Hey---please reply and be helpful! Even if you think your response is silly, obvious, or otherwise, please please respond! I need some feedback of ANY sort!

I have successfully stopped bingeing, and that was quite awhile ago, even over a year. Perhaps that is the secret to success? Just stop thinking about it and dwelling on it? I have no idea how I got over it, i suppose i just got too busy with other things. Wow, I just realized that. I knew it went away, but I don't even know how *epiphany*.

Anyhow, my problem now is WHAT i eat. I can eat healthy stuff (plenty of fruits and veggies), I can workout everyday (granted I get enough sleep the night before, otherwise i am useless!), but...I CAN'T STOP EATING JUNK! Particularly, I am talking about sugary, fatty, chocolatey foods! I eat sooo much sugar! I know these foods are fine every now and then (whatever that means, right?!?!) but I eat them several times a day! And I'm not just talking about a hersey kiss or something. I'm talking about cookies, candy bars, hot chocolate, sugary drinks, etc. I have the sweet tooth from hell! Especially when I'm tired, these are the first things I reach for! I drink plenty of water, etc. etc. basically I lead a generally healthy lifestyle otherwise. Lack of sleep and overconsumption of sweets are my greatest weaknesses. What can I do? I was thinking of taking a "detox" so to speak, basically I would go a week or two without these junk foods i normally eat, however, I am afraid that will send me on a binge, make me obsess, set me up for larger problems, etc. etc. What do you all reccomend? The two week thing has not worked. So i thought, well, Ill try going one week. didnt work. Then i thought about three days. didn't work. then i thought just eating something sweet/junky once a day. didn't work.
What should i try?

(I know, good old fashioned discipline.)

ANY Ideas? Sometimes it helps when someone else tells us to do something, adds permanence, etc.

(P.S. I want to lose a few pounds because of an incident that happened today. Long story short, someone asked me if I needed a larger size (i was wanting to exchange something for a smaller size, so in essence they implied that i appear two sizes larger than what i actually wear!) I am not overweight by any means. Sometimes i eat the sweets because they will make me chubbyier, fatter. Sometimes it seems worth it if there is any chance of it making my breasts larger. you see, i've got an a $ $ the size of house, and mosquito bites for breasts. i dont want huge ones, but geez, at least a handful would be nice. something that looks a little more proportionate with my larger than average hips and butt. i love my butt, wouldn't shrink it for the world, but having a flat chest makes me feel unsexy, unfeminine, etc. i have had a larger chest in the past when i was heavier and taking particular birth control pills, and i loved the way it felt, the way my clothes looked, the way i carried myself, etc. but now...anyways just venting i needed it bad please help!

sorry so long!

ok im a guy and, for me breasts don't matter,,anyhow...

she's all yours Jess.. ;)

ps: (I know, good old fashioned discipline.)<<< this makes sense

STOP having all these sugary things in the house, and you should quickly (hopefully) adjust to it. It is really not that hard. When you really crave something sweet maybe you could buy some of your favorite fruits to have around instead. I stopped having all these sugary things in the house, and I found out that I really didnt need them. The best thing is that when you do have something sweet, you actually enjoy it more.

BY THE WAY, I am concerned for my health. I am young and none of this is really affecting my health now, but I KNOW that in the years to come I will be paying for my poor eating habits. i fear that day. I know sweets arent worth unhealthiness. I just want to be healthy, feel good, and have energy without having to rely on sugar for satiety!

another thing (i can't stop, haha), is the cravings. Man, they won't leave me alone! If i go without sweets, i get a headache, low energy, cranky, lower sex drive, etc. I end up caving just so i can have that temporary "high" hhaha. I know this sounds pathetic but it's all true. I've been eating this way for YEARS and so you see, I think my body is dependent! ahhh (or perhaps my mind???)

