can''t stop eating!!

[IrishEyes]

I''m having a rough time here: Last year, I was diagnosed with a medical condition ( not going to say what, it''s private), and I was put on some medication for it. The meds didn''t have too many adverse side-effects, in fact, one of the few side-effects was decrease in appetite. Actually, a marked decrease - to the point where I really didn''t feel the "hungry urge" hardly ever. Because of this, I lost 10 pounds over the last year simply because I didn''t really have a desire to eat all that often and therefore took in less calories. I have a petite frame to begin with, so I barely noticed the weight loss until I was at the doctors office one day and they weighed me and the number was much less than I was used to.

Unfortunately, my body started to develop a tolerance to the meds and the doctor got sick of bumping up the dosage. He decided to take me off for now and see how things go ( no, this is not a mental disorder, but a physical one). Here''s the problem: I liked being 10 less pounds than I typically am, but now that I''m not on the meds anymore, my appetitie has returned: full force!

Now I can''t stop eating! I''m pigging out all the time! I eat even when I''m not hungry. To make matters worse, everyone at my job is a food-a-holic and there is constantly junk food and greasy lunches and lattes and doughnuts at work for me to binge on. Of course, I don''t get hungry for anything healthy! All I want is grease and sugar and salt. The bottom line: I''ve gained back 5 pounds and it''s only been 3 weeks since I got off the meds.

I know that the normal remedy would be to get to the gym more, eat more healthy cuisine and less bad things, count my calories, etc, etc. But what about mental hurdles?? How do I tell myself to STOP?! You''d think I''d have some discipline - I''m in the military for crying out loud!! But I can''t seem to help myself to a couple thousand calories a day. What is wrong with me and how do I fix it??

sorry to go on, I''m just so frustrated. I was once 30 pounds overweight and I''m afraid of getting back to that point. I want to stop this monster NOW, before it really gets out of hand. So i''m looking for some pointers if you all have ''em!

thanks so much!

 

[door knob solitaire]

I don''t have alot to offer...except my concern for you. Will you try my best secret? The next time you need to reach for a morsel...grab a glass of water first.

To make this easier. Go out and shop for a special glass. If you like Starbucks...get a Starbucks glass/mug...if you like the Flintstones...get a flintstones one...something that you have interest in. Adds lemon twists if you have too. Buy special spring water and use it only at this time. This water thing is SOOOOO good for your body. It helps flush out stuff that needs flushing...it fills your emptiness....it gives you something to do-the hand to mouth thing. Better skin...sleep improvement...even mood improvement.

It has been proven that we eat many times thinking it is hunger...when it is actually thirst. Give it a try for a week. It may ween you off of your latest food "hobby".

Best, DKS

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Are you a fan of tea, at all? I usually drink a few cups per day during the colder months and find that it makes me feel full. Also, since you're eating when you're not hungry, if you drink something like tea - a yummy flavorful one like Peppermint, you'll may satisfy part of whatever it is that you're trying to, but not gain weight.

I know it's hard. I'm the same way (love junk food AND I eat just because food tastes soooo good). . .try bringing ready-prepared healthy snacks to work. . .carrot sticks, apples, something sweet since you're craving sugar. . .these are less harmful ways of getting your sweets fix

Another food is lunch meat. I get Applegate nitrate-free turkey or ham from Whole Foods (1 lbs at a time) and eat some of this whenever I get hungry. It's in the fridge, ready, and easy to eat!

 

[Lorelei]

My sweet little twinkly eyed pal, WATER is your best weapon! Try and aim for 2 litres a day

if you can, Lorelei does it and it works!! Make sure you eat breakfast too and pack a HEALTHY lunch if you can, also try Doorknobs idea of a special water glass for work! You are a gorgeous gal, tell yourself I am fabulous and I don't need to ruin my wonderful figure by eating all this junk - and stalk off away from it trailing an aura of supreme willpower and contempt in your wake

ETA - I read a tip where you can keep a small bottle of vanilla essence in your purse and if you feel a binge coming on especially for something sweet sniff it and the craving will go!

