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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

How do I conquer my food demons??

4 replies

PinkyDink · 12/10/2010 13:31

Has anyone done it? If so how did you do it?

I have been overweight for the past 14 years and am sat here in tears because I am just so fed up with myself and the fact I think I will be like this for the rest of my life.

I really can't work out the real reason why I overeat/make bad food choices. I know what I should be eating and probably how much, but I feel like I have lost complete control.

I am the biggest I have been in my life (including both my pregnancies Blush) and can't bare the thought of getting any bigger.

Although I have been overweight for 14 years I have had food issues from my early teens.

Is it worth talking to the Dr and getting some counselling? Am scared they will think I am a time waster or just lecture me on what I should be doing.

OP posts:
StrawberrySam · 12/10/2010 18:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Showmeheaven · 12/10/2010 22:10

I have overcome most of my food issues. I used to be 5 stone heavier than I am now. I still have 2 stone to go but I know for sure I'll never go back to what I was (18 and a half stone). This is how I did it:

I used Lighter Life to lose the weight initially. I did it in stages. Its very difficult to do BUT the best benefit of a meal replacement programme (besides losing weight quickly) is that it retrains your appetite, you lose your craving for the bad stuff. If you go back to eating crap then the cravings will kick in again. You have to follow a programme like this completely for it to work.

I started keeping a diary. I didn't fill it in religiously every day, but made an entry once a week, or more, if I felt like it. I recorded the date and my weight. I recorded times when I binged, I even listed the foods I binged on. I also recorded times when I was successful, what I did, how much I exercised, how much I lost etc. This became invaluable to me because I was able to get inspiration from old entries when I needed motivation. It was self-therapy. It definately helped me on the road to recovery and I still use it. Its a work in progress for me.

Even though I have had great success I don't believe I'm completely cured. I'll always have issues around food but I've learned to control it better. I still have days when I'll binge, stress and fatigue are major triggers for me, but they are becoming much less frequent. You really need to figure out why you overeat in order to get to the root of your problem.

You also need to find alternatives to food in your life ... it might sound corny but some of mine are listening to music, walking my dog on a sunny day, surfing the net, planning holidays, even getting stuck into housework! - anything that takes my mind off food. Believe me, I KNOW how hard it is. I KNOW the comfort you can get from food but it is possible to overcome it. I had tried everything, from every diet known to man, counselling, I even spent 20K on a gastric band that didn't work. I had resigned myself to being overweight for the rest of my life but I now know its possible to change - I'm living that change.

Finally, and probably most importantly, you need to be in the right place in your life (emotionally) in order to lose weight. I wasn't able to lose this weight 10 years ago because I had other issues/problems going on in my life that prevented me from doing so. I used food as a crutch in order to get over the difficult periods in my life. I wouldn't have understood that at the time but I see it now looking back. I hope this is of some help to you.

Happycornwallmum · 17/10/2010 14:52

Showmeheaven-what a lovely,inspiring story,thanks for sharing,i can feel some motivation returning!

Showmeheaven · 18/10/2010 05:14

Your very welcome Happy. I can also highly recommend a book called "Hungry" by Allen Zadoff. A highly inspirational read by an American man who use to weigh 350 pounds. I laughed and cried reading this because I recognised myself in it so much. I keep it by my bed and read it when needed, its become my bible! You can read an excerpt on the link below:

www.allenzadoff.com/Allen_Zadoff_author_website/hungry.html

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