still can't spread out my meals!! =(

i have no willpower. i reach my maintenance cals by 2pm latest .. i just stuff my face. and then i just eat nothing for the rest of the day. my stomach gets so big early in the day i look pregnant and have cramps, and then i wake up all night cause i'm starving. ive been trying to suck it up and not do this for SOOO long. ive done this every day for like.. months and months. any advice at all???

 Hi,

I have been there except i still carry on eating. so this may not be exactly waht you are looking for but i hope it helps a little to help control portion size due course of the day and stop eat (to have aclas for later)

• use a smaller plate or bowl for smaller portion size - psych effect
• sit down when you eat - if you stand at the fridge, pull up a chair (i m serious)
• make sure that when you eat, you do nothing but eat (no reading, music but other ppl is ok), slow done, have a little break. when the plate is empty dont jump up. basically take your time to enjoy your meal. food is more than just fuel to many of us
• when you are done with eating: distraction, especially withthings that involve my hands: knitting, writting letters, playing video games - whatever you like
• try stick out not snacking anything for 30 minutes after the meal (walk, chat on the phone etc) i find once you are done with that your mind is one something else and you are done

thanks, thats great advice. i guess i gotta just keep trying! i think maybe it has something to do with the fact that i plan out meals for the whole day in the morning.. and when i see it all written down, i just dive in until there's nothing left.  i dont think i could stop keeping track altogether, but maybe if i write things down AS i eat them rather than all first thing in the AM.

also, my stomach seems to have become slightly distended from all of this- does anyone know if it will go back down if i correct my habits? i find that even in the evening after i havent eaten for several hours, it is stretched out far past where it used to be normally.. i have this permanent baby-bump look.

The bloat should go if you manage a regular eating schedule, yes. And I think the writing as you go idea is wise, if your issue is eating your whole plan after you've plotted it all out. Really, the advice you've been given is good.

Saying that, chronic abdominal distention can be a sign of something underlying. If you're honestly so distended it's really visible, and it's not just in your head, speak to your doctor.

yes dont give up. every morning you get a clearn start. embrace it as a chance not a big challenge.

oh and ps: drink a big class of water, if you can, 10 minutes before you, this may help stopping to overeat in 1 session

i agree with everyone else's advice, but just wanted to add that maybe you could ask someone to help you out and keep you on track? I don't mean to be totally dependent on them, but maybe you could just ask them to watch out for you (though I understand why you wouldn't want to, there's a possibility of this being very annoying).

and as far as working on spreading out your meals, if you allot your cals & time right then you could even plan to be eating on every hour, so even when you're tempted to binge just stop and think "I'm gonna eat again in one hour, I can wait"

water and fiber will help fill you up as well.

if you can, id say try to make yourself busy. like if there is anyway possible to get yourself away from food until you want to eat it do it. i find when im busy its easier to forget about food. whenever im home and bored, i end up picking alot more during the day. so if you can go for a walk, go shopping, volunteer anything that literally makes it impossible for you to continue eating until 2 that might help1

yeah this definitely has a lot to do with boredom.. ive noticed the problem getting worse since i got my hours cut at work and i'm home all the damn time.

yeah i definitely have the best luck when i plan to have a tonnnn of tiny little meals every 1-2 hours.  it has nothing to do with hunger, in fact i think it gets WORSE the fuller i am.. i just wanna keep on stuffing it in. and once i reach my cal. max, i have nooo problem eating nothing else, no matter how long i have to go. until i wake up every hour at night starving.

well it's another day so today i'm gonna try to be as intuitive as possible and only write things down after i've eaten them, that way i'm forced to be a bit more mindful re: actual hunger.

You said you reach your cal needs by 2 are you sure that the amount you are eating is adequate? Sometimes I feel people think it is enough or try to control their body below the set point that is natural for them and they are constantly hungry. We all have different shapes and not everyone is a size 2. I am not saying this for you but just a thought. Also maybe look at your food choices. Is it a balance of protein/fat/carbs?

i think it's a decent balance of protein and carbs.. i eat protein with every meal.. i dont purposely shy away from fat, although i think my diet is low in fat generally. i try to eat 1800 cals/day and i maintain a weight of 109-112 lbs on that amount, i'm 5'4".

today seems to be going well, i'm trying super hard to stay busy and i'm not planning out the day in advance. well, actually i'm at about 1350 cals right now and it's only 11am.. but today has been suuuper boring and at least i have enough left for a light dinner and light snack. here's hoping.