If I were you, I would try to "wean" myself off all this sugar. Believe me, I know what it's like to crave sweets, but I'll tell you what I do....I buy soy milk now, or sometimes i'll buy rice milk and everytime i have to go in the kitchen and have a thought like "mmmm, what can i do for this craving", I take a sip of (preferably rice milk) right out of the carton,lol, and I know it's okay cause I'm the only one who drinks it. Another thing I do, is chew gum or eat an apple with cinnamon on it. Ya know, little things like that. Try to choose lower fat ice creams and treat yourself to it once a day, so you have something to look forward too. And for the am, try some whole grain waffles(or wheat free by vans made of brown rice if you are "with" the NO wheat thing, lol) with some light syrup(am is the worst time for me). And, can you explain your concept of eating more sugar to get bigger breasts? I'm kinda confused on that one. Tell me what you heard cause I can use a few tips myself.lol :D

hahahaha you know thats NOT true, Jess.. ;)

hahahaha you know thats NOT true, Jess.. ;)
I know, hehe, and I would like her to elaborate on it cause I'm quite confused. :D

Oh, and I also wanted to say to get the Rice Dream rice milk, it has a lightly sweet flavor and it's soooo good and low fat.

HelpHelpHelp, How is your protein intake? Do you eat some at every meal . . . at LEAST 15 grams? And are you eating some good fat?

Personally, I would wait until your eating gets a big stable before doing a detox/fast/or whatever, but it's an individual thing, if you really feel "inspired".

Chocolate rice cakes are a good alternative to keep the chocolate craving from getting out of hand. Just make sure you only take out one serving and put the bag away so it's not sitting right next to you. Sometimes when we deny ourselves things, we wind up craving them all the more and over eating. The best thing to do is to find better alternatives to eat like the poster that posted cinnamon on apples. Popcorn and parmesan cheese is another goody. Also, keep your "treat" to once per day and make sure it's a healthy one that tastes evil. Pickles are also supposed to be good for getting rid of cravings.

I know, hehe, and I would like her to elaborate on it cause I'm quite confused. :D

Basically what I was implying is that when I eat too many sweets, I gain weight---FAT, not muscle, and it usually affects the size of my breasts. UNFORTUNATELY, if you've read any of my other posts, you know that the majority of goes down south first (me bottom and my thighs!). Genes...

I like sweets so much, that sometimes I would justify it to myself to be the best option because 1) they taste so good! and 2) my boobs would get bigger.

It is important to note that this doesn't happen overnight, haha. It's not like I eat an oreo and whoa! BOOBS!
Haha

HelpHelpHelp, How is your protein intake? Do you eat some at every meal . . . at LEAST 15 grams? And are you eating some good fat?

Personally, I would wait until your eating gets a big stable before doing a detox/fast/or whatever, but it's an individual thing, if you really feel "inspired".

What do you mean about this "big stable" business? Would you please expand on that:)? I'd greatly appreciate it. As for my protein intake, that is so ironic that you mention that because last night I was reflecting over my diet and the fact that I feel hungry a lot of the time and realized that I don't think I am consuming enough protein.

So far today, no junky junk. Oh wait...no, I ate one cookie, about 2.5 inches in diameter. It wasn't very good.

As far as this is concerned, inspiration is temporary.

Chocolate rice cakes are a good alternative to keep the chocolate craving from getting out of hand. Just make sure you only take out one serving and put the bag away so it's not sitting right next to you. Sometimes when we deny ourselves things, we wind up craving them all the more and over eating. The best thing to do is to find better alternatives to eat like the poster that posted cinnamon on apples. Popcorn and parmesan cheese is another goody. Also, keep your "treat" to once per day and make sure it's a healthy one that tastes evil. Pickles are also supposed to be good for getting rid of cravings.

Is once a day a good amount? Or is that too much? Of course, I am sure it depends on what you eat and how much...What do you all think? What does "sparingly" mean? (is that even on the new food guide pyramid?)

Oh yeah, I had a hot chocolate this afternoon. Sheesh! You see, chocolate and sweets are such a part of my life I don't even pay attention to 'em anymore. I don't feel bad about the hot chocolate, really. 1)it was super cold outside. 2)i'm running on 4 hours of sleep and was having trouble staying awake 3)i was about to take an exam.

Once per day is fine with the foods that I had mentioned. If you get the mini chocolate rice cakes, you can have 8 and that would be one serving. The thing is to look at the cal. and amount of total fat in the sweets your eating. 8 chocolate rice cakes have no fat and only 60 cal. One candy bar can be over 200 cal. and 24 g. of total fat, so that is really going to pack on the pounds. Doughnuts are also good for packing on pounds. I remember when I first got out into the work force, and they had doughnuts everyday. I thought 1 little doughnut per day would be ok. Yeah, right! I too gained all the weight in the boobs. That is always the first place I gain and I hate it too. I went from a b cup to a c cup in one summer from eating doughnuts! That's how I learned to choose my sweets wisely.

