Food noise. Why can some overcome it and others can’t?

[Foodnoisebattles]

There’s a lot of talk on threads, especially the weight loss injection threads, about food noise. A lot of posters will say that the drugs turn off their food noise and allow them to lose weight. That’s a very simplified version but essentially what is being said. They will say that this lack of food noise must be how slim people stay slim and they dread it returning once off the drugs.

I used to have a severe eating disorder (hence the name change) and food noise was a 24/7 battle. I ignored it. I’m recovered and have been for a long time but still get food noise a lot of the time. I ignore it if I know I don’t need to eat. It’s a challenge and I did gain weight over the Covid lockdowns and tipped into the overweight category but lost it again and am now smack bang in the middle of my healthy weight range. I still get food noise. Every day I find myself wanting to eat, especially things like chocolate, doughnuts, sweets, cake, and lots of it but I tell myself no. I will eat what is a portion of these things then say no more.

What makes some people able to ignore their food noise and others not? I hadn’t heard of the term food noise until I came on mumsnet but it’s a good description of the brain constantly telling me to eat something I shouldn’t because I’m not actually hungry. It takes a lot of self control for me personally. Why is that different for me and people like me? Is it a chemical thing? Behavioural? Do some people not have food noise at all so they don’t need to battle it? It’s worse if I’m bored. If I’m busy I’ll forget to eat. The food noise sets in if I’m not doing much.

I have spent my life battling food noise. I was very overweight in my late teens/early 20s, then lost a lot of weight and have managed to keep it off, but it’s a constant struggle. I would love to not spend all my time thinking about (and counting down to) my next meal! I think there are a lot of factors involved, from biochemical to behavioural to psychological to genetic, as to why some people don’t seem to have food noise and why some do and can keep on top of it while others can’t. I know I find it harder than ever when I am premenstrual. That is usually when I lose control and eat way more than I should.

I agree with this, when I'm eating enough protein the food noise is barely there and I'm able to tell it to shut up!

I agree with this completely. You don't get cravings if you've eaten enough protein, it sends a message to your brain saying you've had what you need and all is well.

What makes some people able to ignore their food noise and others not?

At the risk of sounding smug, I just don't get it. I'm quite baffled by the concept to be honest. If I fancy something I have it. I stop when I feel satisfied and don't really think about food in between meals. When I'm busy or during times of stress I'm likely to forget about food altogether until I start to feel unwell or lightheaded.

'food noise' sounds hard work and you have my sympathy. Like an addiction or something. But it sounds like it's something that people can't really help one way or another, not that the people who don't experience it are superior in some way.

I’m genuinely hungry almost all the time. I feel satiated for a couple of hours after a meal then peckish, hungry then famished. It’s hard to concentrate on anything other than the hunger pangs.
I don’t think that everyone feels this.

On the other hand, I have no anxiety about irrational things (only normal totally manageable nerves about exams etc). I have no depressive thoughts. I have never had any urge to gamble (not even the lottery) or take drugs and no problem drinking moderately.

People are all different.

This. The more sugar you eat, the more you want. You can never get enough!

If you can manage a few weeks off, then go back it all tastes overly sweet and fake.

This is why I have found weight loss injections so helpful. I used to have a constant clamour in my head about food,now it's barely noticeable. I'm really not bothered about food the way I used to be.

This is true but I havent found cravings go away completely when eating a low carb diet. I just crave fat and protein, its my go to anyway, Im not really a sugar fiend.

I think people are keen to say that this is a total solution but although it helps its not a complete cure.

I think it comes down to a person's coping mechanisms and how stressed they are. If your life is really hard and/or busy and your go-to stress buster is biscuits then I can see how it happens. If this is a pattern that starts in childhood then it can become really intrenched and difficult to change.

Add that to the amount of shite food manufacturers put in food to literally make us crave it and you've got a recipe for a stressed, fat Nation.

My bad. “People who experience misery” then.

I don't think "typically" and "often" are very helpful here, to describe a problem affecting millions of people with perfectly normal childhoods and no traumatic events in their life.

I definitely have 'food noise', I'm not obese but definitely heavier than I'd like (have gained a couple of stone so nothing fits and I'm starting to look overweight).

For me, food is a hobby, an obsession. Other people buy too many clothes, or beauty products. For me it's food. I will actually go to the supermarket or markets to browse and buy things that look nice even if we don't need it. I want to eat and try everything. I am baffled by people who 'can't think what to cook' because I have dozens of cookbooks and hundreds of recipes I want to try.

