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.

You can be as busy as you like and still have "food noise". Because brains are wonderfully complex and can manage a multitude of thoughts at the same time.

This is just another attempt to have a dig at obese and overweight people by implying that we are not busy enough.... You have no idea about other people's lives and how busy they are.

I'm not sure what "smug snugging" means... but when people have "food addictions" they abstain from their personal triggering/problem substances - usually all processed sugars, all simple carbohydrates, or all cakes and biscuits, all breadstuffs, all processed snacks, whatever. There are programs for it.

You too. A day of maybe food whispering rather than screeching 🙏

But the low carb diet will be why you have food noise - we need carbs to survive and be healthy. You can’t massively reduce or cut out an entire food group and expect your body to just adjust.

I am 5’3” 7st 5lbs and have always always had food noise. My DS is the same. We are very careful about what we eat but I think about food constantly. DM always very overweight and dieting (Fruitlessly). Wonder if that’s why.

Like with many things of this nature, food noise is only a problem when you become overweight and the smugs on this thread probably haven't experienced that, yet.

I have had this issue my whole life , but I was able to eat a giant horse on first dates and he would look on admiringly at how much I could put away, because I was slim. If I was fat , the look of admiration would be non existent.

Now I am peri , and a bit overweight, it's now a massive issue 😞.

Being judgemental towards people who are overweight is a delicious dish that karma cannot wait to tuck into, because like age, it's something that will definitely come for you, eventually god willing.

We all have our vices. It’s just that some are more visible than others. I have always been a healthy weight, really enjoy my food but have never had a problem with over eating. When I am stressed actually I lose my appetite if anything. BUT when I am in a bad place mentally I vape too much and order too much crap off Amazon for the dopamine hit and spend too much money on take aways or whatever. Just because I am fortunate enough to not carry that visibly doesn’t mean I am in some way morally superior.

You have misinterpreted my post:

What I said was that many people experience what could be called food noise but they simply ignore it. Some here seem to believe that slim people never experience food noise and never have the urge to have more/ too much. They do, they just override it.

I wasn’t implying food noise was randomly fancying a brownie.

Hormones are deeply implicated in emotional eating, particularly for women. Many women crave carbs and sugar on their periods due to the drop in oestrogen and progesterone.

If it's generally considered on a level with alcoholism or drug addiction, then it should surely be called an eating disorder?

This 100% 👏

Absolutely correct! Love this!

There are plenty of carbs in vegetables.

Right.

I long for how MN used to be, when you could actually tell people what you thought of their post. Calling a spade a spade now gets you banned & they wonder why it has turned into such a cesspit.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 smug is aggressive 🤣🤣🤣🤣

A low carb diet stops me being on medication for diabetes, do you have a better suggestion??

Don't tell me what my problem is, you don't know me.

I seriously doubt you have experienced true food noise or you'd actually understand. You have probably just experienced an urge to have something ur been a little hungry, it's not the same thing At All.

Agreed OP. Since going on Mounjaro I’ve realised “food noise” is simply just hunger and almost everyone gets it. It’s just a symptom of the multiple high-fat and sugar options of the food that’s available to us today, and the convenience of it. It’s normal. If it wasn’t then why do people say things like “I’m being good, I’m only having a salad”, “I’m treating myself with a piece of cake”, “I’m on a diet, I’m restricting my calories to 1500”, “I’m really craving a Chinese takeaway” etc etc. I wasn’t struggling with obesity, I was just 2 stone overweight and struggling to lose it any other way. Since being on it I get mild hunger pangs at the appropriate times of day, but I’d be as happy with a plate of broccoli than I would with a cheesy pepperoni pizza. I never crave cake or chocolate or sweets, can basically take or leave food most of the time. Maybe SOME people are like this normally but I don’t think most people are. Most people really fancy fish & chips now and again. I’ve noticed my normal-weight friends and family who have no issues around food, say things like, “shall we get some lunch, I’m starving”, “where shall we go for dinner tonight” hours before it’s time to eat dinner. On Mounjaro it occurs to me that I never think about these things anymore, I never think about food at all. So yes, it has made my “food noise” go away but that food noise is a normal thing that everyone gets. Most people tend to think about food and plan to eat fairly regularly. It’s not something only obese people that have food issues get.

Some of our brains are complex & can manage many things at once.

some clearly can barely manage one fixed, inflexible thought.

Oh so everyone else in WLI who has posted is wrong & you are right.

🙄🤣🙇🏻‍♀️

(no skin in the game, I don't use them)

But a vegetable is not going to satisfy you or fill you up in the way a mixture of protein, carbs and fibre is going to satisfy you.

If you’re eating a long-term, low carb diet then it’s only natural for your body to crave the things you’re choosing not to give it.

This is so unpleasant. Why would you want people to struggle?

No, you are aggressive.

Tell me, what did you call it before the GLP1 industry gave you the term "food noise"? Because it's not new. You must have had a term.

Speaking for myself, @foodywoody, I'd say food noise is real. As others have said on here, there are plenty of us who find it very hard indeed to stop thinking about food all the time - but if you haven't experienced it, I can understand why you find it so hard to accept it.

One thing I think is worth bearing in mind - in order to be able to tackle a problem, it helps massively if you can define or name that problem - it doesn't matter what the problem is, you can't tackle it if you don't know what it is.

There are many and varied reasons why people struggle to lose weight, and if you can't understand what it is that is standing in your way, it is much harder to deal with that issue. If thinking about food all the time is making it harder for you to lose weight, then you need to find a way to stop thinking about food - so maybe calling it 'food noise' helps with that. For example, one can distract oneself from external noises by listening to music/audiobooks etc - and maybe, in the same way, people who find 'food noise' a problem can find something to distract them from it.

I have to admit I do find it interesting that lots of people can’t seem to believe that people of a healthy weight also experience food noise.

I’ve never been out of the healthy weight range yet food noise is something I’ve experienced ever since I can remember - it’s not something that’s exclusive to people who are overweight.

That is interesting, @sunflowersandsunsets - do you find it easy to ignore the food noise, and if so, what helps you do it?

I suppose the problem is it can’t be measured?

maybe everyone has a certain level of it and it’s all at the same level but slimmer people can ignore it more somehow.

or maybe everyone has it including slimmer people but some people have a higher level of it. To such an extent that it’s impossible to ignore.

either option could be true and I don’t see how anyone can know which is correct.

If you mean the god willing, I was referring to the getting old part, which I hope you do, rather than die 🫣 but I think you know that 😉.