Changing southern mentality on eating and exercise

Eating less sugar helps reduce cravings for it - it's been my experience when I eat sugar I want more of it, in a very immediately noticeable way. I made a batch of marshmallows for a cooking competition on Reddit a couple of weeks ago, and sometimes when I had a handful of calories to spare at the end of the day, I'd grab one and pop it in my mouth just for a little something sweet (they came out to about 15 cal apiece, and they're just sugar, air, and gelatin...and those last two things don't have any calories). And then I would want another one, or some other snack, and I'd find myself rifling through the fridge or pantry for stuff I didn't need or even actually want, come to that. The dopamine hit is real. I didn't feel like that on evenings when I didn't indulge in a marshmallow, on those nights it was much easier to just eat what I had planned and sip on water or unsweetened herbal tea until it was time for bed.

Binge eating behavior is a little more complex - if you're in the Sugar Thrall described above, then that's one thing, but if you binge for more emotional reasons than chemical ones, it may be worth talking to someone to help you drill down and find out what's really going on when you want to binge. A mental health professional can help you develop tools to use with yourself when you get like that, to redirect your energy and deal with whatever the actual problem is in another way. If you're not able to access mental health support, some things that you might consider trying are:

* cultivate a hobby that doesn't center around food, ideally one that either requires clean hands (like knitting or another fiber art) or creates dirty ones (like painting or gardening).
* go for a walk outside, physically remove yourself from where food is for a while.
* call a friend or relative and chat about something else for a while. who's your chattiest, nosiest auntie? bet she'd love an audience to tell about whatever she or her kids or the neighbors have been up to.
* write about your feelings in a journal - it feels hokey, but putting words on a page gives them somewhere to live besides in your head, and if you're wanting to binge because you're stressed about something, the absolute worst possible thing that happens if you write down what you're feeling is that you waste a sheet of paper and a little bit of ink. you don't even have to write with a pen, you could open up the Notes app on your phone or your computer, or use the blog you have as part of your MFP account here - under My Home there is a link that says My Blog in the darker blue menu bar, you can choose to make your blog private so no one can read it if you don't want them to.

I grew up in Sandy Springs, GA and moved to Seattle. I wish I could love salmon as much as biscuits and gravy! Unfortunately I gravitate to the entrees with the most carbs. It’s a struggle but one worth fighting.