Struggling with food

[Icanteat]

Not my dc, me.
I was doing so well, breakfast lunch and dinner.
Bit of veg on my plate.
I've just lost it again. I'm not eating until I'm starving then binging on crisps and chocolate.
My mood is a mess. I know I can help it if I just reset but I'm stuck. Any hints or tips?

Don’t have the crisps and chocolate in the house, even for other family members. And never wait til your hungry to eat even if it means you’re forcing a little something back - it means you’ll be less likely to get ravanous.

Could try a meal substitute like complan. It has lots of vitamins too so a good way to build yourself. I would recommend some exercise in fresh air so you can get a bit more appetite and try soups and more gentle easy foods to eat. If you are feeling depressed then maybe you should speak to your GP too.

Eat more protein and fat earlier in the day which will prevent you having these low blood sugar crashes, which then cause you to binge. You don't need to eliminate carbs, but try to have high fibre carbs that are less refined and processed and won't spike your blood sugars so much. It's not clear from your op whether you are trying to lose weight?

You could try something like eggs, avocado, bacon, cheese for breakfast, then for lunch have a salad with protein such as hard boiled eggs., cold meat, cheese, or jacket with beans and cheese. Dinners you could have a look on Pinterest or even on here for ideas.

Dieting to lose weight or not, fat is not the enemy- it will keep you satisfied and help balance out your insulin response which will hopefully prevent you getting to the point of starving hungry and eating anything you can lay your hands on!

Sounds like your hormones are all over the place

Menu plan for yourself for the day. Plan manageable breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between if you need them. Plan the foods you binge on into your weekly plan so you know they are coming. Plan things to distract yourself at your risky times.

If your blood sugar is all over the place then it is going to have an impact on your mood. Is there any particular reason that you're letting yourself get so hungry?

I do want to lose a bit of weight but that only happens when I have my food handled. I can eat loads and lose weight but when I binge the chocolate and crisps of course it's more calories but less good stuff.

I have issues don't we all. Mine are around food among other things. The summer was great with dc about the place I had to feed them so then I was in a good routine too. Self care isn't my strong point.

Well, hunger can definitely be a binge trigger so best avoided. I sometimes find little and often is the best way to keep me from a binge. And I agree that trigger foods need to be as hard as possible for you to access.

I'm making pasta now. With tuna. Even posting this is a good step for me. I'm embarrassed about it even anonymously.

why are you not having meals? I don't mean in an exasperated way, just... does it feel too much effort, or is there nothing you want, or are you in too much of a rush? Try and deal with that problem and hopefully the food will come.
If you're too busy in the morning keep some cereal bars to hand, for instance.
You can do it - take one day at a time.

If self care is an issue then reframe it. You need to look after yourself to be the best possible mother for your DC. That way it's about them and not you (if that makes sense).

Be kind to yourself. Have soup in the fridge - make/buy ones with beans for protein/fibre. Make yourself have a bowl before any junk.
I had to quit sugary drinks as I found they were a trigger for me wanting to eat poorly.
Oh and get a microwave air popper popcorn thing. Provides mindless crunch to snack on without being as bad for sugar levels as crisps.

I think I feel lazy to cook just for me. It seems so pointless. I really feel very lonely when I'm home all day. It just seems so thankless and boring. Even though I have a million things to do they don't get done. My family do appreciate me so it isn't that. I think I don't value what I do, if that makes sense.

well done!
Small steps. You'll get there!

Can you not have crisps and chocolate in the house?

Do some batch cooking and freezing so there is always some quick health food available you like.

As PPs have said, eating more protein really satisfies the appetite.

Oh don't think cooking from scratch is pointless. It can save money as well as being more healthy. If you freeze your own 'ready meals' there is always something nice to give guests as well.

It's really hard, but fuelling yourself properly will definitely help with your overall mood and motivation.

I've recently been reading up on the type of foods that can help naturally lift mood and help with anxiety and leafy green veg, oily fish and nuts and seeds were recommended. Might not be anything in it but worth a try!

Not worth cooking for one - I have phases of that problem. We eat as a family in the evening so that works for me, but if I'm home along during the day I struggle to motivate myself to eat sensibly.

Ready meals are a godsend! Ok they're not brilliant, but they definitely have their uses and this is one of them.

Thank you for advice so far I got some 'real' food on the table without binging while it was cooking so that is good I'm eating it now and drinking water instead of fizzy drinks.

Why is it so hard - ffs it's just eating. I had it all handled I was exercising and then poof, dd had an issue at school and I took on all that stress and everything fell apart again.

How about if you prepare yoyr food in advance? I.e make some overnight oats for breakfast before you go to bed and make a sandwich / salad for lunch in the morning. You may feel it'd be a waste not to eat it as it's there ready.

Yes, ready meals can be great - I sometimes pick up somethign yelow stickered in M&S on my way home for the morning school drop off. It helps to keep a bit of variety in my daytime diet, or else I'd probably have fish finger sandwiches every day!

If you have a long term issue with disordered eating, then make eating for health your goal, rather than specifically losing weight.

I have had numerous issues with food and have learnt not to allow myself to get hungry. It makes me unexplainably anxious.
I make sure I have 3 meals a day whether I am hungry or not. At the moment we are not having the healthiest of meals but we are eating a lot of (pre-prepared) veg with it and that has really helped.

Have you a history of eating disorders? If so have you had any kind of counselling or treatment? It sounds like you might benefit from some.

You don't need to actually cook a full hot meal for yourself to eat properly. I work part time and am almost always on my own at home at lunch time. I mostly have a big salad. I put the radio on, get the whole salad drawer out of the fridge and just chop a bit of all the veg I can find. Then chuck in some tuna/ham/egg/cheese and a handfull if tinned chick peas or cannellini beans and put some dressing on (often just a bit of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar). Fresh and healthy and easy to vary according to what you have in the fridge.