What can I do to stop this vicious cycle, (kinda long)

Are we sisters???

No really, I have lived this for almost 38 yrs..(yep I guess I'm that old) .

Hi, my name is Nichole and I am addicted to food.

What did you say? How long have I been clean? Well, I ate breakfast and lunch today. So I guess I'm not clean.

See the difference between Food Addicts and all other forms of addiction is that a true (narc, or alcoholic) can just stop. Never look back and be clean.

We have to EAT. We have to EAT to LIVE.

So this is a daily battle. I truly know that it's a constant battle. I am so far past where I was 84 lbs ago but I am still no where near cured. I still struggle. Last night I ate 8 oreos! That is freaking CRAP! But, the one thing I have learned over the last 7 yrs since I started my weight loss journey is that every day is a NEW DAY. So if you messed up start fresh tomorrow. NO that doesn't mean go ahead and finish the package of oreos! It means stop right now leave the food go somewhere even if it's outside to get away from the food. STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE ..yep like that!

The other thing I want to tell you that has helped me is that I plan! Plan meals plan meals plan meals! Because if I know what I am going to eat I don't have to rummage and cave in to impulse eating. I also have had to recreate all my favorite items into things that are more healthy because I don't want to give them up! I just don't dammit. I want a fish sandwich. I really want one. So today I created one that is 1/3 the calories of BK big fish which I loved with a passion. Today I had one made at home that was BETTER.

I love me a loaded backed potato. I now eat loaded cauliflower and I don't feel deprived.

Can you recreate a nutty butter? maybe! I haven't tried LOL

But the point is you have to have wiggle room. You have to learn to find things that can settle your cravings that don't involve eating and then when you do eat have things that are just as comforting as those old evil foods.

It's kind of like guns. Guns don't kill people..people kill people with guns.

Food doesn't make us fat. We make food make us fat.

So, anyway..if you want a buddy who is loud and honest. brutally honest add me. I've been there and I have the t-shirt.

God bless

Maybe you can set a more moderate weight loss goal so that you can still have small treats and not feel so deprived? I have no idea how tall you are, but based on your weight and age your daily calorie needs are probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 2100-2300 (this is how many calories you would need to be consuming to maintain your current weight). I'm guessing based on your diary goal of 1420 calories you are set to at least 1.5 or maybe even 2lbs a week for your weekly goal. If you set it to only 1lb a week you would have an extra 250-500 calories a day. Other people have suggested exercise, which would also allow you to eat more.

You can and HAVE taken responsibility for some your food choices, or you would not have lost any weight at all. So you cannot continue to believe this: "Yesterday I would not have eaten that Nutty Buddy bar, which are horrible calorie wise, if somebody else had not bought them yesterday, and that was when I gave up yesterday." No one is forcing you to eat anything. You have the power to make a decision each time you're confronted with food. Use it!

Be careful about the messages you are giving to yourself. Reprogram your thoughts. Something like " I enjoy a Nutty Bar, but know what they taste like. I am avoiding Nutty Bars for now, because eating them will get in the way of my weight loss this week. I am more powerful than that old Nutty Bar.!!"

I'd bet that almost everyone here can empathize with:
"I felt so horrible, and that just made me want to eat more, since food can be very comforting to me" But it is hard to deal with the aftermath of that short-lived comfort. Remind yourself of that, before you cave.

If you cannot do this with self-medicating with food, maybe you have deeper problems that require a professional. Could you be suffering from anxiety or depression? Do you need to see a doctor?

Otherwise-Find something to change the scenery, do something incompatible with eating, or get your hands busy. Maybe list all the nonfood ways you can cope, until this is your new habit. When you start feeling your triggers, get that list, and start working through it.

Allowing self-doubts, or "what the hell?" to enter my brain is why I have the weight to lose again. It begins with the thought process. I made myself believe that I can manage this, and it happens one small step at a time.

Work on that, work to increase non-food interests, and you will do great. You know what to do. Now, use that powerful brain of yours, and get it going in a positive direction.

I have struggled with the same problem for years so know you are not alone. I will say that I used to blame my weight gain on the fact that my husband could eat anything and never gain a pound and he always had the sweets around...etc. I finally had to come to a point this year that I was only using that as a way to remove the responsibility from myself. It was easier to say it was because he had it too then to say I lacked self control. You see I am a planner by nature and very organized. I have great control in many areas of my life and food was not one of them. I am terrified of failure so for many years I would avoid losing it for fear of gaining it back and having to admit I failed. The problem is I was failing myself with or without admitting it. I am an emotional eater as you are and I it took me a while to admit that. I say all of this to say that the first step is to admit you have a problem and to start recognizing when and why you are eating. When I started to pin point the emotions behind my "cravings" it was easier for me to say no and do something else. I know I made it sound easy but it is not. It took me a while to recognize real hunger vs emotional hunger. Trust me if I can do it you can too.

Advice

1. Plan out your food: I find if I plan out my three meals and know the calories ahead of time that gives me room to have a snack here or there that if I had not planned out the meals I end up eating over or having to skip a meal for poor planning.
2. Distract Yourself: When you feel like you want to eat try to stop and see if it is real hunger or just boredom or stress eating. If you think it is anything other than real hunger get up and find something to do. My best distraction from food is this website, exercise or cleaning my house.
3. No Excuses: If you mess up just acknowledge it and don't use it as an excuse to keep going further. I totally understand what you mean when you say well I already messed up so who cares. It is one thing to mess up by 200 calories but don't keep going.
4. Let Go: let go of guilt over mistakes or being overweight for that matter. Don't hold onto the other day just start fresh the next.
5. Snacks: Maybe you could talk to your roomates and have them hold you accountable if they see you eating some of their unhealthy choices. You could also make yourself a seperate snack cabinet that is a place with healthier choices and that way when you open a cabinet you won't see the bad choices and be tempted. I am one that if it is out of my sight it is out of my mind. If I see it I want it!

