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So I am moderately active.
I ride to work every day (4 miles each way - not far, but not bad), and I have kids that mean I have to keep moving. Although I do have 'desk days' where I don't move a huge amount, where I work does require that I walk around a fair bit (so not entirely sedentary). And last night (for example), I got into an endurance skipping competition with one of my sons (so not given to just sitting around either).
I don't really watch TV, and I don't drink much (maybe 2-3 pints a week on average). My wife and children are all very healthy and fit, and all of our meals are home-prepared with almost no processed foods.
The problem is, I can't really stop eating.
I will go through periods (such as Lent) where I can reduce what I eat, so if I get on a roll, I can keep it going. Until, that is, something happens to knock me off. Then, I just keep eating. It is almost like an addiction. If I am cleaning the kitchen after a meal, for example, I will just have an extra slice of cake, or maybe I will finish the rice that's left in the pot, or whatever. It's this kind of picking that gets me every time.
This is something I have done since I was very young; I think the only reason I have never become extremely overweight is because I was such an active person until I was in my mid-twenties.
But that was 20 years ago, and I desperately want to lose weight and eat right.
Currently 5'10" and 93kgs. Ultimately, I would like to be what I was 10 years ago: 75kgs.
Considering pretty serious time constraints, and my propensity to eat the way I do, any suggestions? I desperately want to overcome the habit of a lifetime, but it feels like I am a smoker trying to quit...
I always overeat. I like eating. I'm overweight. But happy. Don't drink or smoke which hopefully offsets it a bit.
Try cutting back and experiencing proper hunger - its quite satisfying.
Sounds like comfort eating.
I typically overeat. Began upon marriage ;-). (I probably always overate yet middle-age and slowing metabolism means I can't get away with it now)
Went from 11-12 stone up to a whopping 16.5
Currently fixing the situation at a fair old clip by following method:
[b]5:2 Diet
+
Keep food diary on MyFitnessPal[/b]
I exercise as normal, ie not a lot, OK maybe a bit more swimming.
Job done. Lost half a stone in less than a month. Slowing now but steady loss. Key is not to let go of MyFitnessPal food diary. Do. It. Every. Day. I stopped due to recent distracting stressful events and sure enough started eating crappily again. Do the diary.
*Edit - the pangs/boredom gaps I typically filled with crisps/choc/biscuits are now filled with crudités and low fat hummus or hot sauce 🙂
Always have cut sticks of carrots, celery and cucumber to hand. Smear hummus on(not great gobs of it), or dip in hot sauce. It works for me anyway.
I always overeat. I like eating. I'm not overweight and find it a constant battle to maintain 75kg's. I too use MFP.
Being hungry makes me miserable. Watching my Watts/KG drop makes me miserable.
If I am cleaning the kitchen after a meal, for example, I will just have an extra slice of cake,
If there wasn't cake there in the first place you wouldn't be able to eat that extra slice.
No specific suggestions, but I imagine anything you do really needs your wife on board if she's the main meal provider.
Actually +1 for myfitness pal, use it for a month. Make sure you are ruthlessly honest and thorough though.
Boredom for me. If I'm occupied I don't think about food until I'm properly hungry.
@IanMunro: yes, but it wouldn't matter to me if it was cake or rice, or anything else. There is little I don't like, so if it's there, I will consume it.
It's definitely comfort eating. I wonder if a bit of CBT wouldn't be helpful.
Have you been wormed recently?
Try eating foods which keep you feeling full for longer, if I don't have porridge for breakfast, my lunch is gone by 11 o'clock and I'm practically shaking by the time I get home at 6.
There is little I don't like, so if it's there, I will consume it.
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Could be worse:
I'm the same though - if I have a cup of tea, I have to have something sweet with it. No bloody willpower.
Stopped buying biscuits/cake. Or only buy ones that the kids like. I only make enough food to actually feed the family - don't make extra rice.
If it's not there, you won't eat it.
drink more fluids so you feel fuller.. also try and have smaller portions of your main meals with the idea you may be eating some extra bits later. Reducing the portion size takes a bit of time to find the balance.
