Help, I'm in a never ending battle with food!

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I was doing so well. I lost 20kg in 5 months. But recently, in the past 2 weeks I'm finding it increasingly difficult to stop eating! It's like, the more I know I'm not supposed to eat, the more I have to eat. I'm sabotaging my own weight loss and I don't know what to do. I put on 0.3 of a kg last week and I fear the gain will be much bigger this week.
Some of you might say, "well, just stop eating then!" If it were that easy I would have done it by now. I just don't know what to do. And it doesn't help that my mum and my brother are eating all manner of nice foods in front of me every day.
I'm at my wits end here. I can't stop myself but I CAN'T put on the weight again. Short of getting my jaw wired, what do I do?

Replies

  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    look just start this with fresh eyes...
    take 1 day at a time the more days you can do with being totally good the easier the next one will be...
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Keep logging, and celebrate everytime you say "no thanks" or you don't finish something junky.
    Don't be afraid to eat half of something and throw the rest away.
    This is an ongoing battle for me too, some days I do better than others. But, that's no reason to give up on losing weight, I decided to just keep on going and keep logging and keep eating as well as I could, even if that isn't for every meal.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    Hmmm! This is a tough one and one we all go through. Lets face it, food is yummy....lol However, you need to revisit your goals. Get that resolve back that you had for 5 months. Step away from the fridge and ask yourself WHY you want to lose weight. Write a list. Pin it to the fridge along with a picture you hate.

    I know its hard hun, but you are in control. You may even want to ask yourself what emotion your facing right now that may be causing you to comfort eat? Perhaps dealing with that will solve the problem?

    And thirdly, go do some exercise!! Exercise always make me feel like eating less. Force yourself to do more than you would ordinarily........

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • Naomi_84
    Naomi_84 Posts: 197 Member
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    Forget what you mother and brother are doing, do you want to lose weight or not? Somethimes you need to have a blowout I think and get it out of your system but putting on too much weight will be really demotivating and the longer you're off the horse the harder it'll be to get back on.

    When I struggle I sit down with a piece of paper and write down all the reasons that I want to lose weight, then I write down all the reasons I'm struggling and work through each one and put a solution down next to each one ( like an action, what I'm going to do about the negativity). Usually this helps me get back on track. Other times I have to wait until I hit rock bottom and get realy down about my appearance and cry before I can get on with it again. It's like you'll only ba able to do it if you want it enough. You have to find it within yourself somewhere to carry on. Just track and take it a meal at a time. You deserve to be slim so stop cheating yourself.

    I wish you the best of luck!! xx
  • velvetkat
    velvetkat Posts: 454 Member
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    maybe eat more protein and cut your carbs back and sugars back.. I know that if I eat a piece of fruit or a sweet dessert last during a meal I am starved soon after. But if I eat a piece of protein like a piece of cheese or chicken after that same fruit or dessert than I am ok. I just reverse my meals sometimes if I am gonna eat fruit.

    Hope this helps... I know where you are coming from. Ive had days that I just CANT stop eating...


    Good luck!


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  • clioandboy
    clioandboy Posts: 963 Member
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    There are no easy answers here, and certainly none that would THE answer for everyone- we all eat for different reasons and have different trigger however...... and i am someone who falls off the wagon regularly so no expert ok....

    are you being too rigorous? denying yourself of all pleasurable treats? coz if so you will crave stuff after a while.

    ar you eating your exercise calories? do eat most of them at least

    do eat as much food as possible for your calories - veggies salads n all that stuff are really low calorie so you can eat loads - i found that this started my values to start questioning if i really wanted all those cals for this tiny bit of gorgeousness or a bucket full of nice stuff....

    and one thing to repeat..........................."if the problem isnt hunger the solution isnt food" boredom isnt relieved by food, nor stress, nor pain only hunger is.

    good luck!
  • NicolaJane1313
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    I eventually had to print a 'month at a glance diary' for August and stuck it on the wall in the kitchen as motivation...... Before I went to bed at the end of everyday, I drew a flower - a funny face, a star e.t.c just as a sign that I had managed to get through the day without 'cheating'.... my cheating is a bar of chocolate, take away food, a whole cake (not a slice) e.t.c. I started doing it on 3 August and so far so good! Everyday I am more motivated and excited to draw those little pictures and prove to myself that I don't need to eat that way. I said I would do it for 3 weeks, but I'm not ready to part with it just yet! My boyfriend seems to be giving up offering me 'naughty' food too as I keep saying NO!.

