08/04 Obsessed with Food

Diets that weigh food
Posted by: bl65738
Posted on: 2003-04-22 09:52:05

I totally agree with Dr. Phil's statement on the website about how diets, Weight Watcher's, etc., are focused on food, even if it IS supposed to be smaller portions. YOu still have to be totally focused every moment with what goes in your mouth and writing it down. Don't get me wrong, I lost 10 lbs. on Weight Watchers, and, of course, gained it back when I quit writing everything down. But I think there is something to be said about the "food focus". Why can't I just eat less? I'm aware I'm not really hungry when I eat, and I don't even give my stomach a chance to growel, but none the less, I'll eat, just to be eating. I'm 47, 5"4" and 135#, which some people would give ANYTHING to weight...but I am always trying to get back down to 125....and I just don't see it happening. It's tough when old(er) age sets in!
just wait!!!!!
Posted by: dudley40
Posted on: 2003-04-22 14:57:25

I agree with what you stated. We all eat because it's time to eat, we're bored, we're nervous, it's there... etc.... The key seems to be to WAIT until your stomach growls and then eat until you are full and not overflowing. God created food for fuel and to be enjoyed, but we turn it into a crutch. It is so wrong to constantly stuff your face when you are not even hungry. But I eat alot of times because it is there. I think we are so scared to wait on hunger because we are afraid the food will not be there. Have I ever been where I couldn't get food when I need it? I don't think so. The weighing, counting, writing down stuff will drive you crazy. Take the focus off of FOOD and put it on yourself and ask.... am I really hungry and does my body need this to refuel or can I wait until then.
JUST WAIT
Posted by: timbeflora
Posted on: 2003-07-28 11:54:51

From what read in that comment, I find reading a book titled, Emotonal Eating. It helps define why a person might be eat as mch as theydo. I'm still reading it but so far it has helped me to understand why I eat.
I recommend reading this book.

Susan
HA!
Posted by: twnkltz
Posted on: 2003-08-05 18:35:21

not in a mean way of course (hee, hee) but there is no way that i'm going to be able to wait until i'm nearly starved to death (tummy growling) to eat. its uncomfortable you know? and i like your last line but, i dont have the patience to do that. hee, hee. when i'm bored i'll walk around the kitchen going through the cupboards and the fridge over and over complaining that there' s nothing good to eat (which there isn't i might add) until i find something that looks remotely appetizing. does anyone have any suggestions of a good healthy snack food? besides all the carrots and stuff. honestly...
Boredom?
Posted by: donnamcgjo
Posted on: 2003-09-21 13:12:36

Can you find something else to do when you are bored rather than wander around your kitchen? Do you read? Or sew? Maybe you have children who need a mothers touch. Can you volunteer to do something nice for someone who isn't as well off as you?
You don't have to starve yourself, but you do need to make sure you are hungry and not just bored to eat. I wish you luck.
Donna
An idea
Posted by: johannah20
Posted on: 2003-11-07 19:06:24

Well, one snack I can recommend for when you aren't really hungry is a cup of hot tea with honey or splenda. It makes you less hungry and gives you a hint of sweetness.

I'm obsessed with food. I plan for it every day. i get up and know what I'm doing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Losing my job has caused extreme boredom and worry (like there won't be enough money for food) and made it worse. I am 5'0" and 125 lbs and 23 years old. In college, I was 5-10 lbs lighter and I'm trying to achieve that again.
Lack of Food
Posted by: ivarrived
Posted on: 2003-08-06 19:02:53

Your comment about whether or not food was available at all times brought a memory I'd stuck way back in my mind. When I was young, teenage years, food was scarce in our home. My mother was our only source of provisions, not only physically but mentally as our only parent. Food was something you thought of especially on Sundays when you were allowed only one piece of chicken a tbl spoon of potatoes and a small portion of corn for Sunday dinner. There were four of us children and one chicken was meant to feed us two meals on Sundays. That was the only time we had Chicken. I left the table hungry many days. Free lunches at school saved me! Once I started working after school I used my wages to suffice me with Twinkies, Ho-hos and Soda. Now I make sure I have plenty of sweets. I have an uncontrollable sugar addiction even after it is the cause of the extra 50 lbs of weight I've recently gained. I've figured out how to stop smoking, but the sugar cravings are much worse!
Please Help
Posted by: hagoodwife
Posted on: 2004-03-29 13:30:49

I have Dr. Phil's books and am trying to lose weight but I need help. I am constantly thinking of the foods I love and are not on the list of foods that are good for you. I also have such a sweet tooth and I don't know what to do to conquer it. I want to be thinner and even more important I want to be healthier, but I am afraid that I am going to crack and binge on all of my favorite old standby food. I need ideas to help curb my cravings. Please help
Just Wait
Posted by: shylas
Posted on: 2003-08-13 10:36:38

When I decided to make my hobby and other things in life my priority, I was able to stop constantly thinking of food. What a relief! Joan
how did you do that
Posted by: kimbomck
Posted on: 2003-09-01 20:27:26