I hope that helps. Trust me you are not alone and I don't even have it all figured out. I mess up but the important thing is I keep going. You will do great just set your mind to it. If you need a friend feel free to add me and we can help each other. Good luck!

BUMP!!

It sounds like you're an emotional eater! I am too...if I'm the least bit down I think that my cure is chocolate or chips or french fries...or anything that sounds like comfort food. You (and I'm preaching to myself too) need to change your thinking in your head and heart. You need to truly BELIEVE that food is not the answer and does NOT make you feel better! Until your thinking completely changes your actions won't change long term! I know...it is my biggest struggle!! It sounds easy to change your thinking...but when I'm having a bad day or am down about something the first thing I want is junk food!

Some more practical advice that works for me: 1) have one or two friends or relatives that you can call when you're craving food so badly! Usually the last thing I want to do is talk about things when I'm down and feeling depressed...BUT I have learned over the years that if I just call a friend, or now my husband, and tell him what's going on then I no longer crave that food so much. I call my husband at work...I'll even wake him up in the middle of the night sometimes! He doesn't mind because he knows that's what helps me! So have someone lined up that will be willing to talk to you anytime you need them! 2) Read a new article online everyday about nutrition and exercise! Even if on MFP! It always motivates me! 3) JUST SAY NO! Which is harder than it sounds! But try it a few times! I've even gone to the trouble of ordering food or buying it somewhere...before I eat it I'll feel guilty...the most exhilirating thing is to throw it away and say NO!!! The more you say no the more habitual it becomes! 4) If you can't control what food is in the house maybe tape an old picture or a note on those foods! Mine say "It's not worth it!"...or whatever you want that will trigger you to not desire that food as much!!

Most all of the other posters have put together a great combination of suggestions for you. Carbs and sugar only fuel your hunger, so eating high protein and low carbs/sugar will help you. Next, if you have a craving, I agree to distract yourself....come here and read inspiring stories, go and congratulate all of your friends on how they have done today and read THEIR food diaries. Don't give in to the cravings. That is the only way to modify your behavior....don't feed the cravings!

As other said, plan in advance and shop for your week. Designate a cabinet that is YOURS and designate a place for othe
rs to put the junk food and don't go there. If you want a piece of unhealthy food, then plan it into your weekly food plan or tell yourself that you can have it, but later. If you give in, then follow the great advice of recording it and going on your plan, rather than allowing it to be a green light to just ruin the rest of your day, which leads to tomorrow and the rest of the week, etc.

Adopt a POSITIVE attitude.....believe you can do it and don't beat yourself up when you mess up.

Eat several small meals throughout the day.....three reasonable meals and two healthy snacks. Do not let more than 4 hours pass without having something. It takes a little adustment, but it works. As others said, learn your hunger triggers, learn to test whether you are really hungry and if you are not, DO NOT EAT.....practice suffering through the not eating part until your new behavior becomes a habit.

You can and you will do it with the right support and the WILLINGNESS to adjust your attitude. I use 100% whey protein shakes when I need something to take off the edge. They fill you up and help suppress your hunger. But, then they are usually my breakfast and then I save one for a night snack if needed.

You have lots here to read and lots to ponder! Good luck and call on any and all of us with your questions or when times are tough. Someone is always here!

I first must applaud you for posting your topic; you recognize the cycle and you want to change it. I fight that very same battle daily and have my whole life. I've been on the diet roller coaster too. My current success feels different and I'll tell you what has worked for me:
- a protein-rich breakfast (if you don't like breakfast like I don't, have yourself a good quality protein shake)
- water, water, & more water
- activity every day (now for me it's a combination of weights, cardio, & pilates/ yoga, but when I started it was just walking shorts distances)
- do not let yourself get hungry; that's a recipe for a binge; eat small meals every 4-6 hours; stay away from any processed foods as much as you can
- when I started MFP I also just started logging food using my maintenance calorie level; I told myself that all I had to do was log what I ate; it wasn't about weight loss (yet) it was about accountability. Then I slowly added in additional goals every week.
- I also took the time to find out the WHY of my emotional eating and what I was truly needing; I discovered that I was eating to fill a void that was better filled by other options (food never really filled that void just made me ultimately feel worse).

I wish you the best of everything; I am sending you a friend request if you'd like additional support; always love to lend a hand. Take care of yourself!
Amy

Take a deep breath and let me give you some prospective. If this has been posted before sorry.

First I have no idea what your goal for weight loss per week is, so I'll list em all -

If your weight loss is set at 2 lbs per week you - were 200 calories under and therefore you lost almost 1/16 of 1 lbs of fat.

If your weight loss is set at 1.5 lbs per week you were 50 calories over and therefore gained 1/100 of a pound.

If your weight loss is set at 1 lbs per week you were 300 calories over and therefore gained 1/10 of a pound.

If your weight loss is set at .5 lbs per week you were 550 calories over and therefore gained 1/6 of a pound.

So absolute worst case scenario is that you packed on about 3 oz yesterday. That's not a vicious cycle, that's not even really a speed bump. That's a pebble in the road. There is no way a pebble is going to stop you. The only thing that will stop you is you. So don't. Recognize that you could do better, and then do better. You can totally do this!