But I think a lot of the difficulty for people is the obesegenic environment. Food is everywhere but a lot of it is utter crap and in too large portions.

So it's hard to get the right amount of healthy food and easy to get a lot of calories often for less money.

I went through a period in my 20s of 'food noise' and I think I was a bit bored and also felt rootless as a renter.

Since buying our first flat and having the stability of home ownership (age 25) and getting a dog, I've not had it.

I'm actually currently on medication that makes you hungry and most people do take it seem to gain stones in a short space of time. I've not gained an ounce. I can feel really hungry, with my stomach rumbling like crazy, and it doesn't bother me.

I eat real food (no processed shit, and actually have also recently given up seed oils too), eat sensible portions and don't really give it a thought beyond that.

Based on my experience, I don't think its a matter of some people have food noise and others don't. I think it depends on a bunch of stuff, some of which is in your control and some things out of it. For example, when breastfeeding, I think of food A LOT. If I increase my weekly running milage - volume goes up too (I can never lose weight by running because I always eat more than I burn off!) When the days get shorter, the noise goes up (probably a mix of boredom, comfort). On the flip side, when the sun comes out, or I'm on holiday etc. No food noise at all. Have an essay to write, all I can think about is snacks! I've never been overweight, but my weight fluctuates. I'll put on a few kg over winter, lose it naturally during the summer, put it on during a stressful period etc. I don't fight the food noise but I don't ignore it either.

What you eat (and drink) also makes a massive difference. Artificial sweeteners are addictive!! If I have one protein bar, I need one every day until my Monzo screams at me and I have to stop spending all my money in Sainsbury's local.

If I give in to food noise during the day, I have a bowl of vegetables for dinner.

Also, anorexia complicates things. If that is or was you, even if you have recovered, food noise is always going to be a bit off. You can't expect to stand next to a massive fuck off speaker for the whole duration of a rock concert and not come out a little bit deaf, or with a strange rining in your ears.

Thats just my experience, interested to know if people agree or disagree.

This is me. I will never get to cook and eat and experience the range of recipes that I would like to try in my lifetime. Every time I eat something I love the experience of something slightly different (if I can). I am known for ordering something in a restaurant that Im not even sure I will like, so that I have had the experience.

OH completely different, eats a completely beige diet, full of UPFs, same food all the time, always, without doubt will order some sort of fish and chip type combination even in really posh restaurants or a pie/meat dish of sorts. He has to play it safe.

He likes Frey Bentos pies. This is what we're talking about here.

This is interesting.

I had a tooth out a few days ago. It really hurts and I’m eating yoghurts etc. I have no food noise at all at the moment.

equally, when I’m ill or have a tummy bug I have no food noise noise.

when I was young I had no food noise at all. Then I had a very difficult twin pregnancy with severe vomiting and it’s been here ever since.

To me it's like saying what can some people reach the top shelf in a supermarket whilst I, at 150cm tall can't - because we are all different. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

I used to be fat because I ate badly. Only ever small portions but too much fat and not enough veg. I changed my diet about 6 years ago, low carb, low sugar, not many fatty foods, loads of veg. The weight dropped off but it was easy for me because I never really had 'food noise'.

A good friend has been clinically obese since I met her about 25 years ago. She started weight loss jabs 2 months ago (alongside therapy and dietary advice) and it's been a revelation to her. She didn't realise how much food noise she had until the jabs made it stop. She thought everyone was like her constantly obsessing about when she could eat next , what it would be and how much she could have. She's eating really well now and looking amazing. Hopefully this will set up new habits that will be with her for life. I'm really excited to go clothes shopping with her.

For me it was all hormonal. I went from a skinny kid to a chubby teenager and then obese adult. I would be obsessed with food once a month and eating was almost a compulsion (eat til I felt sick, then keep eating!).
Then I would feel so depressed and filled with self hatred I 'medicated' with junk food. Just an endless cycle.....
Then I hit menopause and the food noise just vanished! I lost over 100Ibs and feel like a different person.

I know some people think it's just will power but I feel I have will power now. I still fancy a cake or chocolate bar now but most of the time I can say no. Before I couldn't say no, it was honestly like a car crash....you could see the disaster coming but didn't feel like you could stop it.

It’s a new phrase ‘food noise’, not heard it until fairly recently but it does describe what I have battled all of my life. Chunky child, never lost it in adolescence, it’s been a battle my whole life and I’m 50 now!

