I can't stop eating. Please... make me stop

[Deleted member 4482]

I understand the consequences. I'm well read on nutrition, I have spent long stretches of my life either lifting or running or both. I've been 185 lbs, then I've been 155 lbs. I'm going to hit 185 again soon. I don't fit in most of my clothes anymore.

But I can't stop eating. I'm constantly losing my mind over the news, I hate my body more with each passing day, I hate being looked at or touched. But I make too many sandwiches. Eat too many veggie straws and fritos and chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate chip muffins and cookies of all kinds. I eat and eat and eat and I can't stop. I binge myself to the point of pain near-daily.

I know I could probably classify it as an eating disorder, but my health insurance won't get me quality therapy for this. I've tried. So I wonder if there's one crazy trick that will get my bad habits under control that doctors hate or whatever.

Some info:
- I only drink water so liquid calories are not a problem.
- I eat when I'm bored or up late, especially watching videos or shows at my desk.
- My sleep is erratic and my stress over my own image doesn't help.
- I can cook but doing tons of meal prep all the time can be exhausting. I can afford eating out but I'm not sure if access to fast food and restaurants is helpful.
- My eating schedule is also erratic due to my inconsistent sleep. Would love to have three predefined meals per day.
- I lift on and off, FitnessERA approved type of real workouts. I'm not super strong but I'm not weak either. Would probably look nice if I got this fat off, and I know lifting consistently would help. But again, the eating.

 

[Deleted member 12129]

But I make too many sandwiches. Eat too many veggie straws and fritos and chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate chip muffins and cookies of all kinds. I eat and eat and eat and I can't stop. I binge myself to the point of pain near-daily.

Click to shrink...

Get these types of snacks out of the house. I found that when I started dieting just not having high-calorie snacks available in the house went a long way in curbing my snacking.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Well it sucks that your health insurance doesn't cover it, because it is obviously the biggest factor in changing eating habits.
How tall are you? 185 to me doesn't sound too bad.

If you really can't stop eating, you can at least try to eat stuff that is not going to give you a lot of weight gain. Also you need to understand that people with weight problems will have weight problems their whole life. We gotta manage it until we die or we gain. It's just how it is. If that fact really gets to you, it helps a lot.

Edit: I am doing intermittent fasting since March and it helped a lot.

 

[CrankyJay]

intermittent fast and try to eat clean.... only allow yourself to eat between 12-8....i can pretty much guarantee it'll be hard to eat 1800-2000 cals of clean food in an 8 hour window. has worked for me.

 

[greelay]

I'm kinda like you. I am never hungry but can, and will, eat indefinitely if I don't control it. I found that if I only make one meal a day and make it late enough, that usually works (OMAD, intermittent fasting).

Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that sugar is usually the thing that will make me continue eating, so if I reduce it or remove it I have less urge to eat.

 

[Deleted member 4482]

Well it sucks that your health insurance doesn't cover it, because it is obviously the biggest factor in changing eating habits.
How tall are you? 185 to me doesn't sound too bad.

If you really can't stop eating, you can at least try to eat stuff that is not going to give you a lot of weight gain. Also you need to understand that people with weight problems will have weight problems their whole life. We gotta manage it until we die or we gain. It's just how it is. If that fact really gets to you, it helps a lot.

Click to shrink...

I'm 6'1. I'm not huge at this weight, just unhappy because I used to be skinny, which is where I feel comfortable. I'm hyper-aware of my body fat and how it makes me feel at all times and what it does with my current clothes.

I have reasonable goals - frequent activity and 1500-1600 calories a day. I just don't have the mental strength to destroy my shitty habits.

 

[Deleted member 59245]

intermittent fast and try to eat clean.... only allow yourself to eat between 12-8....i can pretty much guarantee it'll be hard to eat 1800-2000 cals of clean food in an 8 hour window. has worked for me.

Click to shrink...

I've been doing the same recently and even though it's a struggle, it's been working. Lost a couple pounds. My problem is I really like food.

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

Waste your money on other things.

I lost over 40 lbs doing this.

 

[sponger]

50/50 raw/cooked rule will help you greatly for start.

 

[kyle mechlachlan]

subscribe to weight watchers and start tracking your intake. it'll give you a stark picture at what you're putting in your body.

 

[Deleted member 4482]

intermittent fast and try to eat clean.... only allow yourself to eat between 12-8....i can pretty much guarantee it'll be hard to eat 1800-2000 cals of clean food in an 8 hour window. has worked for me.

Click to shrink...

Could you give examples of clean eating? I can make chicken breast but it always comes out bland and hard to chew

 

[Kenzodielocke]

I'm 6'1. I'm not huge at this weight, just unhappy because I used to be skinny, which is where I feel comfortable. I'm hyper-aware of my body fat and how it makes me feel at all times and what it does with my current clothes.