What do you mean about this "big stable" business? Oh, dear . . . typo there. I meant bit stable. I am thinking of detoxing as usually including some degree of fasting. But, if your system is off balance to begin with (as evidenced by the cravings), fasting can just make that worse. But then again, some detoxing just involves supplements.

As for my protein intake, that is so ironic that you mention that because last night I was reflecting over my diet and the fact that I feel hungry a lot of the time and realized that I don't think I am consuming enough protein.No irony at all. It's very common with craving sweets. Women, in particular, tend too often to forego protein in the effort to lose weight because it is relatively calorie dense (especially since so many forms of protein come with added fat). But the protein (and the fat) can help stabilize blood sugar levels. You will find the recommendation to eat protein regularly (at every meal - minimum about 15 grams) with various types of approaches. It's a good place to start changing your eating habits, not matter what kind of approach you take in the longer-term.

I used to eat alot of sugar, especially snickers candy bars. That is when i was in my 20's and 30's. Then i was dx'd w/ diabetes b4 my 40th b-day. Now i have no choice but to eliminate sweet or sugar in my diet.

i suggest eating high fiber your meals. Fiber helps fill you up and keep you from getting too hungry. Also I don't bring sugar treats into my home. I still like sweets, but i mostly eat about 3 of the sugar free reese's cups or sugar free jello or pudding. I use moderation in just about every thing now.

Hi,

I just happened upon this thread right now. First of all, congratulations on being able to stop the bingeing! That is often so hard to do. And I agree, it is often an "epiphany" type of thing that stops it. Busier with other things, huh? Good for you!!! That is always the best way to stop any kind of disordered eating. Finding something else to fill all the empty space...

I think people have given you quite good advice: Eat something sweet that is not unhealthy, like fruit or something. You know what I sometimes make myself? OK some people might find it gross: I smear banana on a piece of bread and then sprinkle it with nuts... very good, and no added sugar... Yeah, and the protein thing is also a good one, I think eating only carbs makes you low on sugar faster (also speaking from experience here, as a vegetarian and with very little money, I live mostly on bread, fruit, stuff like that). So yeah, balanced nutrition is important... Also weaning yourself off sugar is probably a good idea, since it really is said to be addictive... well, you don't have to necessarily go down to zero sugar (even some people say that's the way to go if you feel you're addictied to it).

I eat sweet things but usually not a lot, like I'll have a couple of small cookies or some chocolate with my coffee.

Oh, you said you wanted to lose some pounds, but at the same time you also said you would like to be a little chubbier? Now I am a little confused....

I am also very small-breasted, by the way. ;)

Kathrin

Thank you for all the advice.

About size, being little, chubby, boobs, etc: What i meant is that even though the weight seems to go to my lower half first, i sometimes don't care because eventually my upper half will also increase in size, hence, my breasts. I don't gain weight there first, unfortunately, haha. Then again, I love my huge bottom! ;) J. Lo ain't got nothin' on me, haha!

I going to increase my intake of protein. I am going to substitute some protein for some of the carbs i eat.

What ideas do you all have? What are some good foods to eat for breakfast that have protein? Lunch? Dinner? Snacks?

Also, I get hungry about 9 every night. I know you shouldn't eat any less than 3 hours before bed, but i must have a snack. i am still a student and usually up into the wee hours doing work. i feel sick if i don;t eat something. t his is also the time when i am very prone to consuming the sweets/junk.

What ideas can you all share with me? Thanks!

Personally I also like to eat a snack late at night, it somehow helps me sleep!
I usually eat some bread and fruit then, but I just realize that this is just carbs too. Well, maybe a yogurt or something too, a few nuts maybe.
I must say I am very thin so I don't have to worry about weight gain and I tend to eat little just in general, so maybe my situation is different.

You have to go cold turkey - just like crackhead do!! You'll never get rid of that sweet tooth by constantly going for cookies etc every time you're sad or depressed.

Just throw out all the crap, replace it with healthy stuff and be prepared to prowl the house craving sugar. After a few days you'll start to feel normal again. Within a week, you wont' even crave them anymore.

Good luck!!

Personally I also like to eat a snack late at night, it somehow helps me sleep!
I usually eat some bread and fruit then, but I just realize that this is just carbs too. Well, maybe a yogurt or something too, a few nuts maybe.
I must say I am very thin so I don't have to worry about weight gain and I tend to eat little just in general, so maybe my situation is different.
Oh my gosh, I'm the same way! I can't SLEEP if I'm hungry and I am usually hungry before bedtime.

