.

 

It's a psychological problem with you, as far as I can see.  There's nothing wrong with eating extra cereal, and there's nothing wrong with going on and eating healthy meals during the rest of the day.  There is also nothing wrong with a 400 calorie breakfast.  It gives you a nice kick start to the day.  You feel hungry later because you ARE hungry and need to eat.

Instead of trying to get people to give you tips on how to eat less, I suggest you stop counting calories altogether.

My whole family LOVES cereal.  my dad can eat it 4 times a day!  Most of us likes honey bunches of oats. I do like the special k with red berries and so does my 2 yr old! I used to eat Raisin bran all day when i was pregnant with him...I think a lot of people out there like cereal...

And for me, b/c i like cereal, i rather mix up cereals so that ican have a v. high calorie cereal with a low calorie/high fiber cereal ( like fiber one-1/2 cup with some granola cereal 1/2 serving)...it gives me a good start to my day, i enjoy what i'm eating, i get half my fiber for the day...and its not over my calories. 

I do agree with claireelaine though, eating cereal is good for you (as long as its not those high sugary kiddy stuff).  So 400 calories of cereal is for the morning will actually helpu bettr than hurt u...I think eating 400 calories per meal and a 200 calorie snack is the perfect way to stay at 1400 cals (for me)...

Of course dont forget ur fruits, veggies, and makes sure u r getting some protein too.

I never had an ED, but once in a while, I do binge. My binge food? Cereal (and baby carrots but thats another story). The other day I was a bit hungry so I went and grabed my fav cereal because it was healthier than chips or other junk food. After eating well over 3 cups of cereal dry, I got the strength to put the cereal away. 

 Most of the time I allow myself one bowl of cereal and milk. But Ive noticed if I eat out of the container or if I dont portion it out properly it can lead to a binge very quickly with out me noticing.

 I also drink a lot of water because sometimes hunger is confused with thirst.  Never stick with the same food if you are still hungry, change it up. If I'm still hungry after 20 mins then I will eat some fruit or veggies or something with a different texture. Sometimes that is what satisfies me and stops the urge to binge completely.  I am very picky about textures. lol.

I also like to try to spread out my cals throughout the day in a consistant pattern. 300cals for breakfast, 300-400 for lunch, 400 for supper, and 200-400 for snacks throughout the day depending if I work out. If I happen to go over for one of my meals I always take it out of my snack allowance. That way I dont feel guilty, because guilty feelings tend to make me want to binge more.  

Seeing as I'm recovering, I know that 400cals would be substantial for breakfast, but the thing is, that's just one bowl. and I feel the need to go and have more. if it's in the cupboard, I want it. I need to find something in me that tells me to stop when I'm not hungry. It's weird cos I also need to find something in me that tells me to eat when I am hungry. if that even makes sense :s Right now I'm on about 1000 cals a day, but it ranges from 800-1200.

My basical plan for weekdays is:

Breakfast: 200cals

Lunch - 200-300cals

snack - 100cals

Dinner - 300-400cals

Snack - 100cals

The weekends are a whole different story cos my Mum's around.

But anyway back to the Cereal... I can't stop! And I'm also scared of having too much milk, you're meant to have 2-3 portions of dairy a day right? but how much is 1 portion? I can't have dry cereal, but I don't put a lot of milk in my bowl, just enough to soak the cereal. and I also have a yoghurt in the afternoon. so how much is too much?

your weekday plan doesnt even cross a 1000 calories, wich is still starvation mode, plus you move throughout the day, so you have fewer calories than a 1000 soo add up some calories in the morning.
or see if this works

Breakfeast - 300 cals (cereal if you want)

snack - 100 cals (fruit)

lunch - 300-400 cals (sandwich with veggies)

snack - 100 cals (fruit or a granola bar)

supper - 300-400 cals (chicken with salad, seafood with salad..)

this is just an example, you can eat whatever you want just not more than 500 calories per meal or snack

So all of that is around 1300 cals, even though that is not enough for a teenager atleast get over a 1000 and eat healthy though, fruits, veggies, chicken, seafood and sometimes you can have that icecream! you're still young, and you can eat as much as you want, you'll lose all the baby fat around 20-22 trust me. 

