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

Ok, here are my thoughts. Take it for what its worth.

1) Don't buy junk and keep it in the house. If it isn't there, you can't eat it. Trust me, I could never keep nutty buddys in the house, I would get a "weak" moment (we all get them sometimes) and eat them.

2) Find a hobby. Sounds like you're bored. I also like to eat when I'm bored, because it is something to do. Find something to do on free time, or take a walk, anything to get your mind off of the food.

Good luck. It is a hard trick to learn and usually requires some trial and error.

I totally struggle with this same issue and I wish I really knew what to do. My thoughts are to choose lower calories items when the urges come, like veggies or fruits. One thing to do when you go over is to do some exercise to counter the calories. I'm just starting out seriously myself. Not sure if this helps you, but I'd love to be a friend to encourage you to keep going. Feel free to friend me if you want. Good luck!

where do you keep the junk food? in a pantry or cabinet? if it's a pantry, keep your scale in there too. My scale is in my pantry which is actually the size of a closet so i basically have to step ON the scale to get food off the shelf. If that's not a deterrent, I don't know what is

Honestly...if you workout diligently every day then you actually don't have to deprive yourself constantly. This doesn't mean eat a bunch of crappy processed foods because you're working out. But you can give yourself more knee room. Me for instance... I am a low carber / low GI most days due to my Pcos(poly cystic ovarian syndrome). But I workout for at LEAST 45 mins a day to ensure that if I do have my carb cravings or food cravings then I can have a taste of something. Its sort of an insurance policy in a way:) hope this helps u a little!

I totally understand what you have said.... Ive been where you are and still am,Im a comfort eater, if im down ill eat, if im bored i will eat, now, food might make me feel better for a few minutes while im eating it but that feeling you get when you have given in to that craving is horrible. Is it worth feeling that bad after giving in to that urge, no its not. When i was still losing weight(now maintaining) before i gave into a craving/ urge i asked myself if i really did want that food more often then not i didn't so i left it alone. If on weigh in day i still had that urge for something a bit high in calories then i would have it. Now im maintaining i still have days where i want to bury my head in the fridge to look for something naughty, so now all week i stick to a plan for losing weight and at weekends i eat what i want and so far ive kept the weight off and not gained. Like someone else says it does sound like you could use something more to occupy your self also, when a craving hits why not do some kind of work out so if you do give in and eat it you have at least done some damage repair to help.... This journey may seem long and hard but keep at it the end results are so worth it xx

Hi! I understand food obsession. I have recently begun working the OA 12 steps. It helps me. My eating, in fact my life, had become unmanageble. I binged non stop for the past 5 years. One thing I have learned in OA is that there are foods for me that are "triggers". They are like a gateway drug leading me on to more and more...lol!

Knowing what my triggers are helps me to avoid those foods entirely one day at a time. If I think about longer than that I get sad. The food voice in my head freaks out at the thought of not having oreos ever again. But it is pretty easy for me not to have oreos today. And if I don't have oreos today, then I probably won't go have McDonalds, and then I won't have buttered popcorn or icecream later....you get the idea.

I also find that the healthier I eat, the less I crave unhealthy foods. And when all else fails, and I am having a day filled with cravings that just won't go away, I do non-food things. For me, those things are going to the salon for mani/pedi, taking a bath, going to the pool to swim (for me I never eat in the water). Also, walking away from it. Literally. I will take my dogs on a long walk in the neighborhood. Also, shopping at thrift stores. First, there isn't food there. Secondly, the stuff is kinda dirty so I wouldn't want food with dirty hands anyway. Just think about what you like to do that you never equate food with, and go for it. Because some days...you just crave foods you don't need.

Also, bloggin, emailing your friends and just encouraging others on this site really helps too.

Last, and most important, you are human and imperfect. In fact, if you were really perfect, you would be boring. So, be glad that you are imperfect, and occasionally you are going to eat too much. Who cares? it isn't the end of the world. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just say, "Oopsy!" and laugh and move on.

Hope you have a great day today.

What I do not see in your diary is breakfast, fluids, exercise which are all key factors in trying to live healthy. Someone already mentioned finding a hobby to keep your mind off eating the wrong foods. Maybe go as far as keeping track of why you’re eating certain foods and then try to recognize the behaviors prior to getting bored, stressed and find something to do besides eat. Do not think everything is going to change overnight as it will take some time to develop new habits. Even though you have others in your home ask them to take part in what you are doing to help you or find some friends on this site who can support you through the tough times. There are tons of people on this site who can help support you. Nothing will change unless you want it to change.. You can do this..

Ok, here are my thoughts. Take it for what its worth.

1) Don't buy junk and keep it in the house. If it isn't there, you can't eat it. Trust me, I could never keep nutty buddys in the house, I would get a "weak" moment (we all get them sometimes) and eat them.

2) Find a hobby. Sounds like you're bored. I also like to eat when I'm bored, because it is something to do. Find something to do on free time, or take a walk, anything to get your mind off of the food.

Good luck. It is a hard trick to learn and usually requires some trial and error.

Good advice. I'd also add this:
Make a deal with yourself. Everytime you overindulge, like I did on cream cheese and bagels once, you MUST burn those caloreis off the next day. This doesn't excuse you from your regularly scheduled workout either. You must do that AND burn off the excess calories from the previous day. It may not work for you but that is what I do and it has really curbed my desire to pig out so to speak. The day I went crazy with the bagels, I had to do almost 70 minutes on my elliptical, which I hate in the first place. Good luck and hope you get things under control.

This is a great idea... Also I think the strength training helps with feeling stronger both physically and mentally.

Hi,

I get that way too sometimes. Here are my ideas:

Simply shake your head a few times and say no. Just doing this will stops you in your tracks.

Tell yourself, I can have it later. I usually forget and move on. Later, I might remember I want it and again I'll tell myself that I'll eat it later.

If I just feel like I need to eat, or I need something in my mouth: Pickles! There are 0 calorie pickles out there! Gum works, too. Egg whites are very low cal. Sometimes, I'll make an egg white and spinach omelette in a non-stick pan. Or make hard-boiled eggs and just eat the whites.

Sometimes I'm just thirsty and didn't realize it. Sounds dumb, but it's true. I'll drink water, or make hot tea, or make coffee! All of those have no calories too.

Along with all of the above, sometimes I tell myself that I just need to talk a walk. When I do, I clear my head, I get happy from my music, and I usually forget that I was hungry. Or, time has passed and it's time for my next meal.

Which brings me to my final point. It's possible you are just hungry! Plain and simple. If you time your "feedings" right, you will eat when the time is right. I try to eat 5-6 times a day, every 3 hours. That means: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. This will require a little math. If you can have 1,500 for example do this:
Breakfast- 400
Snack 1- 100
Lunch- 400
Snack 2- 100
Dinner- 400
Snack 3- 100
Play with the number a little, but this gives you an idea. This will keep your blood sugar stable- you will avoid cravings, and it keeps you knowing that there's more food to come!

Good luck!

Comfort eater here too.
2 suggestions that have helped me a lot.

Write. Journal. Write when you are "hungry", upset, or whatever. Even if you think there is nothing to write just start and go with it. Write your feelings and acknowledge why you really want to eat.

Exercise. Make it a habit. Turn to some kind of exercise when you want to eat for comfort. Have weights around or head out for a walk.

These have helped me a lot. Good luck and hang in there.

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!!