The DRIVE to eat...and what stops it

wanderinglight
wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
edited September 18 in Motivation and Support
So you know how you get that feeling sometimes, where you just know you are about to do something to jeopardize your good progress...and yet you do it anyway?

Like eating when you know you are full, but for some reason you are determined to eat everything that's in front of you
Or that feeling of "I already messed up, I'm going to just keep going."
Or when temptation just trumps all logic...

So what do you do? What are your techniques? I know many of you have had some good ideas, like brushing your teeth (doesn't seem to be enough to stop me), taking a walk, doing situps for 30 seconds, post-its on the fridge, etc.

Anything else? I'd really love to hear from people who have been there and have been able to take the steps that eventually became habits. It's that one-minute window between thinking "I'm about to do something dumb" and then actually DOING the dumb thing that interests me.

I am really trying to take a few minutes to meditate before I know I'm about to mess up. It's amazing to me just how strong and ingrained the DESIRE to put food in your mouth even when you're not hungry is.

Replies

  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
    So you know how you get that feeling sometimes, where you just know you are about to do something to jeopardize your good progress...and yet you do it anyway?

    Like eating when you know you are full, but for some reason you are determined to eat everything that's in front of you
    Or that feeling of "I already messed up, I'm going to just keep going."
    Or when temptation just trumps all logic...

    So what do you do? What are your techniques? I know many of you have had some good ideas, like brushing your teeth (doesn't seem to be enough to stop me), taking a walk, doing situps for 30 seconds, post-its on the fridge, etc.

    Anything else? I'd really love to hear from people who have been there and have been able to take the steps that eventually became habits. It's that one-minute window between thinking "I'm about to do something dumb" and then actually DOING the dumb thing that interests me.

    I am really trying to take a few minutes to meditate before I know I'm about to mess up. It's amazing to me just how strong and ingrained the DESIRE to put food in your mouth even when you're not hungry is.
  • Mireille
    Mireille Posts: 5,134 Member
    I write in my journal. It really helps!
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    I think part of it is allowing this new lifestyle the time it needs to become a habit so those days are fewer. I know that helped me a lot. Leading up to it just took a lot of willpower on my part. I personally have my own things that are driving me to stay on track. I want to be as healthy as I can for my son and be at a healthier weight for my next pregnancy and hopefully be around for my grandchildren. I want to take family pictures and not be ashamed of how I look. I want to take my son to the beach and not be ashamed of how I look.

    Whenever I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't I just think of all the things in my life that are SO much more important than food....than that snack or temptation. Food is food. It is fuel. It is something that should contribute to your overall health, not take away from it.

    It really is a mental thing that you have to conquer. Think about whatever it is that is guiding you to do this in the first place. Think of how you will feel after you eat whatever it is you want to eat. Just look at food differently and don't allow that chocolate or chips or cake or whatever it is to run your life.

    I don't know if this has helped!! Drink a lot of water too. It is amazing how just hydrating yourself can make you feel a lot better and help you to beat cravings.
  • kimber607
    kimber607 Posts: 7,128 Member
    Hi

    I think I am pms'ing but since starting this 'program' about 8 weeks ago...I've only had that need to shove my face with junk the past 2 days
    I took a deep breathe and tried to occupy myself/my mind doing something else
    It past with time....
    I thin in the past the minute I felt that urge, I would have gone to the kitchen

    Kim
  • lorelai63
    lorelai63 Posts: 417 Member
    Sometimes I will go to the thing that is tempting and have a bite of it. I mean a small bite. Sometimes I actullay realize it wasnt as good as it looked. Then I vizualize the profile page and think about how long it took me to get to the 10 pound loss. Do I really want to see the number go up? And then sometimes I cave! When that happens I come on here get remotovated and start over. Good luck..
  • rpowersrph
    rpowersrph Posts: 70
    Eat some fruits or veggies if hungry eat something good for you more is better
  • prettyinpink
    prettyinpink Posts: 94 Member
    Instead of grabbing a regular size plate, grab a smaller plate. You can fill it up and the still feel good that you cleared your plate and you did not eat as much as if you did have a big plate!!

