Food Obsessed!!! Argh!!!

[SurferGirl]

HI Everyone,

I am having some issues. When I'm at work, all day I cannot stop thinking about food. It's driving me crazy. I eat my snacks so slowly, that way they last a long time but then when I'm not eating all I'm thinking about is the next snack. I almost think I should skip the snacks just so I stop obssessing about them.{scream}

On the weekends this is never a problem as I am running around doing stuff. But my desk job is simply not enough to distract me. Let me be clear, I am absolutely NOT hungry, my meals, water and vitamins are doing the same job they always have of keeping me satisfied. This is a mental issue. I have to break this bad habit, I feel out of control again and I hate it! {bangdesk}

Help diet buddies!

[SPDeRosa]

That happens to me all the time! I'm not hungry, I just THINK about what I could be eating ... which in prior months would have meant I would have caved in and had a snack. For me, a little visualization therapy helped a lot. I would picture that food covered with ants, spiders, snakes and cockroaches. Then I'd picture myself pushing the food away, walking away smiling that I was able to "just say no". By visualizing myself successfully walking away from food (albeit covered in nasty bugs) I'd feel much better about myself and my ability to move toward my goals. The worst thing I could do when I'm craving food (especially when not even hungry) is to cave in because then no matter how much I ate, it wouldn't satisfy the mental desire to have more.

~ Shawn

[lfingers11]

Oh, we are in the same boat. All I can think about is pizza and popcorn. Oh, please shoot me. :cupid: When I had my TOM it was horrible but now it is at least a little better. I guess it is hard because everything that I eat now has more flavor and more smell than it did before I started the plan which is cool but very distracting. Has anyone else experienced this?
Hang in there and know that I struggle with this daily as I stay home with my boys. Hope tomorrow is a better day.
Pam

[Lauren]

Glad to know it's not just me! I've been fantasizing about all the healthy yet different foods I'll get to have post-diet. I'm so impatient--I just can't wait. I think about food constantly too, even though I'm feeling totally satisfied and not hungry. It's all in our heads. And mostly it's because we CAN'T have so many things. We need to just thoroughly enjoy what we can have, spice things up as much as possible so they're extra yummy, and be PATIENT. Just like we must teach our children patience, that is the biggest lesson we're learning from this diet. Sometimes it helps me (I don't know if this will help others) to really envision what it was like to eat pizza or whatever it is that I want at the moment. I've eaten enough of those things in my life, I have enough memories to draw from, that if I really concentrate, I can completely imagine what it's like to taste and feel the textures of those foods, and that seems to satisfy me. I like Shawn's bug idea too! I'm going to try that one! Hang in there--we're all in this boat together.

[SurferGirl]

Shawn- Thanks for giving me that nasty and perfect idea. I am terrified of snakes so that should work for me.

lfingers11 and Lauren- THanks for letting me know, I'm not alone. Lauren I am so amazed that you can visualize well enough to satisfy a pizza craving, talk about undiscovered powers of the mind! LOL.

I guess I should just be proud of myself that I haven't and WON't deviate. Obsessing about my crackers and fruit is better than eating a plate of brownies, oh wait, I wrote it. Oh no, I think that word is forbidden on the forum, you know the B word. ;) Anyways, Thanks for the amazing support as usual. Hopefully this is just a particularly annoying phase that I will be over soon.

[PosterGal]

Wow Shawn - great idea! Hmm, I would say add maggots to that list. Then again, that might put you off eating for the rest of the day! LOL

[pumbza]

Sorry Surfergirl I somehow Missed this thread I am not USE to you being in any trouble You should have sent the BATMAN sign up in the sky and I would have waddled DOWN the road in my BATMAN outfit (I can NOW RUN am a bit lighter!!Ha Ha!!) and I would have come to YOUR rescue!!!Ha Ha!:innocent4:I think its a resedue of the OLD DAYS thinking of FOOD but we solved this problem by eating RUBBISh so I think its something we programmed with and I think we have to break the PROGRAM of the MIND!!!I also thought of food but I changed my thought process (Like the hunger pangs which to me is FAT burning PANGS which I now enjoy etc!!) I now obsess about HOW I am going to eat a HEALTHIER way after the REFEED and the DIET I will eat nice "BAD" goodies from time to time but I wan't to eat healthier overall so I NEVER EVER BECOME OBESE again it was not fun was never FUN and I fooled my self that I was a HAPPY person!!(Big JOKE!!)!So I am planning step by step to prevent me falling and this takes my mind off pizza'a etc!!!Shawn love the idea about bugs never thought of that and POSTERGAL maggots Aaaargh enough to put YOU off!!!Ha Ha!!Jeez Lauren visulising a pizza will send me over the edge YOU are ONE STRONG lady!!!Have a Wonderful day and I am now watching my absolute favourite movie "Love is actually all around" YEAH I know a CHICK flick but it some how appeal's to my METRO side!!!Ha Ha!:innocent3:

[Mei Mei]

Surfer girl,
I really like all of the suggestions. I also am going to try to imagine dirty hands preparing the food, I mean really dirty--let your imagination go...It is easy when you have little kids...

I wanted to fight my 4 year old for his spahgetti at lunch. That's one of my comofrt foods. Good luck shooing the food boogey man away.
Mary

[UnspeakableJoy]

Hang in there Surfer Girl! Would it help to perhaps post photos of a certain outfit or activity you'd like to do when you reach your goal around your work area to distract you? I've been paying much more attention to models in magazines (not how crazy thin they are, but what they're wearing, how they accessorize with jewelry, the gorgeous shoes), and I've pulled out the ones I like the most and have started a scrapbook of sorts - I have my customer guide, plan, and recipes printed in a binder, and I add the photos in the binder and take that binder with me everywhere. lol Maybe it'll help? Stay strong!

[Sexymama]

Hi Surfer Girl! I know what you mean! I sometimes have days where all I think about is food. I love the idea of picturing something yucky!:thinking: I also leave the house. Take my kids outside, for a walk. Anything to get me away from food. Maybe on your break at work you can go for a short walk.
Stay strong!!!:weights: You can do it. Mind over matter they say!!
Julie

[SurferGirl]

Aw you guys are so awesome!

Bat-Pumbza, I am so pleased to have you on my side! I completely agree that this type of thinking has to stop. I think that's why if freaked me out. I hadn't really been feeling that way for a long long time. I think it's partially because I have been a bit frustrated with my job and I'm looking for distractions. I need to figure out something else to distract myself. I really like your idea of instead obsessing about how I'm going to deal with life after cohens. I think all of us are in the same boat on that one. We feel excited to finally be able to try some of our favorite foods once in a while, but we are terrified of how we will react to all that freedom. It's kind of silly because really there is nothing that stops us now. There's no food monitor following us around all day who's going to shock us with a cattle prod if we reach for non-diet foods. But somehow we just know our bounderies completely so it feels like we "Can't" eat that. Of course we could, but we won't! Anyways, thanks for helping me figure this out.

All of the rest of you have such great thoughts too, I definitely love the idea of collecting pictures I aspire to. And keeping them around me, so I can focus on those goals. Mine will be pictures of super people enjoying doing the activities I love, like surfing, hiking, rock climbing, etc. And of course there will be pictures of ridiculously cute dresses I can't wait to wear! Great Idea!

Have a fantastic three day weekend (for those in the US). Enjoy your friends, family, pets, and the fact that your life is just gonna get better and better as this process goes on. Love you all!

[MIMI]

SurferGirl, i am so glad that you are back on track. You have come so far so no turning back now for you. Not too many more lbs to go!!!!!! :party3::love1: MIMI