Tips for Stopping Compulsive Eating

I've been a compulsive eater for ... well .... as far back as I can remember.

I have been working hard to try to stop this behavior nad sometimes I am successful which is great!  But sometimes, not so much!

does anyone have tips for compulsive eaters on ways to interrupt the thought process (or lack thereof) that causes one to reach for food compulsively?  Tips for stopping the behavior in the middle of hte act?

Find something you really like to do and do it when you feel like you're going to start compulsive eating. A nice long walk or hike always works for me. Just find a diffeent way to channel it. Good luck!

You might want to check out Overeaters Anonymous.  It's pretty inexpensive.  Most cities have a meeting or two.  You can buy the books if you are interested or pick them up from the library.  If you rely on god, follow the steps, do a plan on eating  and talk with your sponsor, many people find relief.  Good Luck!

I think the most constructive thing you can do is to not surround yourself with food.   If you 'reach for food' and there's none there, you can't eat it and you have to do something else.   It breaks the habit.   If you try to stop your behaviour in the middle of the act it's too late.   It's too easy these days with supermarkets and multi-packs and oversized fridges and freezers to think that we have to have a month's supply on hand at any one time - but it's not necessary. 

Limit your food shopping to enough to cover the next few meals, empty the cupboards/fridge/freezer of everything you don't want to eat and keep a stock of healthy snacks handy.... fresh fruit for example.... so that if you do end up 'reaching for food' it won't do your waistline so much damage. 

If compulsive eating happens outside your home environment... change your schedule or change your route.  If you're in the habit of popping into the bakers at lunchtime, for example, take a packed lunch instead.  If you find yourself buying chocolate bars at the garage when you fill up with petrol, only do it after you've had a decent meal.    Think through when the overeating happens and see how you can not put yourself in the same situations.

I know that I'm not really adressing the underlying problem here, but if I'm surrounded by food and feel like I really need to eat some, even though I'm full, etc, I'll grab a stick of strong flavored gum, like mint, and then, even if/when you spit it out, nothing tastes very good with mint flavor mingled in it.... ew.

I was struggling with this too. I keep recommending the book Breaking Free from Emotional Eating on here. This book recommends to keep a journal of how hungry you feel before and after you eat. I decided to only eat three times a day (this was a personal decision, not because of the book), only after I hear my stomach grumble. Both of these things have really helped me.

There is no easy answer for this one so I may be echoing some of the other comments. Definitely do something else like knitting or something else you are good at. DO NOT watch the food channels! Hug a small child. Hug a big child. Hug yourself as you look in the mirror and say I am worth so much more than  chips or a piece cake. Walk, run or just leave the house and go to the library. Being at work or busy is definitely somewhat easier but it doesn't stop you from wanting to eat or snack and at the holidays it is murder but make sure you have healthy alternatives when you do snack. A tangerine or banana may be enough to help you overlook the banana bread someone baked and brought in for the staff to try. Good luck!

PS - last night I was so hungry I could have eaten my carpet. I found some pecans in the shell. They are murder to shell! I ate 7 and between the possible carpal tunnel the exercise almost produced and me gobbling up the pieces, it was enough to get me through the I got to eat NOW phase...buy nuts in their shells! Good excercise, must burn some calories and it is good eats!

Original Post by nancybehrend:

I've been a compulsive eater for ... well .... as far back as I can remember.

 

I have been working hard to try to stop this behavior nad sometimes I am successful which is great!  But sometimes, not so much!

 

does anyone have tips for compulsive eaters on ways to interrupt the thought process (or lack thereof) that causes one to reach for food compulsively?  Tips for stopping the behavior in the middle of hte act?

 

 

This is a big problem with me as well... A BIG PROBLEM... - mcarrules I really like that idea, with the nuts.  I think I have to try that.

Listerine pocket pack breath strips.   Put a listerine strip onto your tongue.  That stops desire for food for a while.  

I have been told to acknowledge the fact that I am a compulsive eater. I have in the fridge a selection of foods wjich are healthy. I know I am going to look in the fridge everytime I go into the kitchen. I have low fat dips and raw carrots and that sort of stuff. It is not the food I crave it is the action of snacking. I really try to just snack o n these foods as it is impossible to stop the compulsive eating. Good luck everyone   Brijac

I too have moments of weakness and just eat.  I am down 23 lbs after trying for so many years.  I have to keep reminding myself that I have come too far to just give up.