I have reasonable goals - frequent activity and 1500-1600 calories a day. I just don't have the mental strength to destroy my shitty habits.

Click to shrink...

Honestly that sounds fine to me. But I can't tell you to feel comfortable.

 

[PhilosopherDirtBike]

I find it's easier to stay within my caloric goals on weekdays when I'm busy and have a routine, so my new strategy is to generate as much of a caloric deficit as I can Mon-Fri and it usually ends up being enough that I can go hog wild on the weekend and still make it out of the week at a defecit

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

- I only drink water so liquid calories are not a problem.

Click to shrink...

Good news is you've already won half the battle because of this.

 

[Inugami]

intermittent fast and try to eat clean.... only allow yourself to eat between 12-8....i can pretty much guarantee it'll be hard to eat 1800-2000 cals of clean food in an 8 hour window. has worked for me.

Click to shrink...

I tried intermittent fasting for a solid month and not only did it not work for me (no weight loss, no increased energy) but it made me super short tempered with my kids and stuff. Bully for those it works for, but yeah it was absolutely the worst method I've tried to lose weight.

That said, it really is about trying different things till you find something that works for you OP. Paleo/low carb worked well for me in the past though I've fallen off a bit since I started my new job.

 

[andymcc]

Cutting out caloric beverages is arguably the hardest step for some people so that's a very good first start.

I'd suggest limiting the snacks and and getting healthier ones.

 

[Bumrush]

Grizz, try to replace all of your carb based snacks with protein rich snacks like jerky, peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, etc.

It's a pretty simple solution that will have major positive ramifications.

 

[CrankyJay]

Could you give examples of clean eating? I can make chicken breast but it always comes out bland and hard to chew

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I eat a salad almost every day.... mix of romaine and baby spinach, vinaigrette, green olives, green pepper or whatever veggies I have, pack of tuna or chicken breast (not deli), and an avocado. Snacks include 1oz of nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, your pick), apple, banana, blueberries, raspberries. Dinner is usually a lean protein (chicken breast, beef sirloin, pork tenderloin) or fish (white fish or salmon), witch steamed or sauteed in olive oil green veggies (asparagus, broccoli, peans, green beans, snow peas, etc). Heavy on the veggies...it literally makes up 3 quarters of my plate. Protein bars (quest), and whey protein.

I'll have half a bottle of kombucha.

Liquids include tons of water, black coffee, green tea.

Need more cals or snacks? Peanutbutter (tablespoon or two), hummus, carrot sticks.

You need fibrous foods and protein and some fat to feel full. Will suck the first couple weeks. I won't lie.

Allow yourself a cheat day on Saturday for mental/physical break. Go on walks.

If you're stress eating, cut out your stress (watching or reading the news).

edit: will occasionally eat a cup of rice here and there, single serving pasta or potato, but usually only do that immediately before a workout.

 

[TaySan]

limit your calorie intake.
Eat protein rich foods

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Could you give examples of clean eating? I can make chicken breast but it always comes out bland and hard to chew

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You have to season the shit out of chicken. Anything you like, pretty much anything works on chicken. Watch the sodium but honestly if you don't have high blood pressure it's not your primary concern.

 

[collige]

I've been there. I find it easier to make hard and fast rules about dietary changes rather than worrying about meal times. Try just completely cutting out the shittiest part of your diet like the muffins and leave everything else alone.

Alternatively, committing to going vegetarian or vegan will force you to seriously reconsider all of your food intake and gives you a socially acceptable reason to avoid certain foods and your friends can then hold you accountable.

Don't worry about the excercise. I went from 230 lbs to 165 without any workouts.

 

[CrankyJay]

I tried intermittent fasting for a solid month and not only did it not work for me (no weight loss, no increased energy) but it made me super short tempered with my kids and stuff. Bully for those it works for, but yeah it was absolutely the worst method I've tried to lose weight.

That said, it really is about trying different things till you find something that works for you OP. Paleo/low carb worked well for me in the past though I've fallen off a bit since I started my new job.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the best "diet or lifestyle is the one you can stick to and see results.

 

[Nozem]

What's your living situation? Who buys groceries?

 

[JCX]

I eat from boredom. When I get the urge, I first have water, then mints/gum, then actually have a small snack if I am actually hungry then.

 

[Deleted member 11175]

I find if I get a bad night's sleep that I tend to eat worse. If you can get a decent sleep schedule going then it may be easier to control yourself.

 

[dark_prinny]

Ditch crap food, substitute it with natural and healthy food.

 

[robot]

Some info:
...
- I eat when I'm bored or up late, especially watching videos or shows at my desk.
- My sleep is erratic and my stress over my own image doesn't help.
- I can cook but doing tons of meal prep all the time can be exhausting. I can afford eating out but I'm not sure if access to fast food and restaurants is helpful.
...

