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!

Yes it will. The best way to lose weight is healthy eating and exercise.

No one yet know any long term effects from these jabs.

I find that a low carb diet with mainly whole foods is as good as WLI for me.

High protein helped me.

I think there needs to be some proper research about what ‘food noise’ actually is and what causes it before anyone can say what would work to stop it. It’s a new buzz word but I am not sure that it’s really agreed what it actually means.

Things it could be:
-Normal hunger signals that have got out of whack in some people (if so why and how can they be put right?)
-A psychological obsession with food that might be caused by repeated restrictions and dieting
-A reliance on food to meet other needs such as thirst, boredom or emotional distress that could perhaps be tackled with therapy
-an addiction to food similar to alcohol or tobacco addiction

I think it’s an interesting phenomenon but I am far from persuaded that it is wholly biological

I’m not going to talk about the post partum element of this thread as I think we’d all agree that it’s not the right time to be worrying too much about losing weight.

I know “food noise” is a contentious term - but only amongst those who don’t suffer from it!!! It’s relentless - thinking about food the whole time, even after a large meal.

I suppose it could be (unkindly) called greed but there is a reason for it - a healthy/balanced body would not “demand” more food when the body was satiated - it doesn’t make sense from a biological or evolutional perspective - I mean you couldn’t run from danger if you were constantly stuffed to the gunnels with food!

MJ activates hormone receptors involved in the regulation of food intake. People with food noise may be deficient in natural levels of these so MJ helps control food intake. But yes, you absolutely must increase your activity levels and eat healthy to lose weight in a safe manner and stop the weight going back on if you stop MJ.

I don’t get the argument about being on it “for life” as a bad thing. Millions of diabetics will be on it for life, same as literally billions of people are on other meds for life. Every single one of these was “new” at some point with no data on long term effects. But we still take these other meds. People just get sooooo hung up on the “taking it to lose weight” narrative, as if obesity wasn’t a threat to life.

Changing the narrative from “weight loss injections” to “licensed medications to correct hormonal imbalances that lead to overeating” might help move away from the belief that obese people are just lazy folk who eat too much.

That said. I’ve done the Atkins diet twice in my life and it did turn off the food noise. But it’s very difficult to maintain an ultra low carb diet (<20g a day) for a very long period of time. MJ had done this whilst allowing me to eat a more balanced/healthy diet than the Atkins. Losing weight has made it easier for me to go to the gym as it’s enjoyable now. The confidence boost from fitting into my clothes makes me want to exercise more and eat less.

It’s a complex process with multiple factors at play but it’s changing many people’s lives for the better. Why can’t people just be happy for us!

Another vote for slimpod… it’s really helped me manage my attitude towards food.

But please be kind to yourself OP… you’re going through a life changing time both for your body and your mind.

I lost weight with the fat jabs but am keeping it off (so far) with the following:

psyllium husk in water
loosely following the glucose goddess principles, to stop blood sugar spikes that then make me feel hungry
eating plenty of protein and good fats
avoiding crisps and chocolate etc. I’ve totally lost my sweet tooth which is a relief but crisps could well be my down fall
I did have a carb binge a few weeks ago, but it was because I ate crap, white carbs and then just wanted more. I didn’t feel better or happier afterwards and I haven’t done it again

I’d be utterly miserable without food noise. I love to plan, cook, eat, plan the next meal. What I have found the best way to curb the thoughts are to eat whatever I want, when I want it.

For example I might really want some pizza, so much so that I can’t stop thinking about it even at 9am. So I just have some 😆 not always the whole thing, I make sure I’m within a calorie limit (deficit if needed, but TDEE limit otherwise).

I don’t mind tracking calories though, I like to be in control!

Too add: I still eat pizza and stuff, but like the above poster, if I really, really want it and not that much of it (with apple cider vinegar in water first if I am feeling particularly glucose goddess like)

This. I’ve lost and kept off 40 pounds with LCHF.

It’s probably the same mechanism as WLI. Since fat spikes GLP1.

Type 2 diabetic here. I've controlled my eating with a lower carb, higher protein based diet. Once you cut out sugar and highly processed "dopamine hit" carbs, it's a game changer. Removes all cravings, which is basically what people describe as food noise. My GP won't have a bar of WLI's for diabetics, unless you've exhausted all other medications first. Touch wood, I'm off Metformin and just managing with a low dose of dapagliflozin. I've lost nearly 5 stone albeit slowly and most importantly, have kept it off.