to think “food noise” is becoming one of those phrases people hide behind rather than actually dealing with their eating habits?

[foodywoody]

I keep hearing people say they have “food noise” and that’s why they’re constantly thinking about food or snacking, but isn’t that just hunger, boredom, habit, or emotional eating dressed up in a nicer label? I’m not saying it’s not real for some people, especially where there are medical issues involved, but the way it’s thrown around now makes it sound like no one has any control over it at all.

It just feels like another way to remove any personal responsibility. Not everything needs a label. Sometimes it’s just about eating properly and getting enough protein and actually addressing emotional eating.

I don’t have any control over it, hope that helps.

I think it is useful to reflect how the food environment has changed, and how our relationship with food has changed.

Never heard this phrase before.

Food Noise is a thing.

Do some reading.

Would you say the same about alcoholics?

Not another thread to encourage people to go on about 'greed, slurping, gobbling fatties' and all the other bullshit.

If you don't understand food noise, then you've never had it.

I have it. It's like my ADHD thoughts, constant, ever present background worries that Won't. Shut. Up.

I am low BMI, not overweight. But that's not for want of my inner-voice trying.

I have never heard this expression. Why are you concerned about anyone else's eating habits? Surely the only justification for it being any of your business would be if someone you care about has an eating disorder that is actively harming their wellbeing. From the tone of your post that doesn't seem to be your concern.

It’s a get out of jail card these days and not helped by scientists and influencers, who both incidentally make a lot of money through touting how it’s nobody’s fault that they can’t stop eating, it’s those pesky food manufacturers.

I think for many overweight people, including myself, food noise is a real thing. I had tried, and tried, to lose weight and to stop snacking in the evenings, but just couldn't seem to do it. I then joined a weight loss program called 'Slimpod', the idea is that you listen to a podcast every day while relaxing, you might say it's a form of hypnotism, and that it gradually rewires your brain to think of food in a different way. I've lost 1 1/2 stone so far, and in the evenings have no food noise whatsoever, whereas in the past, the minute I thought about having a snack, I just couldn't stop thinking about it, until eventually I caved in, and had whatever it was that I fancied. I can't remember the last time I fancied chocolate, and yet have been a chocoholic my whole life. So I definitely think that it is a real thing OP.

If you don’t experience it then lucky you.

It’s exhausting, depressing and definitely unwanted.

How does it affect you what other people call something that they struggle with?

I know what it is when someone else refers to it because I have it. If you aren’t affected, mind your business.

Are you about to tell us all to eat less
and move more and we’ll be grand?

The naming or describing of a concept doesn’t remove personal responsibility over it from people. It’s a descriptive term.

If being a healthy weight was just about eating properly and getting enough protein and actually addressing emotional eating, then we’d all be a healthy weight. Easy peasy. Except it isn’t.

It seems to be about to turn into that.

Or, maybe because not everyone knows everything about themselves and the world, and might not be equipped with the knowledge or ability to dig into things, its hard for people to narrow down the term 'food noise' into whats specifically triggering it and thats why the term is used? Or sometimes it's multiple different things which makes it harder to narrow down which things are causing it? No need to be a dick about that. Some people dont know that hunger can be a habit, or how to break it, for example. Some people dont realise that thirst can be misread by the body as hunger. Id advocate for educating people further on the many different things that can make up 'food hunger' and support them in trying to honestly assess themselves (which is tough, and the idea that every overweight person 'knows' why they are overweight is actually deeply unhelpful, i wish people would stop saying this. I appreciate some people feel patronised by health professionals etc and sometimes the advice isnt useful, but there's a lot of people out there who have no idea whats healthy, dont have the right support to figure it out, and asserting that they do, doesnt help)

I agree with you that 'food noise' is basically the new term for emotional eating. But so what? Are you saying that you think it's ok to refer to it as emotional eating but not as food noise? Why does it matter which phrase is used? I don't get your point.

If over eating is just boredom or habit, then why have glps stopped me from eating so much?

I don't care what anyone thinks,but food noise is a real thing. Either you're affected by it,or you're lucky enough not to be.

I’d say it was because it was controlling/eliminating your food noise ….. if it was a real thing which the OP is adamant that were just making up to excuse our overeating. Well done for taking the plunge.

Not everyone has the ability to ‘take responsibility”. To do that effectively, you need to be educated and have money. So, exDP who is university educated and has plenty of cash to splash, probably should take more responsibility for his obesity. My neighbour who left school
at 16 and has a minimum wage job is doing her best, but that is unfortunately not good enough because she now has high cholesterol and prediabetes.

Or drug addicts?

Well there we go! I've learnt something today. 💐

Shame the OP is so judgey about it.

@Comedycook because they alter your blood sugars chemistry , I was never a ‘food noise ‘ person just liked bigger portions in an evening than what I clearly needed. 6 weeks on mounjaro I simply didn’t ever feel very hungry so naturally ate a lot less - I stopped purely because I didn’t like the indigestion they gave me.

Before wli I was in a battle with myself every single day....I've been thin. I was still in a battle with myself every day. Keep eating, stop eating...it's like a little devil on my shoulder. It's unbelievably refreshing to now just eat when I'm hungry and stop when full without having an internal war

Also describing as phenomena does not equate to removing personal responsibility. You cannot actually control food noise. Only responses to it.

I think it’s helpful language and useful to realise people have different levels of it and certain foods increase it. If you eat crap, then you get more food noise. Dd1 could happily miss a meal because she doesn’t get that hunger whereas I plan my day around food and if I know sweets are open, my brain cannot let that info go.