Suck at eating healthily

[Isuckatthis78]

I'm so crap.
I try so hard to lose weight, I've tried fasting, low carb, had therapy for binge eating. I get such comfort from food, I want to quit sugar, i want to lose weight, I do well for a few weeks them I just binge on all the chocolate and sweets I can find even though I'm borderline diabetic. I've even had hypnosis to help me with my crappy eating.

Bump

I love eating. Mainly vegetables, to be honest. There's so much variety and so much taste there. If you can base your meals around vegetables, and plants and whole foods in general, pretty soon the chocolates/sweets lose their appeal. Well, that's my experience. You've got to have treats, of course. Dark chocolate, dates, homemade cakes and biscuits are my go to.

When you did therapy, did they address the way you think and talk about yourself? Being able to forgive yourself for past failures is a big part of moving forward, I think.

Do you have a plan for how to avoid a binge if you feel one is coming? Do you make sure you always have enough food in the house and is it the right sort of food?

Watching with interest.

I’m the same so can I be a passenger on this thread please haha

I was like this but have had to have a massive kick up the arse to sort it out. I went cold turkey on all sugar. Including fruit. For 4 weeks and then focused on tasty low GI foods. All unprocessed and did the 16:8. I have lost 2 stone, feel fucking ace and can't imagine going back

What is a low GI food? I'm very interested and also do you do exercise? Or was it purely diet?

GI is glycaemic index. High GI foods raise your blood sugar levels quickly and then they crash down again, which makes you feel hungry sooner than you need to eat. (The body is craving its next hit - of sugar.) So those foods are best avoided.

Exercise? Always a good idea to move about in ways you enjoy. Don't make it a chore.

I've been struggling too. Two things that really helped me

1. speaking to a qualified dietician... (not a nutritionist). you might need a few sessions and they are not cheap, but so worth it to get personalised advice/meal plans

1. instead of focusing on cutting foods, focus on adding. so it's OK to have a bit of chocolate... but have a bit of fruit as well

healthy eating is not a quick fix. no fad diet or extreme cutting things off will help. if anything it will lead to the binges you describe. and the cycle you are experiencing is incredibly common. people deprive themselves until something triggers binge eating... they feel guilty and ashamed and then the cycle begins again.

maybe for a start, take the focus away from weight and instead on healing your relationship with food. doing some reading on various sources of nutrients (use the NHS website as it has good and accurate info) and focusing on nourishing your body and also accepting that its ok to want/need treats!

Make your focus on meeting your daily nutritional needs, by focusing your mind on all the things you need in a day rather than thinking about what you shouldn't have makes it a lot easier. That way you don't remove the things you crave from your diet entirely reducing the likelihood of binging but by the time you've got through all the things you should be having you literally have less time and space for the less nutritional stuff. This work particularly well if you aim for 10 portions of fruit & veg (majority being veg) and drink at least 2l of water.

Thank you, what would a typical days food look like for you ?

I try to start the day with a big breakfast containing quite a lot of protein. one thing I gave been loving is Japanese style steamed eggs... very easy to make. I usually also will have veg/fruits as well. Nice coffee and something sweet. the other one I enjoy is making a toasties with cheese, tuna and veggies but using corn tortillas instead of bread. I also like to make omelette packed with veggies and the typical avo on toast type things.

then I am not hungry until late afternoon... then I tend to eat a big meal... lots of protein. like a whole pack of prawns + 1 egg or a fillet of fish or a good amount of animal protein + rice/noodles. I like brown short grain rice and buckwheat noodles (biona). I try to pair this with a biggish salad or pack veggies into the main dish.

snacks during the day... fruits. I try to have a large dinner plate of fruits. if I prep that in the morning, I nibble on it during the day.

these are good days. there are plenty of less good days when I am stressed and might order a takeaway. and yesterday I ate 2 macaroons.

attaching pics of typical foods I make. i love my food... so eat things I really enjoy. no torturing myself with 'diet' food.

Much the same here

I was talking to a well respected therapist recently, who says that addictive behaviours are usually down to poor connections with people / isolation / loneliness.

I don’t know if that’s always true, but I think it is probably true that you have to figure out the hole you are trying to fill.

Did your therapy address that?

I like tt9's approach to food - and the pictures! But I would say don't read up on nutrients, as most people have the potential to obsess over food. Plan your meals for the day or the week, and aim to have a lot of different vegetables (and fruit, nuts, seeds, pulses), but after that, think about other things in your life and don't let food take over.

A typical day for me:

Breakfast: peanut butter and chopped banana on toast - really filling!

Lunch - work canteen, so it varies. Often jacket potato and salad. Or lots of cooked vegetables and rice or chips

Snacks: often get hungry at work, so I take in a sandwich to stop me going for the cakes (but if I have a cake it's no big deal)

Dinner: filling main course so I can then have a small pudding or a couple of squares of dark chocolate, then I always have a black tea which now seems to signal to my body or brain that eating time is over for the day!

