To ask what you think of this typical food intake?

[ivyball]

This is what I’ve eaten over the last 7 days.
Does this seem like too much food to you or not a lot of food?
Female 5 foot 2.

Day 1

4 egg omelette with 2 pork chops and red pepper, sweet corn.
Snacks - half a 900g pack of cheddar cheese and half a 200g pack of mixed nuts spread out and picked on over the day.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 2

3 chicken thighs and 2 chicken legs with some veg.
Snacks - half a 900g pack of cheddar cheese and half a 200g pack of mixed nuts picked on throughout the day.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 3
4 egg omelette and pack of prawns, sweetcorn and spinach.
Snacks - half a 900g packet of cheddar cheese and half a 200g bag of Mixed nuts.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 4
Half a roast chicken picked at.
Snacks - half a packet of 900g cheese and half a packet of 200g nuts to pick throughout the day.
5 cups of decaf coffee.

Day 5
4 fried eggs, mushrooms, an avocado, tomatoes and bacon.
Snacks - half a pack of 900g cheddar cheese and half a packet of 200g mixed nuts.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 6
500g diced beef fried with red pepper and mushrooms.
Snacks - half a packet of 900g cheddar cheese and half a packet of 200g mixed nuts.
5 cups decaf coffee.

Day 7
1 Tin of tuna and salad.
Snacks - half a packet of 900g cheddar cheese and half packet of 200g mixed nuts.
1 bottle of white wine.

2 fillets of salmon with green beans, broccoli and red pepper.
Snacks - half a 900g packet of cheddar cheese and half a 200g packet of nuts.
5 cups of decaf coffee.
1 bottle of white wine.

I have used the term half a pack instead of (450g) cheese and 100g nuts because I thought people would be able to imagine a 900g block of cheese and 200g pack of nuts easier as that’s how they come.
Does this sound like too much food or not enough food please?
I typically eat one meal a day in the morning and pick on cheese and nuts sporadically for the rest of the day.
This is because I need to eat until I’m full or I will still feel hungry after so I eat a big main meal first thing as it works for me and I feel full.
The cheese and nuts are because of a craving for cheese. I love my cheese.

Well theres lots of layers to disodered eating

One is the emotional/psychological side, others are the social and cultural sides and then there is the physical practical side. Guess which one it will fix

She simply wont be triggered to eat as much so it will 'fix' or go some way to fixing her obesity.

If this is true, as I keep caveating at risk of deletion, she is literally killing herself minute by minute.

WLI should be attempted, but thats her choice.

If she doesnt, then what is the answer, some long winded therapy that she may never receive on the NHS, 6 sessions of CBT? A year or more waiting list for a dietitian to do what, have some sessions with her about cheese and macros? For her to source private therapy which she may not be able to afford (cost more than WLI and cheese) and she may not make psychological progress anyway

Years and years down the line she is still in thes ame place, except by now probably immobile and at much higher risk of heart attack.

WLI are not more potentially damaging than remaining obese, that's why they are approved as a treatment for obesity by the UK MHRA. Of course they come with possible side effects and risks, but the risks of taking them are outweighed by the benefit of losing weight. I think that assuming the OP is not obese after years of eating more than twice her daily calorie need is optimistic and unrealistic.

I think that WLI could give the OP some space away from the disordered eating, time to think about what's healthy and what's not, and the ability to make different decisions. Over a decent length of time that may enable her to break away from her current eating patterns and do so for long enough that the new eating habits become the new normal.

I certainly used to eat enormous quantities of food and have specific foods that I would overeat regularly. Now after approaching two years on WLI, that seems so far removed from anything that I would ever contemplate doing now that I can't ever imagine behaving in that way again. And I have the benefit of being at a healthy weight now too. So I don't think it's astounding that people have suggested WLI.

If you feel you need to eat cheese, could you slowly reduce the amount you eat. Buy a smaller
block and each week, eat a smaller portion than the week before - do it in baby steps and reduce by a tiny amount each week. And substitute the nuts with greek yogurt and fruit and maybe scatter one or two chopped nuts over.

