Help - I don't know how NOT to eat!

[JimmyCorkhill]

I am loving this way of eating.

When I am busy it is great to be able to keep going and not worry/think about what to eat.

I am not busy very often.

I realise that I have lived my life always snacking, picking, eating, drinking. Even though I am now not hungry (a FIRST), I am still eating.

I am choosing the correct things to eat but I know I'm not hungry.

I don't know how to 'be' anymore.

Anyone else? I feel like such a saddo

[JimmyCorkhill]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?!!

I liken it to an ex smoker needing something to hold. I always have a drink or a snack, or I'm preparing something to eat.

How do you get out of this mindset or will it come naturally once I am very entrenched in this way of eating (only been doing it for a month)?

[lottieandmia]

What diet are you following? I'm doing Atkins and find that I am never hungry. I don't even get the urge to snack anymore whereas before I was always picking at biscuits etc. if you are doing a low carb diet and you're hungry then you probably need to up your calories.

[JimmyCorkhill]

That's interesting, thanks. I'm not following a specific diet but I've cut out all sugar and wheat. I'm avoiding fruit at the moment just to get used to not having sweet things but I don't plan to do that forever.

I can't really tell if I'm hungry or it's just a bad habit. I know that when I'm busy I'm not thinking about food but when I'm at home it's all I think about.

I will try to eat more today to see if it curbs the snacking. Thanks again.

[Snowdown]

I've been trying to cut out snacks for 6 months now....it has been really hard but after about 4 months I finally cracked it and I stopped thinking as much about snacking - just being hungry and eating proper meals. I think it's a goal worth pursuing because mindless eating is probably what causes most people to gain. Most people take 3 weeks to form a new habit but clearly some are more difficult to budge than others. Good luck and keep at it!

[JimmyCorkhill]

Thank you. Yes, mindless snacking is EXACTLY what I do! Then I don't have such big meals because I'm not really hungry.

I think I have convinced myself that this new way of eating will solve all my problems without me having to exert any control. I will attempt a snack free week but plan some bigger meals.

[lottieandmia]

If you're eating very low carb, like less than 20g a day then you need to make sure you're eating plenty of butter, olive oil and full fat mayo so that you have eaten enough calories. Plus things like cream for sauces.

[JimmyCorkhill]

I don't really know how many carbs I'm eating, although I am not eating any wheat or grains, just veg. I want to get away from any weighing/measuring/counting. I am having cream in my many coffees but don't think I'm having a lot of fat in my actual meals. This is really helping me, thank you.

[Jesuisunepapillon]

I'm the same, OP, I'm full on this diet, I'm really experiencing so much less hunger, but I just want to snack so much. For me it's because I'm at home all day, feeling very tired (health ishoos) and it's a long day to fill. It's really really hard not to pick.

At the moment I'm trying to drink fruit teas when I feel like this. I'm trying to remind myself to drink a big glass of water as often that sorts the cravings. I also try and keep a bit busier, which is hard with low energy, but just some knitting can work wonders. And I'm listening to a meditation app by Andrew Johnson on emotional eating which is really helpful. It is a challenge though and I would like to not be feeling like this. But I think most people, if you stuck them in a house for 14 hours and told them they could do things for 2-3 hours of that time, would start wanting to eat.

[JimmyCorkhill]

Thanks Jesuisunepapillon, you hit the nail on the head. I actually have some wool and knitting needles - might be time to youtube myself some knitting lessons!