    Hope this Helps! Good Luck!! Tomorrow is a new day!
  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
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    Look at your weight loss ticker - you're almost halfway there! Look at how far you've come so far, all the struggles you have overcome! If you do everything all over again you will be at your goal. Why stop now?

    Don't let it slip now. Cry, get upset, get angry - no one said this would be easy. Weight loss is really hard, but no one seems to acknowledge the hard work until your at your goal. Think of what people will say to you when you are at your goal and imagine saying to them - yes, I did it - and it was (insert expletive) hard work!

    If you are actually hungry with a growling stomach, eat and choose healthy foods - cook a new recipe or whatever. If you are not physically hungry with a growling stomach go do something else. Get away from people who are eating, do something you've been putting off for ages and make yourself feel a sense of achievement.

    Also I found that my hunger went away when I switched to paleo which is basically no grains and no dairy. But I still get days where I want to eat more and I have to force myself to make healthy choices.

    Sometimes I resort to treating my body like a spoilt child. I'm doing this for its own good, I have to make healthy choices for it and it will have tantrums and want goodies to eat but we can't always get what we want!
  • livi_cowgirl
    livi_cowgirl Posts: 198 Member
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    All very good comments. I appreciate them immensely and will take each and every one into account. I know I can do this. I just need to get a grip. Thank you so so much all of you. xxx
  • homeport51
    homeport51 Posts: 198 Member
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    The other thing here is that you live in an unhealthy environment... food wise. You have mentioned before that your brother is extremely overweight, I am assuming that your mom is too? I have found that when you spend time around people who need to lose weight and they see that you are doing it, they will attempt to sabotage you in order to justify their own eating habits. You are making them feel guilty about their own bad eating. I don't think any one really wants to be overweight, but some people are just too weak to do what it takes to get the weight off. You have proved already that you have what it takes. You need to just take a deep breath and keep on going. You CAN continue to do this! The suggestion about going to do something else when you feel like eating bad food is a really good one. Get out of the house if you can... go to the gym, go for a walk, wash the car... whatever... Afterwards, you will have not only avoided the food dilemma, but gotten some exercise as well. It works! Hang in there!
  • joshis_bunny
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    The best advice I have been recently given by a dietician I am seeing was to not deny myself of certain foods, if i felt like chocolate have a small square, if I denied myself when I eventually did eat some chocolate I would eventually end up eating a family size block. Food has always been a struggle with me and recently I was diagnosed with an eating disorder. Take baby steps and try not to feel bad about eating as this will trigger more negative thoughts and also lead to eating.
  • Lindalow
    Lindalow Posts: 1 Member
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    When mom and brother start eating the bad things get out of the house. Go for a walk. Just remove yourself. I go through these bouts of eating everything in sight. I know it has something to do with my m-cycle. So I keep cut veggies around to help with the crunchiness I crave. Another thing to get your mind off food call a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Changing your surroundings helps a lot.
  • livi_cowgirl
    livi_cowgirl Posts: 198 Member
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    Some really great ideas here. Thank you so much. xxx
  • spongebob2509
    spongebob2509 Posts: 27 Member
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    log it all and try saying no to just one thing a day dont try to cut everything at once it wont work and you will add pressure to yourself. If you can say no to one thing a day you will have a made a great start but make sure you praise yourself for doing it and dont tak the easy method and say no to something you dont like lol
  • mabelebam
    mabelebam Posts: 150 Member
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    When you feel tempted to eat unhealthy foods, or a craving for a certain kind of food, try waiting for 20 minutes. Do other things like read a book, go for a walk, anything to get your mind off it. Usually after 20 minutes, the craving will be gone!

    Another good tip from Bob Greene's book is to make eating a conscious activity. Before you put anything into your mouth, think and consider whether you need the extra calories.

    Hope this helps! xx
  • Hirundo
    Hirundo Posts: 148 Member
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    I have been reading 'Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything from Geneen Roth' and it totally helped me to see food in another way and it it did changed my relation with it. think this book would be totally appropriate in your case...

    I dunno what are your believes in term of "God" or spirituality, but it totally doesnt matter, the writter has a very large definition of it and reading this book is appropriate for everyones, even the non-believers...

    Enjoy and good luck ! :)