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Eating Things I Know are Bad for Me


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I've done one successful Whole30 and learned that dairy and added sugar are causing me to have painful, cystic acne. 

 

Ever since I've finished the Whole30, I still eat compliant foods most of the time. However, lately I can't stop binge-eating foods that I know are bad for me, followed by shame and guilt. I know it leads to stomach discomfort and painful acne, but I binge anyways?

 

I sincerely care about my health and want to improve my skin. Any advice on how to control these binge-eating episodes?

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First of all there should be no shame and guilt attached to food.

 

It is a CHOICE.  You CHOOSE to have X and face the ramifications of X.

 

Personally if I eat dairy (usually sugar is involved somewhere with it) I pay for it for 2 weeks.  But I loved dairy - so it was just plain hard.

 

What did I do?  I mourned it like I lost an old friend.  (I know that sounds weird) but really and truly I had it one last time - and then said goodbye to it.  I then made the CHOICE that dairy was not worth it. 

 

Another method that does work is repeating aloud the choice that you are making every time you make it.  This way it at least registers what you are doing to harm yourself.  So by saying aloud (It doesn't matter if it is in company or alone - the rule is that you have to say it aloud) "I choose to have this bowl of ice cream and have painful, cystic acne." it will register and hopefully will help you make better choices for you.

 

Remember it's not about "good" food or "bad" food.  You are making a choice that either makes your body more healthy or less healthy.  And clearly by your reaction - the dairy is making you less healthy.

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Hey, sorry you are struggling. Bad foods are as bad as you make them. Taboo is desirable and it has been proven in many areas of life. As long as you make this food a forbidden nasty oh so wanted food you will want it. Make good food a choice. Figure out what triggers your binge (Lack of sleep? Stress? Self esteem issues? Work stress? Boredom?). Have a back-up plan in case you'd want to stuff your face with the cake. Use the off-roading map from Whole90. If all else fails, own your choice and move on. Make sure you eat right amount and get enough sleep. No magic pill here, just mindfulness. Good news - it will get better if you put some work into this. 

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Another thing that helps is not keeping the things you binge on in your house. Personally, I binge on oreos/girl scout cookies. My husband LOVES cookies, and we have agreed that he will eat the healthy foods I prepare him as long as he can have his occasional cookies. However, he has to hide them from me and not eat them in front of me. I know that probably sounds crazy, but it works. If I SEE HIM eating the same cookies I love, I will want them, then I will binge, then I will experience the same feelings you are. Yes, it is a choice, but there are factors like Nadia mentioned that trigger those binges. Mine is stress and hormones. Around menstruating time, I'm a blubbering mess and want to eat my feelings. Not everyone can be as strong as others.

 

So if you don't have that ice cream around you, you won't eat it. If you are out to dinner and see it on a menu, just remind yourself of those feelings that you have when you do binge. You don't enjoy feeling that, no one does, so why would you do that to yourself? That's how I think. And then afterwards, I feel better because I made the healthy choice. However, I also believe in moderation. When I'm not on a whole30, I still won't keep my trigger foods around, but if it's a weekend, and I've stayed on point with my nutrition during the week, I'll have a cookie or treat. Just a small portion, but that will satisfy my craving and I won't over indulge and have those bad feelings. You have to find what works for you and eliminate the possibility of a binge. if that means having your significant other hiding it, not keeping it around at all, or having a small treat on the weekend to help you not binge. You do what works and do what is best for YOU.

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I have also found that rating cravings on a scale between 1 and 10 helps too.

 

Being on the low end of the scale means that the food has little or no interest to you and basically you are just bored.

 

Usually anything under 6 for me will not require any action for me.  However 7 and up usually gets more trickier to work through.

 

Usually if this is the case try to figure out what might be the stressor - bad day at work, feeling frustrated, feeling angry, feeling sad,  etc.  Try to identify what may have caused it.  If you can identify where the feeling is coming from and the why - usually you can have an easier time to walk away from it.

 

If you can't do that - make a list of activities that you can do to distract yourself.  Go for a walk, flip through a magazine, take a bubble bath, do your nails - just something that is a bit of a reward for you mentally and that will distract yourself enough from the craving. 

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I'm new here, but have struggled with food issues for most of my life.  Recently a friend of mine told me a trick she uses and I've found it helpful.  When she finds she wants something she tells herself "I know what that tastes like, I don't need it."  I love the simplicity of it, and it has worked for me (at times).

 

I'm personally struggling with the fact that fruit does seem bring out my sugar cravings.  Which is really saddening me.  I love fruit.  I like the idea of "mourning the loss" of it.  I have to decide if the ramifications are worth it.

 

Good luck.....

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"Okay, then here’s my take. You beat yourself up when you say, “I ate bad while I had decided not to.” This turns it into a game of willpower, of good you vs. bad you. They key is to go back to the beginning and change how you handle the situation from the start. You’ll not have very good luck getting yourself to stop thinking of yourself as “weak,” if you truly view the situation as “I made a decision and couldn’t stick to it.

So instead, you need to commit to making a conscious, deliberate, perhaps even “out loud” decision when you choose to eat off-plan. This means taking a pause before you indulge in anything – even a bite – and saying to yourself, “I am making a choice to eat this food right now, for XXX reason.” Even if the reason is a crappy one (you’re emotional, you’re looking for comfort, you’re feeling anxious), the fact that you deliberate make a CHOICE to eat off-plan means you’re not weak – you simply, in that moment, changed your mind. And that frees you from the negative self-talk.

Perhaps in retrospect you made a poor choice – “Boy, I was really upset, and eating that cake sure didn’t help.” But then you are focusing on the CHOICE you made, not YOU as a person. And you can set something up so that next time, you make a different choice, without beating you (the person) up in the meantime.

Does that maybe help?"


Melissa

http://whole9life.co...nguage-of-food/

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kaitlinminich, I can so relate to your post.  I have a benzoate sensitivity, which basically means I have an allergic reaction to any processed food.  The reaction comes in the form of swelling above my eyes, which is now chronic because I can't/don't extend my Whole30s beyond 30 days, and which gets worse every time I eat something "bad."  It's embarrassing - I feel like my face is deformed!  And even though everyone says it's not nearly as bad as I think it is, it's painful.  Yet I spent most of last winter (I had a bad winter for a number of personal reasons) literally poisoning myself by bingeing on ice cream and chocolate.   I get so mad at myself when I do this, but I think I have finally gotten myself back on the Whole30 wagon for the long haul, because there doesn't seem to be any other way to get better.  All this is to say, if you need an accountability buddy, feel free to send me a message on this forum.  Maybe we can help each other.

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"Your safest strategy for successfully banishing all of your sugar cravings – even the Dessert Demon – is to try to break the habit or idea of dessert altogether. Slip a small amount of sweet stuff (which is usually fruit-based) in with the rest of your protein and veggies, instead of saving it for after your meal. Follow our Whole30 Meal Planning template, making sure your fruit consumption isn’t taking over your plate. Make sure your meals include plenty of healthy fats – fat’s satiety signal to your brain may help you quell some of those dessert longings. Swap out dessert after a meal for a new tradition, like a cup of hot herbal tea (our personal favorite).

 

And when all else (including willpower) fails, go ahead and eat the apple, cranberry sauce, or tomato soup, but understand it’s not your body sending you a “hunger” signal, it’s just your brain responding to conditioning."

 

- Dallas Hartwig & Melissa Hartwig
‪#‎Whole30‬ ‪#‎ItStartsWithFood‬

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