Addicted to ordering food

[UberEatsAddict]

Had to name change as this is really embarrassing to admit. Posting here for traffic too.

I’ve realised that I’m addicted to ordering food and I don’t know how to stop. For context, I have two small children that both have disabilities. I’ve always been a comfort eater but since having my youngest, food is my go too daily. If I have a stressful day with the children (or even at work), the first thing on my mind is ‘right, what am I going to order tonight.’

I don’t smoke and don’t drink. Don’t take drugs either but I really do believe that I’m addicted to fast food and being able to have a full meal delivered with just a few clicks of a button. I do the food shop, I meal prep so that the children always eat healthy meals. Today, I was meant to have chicken, rice with prawns and salad for dinner but I know that I’ll order something as I’m feeling really anxious atm.

I’ve been on antidepressants since my youngest was 3/4 months old and that’s when I realised an increase in my eating. I have an upcoming appointment with the local Eating Disorder clinic in the New Year so hopefully progress can be made eventually. In the meantime, does anyone have any tips or has anyone been able to get a grip and stop spending money on food?! I know there’s bigger issues out there in the world but I’m so sick of this

Remove the apps, block the numbers

How are you even affording it all?

@WhatsInStoreFor2024 that does nothing for me because I’ll go on Safari or re download the apps again. I feel like I have no self control (which obviously isn’t the case but that’s how I feel!)

I budget really,* *REALLY well so that I have an amount to spend on food. I don’t really spend money on anything other than bills and the children. I don’t go out much and don’t have a car or anything like that

I was doing this for a while and got absolutely sick of the food being horrible. Some places food are vile. Also, the extra added charges are too much after the price. When I checked the marked up on price I felt really sick. Deliveroo and Uber eats are a rip off so you should think on the savings you would make. You know is unhealthy food so go cold turkey on these apps.

It’s a huge waste of money, the food is not nice, and it’s incredibly unhealthy. Maybe try to save the money for a holiday?

How much are you spending every week?
Could you work on reducing the frequency rather than trying to gocold turkey?

Would putting the money saved towards a holiday or special day out give you something to aim for?

Just so you know you're not alone OP, I struggle with the same and I'm ashamed to say that I have literally got myself into credit card debt because of it. It's definitely an addiction.

Start attaching that fun serotonin kick to cooking and meal prepping. Watch fun cooks on YouTube, find recipes you've always wanted to try, look up how to recreate your fave things to order at home: Make it a fun, stress-relieving hobby rather than the thing you SHOULD do, and you're much more apt to stick to it. Maybe set a firm 1 or 2 orders for a week and set out what you want to try for the other days so your attention goes to that rather than the apps.

I used to be really bad for ordering fast food several times a week too but a couple years ago my husband and I agreed to cut back massively for the sake of our finances and we started doing a Friday night takeaway. That way we had a takeaway night to look forward to and we'd take turns choosing the restaurant every other week. It actually made it more special and something to look forward to and put thought in to rather than just mindlessly ordering something to eat.

@WhatsInStoreFor2024 gave you the perfect answer. You've found a way around it.

Nobody but you has control over what you eat.
Either ration yourself to no more than once a week until you can reduce it to once or twice a month or carry on making excuses to eat unhealthy, overpriced, salty slop.

What is it you are getting from it? It could be a number of things.
Not having to cook
A way to eat your feelings
Social interaction from the limited exchange with the courier
The hit you get when you order online.

Work out which (or something else) is the main motivating factor here and try to replicate it in a healthy way.

Someone I know had a similar problem and found having accountability with other people helped. She posted on social media to explain she wasn’t ordering takeaways anymore (for 90 days I think? Maybe 100?), then every day she’d post an update to say if she’d ordered food or not. She said knowing her friends and family were watching/reading helped her stick to it, especially as she’d get supportive messages etc. Also transferring any money she would’ve spent on a takeaway that day into a savings pot helped, seeing how much you’re saving financially can be really motivating. And making fakeaways helped too.

Best of luck. Remember the ‘thrill’ of ordering food is a quick one, the food is generally fattier/saltier than what you’d cook yourself and you normally feel regret after dropping £15-25 on a meal you only wanted as an emotional response to stress.

Just wanted to post and say you’re not alone OP, I have fibromyalgia and 4 teens who don’t like anything at the moment. It’s just easier to order takeaway especially when I’m tired after work.

I’ve told them we are having a no takeaway January they can all make their own dinners if they don’t like it, there’s stuff in the freezer they can throw in the oven they’ll not starve.

I am the same I think. Looking for the ‘reward’ for a long day. I order when I am tired…

@Tafaa sorry to hear you’re also going through similar, it’s a ridiculous addition to have which further adds to the embarrassment of it all. Do you have a plan forward on clearing the debt?

@extrasushiplease that’s a really good idea, thank you. I do want to change my mindset as mealtimes are currently a chore for me. My day’s are full with work and appointments and that’s every single week. By the time it comes to mealtime, I don’t have energy to make anything for myself. Sometimes I make something and I don’t even want too eat it. It’s difficult to explain really but you’ve given me a good idea!

@shivawn that’s also a good idea. Just Eat have a Cheeky Tuesday deal where you get 20% (or sometimes 50%) on an order placed. I could aim to only order once a wek on a Tuesday as that would make a difference financially too. How have you and your husband found it? Do you order food much less now or is it difficult to maintain sometimes?

