eat because it tastes good...

Back in the beginning of 2007 I weighed 171, we had a weight loss challenge at work and I got down to 138!! I felt amazing and was only 10 pounds away from my goal - and then the weekend happened. I feel like once I gave up on counting calories it became hard to start up again. Over the past two years I felt like I had been doing pretty good by somewhat maintaining but over the last 6 months or so it's been creeping back up. This morning I was 165.5 and as I get closer to the 171 mark it's becoming apparent that I need to get control of eating and fast!

So... here's my problem... I eat because it tastes good and not because I'm hungry. When I go shopping I can't buy any of the following with the fear that I will eat it all - in one sitting: any kind of chips, ice cream, candy, fruit snacks or roll ups, cookies, I LOVE goldfish and croutons. Strange I know. When I have any of these items around I eat and eat and eat so going to parties and get togethers I feel like I need to eat as much as I can since I don't treat myself at home.

Is there anyone else that can't keep specific items in their home with the fear of eating until it's gone? How do I get this under control? Would it help if I kept these foods around more and maybe I wouldn't feel the need to binge when I have access to them? Please let me know any other tips and ideas....

Thanks!

I can't keep chips or nutella in the house. Ice cream is a weakness too but I have been buying the 100 cal breyers cups and that seems keep me under control because eating two of something sound worse than eating "a little bit more" of a bigger container. I really don't keep anything unhealthy in the house though except for my Breyers cups, so that when I feel like a snack I have no choice but to choose something good for me. I think it's really just about finding something that works for you.

Definitely don't cut the things you love out completely, because that will almost certainly lead to a binge.

I'm the same way with certain foods.  Sometimes I can handle having them in the house, sometimes not.  There are a few things that I find do help if I do keep them in the house. 

1. Out of sight, out of mind.  If it's laying out on the counter I will want it all the time.
2. Pre-portion it into your serving size right away.  If it's a bag of chips for instance if it's a bag of chips put it in 10 little baggies (or however many it comes out to).  I'm less likely to take a second bag, but if I'm eating straight out of the bag it's easy to lose track of how many I've had, or just not care and keep eating. 
3. Buy smaller portions, even if it does cost more.  Yes, it's cheaper to buy a gallon of ice cream, but can I have that much at my finger tips?  Nope.
4. Share.  Buy a treat and bring it somewhere to share.  Leave the leftovers there. 

Hope this helps!!

Yup. Wheat Thins are not allowed in my house. They are way more delicious to me than any cracker has any business being. However, here are some ideas for keeping your snacking under control:

1. Measure everything out in advance, because eating straight out of the big bag is dangerous. It is the same principle as those 100 calorie snack packs, but much cheaper and more versitile. If I buy a bag of tastey honey roasted almonds, I immediately measure every portion out into little ziplock bags. That way, I know exactly how much to eat in one sitting.
2. Choose snacks that have a lot of "flavor density." So, if I am going to have tortilla chips in the house, I prefer to either have the spicy kind or eat them with a huge serving of spicy salsa. Spices don't add extra calories, but in my opinion they make a small, reasonable portion much more satisfying.
3. Think about quality over quantity. I find one homemade chocolate chip cookie more satisfying than 5 Chips Ahoy cookies. Similarly, it takes me much longer to eat a piece of high quality dark chocolate than a Hersheys bar.
4. Watch out for "hyper palatable" foods. In his book, The End of Overeating, former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler describes how certain foods are engineered to override our bodies' natural hunger/satiety cues. Here is an interview with him that may make you rethink your relationship with snacking.

I hope this was helpful!

trikki - I do buy the 100 calorie items but I don't buy the yummy ones because I'm afraid I'll eat well, a few... but that's true that eating two is much worse than eating "a little bit more." I'll have to give this a try and keep some more foods items around that I like and try to enjoy them instead of eating like I'm afraid someone else is gonna take it away or finish it off even though I live alone. :) Thank you.

debcowan - Sometimes out of sight, out of mind works for me but not always... usually if it's in the house I want to eat it right away and I'm not sure why. I will try to do the pre-portion servings again and write the calories on them so I do know what I'm grabbing and so I don't eat without thinking about it first. Thanks.

theholla - I like Wheat Thins too but those are a snack that could sit in my cupboards for weeks without me touching them. With some other snacks I feel like I could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until they are gone! In fact - I did have Cheetos for breakfast the other day... :( Thanks for your tips and that interview was very interesting! All in all I think I just need to learn about portion control again and use the measuring method. Maybe I ought to invest in a scale... :)

I don't keep... well, pretty much anything in the house. No cookies, chips, ice cream (unless it's a birthday). Nothing. I keep 100 calorie packs for my lunches on occasion, but I don't really want them for a snack because they are usually gross. That being said, I do snack. I just make sure that if I'm going to have a snack, I have to GO OUT, but a pre-packaged amount, pay for it out of my "fun" money, and drive home to eat it. Those are the rules. If I want something bad enough to do all that work, it's probably worth it just to go ahead and splurge.

I'm one of those people who will say "No cookies," but then sit down and eat random crap until I give up and get the cookie anyway. It's easier just to go out and buy a cookie.

I've had the same problem besides the stress/depression/anxiety and boredom...I just loved to eat, I loved the taste of food. I was never hungry since I would eat at reasonable times (and a lot of it!) Hence why I had a binging problem for awhile.

Now I will not buy tempting foods. I just won't bring them in the house because I know better. If someone else brings something I like into the house I make a mental note that says "They bought that food for themselves so it is theirs and not mine." Knowing it belongs to someone else keeps me away from it.

I totally agree that you should not deprive yourself and I don't either. I would most definitely say in the case of any snack food that may cause you to binge that as soon as you put your groceries away that you immediately portion it out into little bags and set one bag out if you plan it into your meals and snacks for the day and put the rest away out of sight until the next day then you can bring out another bag, etc.

I tend to just not buy the stuff. If I want something bad enough I will go out and buy ONE. I totally love bagels and cream cheese because of this I will definitely not buy the bagels at the store that come with 6...because chances are I will end up eating 2 or 3 in a sitting or be overindulging every day on them until they are gone. So if I want one I will go to a store that serves  them and purchase one as a special treat every now and then. I find this helps as usually when you buy treats at the grocery store they usually come in bulk.

If I am at the store sometimes I'll look for lower calorie options of a certain food I like that way I can incorporate them into my daily meals each day without the guilt.

You can definitely treat yourself every now and then and it will not hurt you, but you just have to know your limits on what you personally can or can not do.

Good Luck. :)

Thank you all for your thoughts and insight! Your words are very helpful! Fyi... I know I'm just getting started on this CC journey but knowing that I've lost a pound since yesterday and feeling strong enough to walk past a huge plate of delicious strudel this morning makes me feel great! I know that there will still be plenty left at lunch time and I can have ONE when I become hungry! I just hope I have enough willpower to pass all of the bowls of candy though out the offices today! *fingers crossed* I can do it!!!

I'm like this with chips. I won't buy them for myself because if I do they'll be gone in a few minutes. I'll buy a bag for my boyfriend and I may, and that's a big may have a few but that's it lol. Chips have always been my weekness!