Hello all. Hope you are all doing ok. I just wanted to put something out there. I had a HA in July last year and have kept well since apart from anxiety and depression which has hit me harder than I could ever imagine. My HA came three weeks after the death of my darling Mum.
I am a little over weight and am desperate to lose it to help with my general health not just my heart health. But.....I just can’t stop eating and no amount of support ie Slimming World seems to help. I just feel guilty for everything I put in my mouth healthy or unhealthy. I am scared I am eating myself into an early grave. Any ideas what I can do to help? Any tips? I feel so scared.
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Craftyhare
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Hi , can relate to how you feel I think it's a vicious circle you eat because of the anxiety your feeling , then feel guilty which leads to more anxiety, have you a friend who you can work out a plan of exercise and healthy eating , maybe you can encourage each other in know that sounds simplistic but it always helps to share (even your food ) good luck .
Hi there, I'm sure that you realise that you are 'comfort eating'. You've suffered a great loss when your mum died, you sound as if you were very close. I am sure that she has been a great help and support to you, and now you have to find a way to manage on your own. It's scary! You are trying to fill that gap with food, and nothing you can put in your mouth can do that. Allow yourself to grieve, and look after yourself. Comfort yourself another way, by treating yourself to something other than food (maybe an outing, good book, film, pampering, whatever floats your boat). She would want the best for you, remember that.
Hello Craftyhare. You are dealing with an awful lot at the same time. The loss of your Mum and then your HA plus all the anxiety that brings. It's no wonder you turn to food. I wonder if you've discussed it with your GP. Maybe there's the possibility of some kind of therapy which would address the underlying issues?
I do that too!!! Arent we bad girls, lol. When Im really trying to rein it in, I make myself write it down before I eat it, then wait 10 minutes. Sometimes I end up not eating it... and sometimes I cheat. I actually feel worse when I cheat vs being honest but still eating the wrong thing.
It is very hard when feeling so low and afraid ,but it can only come from within yourself ,you have to want to loose the weight so badly that you will find the strength to do it ,sounds harsh ,but it is only you that can do it for yourself.All the advice in the world wont help unless you are determined to help yourself.Having said all that ,there is help out there to help you on your journey.I myself attend Slimming World and find the camaraderie at class helps me .You have to actually stick to the eating plan 100% for it to work,but you also have to forgive yourself when you do fall off the waggon,as the guilt is self destructive.By the way ,there is no good or bad food but the amount you eat can be wrong for you .So on S.W. YOU CAN INDULGE A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY WITHOUT PUTTING ON WEIGHT.This is important and makes the eating plan realistic, achievable ,and sustainable.Please give it another try ,you maybe surprised.It certainly helped me after my Heart attack and includes all the foods to keep you healthy in heart mind and body .Good luck.hope you feel better soon.
Over eating can happen for many different reasons. Many of us are emotional eaters, I think we females struggle with emotional eating more than men. My doc recently suggested timed eating for me, which so far( 2 weeks) has been easier. He said everyone should quit eating 3 hr before bedtime then fast 12 hours over night. For example if evening meal is 6 pm, go to bed anytime after 9pm, dont eat before 6 am next day. For me, desiring weight loss, he said do same, but make my fasting window 16 hours. So I eat evening meal 5-6 pm range then breakfast not before 9-10'am next day. Since I only have an 8 hour eating window, I only eat 2 meals. I can drink anything I want that is 0 calories during the fasting hours. This is not doable if one is a diabetic.
The thing I like is during my 8 hours, I try to eat healthy but when I dont, Im not hungry anyway so probably dont eat as much. We were big snackers in the evening watching tv, so far thats not been a problem. I find myself going to bed earlier and sm sleeping better, no more indigestion.
Hi, I have similar struggle with food. I'm not hugely overweight but I know it would be better for my heart if I was a bit lighter. I have the ultimate motivator (my heart) but just eat loads of stuff I know I shouldn't. Felt positive about jumping on the good-behaviour bandwagon this January...but I haven't. Anyway, this is not a particularly useful comment in terms of advice, but hopefully it helps to know you are far from alone in this frustrating behaviour.
