To think there must be a way to stop 'food noise' that isn't WLI's?

[Justanothermum9421]

I have absolutely nothing against weight loss injections, but they are just not for me. They absolutely have their place and I am seeing people do SO well on them! I am happy for them, but surely there is a way to turn off or dim that food noise without them?

I am eight weeks postpartum, desperate to lose the baby weight and exclusively breastfeeding. I am one of those people who drops weight whilst breastfeeding, if I try and eat sensibly. But I just can't turn off that food noise. I eat and eat and eat. It is mostly not that I'm hungry, I just enjoy the taste and want that quick dopamine hit, and I can't resist. A lot of the time I've shoved something else in my mouth before I've even processed what I've done.

I've been overweight most of my adult life (and for lots of my childhood, actually!), and I'm so fed up of it. I don't feel comfortable or confident, my relationship with food is so unhealthy and I need to change. Please help!

Conditioning. Give yourself an electric shock whenever you feel hungry. Look up Pavlov’s dog experiment but used negatively!

Fasting helps too.

Weight loss injections are the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m a healthy size 10 for the first time in my life, having always been around a size 16. I feel good, I look good, I have so much more energy. The freedom from the food noise is so, so liberating. I’ve been trying to lose weight my whole life (like so many of us!) and have never experienced the food noise just not being there. I honestly don’t think there’s any other way to ‘turn it off’. I’m considering staying on a low maintenance dose for the foreseeable future.

Give yourself a break! You had a baby eight weeks ago, you will be tired and sleep deprived and you are sustaining another human being with your body. Now is not the time to beat yourself up about weight.

I have also been overweight my whole life and I'm now on injections which are life changing but I am so suspicious of the phrase 'food noise'. It's a diet culture marketing phrase trying to sell us the drugs- and I'm a happy customer buying them so I'm not criticising the medication at all. But this phrase is demonising some very normal human behaviour and feelings and craving comfort food when exhausted and breastfeeding is absolutely not a 'food noise' issue or a cause for concern.

I know how you feel OP. I haven't gone down the WLI route as I worry about side effects and the cost ££.

I'd love to know what helps turn down or turns off the food noise.

For me, no, nothing else worked. The best alternative was getting really into exercise - twice a day intense exercise, which made me choose food that was high protein and filling and kept me away from snacks. But ultimately, that did not work long term. Now, I exercise daily and am toned but the injections just made it possible to sustain the healthy eating.

Read ultra processed people. It was eye opening for me. I'm finally a healthy weight after reading it and ditching upfs almost entirely after being horrified at the ways companies have designed these foods to be so addictive. The whole message is that its not you, its the food! I bet you don't get food noise from carrots?!

I’m looking at my disordered eating and I’d love to sort out food noise.

One thing that’s helping is taking the enjoyment out of food and seeing it as fuel. I still eat a good evening meal, but breakfast and lunch I cycle through some really tedious foods- fruit salad and yogurt, cottage cheese with fruit and peanuts, beetroot and cheese. It’s helped to remove all anticipation and planning from those meals- I’m eating my ration of calcium, fruit/veg and keeping hunger at bay. That’s all.

Another approach that’s working for me is to think about eating 500 Cals less that I would otherwise have done. Doesn’t matter what I eat. It matters that I don’t eat 500 cals that I used to eat.

Another one who was really on the fence after not getting on with WLI last year because I didn’t really understand what I had to do but a month ago I took it on board and gave it a go. I was thinking about it today 15lbs down I am at the gym every day for a class then I swim I have a lot of energy I have had 5 mini eggs in a month that’s all the chocolate I’ve had which is a miracle. I feel so much more calmer don’t think about food and just eat when I’m hungry. This is a miracle and I just think I’ll use them for life low dose this comes from a person who only got up to get a latte and pain au raisin from the local deli after being so depressed and who planned every car journey around the best bakeries

Try Slimpod
It’s a podcast/audio style program that you listen to for ten minutes a day and it helps retrain your brains connection with good. It’s genuinely worked and there’s a free trial so no obligation

How is the weight loss maintained on the jabs though? Surely the good noise comes back when the jabs stop? Is it medically advisable to be on the jabs for the rest of your life?

I managed to really reduce the food noise by recognising it for what it is - a desire for a dopamine hit. Then I was able to say to myself oh, it's not food I want, it's dopamine.

Eventually I was able to accept that the dopamine hit would only last 30 seconds and then I would be in the same place whether I take the hit or not. So I stopped eating sweets and chocolate and cake by recognising that I wasn't eating them because they're lovely but because I want a hit. Pretty quickly the food noise died down.