Here are a few tips that I use to help me:

I brush my teeth!  Don't like to eat right after that, because the food tastes different.

I paint my nails.  The strong smell and that it takes time to dry will prevent me to dig into my pantry. 

Drink a glass of water.

A few blue berries or some grapes helps me too. 

Chewing gum always help me too. 

Those are the ideas I have.  Sometimes they work and sometime they don't . I notice that when I PMS I have the cravings the most.  I try to make sure to have healthier choices around me to help not go and indulge. 

Hope this helps!  Stay focused and eventually it will pay off.

Later!

I love the Listerine strips idea! Easier and probably just as effective as brushing. (I can chew through a pack of sugarless gum in minutes when the munchies are bad....)

My diet coach suggests I eat something my diet is low in when I study. (That's when I munch!) For me, it's low sodium, spicy beef jerky cause I don't get much B12 in my diet.

I'm also looking for a low fat, non-perishable high calcium snack to keep by my computer. Any ideas?

I have been trying to control my compulsive eating and have not been extremely successful but one thing that I do notice is that if I am busy and away from the kitchen, I can not reach for food and I am not thinking about eating.  I notice that my daily troubles, marriage, financial, children, etc...have a direct effect on my eating.  I reach for food when I do not want to confront a task because its overwhelming.  I know that this is not a solution but just want to share so that maybe you can find your solution. 

I wonder, is your home cluttered and overwhelming?  Or is your life lacking in order?  I notice that people who have issues like that tend to eat compulsively. I am fighting that trend in my life and have decided to resolve my issues outside of eating and I am pretty sure that it will have a direct impact on my eating issues as well. 

what do you think?

great tips will try them (except painting my nails ) the wife may not like that !  Brijac

I know this probably isnt the solution for everyone. But heres my story.

Food for people prone to over eating is like a drug.  Iv found it more difficult to stop eating excessive amounts food than i did giving up smoking.  I tryed putting my mind to something else, and just like every other fad out there it slowly got less interesting and felt more like a job, like i had to do it to stop eating..................... didnt work.  Just the same as going on a fad diet. 

I know some people are anti drugs to help lose weight, it took alot of thought before i went back to the doc for the prescription but its been a god send.  I started taking Reductil because i told the doctor about my obsession with food.  If i forced myself to stop eating or eat alot less i tended to binge more and the habit would start again.  Trying so hard for so long, the more i failed the less confident i got, and eventually id just feel like giving up n eating myself to death.  It really shouldnt be a struggle, it sounds stupid but i felt like i was losing out on life because every thought was about what i could eat next !!

I have been taking reductil for exactly 5 weeks.  3 days after taking it i noticed a difference.  Havnt TRYED or put any effort into eat less while taking reductil, never restricted myself and didnt really change my diet in the beginning.  I simply stopped thinking about food, its like my brain just turned off that nagging thought in my mind that was telling me i had to eat !!!  My stomach fills up on less food and once im satisfyed the thought of food does not even come into my mind.  I dont even get tempted at the supermarket.  Before taking medication to help i had a compulsion to eat to the point of feeling so full some times id feel sick.  So i went from eating 6 slices of toast (sometimes double that) for lunch to eating 2 and actually feeling satisfyed, without the feeling of wanting more food.

After 2 weeks of this, i lost 5 kilos (i think thats about 10 pounds) I was so excited and happy with myself it made me WANT to eat healthy and exercise.  It doesnt feel like a chore like it did before, i really do want to exercise and watch what i eat, just to be healthy and without the stress of constantly thinking about food and weight.

To date iv lost 9 kilos in 5 weeks, the weight lose seems alot in the first 2 weeks but once your body gets used to the amount of food your eating, your weight loss steedies out and averages about a kilo a week.  Really the weight loss is the end result, for me is was more of a bonus. The obsession with food was the root cause of my problem and taking Reductil really sorted that out, feels wonderful to not have food in my mind 24/7.

I know these types of medications work differently on everyone, but it really is worth a shot.  If your "medically obese" and have a BMI over 30 and feel comfortable taking a pill once a day then go to your doctor and ask for a trial pack.  The trial packs are free and they give you a 1 weeks supply so you can decide if its going to work for you.  I think there are a few restrictions, like if your over 62 you cant take it, also if you get high blood pressure while on it or your prone to high blood pressure.