 

it looks so simple and sounds so easy but when it comes to it, when i know that i've had over a thousand calories i just feel so horrible. i know its not even that much but i just cant stand it, i feel like such a pig. thats why i hate weekends. weird aint it, for a teenage girl to prefer weekdays to weekends cos theres no one to watch her eat.

thanks rebeccakm, that's actually a really good idea, I do get full up with porridge. I don't know why I didn't think of it before :s. Think I just get tempted to buy cereal becos I love it so much but I should just stop buying it. Then maybe I won't feel so bad about eating proper meals because I know that I haven't binged. thanks a lot =]

1 cup is a portion of milk. so, like 8 fl oz. My advice is limit yourself to one bowl of cereal. you can do it, even if you think you want more, just don't take anymore. then, eat all your other meals. Make yourself if you have to. After a while, you will train your appitite to be hungry when you need to be, but right now your appitite is messed up, so you need to use your head to train your appitite. You need to get up to 1200 or more, ok? Even if you over do cereal, you need to eat 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day, and a bit of protien, too. I don't mean to scold, but don't starve yourself sweetie, ok?

I love cereal, especially with fresh fruit.  I find it hard to only have 1 serving.  What I do -- if I'm hungry for cereal for breakfast, I measure it out and take it with me.  That way I have it, but there isn't any more.

Also, try Grape Nuts.  I've found that 1 serving of those has always filled me up.

Good luck and congrats on your success so far!

i have no idea how much an oz is lol i'm rubbish with measurements. i always make plans to do things to increase what im eating but it just messes up cos of the voice in my head. lol i sound like a crazy person but that's what it is. i need to work on getting rid of that voice thats telling me shizzle. its not there when im binging but its def there afterwards telling me how much of a pig i am and not to eat the next day and blah blah blah. i am gonna try to have a minimum of 1200 everyday. on cc it says i need 1300 to lose 1 lb a week so that means i have to keep it between 1200 and 1300, not over that. the dietitian said the amount i need to maintain is 2121 but im sure that can't be right :S cos i've had less than that and put on weight.

Hey Sasha!

YES I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!!! I LOVE CEREAL TOO MUCH!!

My favorite cereal is evil...I discovered it in England. Breakfast came with the hotel stay and I didn't want the traditional English breakfast of bacon, eggs and ham so I took the cereal option and now I'm addicted. This cereal is called ALPEN and it is pure yummy and way too high in cals (about 350 for a serving without milk). They don't seem to have skim milk in England or it is not very popular so I was eating it with full fat milk :( ...All I could say is thank God we were walking everywhere all day long.

My American favs are ..corn flakes, wheat/bran flakes, Kixs, Life and Cheerios. I actually really don't like special K...it's not even filling or good. I like your idea of a cereal diet for a week...I know it's not healthy but maybe it's what we need to finally make ourselves sick of cereal because like you I can't stop at one bowl and could easily make it the only thing I consumed all day.

Oh I want to try a silly diet every week...I think I love diets more than weight loss lol.

haha yeah just wanna try out all the diff diets. we have skimmed milk in england! I use semi-skimmed though. This morning I had an iced coffee with oat-a-bix bitesize apple and sultana, mixed with special K sustain. I only had one heaped bowl! and I still feel full! I don't really like Alpen cos I don't like nuts but a lot of people like it over here. I've been trying to convince my mum to buy skimmed milk instead of semi-skimmed but the rest of my family say it tastes like water so aren't going to =[ ah well.

I've been cooking this morning, I think it's a better way to get me to eat. I made that Iced coffee:

-2 tsp vanilla flavour sugar free, calorie free coffee

-1 tsp splenda

-4 ice cubes

-150ml milk

all in all that's 79calories =] and it was nice.

Then I made a cherry smoothie with 2 weightwatchers cherry yoghurts (58calories each), 4 ice cubes and 100ml milk. that's still in the fridge.

