To buy ANOTHER take away

[Chloe9]

I have bought takeaway nearly every night this week, tonight included (there were two nights we ate out instead). I now want to get takeaway pudding after already getting takeaway dinner. I'm literally obsessing over what I'm ordering from where. I'm not even hungry. I also can't really afford this. Ok, I really probably can't afford this. It has to come to an end soon.

But I'm miserable, lonely, bored, on new antidepressants that make me want to eat my own arm off, and also I've given up and stayed given up smoking and don't drink alcohol. I also am stuck in with sick kids and its raining.

WIBU to order the pudding and start tomorrow? Or should I find some self restraint from somewhere?

You can order pudding !!!!

@Mummadeeze

That's the thing, I don't normally even like sweet food much. That's why I'm poorly prepared. I don't have Diet Coke or anything like that. I normally just drink water green tea or coffee. I'm going to have to buy some treats in I think.

I put on five stone in five weeks with mirtazapine (and I was already fat): don't do it, OP - sit with the uncomfortable feelings instead, as it helps reduce their power ultimately.

And do a food shop for tomorrow (unless you are in an area covered by Prime Now) : you'll end up feeling worse over the takeaways, whether it's because of the money, or the content, or whatever

Dominoes do good pudding

@Hefzi

Wow. Maybe I'm naive to think it's not effecting me that much then. I haven't got in the scales in a week or so. I might be surprised.

If gaining a lot of weight and getting into debt will fuel your depression then I think you need to press the stop button now.

That kind of insatiable appetite for fatty and sugary foods in my experience means you'll barely taste whatever you've ordered as you shovel it in. You probably won't even really enjoy it THAT much.

Ah mirtazapine munchies are the worst. I've been on it for years and I could still eat a large restaurant's worth of food most days. I'm trying to follow Slimming World to lose the mirtazapine weight but failing miserably. I'd say have the dessert.

hmmm..the real problem is probably not really your eating habits-not where you obtain food from. Esspecially as appears to be as a result of meds.how recently did you change?is eating\weight gain a listed side effect(you dont have to have side effects)?are you otherwise feeling any benefit from changing meds.? wash your hair,paint your nails,try doing your makeup differently,paint inside a cupboard,throw ten pences at the wall,do suduko,plant daffodils in your nastyest neighbours garden under cover of darkness...anything,but dont give in to "emotional eating"cos i promise you-it eats your emotions and confidence faster than you think.go back gp.request something else to try?investigate mindfulness...you are not a puppy with a training mat..even if you are..change the reward...rapidly increasing weight is pretty much gony add to your woes.honestly. good luck x

I do think takeaways are a big waste of money and I haven't ordered a takeaway in years. For the price of one takeaway, we can afford 2 meals out in nice cafes, which is much nicer and gets us out of the house when we don't have much else to do.

Like most things you just have to get out of the habit of it. Always have in your house a big pot of jam for jam on toast or homemade jam tarts, a jar of apple sauce for a very quick apple crumble, frozen pizza, a pack of spring rolls, fish and chips in the freezer and a can of mushy peas. Make sure you always have the ingredients for a takeaway at home, then you never need to waste your money on a takeaway.

Keep sweets in the house!

I (26 yo married woman) supermarket shop like an unsupervised 7 YO with a credit card... but sweets are SOOO expensive elsewhere!

I’ll spend about £10-£15 a week on chocolate/sweets at the supermarket but NEVER buy it at the office/on a whim/delivery! An indervidual bar at my office is 85p whilst I get 8 for £1 in Asda 🤔

I honestly don’t get what’s wrong with having a ‘chocolate cubboard’ and indulging.

If the meds are giving you a big appetite you have to try to eat fairly healthy stuff not (delicious) junk. Those kind of foods also increase appetite in themselves giving you a double whammy. Some of these sugary fatty things can be almost addictive even if you aren't on meds.

I think one reason you are ordering takeaway is that you are still feeling tired and lethargic from the depression so you don't have the energy to cook. So get some really easy but healthier options stocked up at home. Even if these things might be more expensive and not as healthy as is ideal its still better than takeaways. So have plenty of healthyish but easy food at home and ban the takeaways for now.

5 stone in 5 weeks just isn't possible. Was that a typo?????

Got an early night in the end and did the food shop today. Feeling a bit more positive. Thanks everyone

Well done @Chloe9

Still obsessing about getting a takeaway days later. I've had crisps, fudge, chocolate, nice cheese, posh crackers, a variety of tasty ready meals and antipasto bits. I've drunk two bottles of smoothie, and made a big dent in the squash and juice, nice fizzy drink, coffee, etc. Nothing seems to hit the spot. Although at this point I think it's so over hyped I don't think takeaway will hit the spot anyway! I'm trying to hold out and get one to celebrate the end of the week tomorrow. But I'm not sure I've got the will power.

I feel really pathetic obsessing over takeaway but yes my life really is this dull! I think the meds have a lot to answer for! Although I have lost weigh the last couple of weeks not gained it.

And thanks @Beautiful3

Not been doing well with the takeaways. I seem to have lost the ability to shop and cook properly and keep restoring to them. Not every night but too often.

I know the medication is bad for the cravings as well, but can't take SSRI's and I know I'm depressed at the moment. The takeaways are a symptom really

Yes YABU. Can you make a herbal tea or a hot chocolate?

I'd decide that you'll allow yourself a takeaway once a week (or maybe twice a week). If you tell yourself that you must never eat a takeaway again your own defense mechanism will make you want them even more.

It would be better to say, right I will have a takeaway on Wednesday and Saturday nights and then really enjoy them when you do, no guilt allowed!

Then try to eat really satisfying home cooked meals on the other days with plenty of protein (chicken is great for this, eggs, maybe introduce a steak night).

Make sure every meal is satisfying in its own right. You have to change your mindset which is easier said than done. You'd be better off eating higher calorie, more protein dense main meals than trying to 'eat healthily' but then being left with cravings for crap sugary foods.

I managed to change my mindset by identifying some good savoury meals that are a treat (like steak with a really nice salad, roast chicken, a bacon sandwich in really nice wholemeal sourdough bread etc.) and trying to reprogramme myself to recognise that these are a treat just as much as cake and chocolate.

My one easy tip would be to stop having sweet drinks (even ones with sweeteners) as these will make all your hunger and craving much much worse. You'd be better off allowing yourself a more calorie heavy drink like a latte as a treat (no added sugar) as it's less likely to lead to binge eating.

chloe9 you sound so much like I used to be, same medication, crippling depression and anxiety, I would order takeaway every night, sometimes I’d order Indian and then cakeaway for pudding. It’s addictive, it puts you in the mindset that it’s easier to order, there’s no pots to wash, you don’t have anything in anyway, like you I used the excuse of I don’t drink or smoke it’s my only treat and the more you have the easier it gets and the more addictive it is.
You have to stop, takeaways on Friday night.
Order a hundred ready meals, party food, snack food, frozen desserts and pastries etc add up how much you’ve spent on takeaways and spend the same on easy, throw in the microwave food.
Treat yourself to a magazine, a book, find something on Netflix, a new computer game, whatever, to try and distract yourself in the evenings.
It will get easier and then you can start ordering more fresh food, start cooking again etc