So glad I’m not alone. I am finding all this healthy eating regime so overwhelming. I’m scared to put anything in my mouth
This is a cruel to be kind post - Having read the above communications I have changed the word FOOD to read ALCOHOL and the posts remain in context but with a different substance. Now that could mean that food is an addiction? Could be habit forming, will ruin your health, become a social outcast, not want to go out etc etc. One thing is absolutely the same - you have to want to give up to succeed. There will always be excuses but unless you really want to give up the horrid menu you are eating, only one thing will deteriorate - you and your health.
You will need a buddy - someone to help you through the lows. You will probably need medical help too so please do discuss it with your doctor. Things to look forward to - nicer slimmer clothes, going out to have fun. Be amazed at peoples faces when they have not seen you for ages. Remain positive and have treats - not food but shoes, or clothes or a night at the cinema or theatre, spending the money you have saved. Please do not go to a slimming class, they are run for profit! Set a diet with a top calorie intake and build your meals from that. Eat loads of fruit, wholemeal bread, cut out sugar and salt, soft drinks, chocolate, snacks, biscuits and cake. Eat more brown rice, fish and wholemeal pasta.
Everyone has the will power to lose weight , but are afraid to try. Believe me, there is only one thing (other than a medical condition) that causes one to be overweight and that is your mouth!
Good luck - the only winner will be you - the only loser will be you and your family and your friends.
So is wholemeal pasta not fattening? Wish I could lose weight finding it hard now I have stopped smoking and put a stone on. It’s the evening, in front of the telly munching through everything.... chocs sweets, ice cream then going to bed promising myself I will start my diet tomorrow definitely, but then tomorrow comes and I promise it will be the day after lol
I agree with ticking ticker about it being an addiction and needing to cut out the chocolate biscuits cake ect .. basically refined white sugar and refined white flour. Sugar is very addictive. You could try substituting with fruit and cereal bars with no refined sugar but sweetened with honey or dates. Basically whole food , less processed. Some of us are very sensitive to sugar. Dark chocolate has less sugar in it. Also try to make a plan of 3 meals a day and maybe 1 snack and really try to follow that. I used to be anorexic and bulimic so I know what its like to have issues with food. There is allways Overeaters Anonymous you could go to for support.
Again, some very positive posts here with lots of suggestions. The one thing that does come across loud and clear and was because I linked the overeating to alcohol abuse was because one thing is paramount - you have to want to change and until you get to that stage, nothing will work because you lack the will power. Now that said, there is now your health to think about and actually have something to fight for - so go for it and begin to feel good about yourself. The sadness will diminish leaving fond memories in your thoughts - perhaps even those now departed are actually willing you on to succeed!
You have a food diary so you are tracking what is going in as fuel for your body, but you have not mentioned how much of that fuel is being burnt through regular gentle exercise . Find a reasonably flat path, get some comfortable walking shoes and half an hour will take you for over a mile, depending on how fast you walk. The aim of the game is gentle exercise in a regular pattern. If you can manage an hour walking in amongst the green stuff you will find it even better.
As you walk you will gather strength and endurance. You may find yourself believing that there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing. You might join the RAMBLERS or a local walking group for 4 mile rambles, make new friends and enjoy different perspectives. At the very least it will distract you from eating.
I have a fitbit that measures how many steps I take, miles travelled, heart rate, calories burnt, resting heart rate. There are a lot of fitness trackers like these available at widely different prices. The reason I bought the fitbit in particular is that my friends have them and we can engage in friendly rivalry. It also keeps track of your daily activity and gives you reminders to move, if you wish.
You may find keeping track of your walks in your diary will give you a balance of your activity levels and help you to motivate yourself. As you become active you may find that it becomes more and more interesting and food becomes less so because you will be able to see the results on the scales
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