 

[moremoremore]

Welcome to my world IrishEyes LOL... I have been fighting obsessive compulsive eating disorder my *entire* life. What I suggest is therapy or lots of small meals all day long. Your body is rebounding (from my non-medical perspective) and the best way is to eat lots of small meals...you may fell less of an urge. It is a *very* difficult struggle for me...and sorry gals, H20 and tea don't cut it...LOL

 

[crafftygrrl]

Have you ever tried crunching on some ice cubes? My daughter does this and she says it helps.

 

[Lorelei]

H20 does for me MMM!

And a healthy ration of willpower each day.

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...If i had willpower, I wouldn't have an eating disorder, right???!

Frozen water doesn't count either LOL...j/k...well, unless you're making a mud-slide! YUM!

 

[Lorelei]

Apparently frozen water DOES COUNT!!

I read an article once saying that drinking ice water makes you lose weight as the body uses more calories to warm it for absorption

, same principal as eating lettuce - you burn more calories chewing it than the lettuce " costs " you.......

I did read this honestly! BTW - what is a mud slide, some sort of yummy chocolate thingy?

 

[moremoremore]

LOL...I was kidding...I''m saying that if someone has some actual compulsive eating issues or physical withdrawl going , a dainty little glass of water isn''t going to "help" fght that compulsive behavior...at least for this person..unless the ice water is going down with some ice-tea mix and some ding-dongs ROTFL!!!!

OH, you need to get a mud slide! I''ll post a recipe...although I''m NOT helping Irish!!! LOL

 

[Lorelei]

I will tell her not to check this thread anymore MMM, I NEED that recipe if there is choccy in it!

Only fair!

 

[mrs jam]

I keep red seedless grapes in the fridge at all times for those trying times. I love fruit and it helps satisfy my sweet tooth (most of the time.) Also, I''ve found that if I buy it, I''ll eat it, whatever it is. So I simply do not keep junk food in the house. My husband is not a junk food eater, so this is easy. I have a magnet on my fridge that says, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." It''s pretty much my mantra when I get the urge to eat an entire bag of Milano cookies.

 

[door knob solitaire]

This may sound funny or even goofy. But you can buy yourself a new labeled bottled water every week...turn it into a game. Just like wine has different flavors...as to the grape used...bottled water does too! You will find some water to be smoother and softer...some sweeter...when you close all the noise and focus on the actual water you will be suprised what you will learn.

Everyone has what works for them...and I am not discounting any one elses advice. But I do the low carb no sugar thing. I have found most fruits will wallup quite a punch because of the sugar content. Don't ruin yor efforts thinking all fruit is good for you...it is of course...but in a weight controlled effort...choose smart.

 

[monarch64]

Here''s a good way to reinforce healthy eating habits: (or this is what has helped me) start researching for yourself what actually happens to your body when you eat grease, salt and sugar. You know these are not healthy or good for you, but not only will they cause weight gain, they can have serious effects on your health. If you really read up on their negative effects, maybe it will help you to abstain from eating them, except in moderation. It''s not about the weight, it''s about your overall health. you only have one body, and you want it to last as long as you want to live. Don''t let food others bring into the office sway you either. Instead, bring in healthy foods you can share with everyone. I notice in my office everyone complains that when we have potluck days there is only junkfood, and blah blah blah. So last time we had one I brought in a vegetable lasagna with low fat ricotta and mozzarella cheese. No, it probably wasn''t theHEALTHIEST thing to eat, but a normal portion of it was a lot less grease, salt, and fat than a regular lasagna with meat and full fat cheeses. Point is, be proactive. Don''t let other''s mistakes interfere with your health--be on the offensive and bring your healthy treats to work!!!

 

[just_looking!]

chewing sugar free gum is helping me at the moment as it makes you feel like you''ve just cleaned your teeth and shouldn''t be eating!