Because it’s an extraordinary diet! I’m over a stone overweight as a result of overeating regularly. Only mentioning this to show I’m not a super healthy, small salad for lunch person. I cannot comprehend eating meals as large as this. So much fat, protein , salt and calories. No fibre or nutrients!
Do you sleep well? Have enough energy? Have good mobility, stamina and general health? I hope you do but it can’t be a good long term diet for your wellbeing. I hope you get some help.

@ivyball
You need to make a decision on whether you want to keep on living and eating the way you do.
Your DH needs to support you.
If he HAS to have cheese can he keep the cheese at work and make sandwiches there?
Can he buy cheese sandwiches?
If he won't do this for your health, then he is an absolute cock.

It must be clear to you from this thread that you have disordered eating that is probably very harmful to your health.
You need to decide what you are going to do with this information

Yes, a ridiculous amount of food for a 5ft 2 woman who has this as a "snack".

@ivyball I would in your shoes, seriously consider Mounjaro to give your body a break from consuming so much cheese I would then go and talk to the doctor and get some specialised help. You owe it to yourself to get healthy and live the life you deserve.

Good luck..

This is a key point. Because OP eats one huge meal she feels that she’s not eating much. In reality most people could not eat that quantity of food spread over 3 meals!

From another person who loves cheese I know it is so moreish but you are eating far too much cheese. Also 1 large meal and snacks is worse than 2 smaller meals as then you'll need less snacks. Try eating more meat for lunch to stop you from wanting to pick on cheese. A 3 egg omelette with veg is a meal on its own. Then for lunch you could have 2 pork chops and veg with a small jacket potato. Try to pick or snack on a chicken breast cut into strips instead of cheese. Cut cheese back to 3 times a week and much smaller portions. I don't see any fruit in your diet. Try to eat an apple, grapes or a banana in the evenings.

I also agree WLI would help. Obviously up to the OP but it would cut out that cheese obsession food noise.

(I was obsessed with cheese and on WLI. Barely eat cheese anymore).

I've been on Mounjaro for over two years and have lost 9st 11lb.

I'm now at a healthy weight.

The food noise has disappeared and things that I used to eat a lot of are no longer of interest to me.

You can’t diagnose people with eating disorders and then proclaim they can’t have injections, what on earth would possess you to think you can do that.

i understand the op said her husband buys cheese and it makes her binge for hours and hours, but she also said in her op she eats it sporadically throughout the day, and it’s a very controlled amount, 450 grams a day, and 100 g of nuts, which indicates this is not bingeing but a choice she is making.

No one bingeing eats the same set amount every day and staggers it throughout the day. It is not a thing.

She also said she felt it was healthy, she had a great diet, her family had tried to tell her, she thought they were being ridiculous, and she should actually eat more.

as much as her intake is deeply unhealthy, that does not translate to having an eating disorder, which is a very different thing.

there is no reason, that she’s declared, that means she shouldn’t try weight loss injections, as she is a ticking time bomb and as she has eaten this way for years, she needs to have bloods run, and explain to her doctor what she’s being doing,

there was one day in the week provided, she had literally no vegetables, just a half a chicken, half a kilo of cheese and 100g of nuts. Her foods are fried, meaning lots of oils or butter, often she eats 3 -4 portions of food in one sitting and counts it as one meal. Then she grazes on cheese and nuts, in her words, as she thought it was ok and she loves it,finds it very moreish, and does this sporadically for the rest of the day,

when she saw the responses, she declared it was her husbands fault, he is uncaring and she binges as he refuses to stop buying cheese. Which I am fairly sure will be a surprise to him.

Well done you 👏! You must feel fabulous?

Are you at goal weight?

is vinted your best friend?

I agree in moderation, but the volume of food in one meal is pretty large and the sheer amount of cheese and nuts is too much fat for someone who is sedentary. It’s just as ‘bad’ if not worse than lots of crisps.
As others have said it’s the amount consumed in a day that’s the issue, combined with a lack of fruit and veg. The OP likely needs support to replan her eating, more in terms of portions and variety.

Edited for typos

Let's not leap to telling the OP to ask for WLI. There's a lot to unpack from what you've posted @ivyball but I think if you can ask your GP for help there are programmes available where you can get psychological and emotional support to help you. In my first post on the thread I stated the cheese and nut consumption was disordered. That will be rooted somewhere and you should get help. Think of this thread as a first step.

