Eating out of control

[Moneymoneymoney1979]

My eating is horrifically out of control and I don't seem to be able to stop.
Today I ate:
Breakfast - 2 pieces of toast with tons of real butter. 2 Christmas mince pies (flipping Morrisons and their early Xmas stuff).
Lunch - chocolate
Tea - 2 more pieces of toast with lots of butter.
Drinks: large glass of squash and 3 cans of pepsi max.

So literally no fruit or veg and not even any water. I'd love to say this was a one off but it's just not.

I can't keep going like this.

Agree with changing breakfast first
For me if my first meal is "good" then it sets up the rest of the day
So glass of water and a decent breakfast with fruit/veg and do that every day. That way even if your other meals aren't great, you've had some water and some fruit/veg
Would also take a multivitamin if you aren't already

@Rainydaize Well done for making such progress

Is the issue that you want to lose weight?
or you just want to eat a healthier/normal diet?

It can be so hard to get out of a food rut, especially when you’re feeling low, so I feel for you OP.

It does sound like your diet is one of quickness and comfort, but there may be some tweaks you can make to add a bit of ‘healthiness’. Obviously it depends what foods you like, but things like sliced banana on toast for breakfast, hummus and veg sticks as part of your lunch, oatcakes and cheese rather than toast, fruit and yoghurt for dessert. All quick but tasty. As others have said, soup can be healthy and nutritious.

Do you like really dark chocolate? I’m a massive chocolate hound but I managed to cut down by buying the really dark stuff, as it’s hard to eat more than a couple of squares in one sitting!

I hope you are in a better place soon 💐 it sucks when you feel down.

Try making a pot of lentil soup at the start of the week. That's really easy then because you can have some for lunch or dinner for a few days and it's as quick and easy as toast. I use chopped frozen onions and carrots to make it even easier, just put them in a pan, add water, add 1/4 packet of red lentils and 2 vegetable stock cubes and cook for 30-40 minutes.

You could still have toast for breakfast but add peanut butter or a poached egg or two, and a banana or glass of orange juice.

You don't have to have a perfect diet but you can make it easier to add in healthful foods.

Both

But ... for now, just focus on doing one thing positive because you can and you will. And if you slip, you can start again. One thing.

How about batch cooking? Soup would be a good one! Cook a big pot full of the veggies you want and freeze individual portions. So you always have something at hand.

This is good! I eat a lot like you on a bad day, possibly worse and am a total
Emotional eater. I did one day get up and eat some leftover meat and the rest
Of the day panned out much better as I wasn't so suddenly hungry. Maybe try and take small
Steps towards being healthier. I find if I eat plenty of fruit for example then there isn't as much time or space for the bad stuff. Good luck. Sorry to hear you are sad.

Thank you.
It's taken such a long time but I'm slowly learning to like myself a bit more too

Sorry to hear you are having a tough time OP. I always find when I have toast or cereal in the morning it sets me off wrong and I’m starving all day. Try fruit and yoghurt or porridge with honey. Id also recommend multivitamins in case you’re craving stuff because of a deficiency.

When I lived alone I loved that I could make something like a lasagne or spaghetti bolognese and there would be enough for about 4 meals- freeze the leftovers and you don’t need to think about cooking for 3 other days. Those steam fresh bags of veg are fab too- no prep or thinking and you just put them in the microwave. I also kept sliced garlic bread in the freezer to go on the side (everything’s more indulgent with a slice of garlic bread).

Can you start with adding healthy choices to what you have already.

So not butter? Or put some veg with it? Avacado on toast with sone tomatoes?

Batch cooking have helped me loads! It just needs microwaving.

Pick meals you like and just add more veg. It's done then just take it out the freezer the day before, will that help?

Yes! Adding the garlic bread in proper portion sizes rather than just eating the lot is a good idea!

I'm a fucker for eating too much garlic bread so I am also going to do this

I am finding the book brain over binge very interesting and also the pod cast by the van tulletin brothers Chris and xand from operation ouch. Please don’t beat yourself up op. A mince pie for breakfast does not a bad person make.

A friend of mine who lives alone has gotten on very well with switching to one of those meal delivery services, like Gousto, Hello Fresh etc - is this something you could afford / would consider to help get you out of your rut?

Would it be helpful to talk to someone and open up about some of those difficult emotions and thoughts you have around (in your words) being lonely, single and not being able to have children?

@Moneymoneymoney1979 I sympathise and can be similar myself. I have ADHD so the combination of buying the right things, attention to cooking, being interested in cooking and remembering to eat at the right time makes it super hard.

I have found the following helps:

• ask someone to go shopping for you, or do an online shop, to avoid putting crap on the basket. Just don't buy it. That's the first step.
• have super easy things to eat. Microwave readymeal, soup, anything that is one step cooking.
• start with ONE thing a day. Or even a week. Don't set yourself up for failure by saying you're going to change everything tomorrow. These are deep set habits. "Today I will have a banana". Something super easy and simple. Make it easy to be successful.
• keep some of the nice or unhealthy things. Don't deprive yourself. If you like chocolate, have that for dessert or a snack, but maybe say you can only eat it after you've had a proper lunch.
• Do a batch cook and put things in the freezer in little meals.
• I use GOUSTO to help me cook. Following the recipe and having things in the right portion sizes has been brilliant. Pm me if you want a discount code. You could choose some easy meals, and then you'll have the recipes and practice and can repeat them again without reordering.

Pm me if you want to chat x