At what point does hunger become an addiction..

prohappy
prohappy Posts: 30
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I honestly think I'm ADDICTED to food,
I've tried everything, I've tried starving, putting motivational posters up, making goals, doing hobbies, exercising, but nothing really does help.
I've managed to lose 50+ lbs from pure starving, and I know it's bad, I'm stuck on the same weight for almost half a year now, and I can't stop eating.
I'll go from 225lbs in the morning, and by night I'll be 230+lbs, having eating almost 3,000 calories over my diet. I'll go from 225-230 at least twice a week.
Do you think I should get help for this? :ohwell:

Replies

  • juliep63
    juliep63 Posts: 84
    You might consider it. But sometimes I wonder what is normal too. I seriously weigh the pros and cons of absolutely everything I put in my mouth... is that healthy? I know that I'm a stress eater... and once I realized that, it got easier to control. You might need to sit down and seriously consider your life and when/why you eat... it could be an emotional/psychological thing. :heart:
  • margaretthedevil
    margaretthedevil Posts: 215
    What do you eat to go over 3,000 calories in a day (that's how interpreted what you said; it was vague)? Do you exercise if so what do you do and how frequently? How many meals do you eat per day? Do you eat snacks? What do you generally eat every day? Do you drink enough water? Do you intake a lot of sodium and sugar? Do you get enough nutrients? Do you get enough fiber?

    Have you been starving yourself recently (your metabolism might be messed up because of it)?

    Really important one here: Are you really hungry (eating for fuel) or do you eat for other reasons?
  • healthychic
    healthychic Posts: 298
    I would maybe consider getting help, if you feel that it is beyond your control. I think that its all about portion. You can eat unhealthy at times and as long as you stay within a reasonable portion you shouldn't gain weight. Maybe try subsituting certain foods for healthy ones. They even have diet pop cake that you can make in place of regular cake and it tastes the same. There are literally THOUSANDS of healthier options out there and different ways to eat the food you love. You can start to subsitute sugar for a different sweetener, and try eating more chicken, turkey and salmon over steak and hamburgers. If you ever need any tips feel free to ask me, I know a lot about exercising and eating healthy even though I am not perfect either. I don't do it every day, week after week but I try to do the best I can, best wishes!:happy: :flowerforyou:

    :heart: Danielle
  • margaretthedevil
    margaretthedevil Posts: 215
    I looked at your diary, but it looks like you're not logging in everything you eat right...? Because you stop eating after lunch...

    Also I think you're got a very negative mindset.
    Real hunger (not junk food cravings) is NOT a food addiction. It's your body's way of telling you, you're eating too little. If you continue to feed your body bad things, you will continue to crave bad things.

    But never ever starve yourself to lose weight ever. You say you starved 50 lbs off?! How much did you eat? That might be a serious problem that you should address with a specialist.
  • eva512
    eva512 Posts: 92 Member
    I looked at your diary, but it looks like you're not logging in everything you eat right...? Because you stop eating after lunch...

    Also I think you're got a very negative mindset.
    Real hunger (not junk food cravings) is NOT a food addiction. It's your body's way of telling you, you're eating too little. If you continue to feed your body bad things, you will continue to crave bad things.

    But never ever starve yourself to lose weight ever. You say you starved 50 lbs off?! How much did you eat? That might be a serious problem that you should address with a specialist.
    I also looked at your dairy. your not drinking enough water and you not exercising
  • prohappy
    prohappy Posts: 30
    What do you eat to go over 3,000 calories in a day (that's how interpreted what you said; it was vague)? Do you exercise if so what do you do and how frequently? How many meals do you eat per day? Do you eat snacks? What do you generally eat every day? Do you drink enough water? Do you intake a lot of sodium and sugar? Do you get enough nutrients? Do you get enough fiber?

    Have you been starving yourself recently (your metabolism might be messed up because of it)?

    Really important one here: Are you really hungry (eating for fuel) or do you eat for other reasons?

    Well, my family loves junk food, I'm really the only health conscious person in my household, so no one really does support me, if anything, my dad will buy a bag of apples for a month and stock up on instant meals and gallons of ice cream.