Thank you.
I just had a small binge and now i hate myself.
Also struggling to motivate myself to do work.
Feel like absolute shit.
I do need a strategy for when I want to binge or eat sugar, it's such s strong craving.

maybe first, stop feeling guilty. its OK to have sweet treats... women have been conditioned to feel guilt and shame about food... enjoy what you binged on. its OK to binge now and again.

in terms of practical tips, high protein foods early in the day keep your blood sugar stable and keep you going for longer.

Thank you.
It's not hunger driving me it's just cravings, boredom, etc.

I think it's about preparation to a big degree. Eg. have 2 - 3 set days a week where you prep for the next few days e.g. cut up veg sticks then put in the fridge, make a couple of healthy but yummy and nutritious dinners and portion out. Prepare some nice fancy healthy foods e.g. hummus, avocado etc ready to go on ryvita for when you are hungry. Also some good dinners and make stuff you WANT to eat - doesn't need to be the healthiest ever but just nutritious so you will eat it instead of the junk. If the nearest food is bad you will be much more inclined to eat it unless you have healthy food prepared. Also avoid having the bad foodstuffs in the house eg no bread / no sweet stuff. When it's not there you're forced to eat better. Having a big bag of apples is good as it's a helpful snack food that takes no time when you are craving a snack. But preparation is key I think. And when you're hungry use that as a cue to go prep some nice food for later rather than scoff your face. Little minutes of prep here and there through the day ready for dinner or whatever.

Thank you that's good advice.
I can't not have the food in the house cos its often stuff for the kids!

I am a binger also and used to be bulimic. Now just binge so more healthy on the whole.

I find as a binger I am all or nothing. So I will eat healthily for a while then the wheels fall off and i go absolutely crazy.

What I have been doing for the past year (and have lost 20 pounds- 24 to go) is i identify a single thing I need to cut out and a single thing i wish to add in.

So last year I cut out deep fried food. I don't even like it, but it is something i used to eat several times a week. So it was easy to just say 'no fried food'. I peel the batter off fish for example and season with lemon juice and tartare. No other restrictions. But i also wanted to add something in, so I made that breakfast would be greek yoghurt and a piece of fruit.

Those were the only changes.

Now I am planning to remove another thing. It is alcohol. I am a problematic drinker as well (part of the whole all or nothing approach and I use alcohol to self medicate). So alcohol is out, and sparkling water with posh cordials is IN.

I try and make these changes for a few months and then build on them.

So i would try and identify something problematic for you- but that giving up is not absolutely horrifying to contemplate. Give it up, but add in something nice. Track the changes- but only those. I tick off each day 'no alcohol today? tick. '. Then when that starts to feel natural and embedded move on to something else.

My eating has changed out of sight since this time last year. I was 13 stone 8 pounds last year. 12 stone 2 now. And I have not really noticed.

Good luck!

You're right, you need a strategy. So today, work out what will distract you. Some people might go for a run, some might put on loud music and do some house work, others might pick up the book they've been reading. You've got to choose something that sounds right for you.

How long was it since you'd eaten and what had you had - something you really like?

It's not essential to have crisps, biscuits and cake in the house for children - mine used to snack on fruit a lot, or veg sticks and hummus, or yoghurt or smoothies. Now they're teenagers they have mini-meals, like packet noodles, egg on toast, bagels, granola. But I do have some chocolate bars in to go in packed lunches, so I'm not saying you have to ban them completely, just maybe rethink quantity?

Would this work? Divide the snacks into groups, one for each child and one for you. Put as much in yours as you're happy with yourself eating in a week. Then you can eat some without guilt, and it's your choice if you eat it all at once or spread it out.

Also, if you want to binge, decide first If you're going to distract or allow. If allow, then set a time and see how long you can make one slice of cake or two biscuits or one packet of crisps, or whatever it is, last. Really enjoy it. (Although I often feel faintly disappointed if it's processed factory made stuff.)

A couple more suggestions:

have a jar of nuts in a cupboard (not salted or roasted just plain) and take two or three of those to eat when you want to binge. They fill you up surprisingly quickly and the craving goes away.

Don't hang out in the kitchen when you're not eating or preparing food. Don't store food out in sight.

I agree with all the PP I.e. advance food prep, not having unhealthy snacks at home and finding nutritious food you like.

I think to start with figure out what you are craving - sweet? chocolate? savoury? crunchy?

and then find healthy snacks to replace the junk stuff eg. I love mixing organic raw coco powder with peanut butter and a little honey and then lathering onto melba toast as a sweet treat. or peanut butter, salt and agave mixed and dip sliced apples into it. I cut up corn tortillas and toss into oven with a little spray of oil and eat those instead of store bought crisps. having said all of that, I also eat 'unhealthy stuff'. I went to an event over the weekend and had two plates of biryani in one sitting 😂

also maybe ask the question, if something is not good enough for you, is it really good enough for the kids? healthy eating habits start young...