WHAT TOOLS DID YOU USE TO GET TO THAT POINT, TO START USING YOUR BRAIN FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN USING FOOD, I WOULD LOVE TO DO THE SAME THING YOU DID, HOW DID YOU START, WHAT TOOLS DID YOU USE, ANYTHING WOULD HELP ME, I FEEL LIKE I AM MISSING OUT ON OTHER THINGS I COULD DO BECAUSE MY MIND IS ALWAYS FOCUSED ON FOOD, WHAT TO EAT, WHAT NOT TO EAT, HOW MUCH WEIGHT I HAVE GAINED, HOW I NEED TO EXERCISE MORE, FAILURE.
yeah, but...
Posted by: cashanri
Posted on: 2004-10-02 08:08:48

what in the world to do if your hobby IS cooking? I have been told I have more cookbooks than the library. I love everything about food...looking up recipes, shopping for ingredients, chopping, preparing, cooking, and, of course, eating! I have shifted my focus toward adventurous veggies, but sometimes I just yearn to wallow in baking, with chocolate up to my elbows. I am 44, and consider myself to be about 25 lbs overweight ( 5' 9", 168lbs)
Sherri
The Truth
Posted by: emilyiem
Posted on: 2003-04-22 18:03:35

You can't just eat less, because when you're eating it's not about food. You eat to fill some kind of void...But, you sound like you're at a healthy weight. As a survivor of an eating disorder, I know about food obsession. But, I'm still trying to adopt a new strategy on food. If I eat a balanced diet (without deprivation), eat only when I'm hungry, and moderately exercise a few times a week, my weight shouldn't matter. If I take care of myself that way, my body is where it should be. I live each day trying to accept my body without punishing myself. It's so freeing to not think constantly about food or body image. You can't imagine how good it feels to just live and worry about the more important things in life. Really, there are so many more important things.
How do you free yourself?
Posted by: brittanyf
Posted on: 2003-04-22 18:53:00

I was wondering how or what you say to yourself on a daily basis in reguards to accepting yourself and not obsessing about your body image? I know that I have body image and self image confused. But I really don't know how to boost my self confidence so that I can free myself from all these obssesive thoughts. Can you help?
Freeing Yourself
Posted by: jwoolley
Posted on: 2003-04-22 20:19:03

One author that I recommend reading is Geneen Roth. She has several books out there (my favorite is "Breaking Free From Compulsive Overeating"). Don't let the title scare you. I don't consider myself a compulsive overeater, but the book helped me to accept myself and learn how to eat "normally" once again. You have to really commit yourself though and don't step back into believe diet mentalities.
Freedom
Posted by: emilyiem
Posted on: 2003-04-23 18:17:33

Well, actually, one thing that really helped was an immersion technique. One of my big hang ups was thinking that some foods are "bad." I would obsess about eating something "bad" and then binge because I already blew it. So, for three days I ate only foods I considered "bad." Now, I ate only when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. Convinced that I would gain at least 5 lbs, I struggled to not stop. But, at the end of three days, I had actually lost 1/2 lb. By understanding that, I began to understand my obsession really had no basis in truth. That was a huge step for me.
free yourself from other's opinions
Posted by: blondkc23
Posted on: 2003-05-14 20:12:36

i think a great deal of people focus on what others think of them. Are they skinny enough, are they pretty, are they successful? What about what YOU want? wouldn't it be nice to live on your own terms? I have found myself surrounded by other women, including family that make comments about how fat they are or how they look. Every time, seriously, every time, they are of normal weight, average women who hate their bodies because they are trying to fit some image. I have been there myself, and still, it's a struggle, but I focus more on my purpose in life. What do I want to do with myself? What career do I want to take on? Do I want a happy family? Do I have true friends? These things are more important to focus on because they are how you live your life. When the focus is off of how fat you are or what others might think of you, life is more enjoyable and I feel more liberated. What matters most to me is being happy and making food a focal point in my life only brings me down. Life is short, live it up!
acknowledging your weakness
Posted by: deghan0405
Posted on: 2003-08-22 16:09:34

i don't know about you but i am a firm believer in God, and after several training i have come to realize that with my own strength this is impossible for me, so even though it sounds silly to ask God something like this, i go ahead and ask him anyway. i tell him Father,i wait on you for my strength every day. You fill me up. And also try to take one day at a time, handle it step by step and that is what i try to do.
The Truth
Posted by: pattydh
Posted on: 2003-08-04 19:22:17

That sounds so good, but how do you get to that point? How can I stop thinking constantly about my weight or food. I myself am 44 yrs old, I weigh 138, and am 5/3. I WANT to weigh 125 also, but I just can't seem to do it. At the age of 36, I was pregnant with my third child, but lost the baby at 20 weeks. I had already gained 15 pounds, and I have yet to lose it. I know a lot of it has to do with age, and metabolism slowing down. I also have a bad back and I can't do a lot of exercising. So, what am I supposed to do? How can I NOT worry about my weight and just be HAPPY with who I am?
Could someone please help me?
signed,
Patty
Right on track
Posted by: bevthebest
Posted on: 2003-08-05 00:28:41

I very much agree with what you have to say. It reflects exactly what Dr Phil says. It's not about what we are eating, its what's eating us? We have to figure out how to change what we think and believe about ourselves as a person. Then we can change it and fill the void. We are not what we weigh! Each of us is unique and special just because. Our weight is but a tiny part of who we are. Do the work to find out where "the doesn't measure up" thought comes from. Think back, its there festering and it can be rooted out and replaced with good and with self love instead of loathing. Our self does matter! Bev
sew123
Posted by: wagnons
Posted on: 2003-04-22 22:49:09

Dr. Phil is right about the food focus, but if overweight people were to adopt the low carb lifestyle the focus on food would decrease dramatically. Carbohydrates cause dramatic increases in insulin levels which sends your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride. When your blood sugar drops you feel ravenously hungry, which makes you focus on food. When you use fat for energy like you do with the low carb approach, you are much more satiated, and think about food much less. So unless you are already taking insulin or have kidney problems think about eating fewer carbs,,,,much fewer. Take care