I did t25 workout routine to squeeze in some exercise over the winter when there wasnt much time to get out and it was cold 🙂
TBH I realise I'm never going to get to my target weight and as long as I stay the same I'm ok
don't make extra rice
Weigh stuff like rice, pasta, bread, cheese etc.
go nuts with broccoli, cabbage, spinach and veg that will fill you up but isn't too starchy.
I'm cutting out meat and cheese a few days a week at the moment.
Also don't punish yourself if you do have a couple of bad days over a weekend, if you're eating well over the rest of the week you'll feel better on the whole
My problem is beer, i'm active almost every night, but the group things end up with a nice pint, maybe two, afterwards
Boredom for me. If I'm occupied I don't think about food until I'm properly hungry.
This, this is me.
The only way I've found of stopping it (bar not being bored, harder than it sounds at work) is to plan my eat meticulously and not go to shops during the day. I also try and eat small meal regularly, every 3 hours or so, rather than eating big at brekky, lunch and dinner. I tend to make meals for a week at work on a Sunday and just eat that. A final control is that I don't take my cash card or any cash to work any more. I have a work credit card that could be used in real emergencies but I can't use it for a bag of crisps and a Twix at lunch.
This means I generally don't get as hungry and it also means I don't have hungry trips to Tesco.
Oh and water, drink loads of it. There may be health benefits but for me, it fill me up, that's the big benefit to me.
For me its about breaking bad habits and figuring out the difference between needing and wanting to eat. Me and Mrs Wilko are going through this process after both steadily gaining weight for about the last year. Its basically a big test of will-power and getting used to feeling hungry for longer.
We have a 'fat club' style weekly weigh-in the same time very Sunday morning. We're both very competitive and the fact that she did better than me last week has really spurned me on this week. Eat less, move more is our simplistic view on it and so far its serving us quite well
[i]but I imagine anything you do really needs your wife on board if she's the main meal [s]provider[/s] maker.[/i]
In my experience, this is the biggest obstacle for the guys I've known who've asked me for advise (yeah, ok).
What I find truely staggering is that wifes and GFs insist they know better than their husbands and BFs, for no other reason than that they are female 😯 And then just flat refuse to listen or in 99% of situations, refuse to assist with their husband's request for help in this matter. I suspect the refusal is based on not wanting to prepare a second meal. Pity really.
As for the OP, I really couldn't speculate on whether you are describing a psychological or physiological issue.
However, you refer to rice and cake, so ime, that's not giving a great picture of what's on the menu at Chez SaxonRider.
Hope you get sorted, one way or another.
Job done. Lost half a stone in less than a month. Slowing now but steady loss. Key is not to let go of MyFitnessPal food diary. Do. It. Every. Day. I stopped due to recent distracting stressful events and sure enough started eating crappily again. Do the diary.
This, if nothing else it's a pain to fire up the app, find the food, and add it to your diary - and this will put you off eating it in the first place 🙂
Not having "bad" food around is also an excellent idea. But you'll need to get your wife onside if you want that to work.
Another idea: sign up for a properly challenging sporting event - a marathon, an ironman, a 100 mile XC MTB ride... something that will give you a bit of external motivation.
Me too. Usually exercise keeps it in check, but have been largely off the bike since April with other issues. Getting older and slowing metabolism makes it worse. I can't stand waste either, resulting in me hoovering up kids leftovers, then eating another meal later too.
I've currently trying:
Reduce portion sizes slightly
More fish or meaty salads at lunchtime instead of sandwiches
er, that's it really. Hopefully i'll be back on the bike soon and banging out the miles too.
resulting in me hoovering up kids leftovers
This is what has piled the beef on for me. That and an overactive chippy gland.
I've got three kids who are like anorexic racing snakes coz' they never finish their meals and I can't bear to see food go to waste.
I ate 4 loaves of bread yesterday - pooping is quite the challenge today
Sometimes I just have to accept my eating disorder and go with it - I know I'll be sorting out my diet and exercise routine agen soon and lose the few pounds I've put on this week
My trainer had me eating an increased protein/reduced carbohydrate diet which really tries very hard to cut out any sugar.
He said I could eat as much food as I wanted, but no junk, and I wasn't to eat anything until I could honestly say I fancied a piece of fish and a salad. Turns out that's only 3 times a day really.
MrsDummy has been brilliantly supportive though, which is a huge help.
🙂