Jump to content

My first post and I need help


Recommended Posts

I started this on Jan. 9th but had a major relapse just over a week ago. I had quit sugar and quite a few things the day after Christmas, but part of my relapse was on sugar.

My problem is that I have substituted my horrible binging from sugar to nuts and carrots. I eat dinner and am full but then my old behavior kicks in and I just have to something. This is when I would normally eat sleeves of crackers, popcorn and chew 20 pieces of gum. I was crazed.

Now right after dinner that craving from something crunchy or just something kicks in and it's just as bad as before except now I'm eating tons of nuts (crunch) or carrots. I know I am not losing weight because I am probably eating over 1,000 calories a day in nuts. Just like sugar, I have sworn off, hid them, tried to keep myself busy, gone to bed (and I'll get out of bed to eat) and everything else I can think of.

I feel like such a loser! Last night I tried to switch to carrots and of course ate a ton but then also ate nuts.

I am not hungry. We eat dinner around 7:30 and then I normally go to bed around 9:00.

I have been doing much better at not snacking between meals unless I am hungry and then I grab some nuts.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Laurel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What you are describing is a dragon of a habit that you have not yet slayed. I can tell you from a personal perspective that you can do it. I was a nightime sugar forager back in the day. I would walk next door to the grocery store after dinner and buy a pint of ice cream and a piece of cake. Or, I would have a peanut butter, butter and honey sandwich. Lawdy.

I am on my fourth or fifth Whole30. It's pretty much a lifestyle at this point. I can truly say I rarely see the nightime forager dragon and when I do, I stare him down and send him to the corner.

I really think you should get the nuts out of your house for now. I tried keeping mac nuts in my freezer for the healthy fats, but found myself snacking on them mindlessly. I had to vote them off of my island.

Can you grab a cup of de-caf tea or bone broth when the urge strikes? Are you eating enough at dinner? Fats especially.

Can you ask yourself if you are hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli. If the answer is no, try a walk around the neighborhood to distract you. If the answer is yes, eat a mini meal that follows the template.

The urge will fade but you need to break the pattern first. You can do this. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Susan's got some great ideas here.

The biggest thing that works for me (I am a mostly reformed grazer) is sticking to the 3 meals/day template and cutting myself off of food after X time in the evening (for me it's 7). If that involves eating more than normal at those meals to prevent mindless snacking, then fine.

Another thing that helps is not taking the box/container with you/not eating in the kitchen. If you take out the nuts, grab a serving (based on the meal template or whatever) and then GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. If i have a tub of plantain chips in front of me, i WILL finish them off. If i take a handful out, put the tub away and then enjoy that with some guac elsewhere, i generally won't go back for more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am also a nighttime grazer, although that pretty well stops when the wine drinking stops. For me, I simply remove eating after dinner as an option. That way I'm not looking for substitutes and ending up with my SWYPO-nuts and dried fruit. I have found that the habit of just not eating after dinner (sometimes I drink a cup of herbal tea, jump in the hot tub or go for a walk just to signal to myself that EATING IS OVER FOR THE DAY) is easier than "healthy" snacking.

Another funny/habitual thing that is working for me is the daily emails/check-in with Whole30 and brushing and flossing my teeth. Once I check in and say I completed the day successfully I think to myself, "I can't eat anymore. I already called the day a success." Mentally, once my teeth are done, the eating is done.

I swear it gets easier after a few weeks. You just have to make a new habit of not eating after dinner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been there! Giving up sugar just made me binge on whatever compliant thing was available (nuts, raisins, etc) because I was addicted to the overeating aspect of it.

I agree with everything said above, especially megmac!

Here is a suggestion that really helped me, it sounds diety and weird but it worked for me.

After dinner, set a timer for 20 minutes and go watch tv or read or something...that's the amount of time it is supposed to take for your brain to get the Done! message.

If after 20 minutes you are still hungry, eat more! BUT it has to be a meal kind of thing. You can include your nuts and carrots or whatever, but it has to be included in some semblance of a meal. Portioning snacky things out never helped me, because I'd just go back into the kitchen and refill a million times. I had to just say No more snacky things by themselves at night, at least until I could think them through to the aftermath and eat them in a reasonable manner.

Doing a couple of deep overhead stretches and feeling that core belly stretch is a good deterrent, and sometimes just having a tea and moving on is a good option :)

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know we're not supposed to be "counting" anything, but a ton of my friends are on MyFitnessPal (an app and website) so I decided to join as well. You log what you eat each day and then at the end of each day, you submit your final tally. For me, there's something about submitting that log that has taught my brain that any further food for the day is a no-go. I've submitted, so I'm done. No more.

You could also do the same thing with the Whole9 daily emails. If you don't already get them, they have a "i complied today" or "i didn't make it" links at the end of each email. Clicking that "I did it!" link might be enough to trigger your brain in to saying "I'm done."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

I know we're not supposed to be "counting" anything, but a ton of my friends are on MyFitnessPal (an app and website) so I decided to join as well.

You need to make some new friends for a while. Logging your food in MyFitnessPal is not okay during a Whole30. That much counting stops you from learning lots that you desperately need to learn and stops you from developing a healthy relationship with food. We're not kidding when we say no counting. It is important.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need to make some new friends for a while. Logging your food in MyFitnessPal is not okay during a Whole30. That much counting stops you from learning lots that you desperately need to learn and stops you from developing a healthy relationship with food. We're not kidding when we say no counting. It is important.

What is the difference between logging it there and logging it on the Whole30 forum boards? I don't pay attention to the calorie counts and I don't actually measure anything I put in: just guesstimates. I use it more to support my friends who are on their own paths for weight loss.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

What is the difference between logging it there and logging it on the Whole30 forum boards? I don't pay attention to the calorie counts and I don't actually measure anything I put in: just guesstimates. I use it more to support my friends who are on their own paths for weight loss.

Maybe you can ignore the calorie information better than most, but I've seen people doing a great Whole30 enter their food in MyFitnessPal and all of a sudden they worry they are eating too much fat or they are eating too much overall. What comes next is second guessing feelings of hunger, eating less fat than we recommend in the Whole9 meal template, deciding they need to exercise more, etc. Instead of trusting the process for 30 days and seeing the results, they start making adjustments based upon ideas that the Whoie30 is meant to replace. And if your friends are comparing notes, I don't know how you can escape at least some peer pressure to eat more like them. Most people just can't believe that you can eat more food, more fat, and lose weight. Bottom line: I worry that any exposure to a calorie count will undermine your Whole30, at least some. But you know yourself and your situation better than I do. I'm just offering a word of caution. You may have an outstanding success story by the time this is all over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the difference between logging it there and logging it on the Whole30 forum boards? I don't pay attention to the calorie counts and I don't actually measure anything I put in: just guesstimates. I use it more to support my friends who are on their own paths for weight loss.

I really hope this doesn't come across as snarky, but if you're friends are trying to lose weight, could you support them by sharing great recipes or doing activities that don't centre around food? Calorie counting is just such an easy way to stay chained to that obsessive diet culture that surrounds us, rather than actually seeking health.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...