Then I boiled some apples with raspberry jam, cooked apples are so nice! cos me and my mum baked a cake yesterday (i didn't have any) so i ws thinking they could eat it with the apple sauce or mix it in with some custard. ah i wish i could eat it =[

for lunch I'm gona make a egg white omelette and make like a salsa from canned tomato and vegetables to eat it with. Making the most of my day off from work!

xxx

Well how do you measure cereal portions theN?
8 oz is a "cup" In a litre bottle of milk there are 4 "cups". Most people uise 3/4 of a cup of milk on their cereal. It is much more than soaking the cereal. Dont worry about too much milk. 4 serves is fine. Most people done get enough. What you should worry about is not getting otehr nutrients cos you're eating cereal
Take it slowly and think about how much better eating variety is. You've gotten into a habit which has formed part of an eating disorder. But dont worry, if you really want to be a fit and healthy person, you can get over it. Just take little steps. Not eating cereal wont make you gain weight. Eg. Cereal is a lot less filling than porridge, for cals. And lettuce, well that stuff is crazy low.

Hey today sounded better. Real food! Good on you. Try and get a little bit of meat in. You're quite young so you need iron. it helsp deliver oxygen around your body which is super important.
Goodluck

HI seen as your on the subject of cereal has anyone actually tried the cereal diet ???

Hello Sasha!

I'm so happy to hear that you're making an effort to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I have also had my own struggles with eating disorders and I can say that I know how much of a nightmare the concept of food can be. It's because our minds have gotten used to thinking that food is the enemy and it only has negative effects on our body (aka weight gain).

But we have to stop thinking like that, because food - when eaten in a healthy manner in healthy portions and made of healthy ingredients, is our best friend. Why do we love to eat? Why do you eat 3 bowls of cereal? Because our body needs to eat to live. We need the energy that food gives us, not only to physically function, but to be emotionally happy.

However, it is important to think like this:
We don't live to eat, we eat to live.
Just because you've made the decision to recover from unhealthy habits doesn't mean that you have to stuff food down your throat and force yourself to eat whatever you can.
Yes, food keeps us alive, but our lives shouldn't be focused around food. We need to enjoy what we do everyday - that isn't necessarily associated with eating. Our family, our chores, our work, our fun, our pets.

The more we obsess about weight loss and diet, the harder it becomes to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight - ironic, isn't it?
I'm still old fashioned, perhaps, but I say the best way to eat throughout the day would be to:

1. Wake up, first have a cup of tea or decaf coffee.
2. Eat breakfast - whether it be cereal, porridge, toast w/ jam or eggs, et. (though I personally stay away from cereal because it's so hard to stay within the serving portion... you never know how much is too much!)
3. Put away the food after you've finished. Don't keep it lying around in plain view.
4. Go about and do the things you need to do - school, work, chores.
5. If you need a snack, ALWAYS opt for fruit. Have an apple, a banana, a pear - if you tend to binge on snacks, then go for whole fruits, not ones that come in bunches like grapes or cherries or berries. Easier portion control ;)
6. Sandwiches are good lunches! Especially ones where there are lots of veggies in them. You don't NEED to have layers and layers of meat in them. Soups are also very good choices, as long as they aren't the super duper buttery creamy ones. Veggie soups, chicken noodle soups - with a slice of whole wheat toast or roll. If you haven't yet, ask your family to switch to whole grain foods. They'll keep you full for longer!
7. If ever you catch yourself fretting about the food you've eaten after a meal, STOP. Shake your head, give yourself a pinch. Clear your mind. Just think to yourself. Your meal was tasty. Your body is happy and satisfied. Now you have the energy to go about and move around and be active.
8. If you have the time, go have a nice workout sometime during your day. With different people, different forms of workout are best. Some find yoga to be centering. Some like working up a sweat in aerobics or kick boxing. Some like the steady beat of the elliptical or the treadmill. Some like jumping rope in their yard. Try different things out. And see what feels most fun and comfortable for you. If you don't have time to workout during the day, do some stretching at night. Some jumping jacks, lunges, pushups, situps, etc. You'll sleep better too, I promise.
9. If you usually eat dinner with the family, eat. Eat whatever is cooked. It's not fun to sit at the table with your family, wanting to join in with them but not being able to. Family meals should be enjoyable. And home-cooked meals are cooked with love. Your mind shouldn't be ticking down calories. It should be savoring the taste of your mom's chicken or beans or salad, and it should be thankful that you've got such a warm family and home. I myself sometimes sit and realise that we take so many things for granted...
10. The great thing with eating a satisfying dinner is that you won't have the urge to snack afterwards. Humans don't need dessert. In fact, in my country, desserts are a rare thing. We drink tea after a meal and that just fills us up and we're good for the night. If you do crave someting sweet though, go for a non-fat, sugar-free cocoa powder, mix it with skim or part-skimmed milk, and add a tablespoon of maple syrup. Maple syrup doesn't taste bad AT ALL and it's the better choice when it comes to sweeteners. I'd personally stay away from artificial sweeteners like Splenda though... they are NOT good for you at all... I'm too scared to drink anything with splenda in it (even though it's tempting because it's no-cal) because seriously... it's made from nothing but man-made chemicals in a lab by people in white lab coats. It's like... putting melted plastic in your body. *shivers*

