[hawthoerne]

I am addicted to food, i am 60lbs overweight and i want to go on a diet to lose weight, i've been on the diet for 2 days now and i'm craving chocolate (i was craving chocolate for a week beforehand however) i am having a very hard time not eating more than one serving of whatever food i am eating! I am definitely not starving myself, i'm eating 3 meals a day, they're just smaller than what i'm used to. I already have an online calorie counter that i'm using. does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop craving food constantly?

[Ygrec23]

Originally Posted by hawthoerne

I am addicted to food, i am 60lbs overweight and i want to go on a diet to lose weight, i've been on the diet for 2 days now and i'm craving chocolate (i was craving chocolate for a week beforehand however) i am having a very hard time not eating more than one serving of whatever food i am eating! I am definitely not starving myself, i'm eating 3 meals a day, they're just smaller than what i'm used to. I already have an online calorie counter that i'm using. does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop craving food constantly?

I'm exactly in your position, hawthoerne, so I can't tell you "what works." All I can do is pass on to you things other people have suggested to me.

1. Exercise. Taking a "powerwalk" after dinner. ("Powerwalking" being walking fast enough to get some aerobic benefit from it.)

2. Counting time. Some people say that if you eat a decent meal (one plate, NOT all you want) and then wait twenty minutes the hunger will have gone away.

3. Eating lots and lots of fresh vegetables NOT INCLUDING starch or other carbohydrates and not much meat. (This is one I'm trying to do myself. I've collected low-cal "dipping sauce" recipes from around the web, then I steam some vegetables (others I eat raw) and dip them into the sauce I've made and eat them. This does work. I can eat half a head of lettuce for dinner if I put a bit of cocktail sauce on it (no fat whatsoever). And it satisfies me.

4. My doc says if you want to lose weight, stick to the following carbs: only sweet potatoes (not white potatoes), only brown rice (not white rice), only whole wheat bread (no white bread), and no pasta.

Well, that's about as far as I can go right now. But believe me, there are all kinds of low-fat or no-fat dipping sauce recipes on the web. And most of them are entirely delicious when eaten with broccoli or green beans or any other vegetable.

I'm not "going vegetarian," I'm just trying to lose weight and that's one of the ways of doing it. Take care!

[hawthoerne]

First i'm trying to keep my calories down to 2k a day and eat regular portions of food i think after that i'll start with the no carbs part. I am on antipsychotics which make you hungry and make it hard for you to feel full. and i heard that coffee suppresses your appetite, is that true?

[o.kay]

Someone told me that it helps to brush your teeth- I haven't tried it, but seems easy enough to do ???

I feel that I'm addicted to food as well. What I'm eating or not eating consumes almost all of my thoughts! I don't have much useful advice, but now that the weather is getting cold I'm finding comfort in a bowl of nice hot soup! A lot of soups are low in calories, full of nutrients, and the liquid content means it keeps you fuller for longer. I go for those with vegetables or lentils (try and avoid those with too much salt.)

I'm not having much luck with avoiding food cravings all together, I'm just stepping up the exercise in the hopes that it will compensate for the odd slip Apparently exercise gives us some of the same 'happy feelings' that we crave from food, so the theory is the more you exercise the less junk you want to eat...

Ygrec made some good points, too... (although heaven forbid you "go vegetarian"... like me...! lmao! )

[unaluna]

I read that the reason they tell you to drink water is, a cell has to be properly hydrated in order to give up fat. I like to know the reason why for things instead of just saying, because it works, because I told you so, blah blah blah.

haethorne I got a biggest loser magazine yesterday, you are on their target with your calorie count, which I thought was pretty generous, and very doable.

I wonder how many people are like me - how often do you wait too long for a meal, because you just don't put a priority on it for yourself, it's too embarrassing? My dad ate his meals at such regular times, my 2nd husband kinda teased him about it. But when I went to live with my mother in 2004, I was freakin AMAZED that she sat down for 3 meals a day. I had NEVER seen her do that before, ever! I didn't think *I* was allowed to do it! She worked at restaurants all her life so I guess she ate there, but a kid doesn't know that, right? I remember my dad making Saturday breakfast, I remember my older brother making me a bowl of cold cereal or french fries (later), but I don't remember ever having breakfast or lunch with just her and me. I always think to myself in the morning, "I can wait to eat a while longer." Time to stop being weird.

[Michealwolf]

hi friend ... if you really think you should cut down start eating smaller portions but dont change drastically, the more you put on your plate the more your mind thinks you have to eat, so start with small portions... Best of luck