help me break my crap eating cycle!

652 Views 10 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Bethla, Jun 20, 2004

pilesoflaundry

Discussion Starter · Jun 17, 2004

I neeeeeed to cut back on the chocolate and sweets I munch on during the day. I eat healthy meals but cruddy snacks. It's like this never ending craving urgh! Like I eat a handful of m&ms trying to ease the craving with something small then an hour later I'm eating some sort of little debbie cake or other such garbage

:. It's like a need, not a want I can't seem to snack on healthy stuff

. And I'm getting hives and migraines and the doc told me it just might be too much sugar/chocolate.

I was reading on a site about diet changes for kids with adhd (I suspect ds has it) about if you crave something so strongly like that you are probably sensative to it, especially if you have dark circles under your eyes. And I just thought it was lack of sleep

. Also that there might be something in it your body needs but can't absorb so you just keep craving it.

Getting it out of the house is not an option, dh refuses to give the stuff up and he constantly buys it. His stomach is always upset and I asked him if he was willing to change his diet over it and he said no he likes his junk too much.

I notice I'm worse once I have that first piece. I can't just have one bite of chocolate, it's either none or I'm eating it all day

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isosmom

· #2 · Jun 18, 2004

Good for you for realizing how your eating is affecting you. A lot of people aren't willing to take responsibility for their own health. That said, you really need to work on dh. Maybe you can come to a compromise of some sort, I used to have dh hide his sweets when he brought them in the house. If you find yourself searching for them, then you know you've got major cravings.:LOL But really, maybe if you stop eating all that crap, dh will notice the difference in you and also want to change.
Have you ever read Dr. Weil's 8 Weeks to Optimum Health? I strongly recommend it as a great way to kick off good eating habits. Good luck to you.
Also wanted to add there was a pretty good thread going on just a bit ago about healthy snacks, check that out.

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Amandzia

· #3 · Jun 18, 2004

Well, if he keeps bringing it into the house, you could try putting it up in a high cupboard out of reach except from a tall chair. Then, but a bowl of fruit on the counter along with a cutting board and knife, and a bowl of nuts and dried fruit, and a pitcher of water or herbal iced tea with a pretty glass. You'll have lots of good things to much on handy, while the junk is not convenient. Maybe with all that good stuff on hand, your dh will also get into a better habit. We can only hope. My dh is getting better. I put the raisins in front of the candy and he often takes those instead.

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VikingKvinna

· #4 · Jun 18, 2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilesoflaundry
I neeeeeed to cut back on the chocolate and sweets I munch on during the day. I eat healthy meals but cruddy snacks.

I do the same thing. As though somehow the good meals "justify" the snacks! On good days, though, I can limit myself to one piece of chocolate in the evening, after dinner. I really savor that one piece, too, let me tell you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilesoflaundry
I was reading on a site about diet changes for kids with adhd (I suspect ds has it) about if you crave something so strongly like that you are probably sensative to it, especially if you have dark circles under your eyes. And I just thought it was lack of sleep

. Also that there might be something in it your body needs but can't absorb so you just keep craving it.

That's very interesting...I always thought cravings meant your body needed it. Do you have that link by any chance? I'd like to read this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilesoflaundry
Getting it out of the house is not an option, dh refuses to give the stuff up and he constantly buys it. His stomach is always upset and I asked him if he was willing to change his diet over it and he said no he likes his junk too much.

If he won't make the change with you, can you ask him to hide it from you, or to keep it somewhere that you don't have easy access to? Especially if you think it's contributing to migraines and hives.

Good luck!
~nick

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pilesoflaundry

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 18, 2004

Thanks everyone

. I do drink a lot of water but if there is other stuff in the house I will avoid it so I had to stop buying soda because instead of the once in awhile treat I was drinking a can with every meal yikes!

GrrlNick here ya go..
http://www.alternativementalhealth.c...rugfreeADD.htm
the parts I am particularly referring to are about half way down

Quote:

I often ask these children what they like to eat. I often get a smart-alec answer, like, "rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, and broccoli." (The mother is sitting in her chair shaking her head.) People tend to eat the food to which they are sensitive. It is like the alcoholic who has low blood sugar. The child who loves milk is usually sensitive to it. They continue to drink dairy products, because somehow they need the calcium, but they are so sensitive to it, it does not get absorbed. Blood and hair tests will reveal the deficiencies

WRT the dairy, we think that is ds's problem he is an absolute terror if he drinks cow's milk but he loves it and it's something he would drink all day long if I let him. When we pulled it out of his diet for a few days he was much better. I am thinking of getting him calcium supplements.

eta: I have no idea what key you have to hit to get it to post before you are ready but I just hit it :LOL.

