Overweight

[rrichardson]

I think I have an eating disorder because everytime I think about losing weight I want to eat unhealthy. I am not making a joke out of it I am completely serious. I don't currently have any medical issues that would warrant losing weight other than my self esteem.

[Wilburbudgirl]

I’m sorry! I don’t know if that would necessarily be a eating disorder, but do you always want to eat bad when you have anxiety?

[rrichardson in reply to Wilburbudgirl]

When I am depressed I want to eat and yes mostly unhealthy stuff. I used to drink a lot and then I turned to food as a coping mechanism.

[BadHare]

Try adding a good probiotic to your diet, such as kefir.

chriskresser.com/heal-your-...

Lots of other good advice on this website.

[Agoodenough]

You need to change your lifestyle rather than go on a diet perhaps. Going on a diet makes you feel like you are missing out and that you want to eat everything in sight. Can you introduce a couple of walks a day into your life if you don't already walk. Also get rid of unhealthy foods and just have healthy versions of the food you like. X

[rrichardson in reply to Agoodenough]

I could start walking. I am on my feet and pretty much speed walking all evening at work so tbh on my days off I don't do too much extra.

[DartmoorDumpling]

It is well known that to deny yourself something makes you crave it more.....it is all about having "a little of what you fancy" with the emphasis on little! Calorie counting is the best way to allow you to eat and drink those things you really fancy, but then to stop, and start again the next day when you have reached your limit for the day.

Today - I fancy chocolate cake so I am having a slice of a chocolate banana cake made with only a tiny bit of oil and sugar, more egg, cocoa and flour, so I feel I can have my cake (remembering to count it) - and eat it!

[cottage1]

I know only too well how you are feeling --my husband has gone fishing & wont be home till after 9 pm Im happy he is enjoying going fishing BUT I STRUGGLE as "no one can see my trips into the kitchen to see what I can eat " hope you are smiling being alone is deadly for me as I comfort eat due to being abused in my first marriage self worth is zero hopefully you will realise you are a precious soul I write a journal & that can help me stop raiding the ladder but its a daily struggle .Try & eat slowly & on a smaller WHITE plate as a white plate appears to look loaded take care

[rrichardson in reply to cottage1]

I have never tried using a small white plate before. I guess that would make sense.

[Hidden]

If there is truth in the claims that 'gut bacteria interacts with our gut hormones to regulate appetite', then it might be the case that when you think about going on a diet, your gut kicks into survival mode, and starts sending you false hunger signals?

My weight had been a problem all my life. I had no problem gaining weight, and I had no problem losing weight, but the one thing I couldn't do, was to maintain a healthy weight.

But the last time I lost weight, I lost a lot of weight, and I lost It gradually, and without dieting. I ate great food, and never felt hungry. Several years on, and I am still that same healthy weight/body mass.

Thing is, this time it was easily to lose, and easy to keep off....and I think it was easy this time simply because I discovered what my problems were - I learned how to control my appetite, and to manage my overeating/binging 'food triggers'.

It started when I decided to eat more vegetables, and to eat a wider variety of them. I think this helped to control my gut bacteria because, within a couple of weeks, I went from being someone who always felt hungry, to being someone who rarely ever feels hungry. And once my appetite was under control, I was better able to identify my food triggers for overeating and binge eating (I kept a food diary for a few months and that really helped me to identify the causes, and then to take a 'trial and error' approach to finding ways to manage those triggers).

What worked for me, might not worked for you, but for me, getting my appetite under control and identifying my food triggers, solved a seemingly insurmountable problem.

Perhaps you might find it helpful to keep a food diary for a few months.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the very best of luck.