Loss of Control

When I am faced with foods I WANT 1k9jky300d2a.jpg
to eat but I know I shouldn't. I go for it every time. Does anyone else have this problem?

The voice in my head is shouting NO but I still go for it. And I am sad, and ashamed.
I have no self-respect.

I need help, anything to help me choose the right foods.

Answers

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 290 Member
    edited January 7
    The first time I decided to loose wight i was 191.2 lbs. I was horrified at the time (currently 235.2, i've lost 3.2 lbs so far). Though this wasn't the best way to do it, I didn't buy anything that didn't have the calories on the box. everything was a frozen meal. I just counted calories. but the part that may help you is that if it wasn't what I should eat: mountaindew, ice cream, potato chips I didn't buy it. That was if I really wanted it I had to leave my house to get it. Was it worth going to the convenience store to pay way too much for a 16 oz soda or did i really want to go to mcdonalds for the ice cream cone. Usually the answer was no. eventually your control will get better.

    Also I didn't cut out whatever i wanted to eat. If i wanted, or life required, me to eat a wendy's baconator, I simply allowed myself to eat up to my bmr for that day and logged the calories.

    so now that i have more experience. you need to learn about food. I am diabetic so this requires the eating style i have now but i've lost weight a couple times previously before diabetes and it worked well then too. Focus on having meals high in protein and fiber. The protein is great for energy and the fiber bulks out your food and slows digestion so you feel fuller longer. Work on looking for recipes that you will enjoy eating so that your wants can shift to healthier options.

    But most importantly you have to start making decisions and celebrating small wins. today is the 3rd day of my 'new' start. my house is mostly clean. there is nothing I would loose control with in the house. I will admit that breakfast wasn't that yummy but I want to be a healthy weight more than I want my food to make me dance in my seat. lunch was a salad... and it was huge. I wasn't upset when i dumped part of it on the floor by accident. I couldn't even finish the salad for dinner.

    day 2 i knew i was going out to eat with my mother for dinner so i just needed a little protein and fiber for breakfast (couldn't finish the salad for breakfast either). but the point of me being long winded is that we went to wafflehouse. I had 2 eggs, grits, waffle, 2 slices of toast and probably 6 slices of bacon. I was dancing in my seat the whole time... but what i didn't have... was a double bowl of grits, no cheese (i love cheese) and i resisted chocolate chips on my waffle. So in two ways i can be proud of this day. 1) I didn't go over my goal calories but I also made decisions that had me saying 'no'

    your way of thinking isn't going to change over night but you need to start somewhere. feel free to ad me as a friend if you want. I'm disabled so i'm usually on discord most days. i don't mind new friends.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,733 Member
    Disclaimer - I’m just an average person, not a dietician or counsellor. It sounds to me like you might benefit from talking to someone who specialises in helping people. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, and one blip does not make you a failure. In my experience the self respect often needs to come first - you need to believe you are worthy of care, of love and worthy of the effort of getting healthy, before change can happen.

    On the practical side - no food is off limits. You can eat whatever you want to, but you will only lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn. You will also feel better getting fruit, veggies and all your nutrients. So if you want the cake - why not cut a small piece and have that instead? If you really want the calorie intensive takeaway, lower calories by 100each day over a week to make space for it. There are lots of tips we can all give you, but I think you need to break the spiral of shame and lack of self respect to make it easier for you. Sending an online hug, and I hope you can get there.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,951 Member
    edited January 7
    And pffffft….does anyone else have this problem?

    I’d say the majority of us here have it, or we wouldn’t be here in the first place.

    In retrospect, my nervous energy must’ve been a helluva a calorie burner because I should have easily been morbidly obese, like my mom. I thank heaven every day I “only” had to lose what I lost (ultimately, lost ten clothing sizes).

    I will be counting calories for the rest of my life because, yes, I have this problem exactly. But the joy of being able to move around, to look forward to doing things, even just walking the dog, are now far more meaningful than any fleeting joy Breyers or Nabisco gave me.
  • j2jj8z846t
    j2jj8z846t Posts: 1 Member
    I have such a struggle with junk food. I think in my mind, The next time I go grocery shopping there will be no junk food in my grocery cart. What did I do this afternoon,I brought home 2 PIECES OF CHOCOLATE CAKE,for my husband and I. It never fails. I have good intentions,but they get no where. I definitely need friends to help me.
  • Inokenfinau
    Inokenfinau Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you everyone for your kind words. I havevbeen praying for answers and I have received many from so many caring people. So much knowledge and so much to fuel the fire that is this journey. It has been almost a week and I feel already I am on the right path now.
    I am also going to overeaters annonymous to explore more within of what psychological issues I am experiencing. Meeting new people will be good plus others who are experiencing the same issues we all are having. In the mean time. I have started calorie counting and it's been helpful. It does feel like I got the wheel again. But I know this is going to be a long process to get used to but that is what I'm in it for. Is for the long rest of my life haul.
    Just the other day there were some coffee cakes about to be tossed out at my day job. My all time favorites from costco. I took them home, but only because I wanted to challenge myself to throw them away into the waste bins outside. Symbolic for me. Wasteful I know but I do feel empowered from that experience.