I turn to food for comfort from any emotion, happy, sad, stressed, you name it, it makes me want to eat! I never lose my appetite ever!

I have lost weight before but never ever have I kept it off. I haven’t been on a diet or managed to lose any weight for about 14 years and subsequently my weight went up to 13 stone!

I’m now doing intermittent fasting and I am losing weight slowly. Think for me reduced work stress and a close bereavement have given me time and determination to work on myself. Whether I will keep it off, who knows but I’ve joined a gym and am determined to be a healthier version of myself. Maybe that will be the difference, I’m focused on improving my health rather than my appearance. I’ve been overweight all my life really, I know now I’m never going to be skinny.

I’m interested in the concept of food noise. Can I ask, if someone with food noise chooses not to eat at that food noise point, what happens?

I’m wondering because I recently beat an addiction.
The fear of what would ‘happen’ if I didn’t satisfy a craving was what stopped me even trying for so long. Truth is, nothing happened! I just acknowledged the craving was there, and got on with what I was doing. Then it went away.

I don't know OP.

I have suffered v loud food noise since a child. In my teens and twenties it caused bulimia because I couldn't resist eating and binging but then I'd feel so disgusted with myself that I had been unable to control myself, that I'd vomit.

People saying things like 'have some self control' or implying they are better than others for managing to refrain from acting on the food noise by not snacking etc.. made me feel worse because I thought I was a complete failure for over eating.

At that time calorie counting also started.

Although I've not been bulimic for twenty years, I still have v loud food noise and it's v intertwined with constant calorie counting in my head and loud thoughts about 'i want to eat. I mustn't eat.' and thousands of numbers in my head. Numbers of calories in everything and me adding up everything... All the time. I have never been able to switch off the number counting of calories in everything.

Until ... Mounjaro.

I was 27 BMI when I started taking it. The heaviest I've ever been. I lied about my weight to get it. The main reason I wanted it was not to loose weight (though that's v nice!), but simply to have a mental breakdown from the food noise and constant calorie counting.

And it's worked.

The food noise has stopped and my calorie counting has reduced. I am learning to let go of totting up numbers all day every day.

I finally have a mental break from something that has dominated my life since I was 8 years old. I'm 47 now.

I'm sure some people think they are superior because they can stop this mental craziness without wl injections. I don't care to be honest! Think what you want! I am just pleased I have some reprieve from it all. It's honestly life changing.

For me it’s an obsession with food. It fills my waking thoughts. I’ve been a classic yo-yo dieter since I was 13 and I’m not 44 and I’m sick of it ruling my life. I’ve been a size 10, a size 20 and every size in between. Never had the typical skinny phase during my teens and 20s- I yo yoed then too. My BMI is currently 26/27 and I have no medical complications so don’t qualify for the injections which I am sad about. If I ever reach weight in the future (which is likely given my history), I wouldn’t hesitate.

I’ve never had an eating disorder but have resorted to unhealthy methods in the past- taking speed, smoking a lot, making myself sick. Not done those for a long time though.

This. Good for you for having the ‘willpower’ OP But you have no idea how ‘loud’ your noise is compared to the next person. Perhaps what you think of as hard but do-able is actually pretty easy… regardless, if you aren’t obese with health conditions connected to obesity then you don’t need medication.
lucky you!

I think it's a mixture of how you were brought up and genetics. In my family I was raised on a 90% processed diet. Donuts for breakfast that sort of diet. It was shocking. Loads of diet drinks packed with artificial sweeteners because they were "healthier".

My mum's relationship with food was awful, she didn't cook, her relationship is still awful. She's gone through various stages of skeletal to grossly obese, all connected to how her mental health is at that time. She has type 2 diabetes, caused by her intense sweet tooth. Despite that, and being told for years if she doesn't sort her diet out she's going to lose her sight (quite close to that happening) and other serious things, we'll go out for a meal, she'll eat a few mouthfuls, declare herself unable to eat more and order a bowl of ice cream and eat the lot. Her mum died from diabetes related illness, her aunty found two days after passing away from a diabetic coma.

I'm very aware of all of this family history, but I've battled with my weight a lot since childhood. Fortunately I don't have the sweet tooth my mum has, I find if I don't eat it I don't tend to want it. I do over eat though if left to my own devices. I have to weigh and calorie count and be insanely meticulous or I just pile weight on. It's like I have no off switch when it comes to eating. I don't recognise I'm full until I'm overly full, and I eat slowly and mindfully.