It would almost certainly be cheaper for DH to buy a cheese sandwich from a shop or cafe each day than to buy 3.5kg of cheese a week.

Echo the suggestion for WLI. They are really excellent at tackling the little voice in your head shouting "CHEESE" all day and seem to have numerous benefits alongside this such as potentially reducing Alzheimers risk.

You can stay on a long term maintenance dose if you find yourself unable to wean off without regaining. I think they are supposed to be especially helpful for ADHD related binge eating.

I think because most people would be constipated if they didn't eat fibre and the OPs diet has very little. On that diet I would be uncomfortably constipated within a day.

I am sorry OP that you are in this state. It seems you genuinely have very little idea of what a normal diet is. You eat a vast meal, most people couldn't eat that quantity and then continuously eat very unhealthy "snacks" all day.

If you can't bring yourself to go to the doctors then start by reading up on nutrition and what constitutes a balanced diet. Eat half the amount at meals and add in lots of veg and some carbs. Just to get you eating normal food before you even think of dieting. And ration the cheese to once a week or go cold turkey and never touch it again like an alcoholic. Tell yourself you are allergic to cheese..

WLI has been mentioned a few times so perhaps that’s an option.
My concern will be that I am already experiencing a lot of hair shredding and I can’t afford to lose any more which I’ve heard MJ can do.
I don’t want to be on it for the rest of my life but I could see if it will get me out of some bad habits and eating normally.
I know it sounds vain to be worried about my hair in the circumstances I’m in but I had lovely thick hair until a couple of years ago when I started to lose handfuls every wash. I could be peri and that would explain it but also it could be diet but I’m sure MJ will not help there.

I take a multivitamin a day but to who asked about water or commented on too much coffee, I do only drink coffee although I hadn’t realised 5 cups was excessive, that’s one and a quarter litre by a standard 250ml coffee mug - recommended fluid intake is 2 litres so probably not drinking enough.
I have one when I get up in the morning and one when I start work, people make a couple more coffees in the office throughout the day so altogether that’s my morning coffee at home I’d say 3 altogether at work and I have one in the evening so no more than my colleagues but decaf because of my ADHD meds and yes I know wine isn’t recommended with them either but l figured life was too short, maybe I don’t want it to be that short though.

@ivyball yes up your fluids. Can be diluted juice if water isn't your thing. Do you like any fruits? They'll provide fibre fluid and vitamins. Talk to your gp about hair loss you haven't already.

Hypnosis may help with the cheese craving?

I hope this thread is helpful to you. Do you have anyone to chat to?

I think they mean that of people who have food addictions, this is what they crave/binge.

I haven't had any hair loss, I know a few people on the injections and none of them have either. If you are losing hair already then maybe see a doctor about that.

You can try the injections to see if it works for you. If you don't like it you can stop. You would need to overhaul your diet though. It just makes it easy to resist things, you still would have to make a conscious effort not to eat cheese.

I had full fat greek yoghurt with nuts and blueberries for breakfast, eggs with mushrooms spinach and tomatoes for lunch and a small normal dinner in the evening.

Oh op.

it’s not mj that makes you lose your hair, it’s the diet. It’s a temp thing.

youre losing hair as you will be devoid of so many nutrients, you really need to get blood tests done and have your liver kidneys and cholesterol checked, and you may now have osteoporosis and you could be developing issues like scurvy.

your hair will not get better till you fix your diet. The injections won’t make it worse, as long as you eat a healthy balanced diet and don’t loose weight rapidly. But unless you start getting some nutrients in your body, your hair loss will be the least of your issues.

i really wouldn’t be saying well I don’t want tnem if I have to go on tnem for life, when you’ve such an unhealthy diet and will be carrying all the risks of obesity. From cancers on, and losing your hair.

I didn’t diagnose, I said “I think”.
I didn’t proclaim anything.

Yes healthy fats are good... In moderation!

Op there can be many causes related to diet that causes hair loss, but too much fat is a key one and can lead to baldness.The amount of fat you’re consuming is enormous. You will also be deficient in many vitamins and minerals, which will make it worse.

And I’m pretty sure a decent GP would have many questions before prescribing injections.
Sure she can go private, I just don’t think it’s ideal for OP.