    Still hitting the gym 5 days a week. And keeping under calories as well. So far so good.

    Everyone who replied, I can't thank you enough for the positive feedback and the stories you all shared of your journeys. I believe in all of you to reach your goals.

    I'll keep tall posted!
    Cheers. Nokes
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 338 Member
    One thing that I tell myself is that my tastebuds aren't in charge. I remind myself that though my tastebuds want this thing, the rest of my body (literally every cell) probably doesn't.

    And then, I have also learned my trigger foods and decided it's best to abstain from those altogether. (Donuts... I can never stop at just one...have been known to devour entire boxes.) Zero is better, because my tastebuds aren't in charge.
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 338 Member
    Regarding the coffee cakes: They're wasted in or wasted out. (I say this often when I throw out junk food...either I'm being the trash can by eating it, or the trash can is being the trash can.)
    Thank you everyone for your kind words. I havevbeen praying for answers and I have received many from so many caring people. So much knowledge and so much to fuel the fire that is this journey. It has been almost a week and I feel already I am on the right path now.
    I am also going to overeaters annonymous to explore more within of what psychological issues I am experiencing. Meeting new people will be good plus others who are experiencing the same issues we all are having. In the mean time. I have started calorie counting and it's been helpful. It does feel like I got the wheel again. But I know this is going to be a long process to get used to but that is what I'm in it for. Is for the long rest of my life haul.
    Just the other day there were some coffee cakes about to be tossed out at my day job. My all time favorites from costco. I took them home, but only because I wanted to challenge myself to throw them away into the waste bins outside. Symbolic for me. Wasteful I know but I do feel empowered from that experience.

    Still hitting the gym 5 days a week. And keeping under calories as well. So far so good.

    Everyone who replied, I can't thank you enough for the positive feedback and the stories you all shared of your journeys. I believe in all of you to reach your goals.

    I'll keep tall posted!
    Cheers. Nokes

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,951 Member
    Yep. One of my favorite sayings from a MFP user:

    “My body is not a trash can”.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,397 Member
    Yep. One of my favorite sayings from a MFP user:

    “My body is not a trash can”.

    My favorite way to say it is “It can go to waste, or it can go to waist!”
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,092 Member
    edited January 11
    This varies from one person to the next, but if there are treats you can consume in moderation, there may be no need to put them totally off limits. Consider eating them in smaller portions, or less frequently.

    Some people are entirely moderators or non-moderators by nature, some others can moderate some treats but not others. I'm the latter. There were things I needed to keep out of the house at first, and some I still buy only very, very occasionally, because I can't moderate them. Other things I found I could be satisfied with a small portion, and it often helps me to buy them in single-serve packaging. Some people find that if they crave a thing, they can tell themselves they can have it (say) on Friday, then they make calorie room for it then, or sometimes even find that the craving dissipates by the time Friday rolls around since they know the food isn't totally forbidden forever.

    You don't say, so maybe this doesn't apply to you, but some people seem to arrive here thinking they can't ever eat treat foods, desserts, fast foods, so-called "junk foods" or whatever, EVER, while losing weight . . . or maybe even never again if they want to stay at a healthy weight. That's absolutely not true, though with some limitations based on the ability to moderate.

    It can take some experimenting to figure out which foods we can/can't moderate, and how to accomplish it. The implication is that some of those experiments will fail. That's OK as long as we learn from that, and keep going. It's not a personal experience; it can be framed instead as a useful learning experience. Defining ourselves as a learner rather than a failure is a mindset shift.

    This may be inaccurate, but your OP is phrased like "I AM like this, I do the wrong thing". That makes it sound like change is impossible. Can you find a way to create a little wiggle room in that self-concept, more like "I've been this way, and I'm going to work at finding a new path"? Just that little bit of space to imply that change is possible, that can be empowering, IME. Mindset matters.

    Best wishes!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,604 Member
    COGypsy wrote: »
    Yep. One of my favorite sayings from a MFP user:

    “My body is not a trash can”.

    My favorite way to say it is “It can go to waste, or it can go to waist!”

    Along these lines, I finally realised that eating something only because it's going to go in the bin otherwise is still waste, it's just that it goes in the toilet and not the bin, and causes me harm along the way.