I wonder if I am low in magnesium, that site lists it as the highest food in magnesium and I wonder if that is causing my cravings. I will try taking it again, I had been for awhile but quit.

When I go shopping this weekend I am going to pick up a bunch of fruit and things like trail mix it's better than junk and I the nuts and stuff in trail mix are good for me anyway. I think if I up my supplements just to get me off the cravings and I detox with a lot of fruit I might be able to break the cycle. I need to do this I know all this sugar and crap is really bad for me!

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root*children

· #6 · Jun 18, 2004

Once a week, or every other week, I make a big ole batch of muffins or banana bread. Something sweet, but not too sweet, and still sorta healthy, ya know? Then I have wholesome foods for the family to snack on when I don't feel like *preparing* anything (yes, I'll admit, sometimes I'm just too darn lazy to wash, peel, cut, etc). And then I also have easy snacks to throw in the car, so I'm not buying crap at the 7-11.

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chellemarie

· #7 · Jun 18, 2004

Jackie - I right there with you. Do you want to be healthy eater buddies or something? Maybe if we have a partner we'll be motivated to do better. Whatcha think?

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kerc

· #8 · Jun 18, 2004

going to look at that site now. thanks for posting the link.

I could have posted this:

Quote:

I notice I'm worse once I have that first piece. I can't just have one bite of chocolate, it's either none or I'm eating it all day .

on sweet stuff. I think sometimes a need for protein is masked by a craving for sweets. I've been noticing that when I really want a candy bar at work I can usually curb the want by either eating nuts or a little yogurt.

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pilesoflaundry

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 18, 2004

ya know I might just need some protein also, we used to eat meat with every meal but we are trying to cut back to meat a few times a week so maybe my body is missing it. I will have to make up for it in other ways.

Chelle, that sounds great

. I think if I had someone to keep me on the 'wagon' that might help!

Julie- oh I love muffins

I need to bake them more often. I could make ones with fruit in them, I love blueberry muffins that makes them at least half way healthy! My problem when I make banana bread is I put chocolate chips in it :LOL Maybe I need to stop doing that and just eat the banana bread. I started putting the chips in it because dh loves my homemade banana bread so much that he would eat the whole pan at once, if I make a loaf with the chips in it I am guranteed to at least get one piece because he doesn't like chocolate and bananas together.

Thank you all for the suggestions of better snacks

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Maggi315

· #10 · Jun 19, 2004

I really can identify with what you are saying. I need to lose about 40 pounds right now and I know it is all because of eating junk and crap all day. My meals are normally pretty healthy, but it is that almost constant need for sweets that is killing me. In a typical day, I will eat sugared cereal (dry as a snack), maybe a donut if I'm out, ice cream or popsicles, something chocolate, and I love those "candy sticks" that look like cigarettes. Great role model for the kids, huh?

I feel relaxed and calm after eating sweets, almost like taking an ativan or something. And the worst time is at night when the kids are in bed and I want to unwind.

I have been on Weight Watchers and did OK, but I always end up going over my points at the end of the day when I start eating the sugar. I would love to hear what others have done to break this addictive cycle!

thanks,

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Bethla

· #11 · Jun 20, 2004

I am currently enrolled in a nutrition class at my community college. I always thought I knew so much about healthy eating and how our body utilizes food. Boy, was I wrong. I have definitely been inspired by this teacher! Good nutrition doesn't just have to do with weight loss but other more important factors. What we eat is responsible for many of the chronic conditions people have now.

My teacher is a vegetarian. Although, she is realistic in understanding that not everyone is going to stop eating meat. She emphasis a diet rich in whole plant foods, which are the number one source of fiber. Every gram of fiber in your diet burns 7 calories! She also stresses NOT drinking your calories. This is an excess of calories that you get no nutrients from, not to mention no fiber. Only drink water. You could lose 20 lbs. in a year by drinking water and not a can of soda or glass of juice.

I am so glad I am taking this class, it has really opened up my eyes about how my nutrition now can affect the rest of my life. I would encourage anyone in a bad phase to look into taking a class like this.

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