    If I see something in front of me, I'll eat it. No matter if it's 10 calories or 1000 calories, I'll just eat it.
    I exercise at least 3 to four times a week with an hour of walking at a fast pace around the block, and/or 1/2 an hour of dance and 1/2 hour of core training.

    I've been very conscious of my salt intake, and my sugar intake is mostly fruits.

    I starve myself sometimes, just to get back to a 'normal' weight, then I'll just eat my way back to zero.

    I've lost 50 lbs from not eating, I would chew gum and chug bottles of water a day.
    I'd eat possibly one meal serving every 11/2 weeks.
  • prohappy
    prohappy Posts: 30

    I also looked at your dairy. your not drinking enough water and you not exercising

    I've been horrible at logging things in, as you can see with my half done food journals,
    I do 1-2hours of exercise 3-4 times a week. And my water level is fine if you check previous days, I'm not done with today's entry. ):
  • azwildcatfan94
    azwildcatfan94 Posts: 314 Member
    What do you eat to go over 3,000 calories in a day (that's how interpreted what you said; it was vague)? Do you exercise if so what do you do and how frequently? How many meals do you eat per day? Do you eat snacks? What do you generally eat every day? Do you drink enough water? Do you intake a lot of sodium and sugar? Do you get enough nutrients? Do you get enough fiber?

    Have you been starving yourself recently (your metabolism might be messed up because of it)?

    Really important one here: Are you really hungry (eating for fuel) or do you eat for other reasons?

    Well, my family loves junk food, I'm really the only health conscious person in my household, so no one really does support me, if anything, my dad will buy a bag of apples for a month and stock up on instant meals and gallons of ice cream.

    If I see something in front of me, I'll eat it. No matter if it's 10 calories or 1000 calories, I'll just eat it.
    I exercise at least 3 to four times a week with an hour of walking at a fast pace around the block, and/or 1/2 an hour of dance and 1/2 hour of core training.

    I've been very conscious of my salt intake, and my sugar intake is mostly fruits.

    I starve myself sometimes, just to get back to a 'normal' weight, then I'll just eat my way back to zero.

    I've lost 50 lbs from not eating, I would chew gum and chug bottles of water a day.
    I'd eat possibly one meal serving every 11/2 weeks.

    That doesn't sound healthy. If you have the will power to starve yourself, you have the willpower to eat the healthiest foods you can buy, within the calorie allotments MFP provides. Sugar and starchy carbs increase hunger so try to eat lean meat/protein, veggies, and if any grains, whole grains.

    And yes, if you think you should see someone about your not eating, then by all means do so. And perhaps, your doctor can recommend a good registered dietician to help you learn what to eat to lose weight.
  • margaretthedevil
    margaretthedevil Posts: 215
    It is of utmost that you log everything that you put into your mouth so that you are conscious of everything you are eating everyday! Especially if you believe that you have a food "addiction." This will help you see whatever patterns you have. What kinds of foods you eat, when, carb-fat-protein ratio, calorie intake, water intake, sugar intake, fiber intake, sodium intake, and anything else you're concerned about. You should log in your exercises too so that you have a record and you will be more likely to eat those exercise calories. I would watch your sugar. You're going wayyyy over (I'm basing this off of like 4 days and you do not log in everything so...).

    It will be hard. Do not expect it to be easy or quick, especially if your family does not eat well. Try and have a talk with them may be. Telling them that you're going to make an effort to change your eating habits and therefore NEED their support. Do not keep the junk lying around. Lock it up if you must!

    Try this:
    Log in everything so you're held accountable!
    Log in your exercise!
    Eat what you're alotted but do NOT go over unless you exercised and earned those exercise calories
    Cut out all added sugar (sugar that does not naturally occur in your food) for as long as you can to stop any sugar addictions you might have
    Eat more vegetables (a lot more; cups and cups of them)
    Eat more frequently (healthy things) will stop cravings
    Do not use fruit as a replacement for added sugar (not saying that you do as I don't know your eating habits, but just a consideration) (one banana not two...) (eat berries and other lower sugar fruits)
    Lock up that junk! Do not put it in front of your face, do not let your family eat it in front of your face (hopefully, your changes will encourage them to make changes too; this would be ideal)

    Best of luck! :flowerforyou:
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