Click to shrink...

Sounds like a potential solution there. Meal prep the night before to tire yourself out then go to bed at a reasonable time to avoid late-night stress-eating. Meal prep also gets much easier with practice.

 

[Dark Knight]

This sounds like a glaring mental health issue since it involves anxiety and body perception issues. I think it's definitely worth further looking into help for it.

 

[Alice]

Replace your snacks with fruit. An apple is a million times better than sweets while still going for the sweet itch. For me, actually using an app to track calories helped, because it showed me a tangible "this is where it's too much" point.

 

[turbobutts]

step 1 is fix your sleep schedule

 

[Deleted member 4482]

Grizz, try to replace all of your carb based snacks with protein rich snacks like jerky, peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, etc.

It's a pretty simple solution that will have major positive ramifications.

Click to shrink...

This was what I did a few years ago when I lost a ton of weight. I don't know why but I've repeatedly failed to commit to doing this recently.

What's your living situation? Who buys groceries?

Click to shrink...

I live with my girlfriend but we buy our own groceries independently.

This sounds like a glaring mental health issue since it involves anxiety and body perception issues. I think it's definitely worth further looking into help for it.

Click to shrink...

It absolutely is. I have an anxiety disorder as well as a few actual genetic conditions that affect my appearance. I've been in and out of therapy. Just don't really have great access now as I've aged out of my mom's insurance and don't get it through work. I've always hated my body, but I still know the difference between normal and overweight.

 

[Serif]

Drink water as a way of staving off hunger and accept that hunger as a natural feeling when you're on a calorie deficit.

Get rid of snacks, or incorporate snacks into your meals and have more pre-defined meal times. It's a choice architecture issue - they're easy to grab and consume, especially when you're bored / idle, so you're more likely to eat them. Even if they're healthy snacks, they're contributing to a habit that is making you unhappy. Believe me, I've had the same thing happen. Even when I'm consistent in my diet and feeling full on a calorie deficit, I've had mental breakdowns at 2 am and ordered a shitton of food from Uber Eats. The less available you make this option, the better.

I've dealt with pretty bad body dysmorphia before and am still bulimic, but these habits have helped.

 

[Felt]

Wow this is almost me except its more like 195 at the max and 160 at the low end.

What helped me was having one last big meal on the weekend and going cold turkey and fasting for about a day (which was super hard but actually felt empowering to control myself like that). The motivation to stop me from eating was like you, it feels like you're going to hit a point of no return and some full measures are necessary.

Anyway, after that day fast, ween yourself back on food with the healthiest (ew) stuff you can, and you'll find you may or may not actually enjoy eating (think steamed carrots with 4oz of salmon as a meal). Don't go for any of your cravings for 3-5 days (as long as you can). Then go for it (it was a burrito for me), you'll find you don't even want it that bad anymore when it's in front of you.

Now I do heavy diet for 3 days (<1000 calories of nutritious food which pack high volume of eating per day), for example a plate of roasted eggplant, steamed veggie, 4oz of chicken is about 300 calories but a massive portion. Then I fulfill my craving with w/e I want for 1 day, then repeat.

 

[Bumrush]

Generally speaking (and I know you know this from your posts in the fitness forum over the years) the first 2-ish weeks are incredibly hard and feel like you won't make it...but try to replace your snacks with protein ones and give it a few weeks!

 

[Meatfist]

- Stop eating breakfast (aka intermittent fasting)
- Throw out all your snacks and sweets
- Have a vague idea of how many calories are in what you eat, compared to how much you should have a day
- Water, coffee, and liquor only

As an immensely lazy fuck, those 4 things have been the easiest way to keep my weight down

 

[shadowsdarknes]

I found that after a few days of toughing it out on healthy foods, your body sort of resets itself. You seem to be able to get by on eating less. And healthy foods still satisfy your cravings.

 

[Orin_linwe]

I'm constantly losing my mind over the news

Click to shrink...

If you're identifying this as a potential problem, you probably should take note of it. There is definitely a point in never-ending news consumption/engagement where you're no longer educating yourself, only making yourself more sad or stressed or both.

It can be a little difficult to disengage with considering the modern way "the news" has become this odd mix of genuine engagement, entertaining spectacle and social bonding/just hanging out with your online buddies, but it is something to, at the very least, keep in mind.

Also, if you feel like you could benefit from therapy, don't skip that just because you don't have access to a specialized therapist, and especially if you've never gone through therapy before. Human problems tend to be holistic and connected to each other.

The work of a competent talk therapist could absolutely help a specific problem like over-eating (or however you want to define it) in the process of working with you on a more general level. A good talk therapist would also be fairly well-versed in non-catastrophic eating disorders because they're such a common reason for why people seek the help of a therapist in the first place.