 

[Mara]

you''ve got some great suggestions here!! i totally agree with drinking water...also i have read that ice water makes you more thirsty so i drink more room temperature water than ice water or else i crave the icy water.

here are some easy things, depending on what you are eating. drink water instead of juices or teas or cokes. also i really don''t believe in that flavored water stuff but i know it may work for some, many of those have tons of sugars in them so in reality you might as well have a coke if you will have a flavored water. but if you can find one that doesn''t have sugar, yay. they can be tasty. oh and teas without sugar are good...like green tea is pretty darn healthy for you too. and sometimes you need that ''hot'' feeling in your mouth that can satisfy a craving. cheese works for me too when i am craving something tasty, a really stinky blue or a gouda that you can roll around on your tongue, i find after a few thin slices of this i am kind of ''tasted'' out for a few hours.

do you like walking? i find sometimes that when i am craving something, if i put on my jacket and take the dog out for a walk the crisp air (cool right now!) makes me feel better and then if i come inside after a 30 minute walk and have a piece of chocolate or something, it doesn''t bother me as much as if i was sitting on the couch eating the chocolate vs walking.

i also second the read up and educating yourself on what is in the things you like to eat. seriously, it''s pretty gross when you read about everything that goes into those sweet fatty donuts or even COKE....do you know how much SUGAR is in coke? and sugar turns to fat if you don''t burn it.

i find that the more i read about things, it kind of helps when i am thinking of reaching for it. Or at least if i do reach for it and eat it, then i KNOW what i ate and im not in denial thinking oh that krispy kreme really isn''t THAT bad for me. i know it was bad and then i can act accordingly, aka not have dessert later that night at dinner...it''s not depriving myself but just being more aware of what your body can and cannot have/handle. unfortunately most of us don''t have the metabolism of a racehorse.

i know what you mean about willpower being gone. i go through phases sometimes when i stop working out and decide that i am going to eat WHATEVER i want. well of course that is all the gross stuff like mcdonalds and chicken pot pies that is comfort food for winter. but that 10 lbs that goes along with it, not appealing come spring.

mrs. jam i love your magnet!! that is SO TRUE. nothing tastes as good long-term as fitting into your jeans or clothes and not having to buy larger sizes. why do we all keep those ''thin'' jeans in the closet? because we all hope that someday...

anyway i will say that you have to hit this mental threshhold for yourself, IE...and anything we say will not help until you are there. when i was eating over the winter i knew i was gaining weight but i was in denial til i saw how my clothes from the year before didn''t really want to fit nearly as well. it took me another month or so to really get my ass in gear and stop eating crap and going back to work out. it took me months to get off those 10 lbs, ridiculous because it takes so little time to pack them on. but once i was back on the wagon, i vowed to stay on it.

i have been eating alot the last week because of the holiday, but i made a conscious decision that it was OKAY to do that and not be guilty. i also have been consistently working out and sticking with my routine so that things WON''T slide back to where they were. as of today pretty much all our thanksgiving stuff is gone with the exception of a tiny bit of stuffing and a piece of pumpkin pie, once this is gone from the house it will be back to my rule of NO JUNK FOOD or unhealthy snacks in the house. i don''t keep it in the house and we don''t eat it in the house. greg brought home some cookies the other day and i made him take them to work. i was like..hey if you don''t want me eating 2 at a time, then take them with you. i have a huge sweet tooth and the only thing that works is if i dont keep stuff in the house. i snack on things like cheese (really stinky ones which go a long way to getting rid of a craving with just a tiny slice) and fruits...i love pommelos in the winter since they are in season, they are a really sweet grapefruit with a bit of tang.

come holiday i will give myself the leeway again to go a little wild the week of and week after but then that''s it. i don''t mind doing that because i have been so good for so long. i really believe that you can exist in moderation if you have the self-control, because i have done it, gone one way and then the other, it really does have to do with will-power and mental control. which we don''t always have, and i admit it, but as long as you can get back on that track....you won''t derail completely.

long rambling post but hope you got something positive out of it.

let me just say i am SO happy now that i am like 2 lbs from my goal and i look so much better and feel so much better for working out and taking care of myself. i sleep better at night, i like feeling sore muscles and having excuses to take long hot baths.

 

[icekid]

I try to drink a lot of tea and water too- it''s hard to stuff your face when your stomach is full of liquid!!