Oh my gosh, I'm the same way! I can't SLEEP if I'm hungry and I am usually hungry before bedtime.

LOL.. so eat..
hmm like hand full of nuts and, couple kiwis..glass of wota..LOL you'r ok till morning. ;)

LOL.. so eat..
hmm like hand full of nuts and, couple kiwis..glass of wota..LOL you'r ok till morning. ;)
Oh I do,lol. I usually have like some fruit, or some kind of DAIRY PRODUCT!heheh :jester:

We really seem to be quite similar in this way, jessica. :-)

I'm giving it another whirl---cold turkey. My first goal: one day without sweets. Next goal: two days and so on in small steps.

Ideally I'm shooting for a week, but I know myself and one day would make me proud!

What do you all think?

Keep a food journal and really see how much you are eating. This way maybe you could see if the sugary foods are really affecting your bottom line or not. I remember someone saying that if you could eat sensibly 80-90% then it would be okay to not eat sensibly for the remaining 10-20% of the time. By keeping a journal and seeing how the sugary foods add to your calories and nutrition. Maybe it won't be such a big part?

I also found that if I keep my foods simple and pretty much the same from day to day, my cravings have decreased. I also cut my salt intake a lot and this helped.

You can see what I eat on a daily basis in the question for "help a college student's diet!" in this forum http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=255668

Christy

I'm giving it another whirl---cold turkey. My first goal: one day without sweets. Next goal: two days and so on in small steps.

Ideally I'm shooting for a week, but I know myself and one day would make me proud!

What do you all think?

I SWEAR, its better to go cold turkey.

For years (from a child) I ate SO many carbs and sugars, bagels with coffee, bread with everything, toast, croissants, soda, cookies, chips...I always felt tired, my skin looked like crap, always had a headache, always was hungry - and none of that stomach grumbling but horrendous NAUSEA if I didn't eat often.

So, then I read the 'Carbohydrate Addicts Diet' and I had my epiphany. It totally clued to how all those carb laden foods were causing the vicious cycles of eating and feeling good followed by extreme and naseating hunger within 2 hours.

My change was gradual but I finally 'got it' by doing a 2 day 'fast' (or more accurately 'feast') of freshly juiced veggies and fruit, salads of baby green spinach, healthy grain (quinoa) and miso soup. Plus LOTS of water and lots of tea. (I used the detox in the book 'You are what you eat' by McKeith)

The first day you will be going NUTS!!! You'll be craving food like you've never done before, you'll be irritable, grumpy, have the headache from hell and feel generally unwell and weak. But this is good. Its means your body is getting all that crap out of your system and all the toxins are being released into your blood stream and on their way to being eliminated from your body.

If you're really brave you could do a couple of enemas over those two days to clean out your colon too which will help to get rid of undigested food that is rotting.

Stick with it and you will normalize. After the two days, don't go back to your normal eating, start off light. Have some fruit (preferably berries soaked for second in hot water to bring them to room temperature) for breakfast and for lunch and dinner have some salad with some salmon or tuna or chicken or some soup.

"
ANY Ideas? Sometimes it helps when someone else tells us to do something, adds permanence, etc.

I am not overweight by any means. Sometimes i eat the sweets because they will make me chubbyier, fatter. Sometimes it seems worth it if there is any chance of it making my breasts larger. you see, i've got an a $ $ the size of house, and mosquito bites for breasts. i dont want huge ones, but geez, at least a handful would be nice. something that looks a little more proportionate with my larger than average hips and butt. i love my butt, wouldn't shrink it for the world, but having a flat chest makes me feel unsexy, unfeminine, etc. i have had a larger chest in the past when i was heavier and taking particular birth control pills, and i loved the way it felt, the way my clothes looked, the way i carried myself, etc. but now...anyways just venting i needed it bad please help!

sorry so long!

I know whatcha mean. If I weigh a little too much my butt and face look nice and healthy but my stomach bulges too much and my arms look outta shape but then when I loose a little weight, my stomach is flat and cut and my arms look toned but my face gets slimmer and my butt looks no so rotund!!

If only nature let us decide which parts of the body we wanted to lose and gain!! If ONLY spot reduction were possible!! sigh.

