afternoon sugar dragon, help!

[Guest]

I've noticed that I can stay compliant for breakfast, through lunch and at work.

 

However, it becomes difficult when I get home as I am so used to a routine of coming home and having a snack. I'm also a big 'dessert' person, so after dinner my head instantly turns to 'what sweet shall I have?'

 

I become almost obsessed with having a treat when I get home and going straight into the kitchen. It causes me quite a lot of mental anguish, and usually I end up giving in and sabotaging my day of clean and balanced eating with a binge and the thought of 'I'll just restart tomorrow.'

 

Has anyone else experienced something similar? 

[Guest Andria]

This has been discussed quite a lot on the forum.  

 

I think an obvious suggestion would be to remove the treats from the house! and to find something to do when you get home that distracts you from wanting a treat.  Make a new routine.  You could go for a walk, read a book, take a bath, make a commitment to call a friend on a regular basis (ok, maybe not something you would do every day), or simply chip away at the house chores (I know not something you would look forward to after a long day at work, but think how good you would feel accomplishing something).  

 

Also, just having a cup of tea and relaxing is a suggestion I see a lot and it seems to work for many people.    

 

I struggle with this a lot during the 3-4 o'clock hour when I am stressed at work or one the way home.  I usually just muscle through it because my work environment is not conducive to doing anything else other than working.  After dinner, I have been able to almost eliminate my need for snacking by have a cup of tea and doing something I enjoy.

[ultrarunnergirl]

I find a cup of tea and/or half of a can of sardines in water works to stop my snackiness.

[kirkor]

1. What's your longest streak of compliant days?

2. Is it always a binge? Do you think you "need" the binge, or is it just because when you throw in the towel and know that you have to restart, you tell yourself that you might as well "make the most of it" and go for more treats than you normally would? In other words, when *not* attempting a W30, are your afternoon snacks more moderately-sized?

[MeadowLily]

My engine runs on oil.    I  agree with Andria and Ultrarunnergirl .   Thrill eating is a tough habit to break but we have to create new patterns to replace it.     Make a clean sweep of the house.

 

In addition,  more food deficit after binge eating only gets us deeper in the hole.   I like Kirkor's cell phone analogy.   If we drop our cell phone on the ground,  we don't  jump up and down on it afterwards.   If you fall off the wagon....shake the dust off of yourself and get back up on your wagon and ride.

[Guest Andria]

I do like your term 'thrill eating', Meadowlily.  I have seen you use it multiple times and it resonates with me.  On my most stressful days, if I want pizza and Oreos when I am not even hungry, I know I am looking for a 'thrill' or a mental pick me up.  It helps to make this distinction to talk myself off the ledge.  These instances are becoming less and less.

[AllyB]

Welcome to the sugar addict club.  I don't know the exact science behind it, but it has to do with blood sugar/insulin balance.  If you've been eating a lot of sugar (especially desserts after a meal), your body is expecting the sugar and you crave it.  It took me about a year of pretty clean eating to finally say that the sugar dragon is hibernating.  Still, I'll have cravings once a week or so.  Search for sugar dragon and you'll find tons of posts about it.

[Guest]

thanks everyone

 

my longest streak of compliant eating was my first whole30 that I completed, after that it was a whole28, whole12....etc.....

 

It really is a habit/boredom thing. I think it may be related to unhappiness too - there's nothing else to do at home to make me happy as instantly as eating cake, for example.

 

I am trying to get myself to go up to my bedroom and meditate for 10 minutes first to not instantly act on these cravings.

 

It is a case of throwing in the towel and thinking 'screw it' I have to restart anyway. One piece of cake then leads to another, or some peanut butter, or a bacon sandwich...

[pechristie]

I struggle with some days too. Before wbole 30 I would head off to the coffee shop mid morning fore a sugary coffee drink and muffin, during a stressful day it felt like something i could control.A few times a week turned into a daily thing, then it is a habit more than a choice. we are creatures of habit. Stopping a habit is difficult, but if we can replace a less healthy habit with a healthier one it feels less like deprivation and giving us more control. I am a sugar addict and I want to be in control of what i put in my body and whole 30 is helping me acheive it.

[MeadowLily]

I do like your term 'thrill eating', Meadowlily.  I have seen you use it multiple times and it resonates with me.  On my most stressful days, if I want pizza and Oreos when I am not even hungry, I know I am looking for a 'thrill' or a mental pick me up.  It helps to make this distinction to talk myself off the ledge.  These instances are becoming less and less.

I like to create new phrases.  Thanks Andria.   Have you ever witnessed a carload of kids on a Friday night in their old hoopty hoop?  They're out dragging the main and thrill eating.  They're tanked up on sodas and french fries.