Dont know when to stop

I am a stress/anxiety eater. Also I LOVE to eat. Always have been this way, always will be. What I had to do was accept that about myself and work it into my plan, just like you would your height or any health conditions you have, etc.

First off, I learned about 5 years ago that I am one of those people who tends to put on weight. I have to be pretty strict about my eating habits and I need to work out at what most people would consider moderate to high intensity over 4 days a week to see the results I want to see.

Secondly, my boyfriend is exactly the same. And we are on this journey together. neither of us would be able to do this if the other person wasn't totally on board.

Therefore, I simply do not have junk food in my house, except on extremely rare occasions, and that item is planned for and consumed over the course of several days. Because I work out so much, I'm hungry a lot and snack a lot, so I do not keep unhealthy snacks in my house. This includes anything that can turn into a snack. We don't even have a toaster, because that leads to slices of bread with yummy spreads on them. We do not have a coffee machine, because that leads to coffee which leads to cream and sugar. We don't keep "ready-to-eat" meals in the house. We strive to make cooking food hard work so we are less likely to make something to eat out of boredom, stress, mindless habit, etc. We buy ingredients for healthy meals, multi-grain bread, skim milk, fruit, unsalted nuts, eggs, and protein shakes and that is essentially all we keep in the house regularly, plus a tremendous amount of spices and seasonings.

When I'm out and about, I keep my cash and my credit cards in the trunk, so popping through a drive-thru becomes a big chore.

I try to put as many steps between me and mindless eating as possible, so i really have to think about what I'm doing. If I'm stressed in rush hour and all of a sudden NEED giant creamy sweet drink I actually have to pull over, park, stop my car, get out, open my trunk, get my money out.....etc.

Lastly, knowing that even with all of this I will still at times make unhealthy choices, either because I'm stressed or because we simply are going out to dinner or at a party, etc. Because I am SO strict during my every day life, these little "infractions" are not only negligible, they are good for me because it keeps me feeling like I'm not a freak for not having had a single stick of butter or margarine in my house for over a year.

I think we may be using food to get an endorphin rush. Somehow, we have developed an unhealthy relationship with food and need to take control of our intake or it will take control of us.

Many of us are like this. First, eat enough on a daily basis (like you said.)

I allow myself a sugary treat once or twice a week. But, like you, it is hard to stop. So I have to buy small portioned things. Like one ice cream cone, not a half gallon sitting in the freezer. Or a piece of cake, not have a whole pie sitting on the counter.

bump

Also, I keep thinking about something I saw on Biggest Loser. They compared certain areas of the brain (corresponding to pleasure, I believe) in people who were overweight versus people who were (naturally) normal weight. The overweight people had a stronger reaction at the sight of enticing food but a LOWER reaction (than the normal weight people) upon eating it. So they needed to eat more to get the same level of satisfaction. We crave it more and then need to eat more of it to feel satiated. Hardly seems fair, does it?

I am the same exact story and I wonder the same exact things. I have put on at least ten pounds since the summer and totally binge after doing so well. I read "Brain over Binge" and it does help somewhat and has helped me cut down but I still on occasion eat way more then I need to. I am trying the Spike Diet now so I can enjoy the foods I crave once a week and still lose. I am hoping it will help me beat my plateau finally because that is one of the most discouraging things and it makes me care less about eating well when nothing is changing.

What I've found for me is that if I have 1200 NET calories a day (1 pound/week), I'm great for about 5-8 days and then huge cravings kick in and I want to eat a whole bunch of bad things. When I change the numbers to 1340 NET calories a day (1/2 pound a week) I've found that I can go for long periods of time (months) without having to have a crazy binge day. That extra bit of calories every day seems to make a huge difference for me cummulatively.