Having a meltdown about food- afraid to eat in case I gain more weight. Help

[Bunnyflop7]

My brain is a mess. I’m over a comfortable weight at 10 and a half stone. I think this has happened because I’ve thought ‘fuck it’ too often and had too much chocolate or a McDonald’s. But, I should add, I’m very careful not to have big meals and eat lots of fruit and veg.

one thing that often happens is that I have like, a tiny amount of granola and then I’m starving an hour later and have to have a nakd bar and then maybe something else.

ive lost all ability to eat like a normal person and know how much food I need.

what makes it worse tho is that I need to lose at least a stone.

I don’t know what to do

Stop eating over processed food.
Granola (most) is full of sugar and so will leave you needing another boost shortly after eating it.
NAkd bars, although natural, are also high in sugar.

Boost you fibre and lean protein so you stay fuller for longer and stop eating processed food. It will be hard in the first couple of weeks but you will soon stop craving all the sugar.

you could log your food onto My fitness pal or similar so that you can keep track of calories, carbs, fat & protein.

If I don’t like eggs what sort of other thing is a good breakfast?

Totally understand this OP💐

Wholemeal toast with peanut butter is another slow release carb breakfast with a bit of protein .
Or Greek yogurt with fruit and seeds

I also can not eat like a normal person!

Smoked salmon
avocado
Greek yoghurt and fruit/ nuts
Chicken sausages
Oats

Sounds like you're not eating enough so reaching for sugary carby snacks. Filling up with fat and protein helps curb appetite.

Would intuitive eating be worth a try?

As a person who's overweight and trying to lose, your 'food friend' is protein. Try some porridge or oats for breakfast which will keep you going for ages and if you're a meat eater, go for chicken/fish etc for snacks. Granola will just give you a quick sugar high and then you crash shortly and feel hungry again.

I've started using the Nutracheck app as it's more uk based than My Fitness Pal and after a couple of weeks I'm finding that having 1200 cals a day forced me to make good choices for my snacks rather than grab a processed 'health bar'. I too don't really know how to eat normally but I have totally seen the value of real food and not processed rubbish!

I understand this OP and have been there. You need to allow yourself proper sized, nutritionally balanced meals at appropriate times when you are hungry - and especially make sure they have enough protein in them. Prepare the meal, sit down and enjoy it, tidy away and move onto work / task / a walk etc until time for the next meal. It’s hard when your brain is saying: don’t eat too much; however, eating too little may lead to overeating - or the sense of overeating - later when you are starving, so it is sensible to eat the right amount of food when your body needs it. I hope you can find a pattern that works for you.

You know there’s no such thing as eating like a normal person.

Sounds like you just don’t eat very big meals. Try having a bigger breakfast with more protein and then you might not need the nakd bar. I mean you might, some days I’m hungrier than others. (non sugary) granola and nakd bars aren’t going to make you fat unless you eat them in vast quantities.

OP have a look at Dale Pinnock aka The Medicinal Chef on Instagram. It’s not about weight loss but healthy, nutritious food. No gimmicks.

Try a chunk of cheese or a handful of nuts instead.

Protein, veg first, the complex carbs to fill up.

Any time I do it in the wrong order, I end up craving more carbs.

You need to eat proper meals, with plenty of protein, and try not to eat between meals. Feeling a bit hungry is not something to be avoided at all costs, it is natural and perfectly tolerable for a short time.

I was told to eat tiny meals by my mum in order to lose weight. So I did but it wasn’t sustainable. Now I’m a fat lump with a bad relationship to food who seemingly keeps getting fatter.

im worried that if I go back to full size meals I’ll get even larger

Look up "volume eating" online OP - you can have huge big meals, but mainly low-calorie non-processed stuff alongside proteins.

I eat way more than I ever did in the old days but weigh much less.

I do sympathise, Bunnyflop.

I've lost a lot of weight Over the last couple of years. I'm trying to do maintenance now. I've had a tough couple of weeks and am so so scared of putting it back on. My old comfort eating/bingeing tendencies have fired up again, and the fear is just adding to the pressures.