Tips if your feeling abit health concious :

Once your over the compulsion to over eat (and not before because it might make you put on weight) start thinking about food high in MUFA (monoununsaturated fatty acid) and omega 3 fatty acid, things like nuts, peanutbutter, fish and olive oil.  Higher in calories but better for you.  They make you feel full for longer, give you more energy, and also eating high amounts of MUFAS rather than other fats actually helps you burn your fat stores, really good for getting rid of the dangerous fat that sits in your upper torso and around the heart.  If you carry alot of fat below the bust line and above the belly button it should be a serious thought.  Tackle the compulsion first, think more about what your eating rather than how much of it your eating, because if you have a compulsion to overeat then it wont matter if your eating good food that makes you feel full, youll still eat more of it then your meant to !! so its better to eat foods that naturally make you feel full and are healthful.  If you do carry that dangerous fat around the stomach itd be a good idea to direct that complusion you have towards soy foods like tofu.  Very good for the heart, excellent for weight loss (which is a problem for any one with a compulsion to eat)

I also found that if i was still hungery after a meal or felt like i wanted to keep eating, getting up and going for a 10 minute walk really helped.  Your hands shovel food into your mouth faster than your brain can figure out how much of it your eating and when youv had enough.  Going for a walk gives you something to do while your brain is catching up and after ten minutes you tend to feel fuller then before and not so much in a hurry to hit the pantry again.

So, i think ill end my novel there.  Just think about what your most comfortable doing and what you feel would be right for you.  If i took up knitting to help stop the compulsion to eat id have knitted food of every shape and colour by now, and could possibly have gone nuts thinking about food and knitting it too, but thats me, everyones different.

Good Luck

really useful thread-- thanks a lot to all contributers.

A few tips that work most of the time for me:

mentally talking to myself. Asking questions and making myself answer them helps to decode why i'm having a craving and whether I can overcome it:

• "What do I really want to eat right now?"
• "Do I want/need to eat at all?"
• "Is there something else I can do besides eat?"
• "Do I need another cookie/serving/etc?"
• "Am I actually hungry?"
• "Am I eating because I'm bored or because I'm hungry?"

Stuff like that. Assess what/if you really want to eat instead of just mindlessly grabbing something.

Lately, at this time of year when there's plates of cookies lying around, I'll survey the scene and only take 1 or 2 of the cookies that I really really want to try. I'll consider the other items later. If the item isn't as good as I thought it would be, I'll take one bite and physically toss the rest. Not just leave it on my plate because then I'll be tempted to pick at it. 1 bite and toss... unless it's amazing and then I call it a treat.

And I always load my plate with stuff from the fruit or veggie tray or grab some shrimp from the shrimp ring, keeping sauces and dips to a minimum. These are the healthiest choices and they also leave little room for me to pile sweets on the plate!

Thank you all for so many good tips!

I especially like hte listerine strips!  I am going to carry those in my pocket starting tonight after work when I can buy some!

I am determined and I will beat this demon!

For me what works the best is to eat a lot of high quality healthy foods early in the day, and not restrict quantity, just quality of foods. Find a few healthy foods that you like that don't cause you to overeat (favorite veggie, brown rice, chicken breast) and allow yourself to eat as much of those things as you want. You may find that even if you eat more than you wanted to, it won't nearly be as much or as bad for you as splurging on chips or cookies.

This is a really great thread; so many useful replies. I'm intrigued by Shazi787's comments about the medication. I wouldn't be a candidate for it because I'm over 62 and have high blood pressure, but I often wonder if I'm not a little obsessive-compulsive. I do eat mindlessly, even when I'm full, and it's very hard to stop.

I'm handicapped and I live alone in a 2 story house, so I can't easily just wander down stairs to the kitchen. I usually come downstairs late in the morning and have a healthy breakfast, then go back upstairs to the computer until around 5:30, when I come back down for dinner. I usually eat a large but well-planned dinner with lots of vegetables, with portions that are too large, but I could still be within my calorie goal, as it is high.

Right after dinner, I get into obsessive eating. Dessert, popcorn, nuts, whatever I have. I can't stop with a sensible serving of nuts. I could eat half a can! The only way I can cope is to go back upstairs so I don't have access to food, but I hate being confined to the second floor so much; it makes me feel like more of an invalid. Once I'm back upstairs, I won't be likely to come back down, even for food, thank God.

When I look at my food log, it's usually around 1700 calories after dinner, then I add on another 300-500 in snacking if I don't control the compulsive eating.