I screwed up. Haha, no surprise there. I didn't even go a day! I tried again, and eh, I failed. Thank you all for continuing to respond and add suggestions. I am going to keep trying. I love all the ideas and motivation. I wish i could express to you how bad my "sweet tooth" is ruining my life. You wouldn't believe me. Well, you might, but I'll spare you the details anyhow!

I know it's a problem and that I need to do something about it! So here i go!

I am considering the journal. I have never had much faith in this, as i am afraid it will make me "obsessed." But i am willing to try anything.

Veggiegirl, thanks for the very specific advice. I will most def keep these things in mind.

One of the biggest issues I face is i don't know when it is okay to eat sweets. I don't know how much is acceptable. I know what too much is, cause that is what i consume currently. I want a healthy body! I want to get rid of these toxins that are weighing me down (literally, haha). Can you all help me set up some guidelines?

I mean, I don't see myself NEVER EVER eating sweets again! That just doesn't sound right to me. Everything in moderation---but what is moderation as far as sweets are concerned? Once i get it figured out, then I can do it! What do you all say?

I screwed up. Haha, no surprise there. I didn't even go a day! I tried again, and eh, I failed. Thank you all for continuing to respond and add suggestions. I am going to keep trying. I love all the ideas and motivation. I wish i could express to you how bad my "sweet tooth" is ruining my life. You wouldn't believe me. Well, you might, but I'll spare you the details anyhow!

I know it's a problem and that I need to do something about it! So here i go!

I am considering the journal. I have never had much faith in this, as i am afraid it will make me "obsessed." But i am willing to try anything.

Veggiegirl, thanks for the very specific advice. I will most def keep these things in mind.

One of the biggest issues I face is i don't know when it is okay to eat sweets. I don't know how much is acceptable. I know what too much is, cause that is what i consume currently. I want a healthy body! I want to get rid of these toxins that are weighing me down (literally, haha). Can you all help me set up some guidelines?

I mean, I don't see myself NEVER EVER eating sweets again! That just doesn't sound right to me. Everything in moderation---but what is moderation as far as sweets are concerned? Once i get it figured out, then I can do it! What do you all say?

Don't beat yourself up about your slip up - changing ANYTHING is difficult. You're dealing with tremedously strong forces here - we're talking about every cell in your body crying out for sugar!! Thats a lot for a person to contend with!! Its no surprise you caved - we've ALL done that multiple times.

Just start again. Maybe tomorrow or on the weekend when you can devote your time to it.

Also regarding the food journal and obsessing about what you eat - i know what you're saying, but also consider that sometimes when you want to change you HAVE to go to the extreme a little so that eventually you will fall into a moderate center. Once you start writing down all that you eat you eating habits will change and you won't need to write stuff down as much - if at all.

Now, what is a moderate amount? Well, initially, you should cut sweets for at least a few day - ideally a week to get them out of your system. Then after a week, treat yourself to some sweets (i don't know what in particular you're eating so its hard to say how many) and have a treat maybe once or twice a week.

With eating healthy you can aim for healthy food for 80% and the other 20% you can go have dinner with friends, or go to McDonalds with the kids. But, when you've put effort into eating well you'll find you'll start to feel like your tainting your body by eating crap food.

Its difficult, but keep trying. And keep note of what triggers your eating ie boredom, evenings, tv etc.

Good luck.

I know exactly what you mean about crap tainting your body! One I am on a good streak (the few times they have occured, haha) I don't want to eat the sweets cause it's not worth messing up my goals or "harming" my body. And then...i eventually cave and eat junk and say, "well, it's all gone to hell now" and well eat lots and lots more junk!

As for triggers, gee, i would say just about everything. i feel like i eat constantly throughout the day. Thank goodness i dont have access to a scale! Then again, maybe then i could gauge my weight more. I eat a lot after 3pm. And even more at night after 7pm.

Do you think it would be wise to not only write down what i eat, but when I eat it, too? Do you think that could be helpful? Is there anything else i should write down?

I also need to cut back how much I'm eating, I think. I know that's not really something you can help me with since you don't know everything I'm eating, but I'm at least trying to make what i eat more healthy (for instance, since i am out of money currently, i am eating what i already have in the house---though it is late, i am snacking on carrots with light ranch dressing and a cereal bar with fiber. Not too bad, considering it's me! haha!

Thanks all!