and that doesn't rob you of a day's calorie allowance???
I can give you my answer but it may not help you because we are all not the same. I found mine through experimentation. Mine is pretty simple. When I eat carbs I try to eat 2:1 carbs to protein. It doesn't have to be exact 40:17 is fine for instance. Also, that is not a limit on protein but rather a minimum.
I call this my "carb aware" diet.2 -
Food addiction is such a popular term to throw around, instead of taking responsibility for one's own food intake.elisamckenzie700 wrote: »I have frequently told people that I have a food addiction.
Everybody loves food, and generally, the more calorie dense it is, the more delicious it is. Our species has survived because of our ability, and the high rewards it brings, to seek out calorie dense foods and eat as much as possible of whatever was available whenever it was available, which wasn't much, or often.I simply LOVE food and generally the more calories it has, the more I crave it.
That's such a cop-out and dramatizing at the same time.but unlike drug or alcoholic addictions, you can't give it up / go cold turkey / go to rehab.
Dieting, as in losing weight if you're overweight, should be about finding balance and new, sustainable habits.(although I suppose dieting is rehab of a sort!!!)
I don't have staying full as a goal. I like to be hungry before meals, and full after dinner, and just somewhat satisfied after breakfast and lunch.What is the food that keeps you full and satisfied for the longest time that you enjoy eating and that doesn't rob you of a day's calorie allowance???
A balanced and varied diet keeps me happy and energetic and healthy.
I enjoy most foods now that I'm not afraid of any foods.
I don't overeat on a regular basis after I stopped being afraid of food and thinking hunger is a horrible thing that has to be avoided at any cost, and started to allow myself pleasure from food.1 -
Hi kommodevaran,
I know only too well that I am the one responsible for my food intake, which is why I continue to get back on the wagon when I fall off it. I also know that I'm not alone with my love of food. But thank you for your response.
I for one need to avoid being very hungry as I make bad food choices when I am. Hence I am looking for advice for specific foods that I can prepare in advance that will help avoid those bad choices.0 -
I'm like that with sex.....I wish my wife was too
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Well, that was a much more sensible way of putting it, and I think one that will serve you better.elisamckenzie700 wrote: »Hi kommodevaran,
I know only too well that I am the one responsible for my food intake, which is why I continue to get back on the wagon when I fall off it. I also know that I'm not alone with my love of food. But thank you for your response.
I for one need to avoid being very hungry as I make bad food choices when I am. Hence I am looking for advice for specific foods that I can prepare in advance that will help avoid those bad choices.
It's very smart to avoid being too hungry and not have any healthy food around, because being too hungry makes us want lots of calories, fast, and that is easy to fix. I think you should forget about specific foods, and just prepare reasonably healthy foods you can see yourself want to eat when you're hungry. And keep in mind that "hungry" can be a lot of things, and the way you think about things, controls how you handle them. If you think that being hungry is terrible, that "not having eaten since lunch" equals "too hungry", you'll act like there's an emergency; if you think that being hungry is just part of being human, you'll go about your day, and eat when there's time for a meal.
If you can change your attitude somewhat, you get a lot of bonus points: There will be no wagon to fall of, just your normal life (that you can't fall off). You will become more relaxed around food. All food will start to taste better. You will become more selective. You won't wolf down as this was the last supper.2 -
Same here. I feel like I am constantly thinking about food. I'm either planning a meal, preparing a meal, eating a meal or cleaning up from a meal and then starting all over. Eating healthy and working out a deficit every day takes a fair amount of planning. Learning to eat differently is rough. We get used to just grabbing whatever we please at any time we want and to have to change that is hard. If someone is very disciplined and eats a plant-based diet, leaving out processed foods and excess carbs, it becomes a way of life. For the rest of us, it's just a one day at a time process. The other angle is to stay busy doing something that has nothing to do with food. Working outside the home is helpful. It gets you out of the kitchen and doing something else besides think about food. Or a hobby that takes you away from home.2
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