I don''t have much else helpful to add to what the other helpful ladies have said though

good luck!

 

[IrishEyes]

Wow! I just caught up on everyone''s responses - thank you all so much!!

Some really great advice in here! Obviously the water thing is good, so many of you mentioned that. Michelle Carmen - thanks for the tea idea, however I have to admit I can''t stand the smell or taste of tea... but your response is greatly appreciated! I also LOVED that saying on how nothing tastes as good as being thin - so, so true! Mara, I do love going on walks, however we aren''t all lucky enough to live in California!

I''m in Illinois and it is preeeeety frosty and frigid outside right now. Dark too

. Ah well.

I''ve been coming up with some "pointers" for myself. I am going to start recording what I eat again. I did this a few years ago when I was trying to lose my 30 pounds and it really worked. It''s funny because the first week you do it, you''re shocked at over how many calories you are actually taking in and how few you are burning off. But if it worked before, I think it could again. also, I''m only going to buy better foods - like someone said above, if its not in the house, I won''t eat it. Especially right now in the winter - once I''m home, I''m home! When it''s 14 degrees outside and windy, beleive me, I don''t need that chocolate bar that badly!!

So if it isn''t in the pantry, all the better. I''m also going to work on getting to the gym on my days off - on Tuesdays and Sundays. Since I really only want to tone up a little and lost 5-7 pounds or so, getting to the gym twice a week and working out for an hour and a half or so will be plenty for me. I can also try to have my gymbag packed and ready to go on Friday nights when I get out at 5pm (provided I don''t have to stay late at work that day). so two to three days a week at the gym would help alot. I''m going to definitely work on bringing healthier foods to work. When my boss brings in his to-die-for lasangna, I will have a very small piece and then stop before getting seconds and tell myself that it''s good, but not worth an extra inch on my thighs!!

So I think these little things will help me. Like I said, I''m not overweight or anything, but I don''t want to be either. I have literally thousands of dollars worth of cute clothes in my closet and those clothes are a nice little small size. I would die if I had to buy a new, bigger-sized wardrobe because I lacked enough discipline to stop scarfing by face with junk food! I think my husband would kill me also because he hates when I buy new clothes!

So there you have it. Thanks again so much for all the advice! It is so greatly appreciated and you all made me feel much better!!!

 

[larussel03]

Tea and water are great, and also sometimes your body mistakes thirst for hunger. Sometimes antacids may help, they kill that craivng feeling, but if you''re hungry EAT! But antacids do help quell it.

 

[monarch64]

Irish Eyes, there is definitely something to be said about it being so dark and going into "hibernation mode" here in the Midwest! When it starts getting dark at 4:30 p.m. all I want to do is go home and sleep on the couch in front of the t.v., and wake up and eat "comfort food." I think it''s a primal survival mechanism left over from um, a long time ago! I joined a gym in October for this very reason: I didn''t want to gain my usual 10 pounds of winter weight! I grew up on a farm, and every year the animals (people in colder climates may notice this about their pets too) grew winter coats. Humans, I swear, tend to insulate themselves by eating more this time of year just to stay warmer. It''s not like you''re just wanting to binge because you like the taste of things, it''s more of a biological survival thing. Also food is just so readily available. I was reading something the other day about why we tend to pig out during the holidays and gain weight, and the reason the article gave was that back in the day before refrigeration, preservatives, etc., humans had to gain the "winter weight" on purpose just to survive! Obviously we don''t really have to do that anymore, given furnaces, warm clothing, modern transportation, etc., but apparently there is still a primal need in us (or maybe just habit?) to "bulk up" for the winter! Maybe humans actually evolved from bears. J/K! Good luck to you and everyone else battling the winter bulge, myself included!

 

[diamondsrock]

I agree with that winter bulking up theory. I usually gain 5 pounds or so in the winter. My dog has had a crazy increased appetite the past month or so and has gained weight as has my in-law''s dog. We joke that they''re putting on weight because winter is coming but I think it''s true! It''s got to be biological. These dogs have no reason to eat more (stress, boredom, etc...) They''re just hungrier! It''s like they are insulating themselves.