@JenniferJuniper80 it’s an addiction. There’s always a way round when you’re addicted to something

@UberEatsAddict , we’re similar- by the end of the day, we’re so tired and it’s the only time we get to relax that we just order out. I think some of the replies you’re getting on here are a little unfeeling, like saying you’re in charge. Yes that’s true but you have to want to change. Tbh right now, we’ve just accepted that this is an expense we’re willing to bear as we enjoy the food and we don’t drink, gamble, smoke etc.

Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Why not try cutting down by one takeaway a week to start with? Baby steps and be kind to yourself, life with small children can be boring and sometimes, if a treat is what you want at the end of it, is that really such a big deal?

But as you want to cut down, I’d advise one less a week to begin with and take it from there.

It really is all of these things except for the social interaction with the courier. I just take the bag and say thank you!

I find cooking boring but I will still cook a meal for myself and place it in the fridge/freezer. When it comes to dinnertime, I’m usually so exhausted and stressed that I don’t want that meal anymore. I want to ‘treat’ myself for getting through the day so to speak. I’m a big comfort eater and I do think I have binge eating disorder so that answers the second point.

Now this one will sound weird. But I like to scroll through my phone and look at the different options. I like to click ‘Buy Now’ and follow the process of the order. When I was 17/18, I used to buy maybe 3/4 bags from Mango every single month. I’d often end up returning them. My mum used to say that I was addicted to ordering something and getting excited once it turned up. I didn’t actually want any of the bags. I hate that she was right

Thank you for your kindness. I have the same mindset which is probably one of the reasons why I’m in this situation. Because my money isn’t spent on anything else, this is one of those things that I’m willing to take a financial hit on. All the bills are paid and I’m not taking money out of that pot in order to fuel the addiction if you get what I mean.

I think one less a week is a good suggestion. It’s better to take it slowly because when I restrict food, that makes my binge eating much worse. Thinking about it, my eating got worse when my youngest was in NICU. I couldn’t think straight let alone prepare a meal so I’d order food just to have something in my system. It’s really difficult to break a habit but I hope the appointment with the ED team will be a start. Thank you for understanding x

I routinely feel the same, OP. I don't have your excuse but I run out of energy running after two small children. Older one is a fussy eater so I don't actually want to eat the bland food I make for them. After feeding older one and a baby and cleaning up, I'm done with anything that requires effort for the night.

Quick fix solutions are...

• Microwave meals. Some can be relatively healthy.
• Picnic-style food that requires no effort. Some nice bread, cheese, cold meat, a pre-prepared salad, for example.

Both of these are cheaper and at least no worse for you than takeaway. I would just make sure you stock your fridge with "no effort" food.

Find your reason (there will be one).

When I wanted to stop smoking 15 years ago, the kick up the arse I needed was the amount of money I was spending: I wrote it all down, analysed it, was horrified and that was my 'JFDI' thing.

You will have a JFDI thing too, you just have to find it.

Try cutting to two a week and go from there. Get lots of nice food in.

I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been having a baby in NICU; no wonder you wanted some comfort. Can I ask what makes you think it’s an addiction? It sounds more like a coping mechanism for a hard day which most of us have, be it a glass of wine, a bag of chocolate buttons etc. I think we personally have just accepted this is how it’s going to be until we have more energy and we’ll tackle it when the kids are older.

well done for trying to make a change, it’s more than we’ve done!

It’s the extra charges for me too, @Southpoint—
If I order a sandwich for $10-15 (in the States), between the service & delivery & those other mystery charges, the final bill ends up over $25. PLUS, here we’re expected to tip, so there goes another $5 at least.
It offends me to have to pay $30 for a $15 sandwich.

I had the same problem, I have bulimia so binge eating is an issue and I also have adhd so struggle with cooking and got into a terrible cycle where I was eating takeaway almost every night, sometimes I’d even get a meal and then a bit later get another somewhere else. I have managed to get control of it now so I’m mostly not getting takeaway more than a couple of times a month.

I switched to ordering hello fresh and Gousto boxes, I think because it still gets delivered and I still get to choose meals on the apps (just in advance) it still sort of fulfills that gratification urge for me but it’s cheaper and healthier than getting take away. Sometimes when I’m getting the urge to order takeaway food I go on the hellofresh app and just change my meals for the next week instead, it doesn’t always work but sometimes it does. A big issue for me was meal planning and cooking too and I find that with the meal boxes cooking is a lot easier as everything is pre-measured out and there are step by step instructions and the meals are never too complicated.

The other thing I did was delete all the apps. Yes, it’s not a perfect solution because you can just download them again (which I do do sometimes) but it makes it a bit harder and gives another chance to rethink which means that sometimes I am better able to stop myself. I also make sure I have treats in for an evening, I buy myself things like Gu puddings so that after the meal I’ve cooked for myself I will have a treat. It’s still not the healthiest but it’s cheaper to have a posh pudding to look forward to after a meal than to have takeaway every night to get that comfort food.

OP, odd as it may sound, this is an indicator that you've got massive responsibilities and you do your best to meet them.

Before I even opened this thread, I suspected you were the mother of a disabled child. Why? Because food addiction and binge eating is incredibly common for carers. Over-eating and overspending on food is an outlet that doesn't cause intoxication or compromise your capacity to care for someone the next morning.

So before you reproach yourself for this, please be reassured this is normal human frailty. You have a demanding life, and you needed something nice. You instinctively turned to something that wouldn't interfere with your ability to meet your children's needs.

No advice but just came to say this is me. Minus the anti depressants. Literally order food 2 or 3 times a day. I’m typing this whilst eating Chinese from Uber eats. I reckon I spend 1500 a month on takeout. Would love to stop but genuinely can’t be arsed cooking