 

[Deleted member 984]

Try go for healthier options if you can. There are plenty of foods that have a high mass but little calories. To add more flavour use things like lemon juice as a dressing with different herbs and spices.

 

[Deleted member 4482]

Generally speaking (and I know you know this from your posts in the fitness forum over the years) the first 2-ish weeks are incredibly hard and feel like you won't make it...but try to replace your snacks with protein ones and give it a few weeks!

Click to shrink...

Peanut butter on celery is my fave and I haven't even had it in ages. Gonna make this correction today.

Btw I appreciate talking it out with everyone here. I usually get ignored or expect to be laughed at when bringing up these topics.

 

[Deleted member 17402]

Replace your snacks with fruit. An apple is a million times better than sweets while still going for the sweet itch. For me, actually using an app to track calories helped, because it showed me a tangible "this is where it's too much" point.

Click to shrink...

While the advice is noble, I don't think this is very helpful for someone like OP. I should know, because I have a terrible habit of running through food 24/7 whether I am full or not. Replacing something with a fruit only ensures that I overeat fruit as well. And as we all know, while fruit is healthy, too much of it is certainly deleterious to your health as well. I've done exactly that before, which is replace chips with fruits, and instead I'd find myself eating several apples, an entire bag of grapes, strawberries and everything in between in the same day.

 

[Krauser Kat]

so throw all the food in your house away. only but whole ingredients so every time you eat you have to make it.

 

[joecanada]

Get these types of snacks out of the house. I found that when I started dieting just not having high-calorie snacks available in the house went a long way in curbing my snacking.

Click to shrink...

Yup. I am in decent shape I guess and this is my secret. Forget veggie straws and fake healthy snacks. Real veggies and other whole food. Cook big batches of beans , lentils , salads , etc . Keep stuff for healthy smoothies around . Try intermittent fasting if you never tried it I was most surprised how you get used to that dull hunger but you are on a schedule .

 

[pizoxuat]

Try doing the apple test when you want to snack.

Make sure you always have an apple handy. (If you HATE apples, this works with any other bland but healthy food that has decent fiber content) When you want to snack on something, force yourself to think "Well, I have this apple. The apple would be filling and it would be good for me. I should just eat the apple." If you don't want to eat the apple, you aren't actually hungry. Your brain craves dopamine and is using food as a shortcut to get it. But now that you know that, you can get dopamine by going for a short walk, doing some jumping jacks, solving a quick puzzle game on your phone... doing an activity that you find fulfilling that you can do quickly that isn't food.

And drink you a glass of water at the same time, just to make sure that you don't have a follow up pang of phantom hunger when you are done.

If you do decide you want the apple and you eat it, great! You were hungry! If you still want something else after you eat the apple and drink a glass of water, you probably should eat something else.

 

[NoKisum]

Waste your money on other things.

I lost over 40 lbs doing this.

Click to shrink...

Start putting food money towards that PS5.

 

[Bumrush]

Peanut butter on celery is my fave and I haven't even had it in ages. Gonna make this correction today.

Btw I appreciate talking it out with everyone here. I usually get ignored or expect to be laughed at when bringing up these topics.

Click to shrink...

You'll never get laughed at on here bud. Always loved chatting in the fitness threads. PM me if you ever want to chat and enjoy the celery and peanut butter (god-tier snack)

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

Start putting food money towards that PS5.

Click to shrink...

The Ramen times are upon us.

 

[Casualcore]

The only way for me to get control of my snacking is to track. It's a pain in the butt, but necessary. I will literally eat non-stop if I am not monitoring myself. There are plenty of free apps and the like you can put on your phone. There are ones where you just take a picture of anything you eat to make sure you're being mindful. I track in a FitBit app, even though my FitBit broke forever ago, and I just estimate the calories, so it's not like I'm counting calories to compare to exercise or anything. Just having a log helps keep me aware. The first couple days suck, but once you're in the habit, it really helps.

 

[Gustaf]

i weight 246 lbs and is the best i have felt on like more than 10 years. i wish weighting 185lbs would be something "bad" for me


i know is a lot, but i weighted 275lbs when i started taking care of me back in march.

 

[artemis]

You sound like someone who has plenty of time. Find some activities to do pal.

 

[voOsh]

Track your diet with MyFitnessPal or whatever you want. Even if you're not eating clean at least be consistent about tracking and don't lie. There is evidence that people who log their food intake lose or control their weight much more effectively than those who do not: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568610/

 

[Dream Machine]

You need to stop buying junk food and snack on nuts, veggies, hummus, eggs, etc instead

Peanut butter on celery is my fave and I haven't even had it in ages. Gonna make this correction today.

Click to shrink...

I throw some flax seeds and walnuts on top. It's delicious