How can I train myself not to focus on food?
Asked by anonymous on Sep 24, 2009
in Emotional & Behavioral Issues
I find my thoughts, for the majority of the day, are centered on food. Even when I'm not hungry, even when I've overeaten, I still want food, constantly. I try hard to eat healthy but find myself binging for days on pure junk food. Other times I make sure I have enough healthy food to keep myself from going hungry at the office but I find I have all that food eaten before it's even lunch time. How can I train myself not to focus on food and not to binge? I've been like this all my life, and have read articles but it seems no matter how I try I end up defeated.
Answer
Some people are just born with the “Live to Eat” mentality. They might have a heightened sense of taste and smell and they enjoy food more than the “Eat to Live” folks. If that’s your issue, then feed yourself three balanced meals a day, don’t buy tempting treats that call your name, and practice “thought stopping” when you think about food in-between meals. However, if you are thinking about food in an effort to suppress emotions – including boredom – then find a way to sooth and express yourself without using food. Finally, if chronic dieting has turned you into a “restrained eater”, then ease up because rigidity backfires in the long run. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite is a new book that might provide more insight.
So you can log your weight -- which allows you to do the following:
- Plot your weight curve
- Analyze the trend of your weight (see under Recent in the figure above)
- Determine the projected target date (see under Overall in the figure above)
