Food issues

[KatieRose]

Whenever i get depressed i eat. I usually turn to junk food. Does anyone else have this problem? How can i stop overeating before i lose control?

KatieRose

[eire rose]

Hello Katie,

I am suffering from this problem also, I have been binge eating for a few weeks now, mainly sugar (chocolate, cake etc..) Most days I feel like sh*t, fat, bloated, lethargic and it is depression.

I started taking a supplement called SAMe for the depression, I didn't want to take presciption medication, and its helping a little, I am starting a food journal tommorrow on the advise of my therapist, I need to stop eating sugar completely. Even fruit, when I start with even just one candy its an all out sugar fest for days.

Exercise, I know its hard to get moving when your depressed, but even a 20 minute walk helps. So I am trying to make exercise a daily routine.

This is harder for me to do that quit drinking. I am obsessed with sugar and got so freaked out tonight by the thought of giving it up, I had a binge on scones???? Its literally making me sick!!

Love, Rose

[DaVinci2]

Not sure if this helps, but the junk food will actually worsen whatever feelings you have. The chemicals in them do just that, which is why people feel bloated and tired afterwards. The 'bad' carbs are one reason...

While it may be more difficult, have you ever tried binging on healthier foods? You might feel fuller faster and not feel crappy afterwards! (And I don't mean healthier food = salad)

Here's a favorite of mine:

Grilled steak (Cut into bite size pieces)
Chopped tomatos (Or whatever other veggies you like)
Rice (Brown rice is best, but whatever)
Sesame seed oil (Tastes great)

Basically put all of the above on the rice. Be sure to add at least 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil. Add salt for flavoring. Salt is much healthier than most people might expect.

The above recipe can easily be a healthy 800 to 1000 calories.

[PLAYBOY]

all u need is a good meal planner and some commintment from ur part dude
here is a good example of a meal planner
http://www.imsickofbeingfat.com/foru...t-recipes.html
hope this will help you a lot .

[DaVinci2]

I took a look at the planner, and was compelled to give my opinion on it. Hope nobody minds!!

Weight Loss Plan, Diet Recipes
When selecting a weight loss plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Nutritional and Weight Loss Plan Guidelines

Commit to consuming 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday.

This simply isn't necessary. A lot of people feel that see bodybuilders do it, that it applies to everyone. The truth is, bodybuilders do it so that they can evenly distribute their protein throughout the day.

3 meals is actually perfectly fine.

To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.

Terrible advice. Cutting out fat is cutting out a necessary nutrient. Without fat, you're looking at causing some bad things happening to your body. People assume "Cutting out fat will help me lose fat." FACT IS, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Doesn't matter!! Keep plenty of fat in your diet.

Keep it simple. Don't get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.

Counting calories is important, but it's those specifics that are going to determine whether you lose weight because of muscle loss or fat loss. If you've lost mostly muscle, you actually made yourself less healthy.

Eat your foods slower.

I completely agree with this.

Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.

I already made a comment above about fat. Remember, even saturated fats are important for proper endocine functions (The edocrine system controls hormone release, like testosterone which is great for building muscle and staying lean!)

Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.

NO!! If food is high in calories, you have first figure out why. If it's a Big Mac it's safe to assume that there is no nutritional value. However, something like the recipe I mentioned above are very healthy calories!!

Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.

Of course...I agree with this.

The below diet is just an example, but it's not a good one. Those calories are for children. All people are different but it's safe to say that a reasonable days worth of food is around 1600 to 1800 calories...and that's for small people. (I eat about 4500 to maintain my weight)

The protein is too low, the fat is WAY too low and the carbs being consumed are not from the best sources.

Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.
Here is a sample weight loss plan (1400 calories).

As

Breakfast
Amount Item Protein Carbs Fats Calories
1 cup Milk - 1% 4.00 5.50 1.00 50.00
1 pack Oatmeal - instant pkt.,maple 4.50 31.60 2.10 152.00
Total: 8.50 37.10 3.10 202.00
AM Snack
1 each MetRx Bar 26.00 52.00 2.5 320.00
Total: 26.00 52.00 2.5 320.00
Lunch
1 each Chicken sandwich - Wendy's grilled 24.00 37.00 13.00 340.00
12 ounces Coca cola- diet w/ caffeine 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.00
Total: 24.00 37.40 13.00 340.00
PM Snack
2 each Bread whole wheat -slice 6.00 24.00 2.00 140.00
2 tsp Mayo type reg, w/salt 0.32 8.42 11.77 137.37
2.5 ounces Tuna Solid White-Water small can 18.75 0.00 0.90 89.28
Total: 25.07 32.42 14.67 366.64
Dinner
4 ounces Halibut - broiled 22.50 0.00 3.00 119.25
0.5 cup rice-white cooked steamed 3.00 31.00 0.00 82.00
0.5 cup Vegetables - mixed, frozen, boiled 2.60 11.90 0.10 54.00
Total: 28.10 42.90 3.10 255.25

Grand Total: 111.67 201.82 36.37 1483.89

Oatmeal - instant pkt.,maple is just sugar. If you like oats, buy plan oats. They are a great source of carbs.