Anyways, I'm so sorry my post got so long, I hope I didn't annoy you with anything I wrote. I know I strayed faaaaaaaar from the topic of cereal... *cough*
And while we're on it, if you must have cereal in the house, I say trade in all your cereals for brands that you can find in the healthfood store. Like 'Health Valley', or 'Kashi', or 'Nature's Path'. And pick one's that have lots of fiber and whole wheats. Sure they're not as cheap-sugar tasting at first, but they're healthy and most importantly, you won't binge! :D Generally, the browner the flakes look, the healthier...

In closing, yes, it's MUCH easier said than done to change your perception of food. But take it slowly. Don't rush yourself to get healthy. If you rush, you'll probably make mistakes and bounce back. Take it one step at a time. THINK each step through - think of all the pros and cons. Think of the good things about being healthy, and the bad things of being annorexic. Remind yourself that it's simply a waste of your time and your life to be so consumed by thoughts of food everyday. You could be having fun in life. You could be getting to where you want to be. You could have a bright future.
Perhaps you don't think you're perfect, but no one is. And that's normal. It's normal that we all have flaws somewhere - but it makes us unique. It makes life worth living.

Good luck in whatever you do, and I wish you all the best :)
*hugs*

ok so at the dietitians today he said that I'm craving cereal so much cos it has loads of carbs in it and I've previously deprived myself of carbs so now my body wants to overload on them. but that doesn't explain why I don't crave other things :s he said if I have a proper amount of carbs with my meals then I wouldn't want cereal all the time. makes sense but I'm still not convinced.

btw the 'salsa' turned out horrible lol so I only had like a third of my lunch but oh well. I haven't had porridge yet cos I bought a load of cereals the other day and I have to finish them first. but I'm gonna try SO hard to have one large bowl of cereal in the morning and THATS IT! It will take longer and be HELL but I have to do it. I need to take control, not let the cravings or on the opposite scale - Ana, take control. It doesn't have to be no cereal or 5 bowls of cereal. Have to learn to control myself.

Cereal rules! I eat it all the time. I try to stick mainly to the kids cereals that are extra high in sugar. (Honeycomb, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs, etc.) Although every now and then I will have a bowl of Cheerios...with a couple of extra tablespoons of sugar. The worst is when you go to the supermarket and they have a 2 for 1 special in the cereal aisle. I end up getting 6 or 8 boxes. Oh, and one bowl is never enough. Yummy!

wow thanks a lot notgivingin =] people are so nice on C-C!

Right now I'm not allowed to work out =[ it SUCKS!! the Dr said I shouldn't even be walking to work! but I have to cos otherwise my mood just gets even worse if I haven't. I used to do sit-ups, crunches and lunges everyday but I'm barely allowed to do them now too.

When I feel like a snack most of the time I go for an apple cos it really fills me up, and tasty =P

No matter what's in them, I just cannot find myself to eat a sandwich! I did on monday but then I bought one to work on Wednesday and just couldn't eat it! It was made of wholegrain bread, we don't eat white bread at home, that's something I would never eat!

Anyway thanks for all the advise, it's greatly appreciated! xxx

i used to do the same thing and my parents won?t let me go on a cereal diet either

it's simply because your body couldn't cope, it couldn't run off just cereal. If you really want to stop eating it ask your mum to put the cereal in a cupboard and child lock it (that might sound silly but it worked for me) and instead of eating cereal snack on fruit or something. Also for breakfast I eat porridge, it's one of my fav. cereals and it keeps you going for ages.

But i understand you love for cereal, i used to never stop eating cornflakes with oat-a-bix but if you try really hard and can manage say a couple of week without cereal you'll find your craving for it goes down, its the same with all foods, shockingly enough i no longer eat cereal apart from porridge and now I?ve even started going off biscuits O.O

anyway good luck!