    I do this myself... and I share my plate with my 14 month old daughter so I still do not eat that much yet I am full after I get done and I feel good because I didn't waste food! :oP
  • FatDancer
    FatDancer Posts: 812 Member
    Awhile back I read a post from another member on this subject...it was one of the men but I can't remember which one...anyway he said he treats his cravings like a child that needs to be taught discipline...it works for me if I can remeber to use it when I start thinking about foods that would sabotage my weight loss goals...good luck!

    Fat Dancer
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    My cravings were almost always emotional.

    I have learned to take a minute and ask myself "what am I really eating?". Sometimes it's an (unexpressed) emotion, and sometimes it's for comfort. I then would take the time to actually feel the emotion and decide how to best express it.

    I also discovered, that sometimes "a cookie is just a cookie". Hey, they are tasty, and sometimes what I wanted was to eat a cookie. This is where I used a scheduled treat time once a week to indugle in whatever I had craved during the week. Often, by the time "treat time" rolled around, I didn't want it anymore.

    :flowerforyou:
  • freyalane
    freyalane Posts: 3
    I totally agree about using a smaller plate - this really helps me too! You tend to eat less this way, but realize you are perfectly full and content with a slightly smaller portion. Plus you don't get that bloated feeling from just eating everything on your plate for the sake of it. I try to think, why push past this fullness barrier, when it will probably only make me eat more later anyway.

    As for the urge to eat, I had this so much in the last two days. I wanted to just eat everything I could and a huge portion of it too. I went to the shops and bought a whole load of different and TASTY fruits like peaches nectarines grapes plums apples and tangerines. This way when I had to urge to eat that i really couldn't control (even after asking myself do i need this, will i really enjoy it etc?) I could still eat the fruit and not feel so guilty. Might work for you too. Also carrots are a good snack because they are crunchy, feels like you're actually eating something!
  • debuckl
    debuckl Posts: 360 Member
    I brush my teeth... I hate dirtying a clean mouth!
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    Planning what you are going to eat, all day, every day helps a lot. Being a vegetarian for 20+ years, makes this second nature for me. Going to a restaurant? I know what I'm going to eat before I get there - look up menus on-line.

    As far as binge eating goes - emotional or otherwise - I binge eat when I'm overly hungry. It is hard to train myself that being hungry is not a good thing. I just started having a nut bar and a fruit after a hard workout. It has really cut down on my dinner portions.

    Best of luck.
  • RhondaV
    RhondaV Posts: 20 Member
    Sometimes I chew a piece of sugarless gum - so having something already in my mouth helps. Also remember that it it takes 21 days to break a habit (I heard), so try to remember that if you can resist for 21 days this habit should be broken --- just a thought. Good luck!
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
    I'm going to take the time to reread this post whenever I feel that blinding urge to eat. Your suggestions are great -- thank you for responding!

    There was really only one time I had the urge to mindlessly eat since starting MFP, and I ended up OD-ing on fruit and carrots with hummus. So not as bad as it could have been, and I felt much more in control than the full-box-of-cookies days. I think just knowing that I need to log it has been a great incentive not to eat it.

    I also completely agree with Mary -- so many times it was because I let myself get so hungry that once I started eating I couldn't stop.

    Anyway, all good "food for thought." ;)

    Thanks!
  • Families_R_Forever
    Families_R_Forever Posts: 630
    The John Tesh radio show said wait 12 minutes for a craving to pass. I've tried this and I think it's true. If I wait 12 minutes or however long, I'm usually thinking why did I want that in the first place, I've waited this long and I'm fine without it. Or I get side tracked that I forget completey. Maybe that's just me though. HH:flowerforyou:
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
    Just wanted to say...

    Thanks! I'm about to go to bed with willpower intact.

    It was a potentially tough night -- I didn't get out of work until 9pm and just wanted to lie in my hotel bed and eat junky stuff. Instead, I called my sister, did a short pilates/ abs workout I downloaded from youtube, and am looking forward to reading in bed until I fall asleep.

    And do you know, for once the tooth-brushing thing worked for me..?
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    There was really only one time I had the urge to mindlessly eat since starting MFP, and I ended up OD-ing on fruit and carrots with hummus. Thanks!

    Well, that's not SO bad then!! I love hummus! I have to measure each tablespoon out or I would eat the whole container myself!
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