Why can I not stop eating?

[otinata]

I’ve always loved my food, but I feel over the past few months it is out of control.

I eat well at home (still a lot), at work a little unhealthier as there’s always chocolate and biscuits etc. on offer.

Yesterday, for example I had:

Bowl of cereal for breakfast before I left the house

2nd breakfast of bacon sandwich at work

Large portion of stir fry for lunch

Three packets of quavers

Snickers bar

Jacket potato with cheese and beans

Grapes

It’s not comfort eating - I’m genuinely always hungry!! I don’t know why.

For a start you need to ditch the cereal and have eggs. You are not having enough protein. What did the stir fry consist of?

What is your weight like? I ask because hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) can give insatiable hunger, but most likely would be other symptoms too such as restlessness and likely underweight. Might be worth checking out.

I do often have cereal with two boiled eggs, I usually do a batch on a Monday but didn’t this week.

Stir fry has chicken, protein noodles and mixed veg.

My BMI is 20.

The restlessness makes sense, although I had TFT bloods not too long ago that were normal.

What’s your blood sugar like? Have you had your thyroid checked?

This. Dump the processed stuff and eat proper food. You're hungry because you aren't eating what your body needs.

Switch to wholemeal toast and eggs for breakfast

You need more protein at lunch - try adding more chicken to the stir fry

In the evening, jacket potato is a pretty small supper - Swap to fish pie or sausages and mash with veggies.

20 BMI is quite low and winter is approaching. Your body is telling you to store a little more fat.

Can you not try and control your portion size rather than give up something you eat altogether?

I eat what I want and I’ve never been overweight, always been slim but I just have a small taste of things I like.

Base your diet on protein, fibre, healthy fats and complex carbs. Protein and fibre will keep you feeling full, complex carbs and healthy fat will give you energy without spiking your insulin or creating a sugar surge and crash.

If your BMI is 20 and you are eating and eating and not gaining weight, you need to call your doctor to check your thyroid for Graves disease.

I would guess it's lack of fibre, lack of protein or both. For me I tend to gravitate towards protein naturally and I need to focus on fibre to make sure I'm getting enough.

Or it could be stress, if you're having a difficult time. Emotional hunger has always just felt like hunger to me.

Very roughly, calories:

Cereal and milk - 300

Bacon sandwich- 400
Stir fry- 400
Quavers- 260
Snickers-250
Jacket potato- 450
Grapes -70

Assuming you're an active adult, isn't about 2k calories pretty normal?

Cereal is crap and won't fill you, swap it for greek yoghurt and berries or porridge or eggs

Swap quavers to popcorn or handful of nuts

Swap snickers to a banana

Good to go

I feel like this when carbs are the focus of my diet. It’s being on a merry go round of constantly seeking blood sugar highs.

I don’t think carbs are the devil, but I know in my body I really struggle to moderate them. If I start the day with cereal, best believe I’ll spend the day chasing after crisps, biscuits, chocolate, toast, potatoes trying to get the next hit. It’s honestly an addiction.