Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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 stop eating just coz it's there? (Long & a bit jumbled!)

12 replies

CarpeJugulum · 15/08/2012 12:42

Quick backstory:
Am 5ft and was a size 20 with a sedentary lifestyle and no impetus to get up and go... Gallbladder started to pack up and I was hospitalised for about 10 days to remove stones, then put on a low fat diet. Gallbladder then gave up (with a fairly impressive rupture!) about a month later.

During this time, my weight dropped drastically, and my clothes size plummeted to a size 14 - not an ideal weight loss method, but I'm so far managing to keep it off.

However, I'm starting to struggle with my willpower!

Breakfast is okay, larger then dictated portion of sultana bran (but this is to last me from 6.30am until lunchtime, so not horrendous)... but... it gets to lunchtime (usually after DS goes down for his nap) and I'm so tired that I can't be bothered to make anything - so I grab a packet of crisps. Then a bar of chocolate.

Then nothing until dinner, then snack on crisps and chocolate again.

I really don't want to be like my mum was and never have "nice" stuff in the house - I suspect that this is the reason I started eating crap in secret; but I don't seem to have the will power to stop myself.

I also don't want to eat snacks during the day as DS is a really bad eater and wants to eat between meals, so it's getting more complicated to get him to eat if I'm snacking.

WTF do I do? It's like a compulsion that I'm finding harder to control.

Anyone got good advice?

OP posts:
Joby1970 · 15/08/2012 12:58

cook stuff in advance & freeze it - eg soups, chilli etc - then when you are too tired pop it in the microwave & ping you have food.

almondfinger · 15/08/2012 13:04

Eat protein with every meal. A bowl of sultana bran is essentially full of sugar. Which will send you blood glucose rocketing and then plummet and so at lunchtime you are shattered and reach for the easy option, more sugar.

Have eggs on toast for breakfast, porridge with a small handful of nuts and seeds sprinkled on top.

Dont buy chocolate and sweets and then you wont reach for them. If you cant help yourself from reaching for the junk then dont buy it. It's the only option when you cant resist.

Snacking isn't bad if you have healthy snacks. Have plenty of fruit in the house and have an some but add some protein, 5 or 6 almonds, a small hand full of mixed seeds.
Other snacks, a pot of natural yoghurt with some fruit and seeds, plain oatcakes and some hummus, carrot sticks and hummus.
If ds has no options but fruit for snacks then he'll either eat it or eat nothing. I try to buy whatever is in season so at the moment loads of plums, berries, black currants, blueberries so the dd's dont just eat apples, grapes and bananas.

What do you like to eat that's healthy? For Lunch have a pitta with a smear of hummus, cucumber, beetroot, tomato, avocado, onion, lettuce, grated carrot, ham, salami, tuna, (obv choose your favourites from the list above - the ham, salami, tuna, hummus and avocado will all provide protein)

Protein will ensure that the glucose is released into your blood more slowly so maintain blood sugar balance and prevent those slumps where you just get exhausted and reach for the junk. It also keeps you fuller for longer.

Plan your evening meals for the week, again ensuring a good protein source filling 1/4 or your plate, salad and veggies filling half the plate and your simple carb filling the other quarter.

Switch to wholemeal pasta, brown rice, wholemeal bread. Less processed, less blood sugar fluctuations.

And with no gallbladder, you will know that fatty food is really not an option for you except as a rare treat.

DoNotDisturb · 15/08/2012 13:09

Have you tried a wrap for lunch? Very quick to make and you can bung anything in. Chicken and salad - salmon with humous - leftovers from the night before - nutella if you're feeling naughty. Anyway I find them really filling and once you get in the habit of shopping for them you can always pull something out of the fridge to fill them up.

They are really filling. Relatively low calorie if you keep the protein and dressing to a reasonable amount and fill it wih salad or veg. Varied and quick.

Also I'm a chocoholic and I've found that the treat size pack of buttons are my saviour. Allocate yourself one or two bags a day and them stick to it. I savour every button!!

Ps don't knock yourself. Losing weight and keeping it off is hard!

CarpeJugulum · 15/08/2012 13:12

almondfinger I'm a bit confused with Sultana Bran being full of sugar?

I know sultanas have sugar in them, but I was under the (misleading?) impression that the wholewheat flakes were good for me?

Porridge is not an option as I can't stand the taste (even with things in it), but eggs may be an option.

I have a whole load of foods that I really dislike (nuts and seeds, vegetables etc) so do struggle to find meals I like and foods that are healthy. It's not learned behaviour either - apparently the foods I dislike I even hated when I was weaning, so I'm a bit stumped.

I have tried reading food books (The Food Bible was my most recent read) but I find them very dense and confusing as to what is "good" for me and what I should be eating.

OP posts:
almondfinger · 15/08/2012 15:38

Hi carpejugulum, sultana bran has 27% sultanas with added sugar and honey. If you look at the ingredient list on any product they must start with the higher content ingredients and work backwards. Sugar and honey come 4 and 6th on the list so there is a fair whack of it in there. There is in total 20g of sugar per 40g serving.
www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Kelloggs-Healthwise-Sultana-Bran/10030011

Fair enough re porridge. Eggs on toast, peanut butter (?) on toast. I cant eat it myself so have tahini (sesame seed paste). Do you have a blender? A small banana, some blueberries, strawberries, apple juice, natural yoghurt, ground linseeds. Have this as a smoothie for breakfast. You could hard boil 6 eggs on Monday and keep in the fridge and slice one on toast for breakfast.