It hasn't gone altogether - I'm feeling it right now - but I know it's not that I need food.

Good noise lol, food noise obviously

Me too.

Protein suppresses hunger. Protein combined with healthy fats is even more effective. Avoid all process carbs including pasta, rice and potatoes.

Well firstly if you're breastfeeding an 8 week old you are almost certainly sleep deprived and need more food than normal to create milk, so do be kind to yourself - your body is amazing!

I can't pretend I have completely got rid of food noise but I think what you eat makes a big difference and, for me, particularly at breakfast - if I have a high carb breakfast (and that includes porridge) or a too small breakfast I'm ravenous by 10.30am. If I have a large portion of full fat Greek yoghurt and nuts followed by an apple I won't be hungry until lunch. And I will be satiated and not interested in snacks. A bowl of pasta for lunch = sleepy in afternoon and hungry mid afternoon but a large potion of veggie chilli, some brown rice and a generous grating of cheddar keeps me full. I would say fibre, fat and protein and good for satiety. Also making sure you eat enough at meals. If I eat too much sugar then I want more, more, more!

Basically eating tasty, healthy food and avoiding junk as much as possible helps - you need to listen to your body and work out which foods you find satiating and which don't work so well for you. I have found 'Why we eat (too much)' really helpful in understanding the biological mechanisms that drive us to over eat - I recommend reading on a kindle if you're breastfeeding!

I’ve lost 23 pounds since 1st January. I gave up added sugar and am low carbing. Once I gave up sugar the food noise has gone away. Like you I’ve been overweight most of my life before now and don’t want to go down the WLI route

Yes, I’m interested to know this.
What is the long term plan? To stay on them for life? What are the long term effects of this?
There is currently little long term research into the effects of these jabs on weight loss and health. Without meaningful changes to diet and exercise it will all just creep back on eventually.

Ashwagandha tablets! After about 5 days on them (to help with calmness) I realised my food noise had gone. I don't think about when I am going to have the next treat all the time now.

Keep busy.
Do a job where you are only allowed to eat at set times and don't have long then.
Exercise. I'm never hungry after I've exercised. I'm starving if I've sat around doing nothing.

Sounds weird, but I don't buy sny foods that I actually like, and keep my food very plain, with no flavouring. Think plain chicken breast, steamed veggies, boiled potatoes. And one meal a day. I find it is about rigidity and breaking the link between food and pleasure. I have lost three stone in a year like this. I am autistic though, so I don't know how this would work with NT people. Also, I only eat alone.

Another recommendation for Slimpod. Great support and community.

Having said all that...it's been eight weeks! Give yourself a break as you are busy looking after your baby. Judging by what you have said, I wonder if it's a combo of thirst and tiredness causing you to overeat. You should be getting a truckload of oxytocin from breastfeeding.

Congratulations OP and good luck.

I started a post with a similar theme and had some useful advice. https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5231352-stopping-the-food-noise-thoughts-from-jab-users?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

My premise was that I could really identify with the idea of turning off food noise. But I don't think my GLP is all messed up so I didn't want weight loss drugs. What I wanted is to understand how to replicate the feeling of turning off food noise and I could just try and do it. I think that is similar to what you're saying?

If I owned the world, I'd fine everyone £1 every time they typed or spoke the words 'food noise'.

Then I'd use the money to give everyone their own personal chef and home gym installation.

I’ve gained about 3 kg over the last year due to being on medication where weight gain is a known side effect. I’ve also had a much stronger urge to snack than previously.

I tweaked my diet a few weeks ago:
cut the carbs a bit ( already weren’t high)
Bigger, really filling, protein rich breakfast
Started breakfast with protein and a bit of cider vinegar ( glucose goddess hack)
No snacks between meals unless really hungry. Eat plain nuts if I’m hungry.
Strictly no snacks after my evening meal
Almost no sugar, no UPFs

They weren’t big changes but the effect has been really noticeable- am much less hungry, and the desire to snack has just gone. I’ve also lost a bit of weight.

Might be worth making easy tweaks to start with? But I’d be gentle with yourself. Maybe you crave that dopamine hit because you’re exhausted and postpartum?

Ah, yes, the Dopamine hit problem.

It’s probably worth researching Dopamine Agonists if you have any worries about compulsive behaviour.

It’s a big topic, but well worth gaining some knowledge for now and the future.

Hint: It’s something that Big Pharma like to minimise.