The MetRx Bar is just crap...don't bother with protein bars unless you make your own and you know how. It's just pointless sugar bars you don't need. For the 320 calories it's worth, I can think of more delicious food to eat.

Chicken sandwich - Wendy's grilled This is just stupid!! I'm all for moderation, but again you're filling yourself with processed food that your body doesn't need. You could make your own grilled chicken, have more of it, and feel more satisfied.

Coca cola- diet w/ caffeine This is fine. A great way to shake off a sweet tooth when you've got one.

As for the rest of the plan, the tuna and halibut are great, but be careful eating this everyday, since mercury is a problem. Rice is fine (One of the only not-so-good carbs I eat) but you can replace it with something much better, like brown or whole grain rice.

I'm not sure why you would choose frozen veggies over the real thing. No biggie...but you'll get more nutritien out of the real deal. The mayo is not that big a deal either as long as you are within your caloric limits.

[TheGirlInside]

I oftentimes catch myself having opened up some junk in the house, halfway through eating it, and say to myself, "What am I doing? Why am I eating this?" and then proceed to "hide it from myself" by stuffing my face!! Like, how dumb!!

I generally agree that I don't trust any diet/weight loss program that assumes that every body on the planet needs to eat the exact same thing, or do the exact same exercise to get fit. We all have different DNA, different programming, different, triggers, so why in the world the same types and amount of food work the same for all of us?

I have learned about myself that works, sometimes, but not always.

1. Even if I only exercise for 5 minutes on a videotape (yes, I still have VHS!), I still get myself credit for being able to squeeze that 5 minutes in for the day.

2. I eat when I feel hungry, not by someone else's schedule. I try to eat before my stomach starts to growl, because that's when I notice I grab any old thing just to shut up the growling.

3. I have eliminated the use of a scale...when the number is small, I give myself license to eat, and when it's big, I say, "Well, I guess I'm just going to be fat forever, so I may as well eat!"

4. I make myself aware of potential exercise throughout the day (such as, when I feel upset because I have to walk from one place to the other, I think to myself, "just think of the calories I'm burning!") Sounds a little "Pollyanna," but the Pollyanna thing works for me.

5. When I eat refined sugar, I can actually feel it in my blood vessels...they feel dirty, "gunky," and I feel slower throughout the day. I try to avoid negative remarks (with "no" and "never," etc...) and instead say, "Sugar tastes gross...think of how it will make me feel later."

6. I have two small children, ages 8 and 5, so it's hard to keep junk out of the house (especially on Easter and Christmas!), so I do allow myself some sugar and chocolate treats during that time. But, for the most part, if it's in the house, I'll eat it. So, I try to keep that stuff out of my house as much as I can.

These work on my positive thinking days. I know that my weight is directly proportional to my level of happiness. I used to think that meant that I have to learn how to be happy all the time. But now, I realize that I have to learn how to make it so the outside, external world doesn't affect my eating habits. I haven't quite figured out that link yet!

Kari

[megamysterioso]

I have eliminated the use of a scale...when the number is small, I give myself license to eat,

I feel you there. That has truly been one of my biggest problems with going up and down the scales. When I lose the weight and feel comfortable with it, I figure "hey, I can eat anything I want now!!" Off to the pizza buffet I go! Yeah Right! It takes no time for the weight to creep back up does it???

Stick around for support and don't beat yourself up too much. Tomorrow is a new day and never let the scale define your self-worth! You can gain control over the eating.

[Nina Kay]

I would like to welcome everyone on this thread to the Eating Disorders Forum of SR, that I haven't spoken to here before. It sounds like you each have some really good ideas and input for everyone here to consider. I do hope that as each of you read this posts and decide which ones you feel will be profitable for you, that you'll all remember a slogan in all the Anon groups of 'Take what you like and leave the rest'. That way, we don't have to all agree, but we can all still share our different ideas and experiences and still benefit from one another. Keep coming back.

[DaVinci2]

Getting rid of the scale is a good idea!! Scales are terrible for determining healthy weight. You could've gained muslce (Which is healthy) and you wouldn't know it by looking at the scale. Best way is to measure your neck, chest, hips and thighs. If you've gained weight, measure yourself and see if you've actually lost an inch or 2 somewhere, you might be surprised.

One thing I would like to share with everyone is something I do called a cheat day. Over the course of a week, I eat very healthy foods and keep track of everything. Then, on a Saturday or Sunday I cheat. I eat what I want, but also make sure I'm getting all my nutrients. I eat pizza, ice-cream, chips etc. Once a week isn't going to kill a diet. This is one way of tricking your body that it isn't dieting.

Not sure what you meant about the external world...but I'm guessing it has to do with eating out, or being at parties or other peoples houses for dinner etc? If so, one step is to make sure people know that this is part of your lifestyle. People know not to call me during the week for a night out, because I won't go. Then when Saturday or Sunday comes around, I get calls "Is today you're cheat day? Let's go out!" My neighbor has actually started doing the same thing and we both share ideas on proper eating habits...