Ultimately you should eat what you like (from the healthy list) there is no point eating food you dislike as it wont fill you and you'll reach for the crisps and the chocolate.

Do you like pulses, beans, chickpeas etc? These are a great protein source to add to a salad. How about smoked mackerel. Do you like cottage cheese? Cottage cheese on toast with cucumber and a dash of tobasco, couple of slices of tomato?

You dont have to have a different meal every day, you just need to ensure you are getting adequate nutrients. Perhaps make a list of what you do like in the fruit and vegetable. Ensure you have the full rainbow covered, a red, yellow, orange, pink, purple and green fruit and veg and try to have a rainbow of fruit and veg daily. THis is not a hard as it seems.

A red apple for a snack
Carrots and brocolli with dinner
Yellow pepper, purple beetroot in your salad

almondfinger · 15/08/2012 15:40

A basic rule of thumb is if its natural and unprocessed, it's good for you as long as you control your portion and snack sizes. If it's processed its not so good for you.
Natural fats are good for you in moderation - butter, full fat milk, olive oil, coconut oil. Processed/hydrogenated fats are not.

CarpeJugulum · 16/08/2012 08:28

Hmm, never really thought of it like that.

Will try getting in more apples and fruit - I've been avoiding things like strawberries and soft fruit because they're so high in sugar, but then I probably eat less of them than I do of a packet of crisp IYSWIM.

I'd like an "eating for dummies" book I think! Grin

OP posts:
almondfinger · 16/08/2012 21:10

I was trying to think of a book to recommend to you, but most can be confusing and they all say different things are good bad etc. Fruit sugars are always going to be beter for you then processed sugar. Fruit has added fiber which slows down the release of the sugar into the blood stream and if you add some protein to that, say some nuts (that you do like and raw of course) it will make the sugar release even slower, keeping you fuller for longer and maintaining blood sugar balance and preventing the crashes that make you want to reach for more sugar and caffeine to get you through the day.

Do you like to cook? What I would suggest is get a cook book you like, find a few simple healthy recipes and create those. In winter make big pots of soup and have that it the fridge to heat up each day for lunch. One of my favourite books at the moment is Hugh Fearnley-W's Veg book, the recipes are fantastic, yes it's a vegetarian cook book but you can add meat to the stews, as a side with some of the amazing salads. When I make rice salads or quinoa etc, I make enough so I have lunches for a couple of days.

CarpeJugulum · 17/08/2012 10:18

I'm okay(ish) with soups, but in the hot (ha!) weather, I really don't fancy soups. Do make my own when I can be bothered.

I've been talking with DH, and he wants to make sandwiches to take to work with him as his work canteen is expensive and boring, so I think I will be getting him to make me some to leave in the fridge that I can just grab (or wraps etc). I know from bitter experience that I do need some form of carbs at lunchtime otherwise I seem to "crash" quite badly around 3pm and start shaking. Mainly I suspect most of my issue is a time thing.

I think I'm going to get in a few baked potatoes too and then I can microwave them mid morning and then its a quick reheat to have them with baked beans, cottage cheese, salad etc; so filling, but low calorie too.

I think book wise I'm a bit stuffed - I've been googling and getting books out of the library, and basically I have confused myself even more.

So, my plan is to:
Eat more normal food at lunchtime.
Drink more water
Eat more fruit when hungry
Meal plan in advance.
Not deny myself anything, but don't gorge - so if I fancy chocolate, I'll have a stash of buttons rather than a huge bar.

OP posts:
almondfinger · 17/08/2012 10:56

Sounds like a good plan. There is nothing wrong with carbs in moderation, just try to have the whole grain option. They also slow the release of sugars. You need a balanced diet and carbs are part of that, it's when you eat half a loaf of bread and a packet of biscuits a day that it's a problem. Carbs are not bad, just highly processed ones. Try to ensure the bread,rice,pasta, potato portion is just one quarter of your plate and you are on the right track.

Do you like broths? You can buy a jar of miso paste, full of all the b vita so energy giving. Add some whole wheat or soba noodles to water and cook as instructed, add a tsp of miso, chopped garlic, chilli, spring onion, mushrooms, broccoli, sugersnaps, book choi (again, not necessarily all). Delicious in summer and not as hardcore as soup.

QuickLookUsainBolt · 17/08/2012 11:02

Carpe that sounds like a great plan.

About the chocolate, do you like dark choc?

I have started having a couple of pieces of dark 70% cocoa choc each day. It's so strong you only want one piece and it really takes away the craving for something sweet. I've heard it's good for you too!

CarpeJugulum · 17/08/2012 17:29

Not a huge fan of dark chocolate sad to say, although I don't mind the Green & Blacks dark chocolate with mint - but that's so hard to source.

Broth is an idea... but I hate vegetables. I'm okay with root veggies but if it's green - I barf. Serious boak reaction. I can manage peas, and lettuce, but that's it. (Apparently this has been the case ever since I was a baby, so not faddy eating!)

Makes meals out... interesting!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page