I need some help with head hunger and why I can't get on the healthy eating boat. I am frustrated because this has been my battle--ALWAYS. THat impulse that says --eat me--eat me--eat me.

So...I am on a journey to try and figure it out. ANYONE interested in joining me?

I have been keeping a food journal. This is not about what you are eating-although the goal is to get to healthy eating. This is about figuring out the head hunger. What times are my vulenarble ones? Why did I eat what I ate? What can I do next time to get better results?

Here is my food journal: http://lapbandtalk.com/journal.php?do=showjournal&j=208

I would love ANY advice and for ANYONE to join me in this journey to figuring out why I am eating when I am eating-what I am eating and what can I do to conquer the head hunger/emotional/impulse eating that I do.

Well girl - I read your food journal and you seem to be all over the place LOL -- but a few things that might help - stick to that ONE snack between lunch and dinner maybe -

and things like ranch dressing eat only fat-free stuff, why eat all those calories?

Make yourself choose ONE snack and stick to it- then go find something to do - keep busy - typing on LBT works great for me lol - reading all the new posts every night keeps my fingers busy -

most of all focus on Protein - it fills you up - and make lunch your bigger meal (versus dinner) if you are too hungry by dinner time

Just a few things I do - I skip bread, french fries and all junk food (i.e. the June Challenge for Gone for Good Club) -- I'm NOT banded but these things are helping me to lose weight

Maybe 'planning' what you will eat - typing it in your journal - and then sticking to that plan would also help.

Hope this helps a little bit

Thanks Moor. It was really hard for me to write down everything I am eaing but I figure maybe if I am honest I can figure it out. I almost thought about lying today. I am thinking planning might be the best idea for me.

Thanks for the thoughts and for your time.

Lindsay

You're welcome - I hope a few of these ideas will help - and don't cheat yourself - by not putting everything that goes into your mouth. Heck - then no one can help or make suggestions....be good to YOU and take one day at a time!

Thanks. I was just thinking and writing about how much I fear deprivation. I am scared of standing up from a table and being hungry or feeling deprived. Most of my eating is because I am scared what will happen if I don't.

Does that make any sense?

I feel like such a loser right now. I feel exposed.

Lindsay - you ARE a loser - of 39 pounds!!! remember that - you are half-way to your goal - you must be doing things right or the weight wouldn't be coming off. Have you talked to a nutrionist lately? Often I read on here that banders call them and do a phone consult - maybe going there would help you plan menus. Are you busy enough? When do you eat? are you just bored or really hungry? Do you SIT when you eat? Make meals the focus - then walk away and keep busy - that is the only thing that works well for me. You can PM me too if you want to. I'd be more than happy to continue this conversation with you.

I suggest a carb detox. It seems like you are filling your days with too many snacks/junk food (carby). After 3-5 days on a limited carb intake, your cravings will decrease. But the more you eat it, the more you want it. Here's an example of what I ate/drank today:

9am: Iced coffee with sugar-free caramel syrup, Water

(0 everything)

10am: 2.5 oz. turkey sausage, 2 oz. egg beaters, 1 oz. shredded cheese.

(9g fat, 185 cal, 3 carb, 0 Fiber, 3 sugar, 21.5 protein)

11am-2pm: finish coffee & 66 oz. water

2pm: 2 oz. chicken, 1 oz. broccoli, 1 oz. blue cheese, 1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream, hot sauce (mixed together), plus 1 oz. turkey pepperoni & 1 oz. cheese

(19g fat, 350 cal, 2.5 carb, .75 fiber, 1 sugar, 35.75 protein)

3pm: 16 oz. iced tea w/ 1 sweet & low

3pm-6:30pm - drink 34 oz. water

4pm: finish work - go to gym - 40 minutes elliptical

6:30pm: 1/2 c. chili Beans, 1 tsp. bbq sauce, 2 tbsp. cheese, 2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream

(4 fat, 192 calories, 24 carbs, 6 fiber, 3 sugar, 11.5 protein)

7:30-10:30: drink 34 oz. water

9pm - do 3 sets of 20 arm exercises & thighmaster

daily totals: 32g fat, 727 calories, 29.5 carbs, 6.75 fiber, 7 suger, 68.75 Protein

a lot of people tell me i eat too little. i eat when i am hungry and try not to when i am not hungry. i know i have a real problem with compulsive eating, so i cannot let myself snack or graze unless i am truly hungry. i also don't believe that weight loss means "one-size-fits-all" - some people lose on 1500 calories a day, others on 700. it just depends. it's not just that eating/exercising this way makes me lose weight (which it does), it makes me FEEL better. over memorial day weekend, i had some crackers & pizza & bread, etc. when i came back home, it was SO HARD to not eat them. i just wanted to stuff my face w/ carbs. but i did a 3 day very limited carb intake (20g or less), and the cravings went away. for the most part, i try to stay below 30g net carbs (meaning total carbs minus fiber - sugar alcohols DO count) a day, and no more than half of those in sugar. i try to get all of my carbs only from foods naturally (i.e. beans, veggies, etc). it causes fewer cravings. just my $.02

oh, especially the coffee drinks! i used to be such a fancy-coffee addict, but they are such junk food! i trained myself first to get on regular coffee w/ cream & sweetnlow, then to iced coffee sweetnlow no cream, now i can have coffee hot or iced w/ sweetnlow or sugar-free syrup. MUCH better alternative.

I appreciate your honesty. Some days I feel like I should not "have to" diet or anything because, after all, I do have the band! I actually just posted here last week that I feel a sense of freedom from this diet mindset. I do have cravings, however,and I'm beginning to wonder if the only real way to battle these cravings is as the other poster does, staying away from carbs and sugar.

Kelli

Thanks guys for reading...and everything. I was feeling really down yesterday and a little embarrassed but, of course, you guys understand...and have GREAT ideas.

Lindsay

pfunk, do you make your own iced coffees??? How?? Do tell...

Okay, write this down:

Take coffee tumbler (i.e. really big thermosy cup)

Fill it to the brim with ice

Pour coffee in

Add 1-2 tbsp. sugar-free syrup or sweet n low

Mix

ENJOY!

I also occaionally will order them in a coffeeshop. I just ask what varieties of SF syrup they have. At the grocery store, I have seen chocolate, caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, irish cream. Just make sure you check the nutritional label because brands will vary (I like Torani). Also, beware - they are expensive! Like $4 a bottle. But a bottle will last a while.

Lindsay,

Have you read the "Why are YOU Fat?" thread? I think it will help you feel not so 'exposed', as you read those stories. All the stories are different, but the same, you know?

As for head hunger, if you figure it out, let me know. I KNOW I want to eat when I am bored. Other than that it seems random, but I haven't been doing the journaling where you write down times, moods, what's going on, what you want to eat, what you end up eating etc. I have heard that can be helpful. I only write down that I DO eat and the calories of it. On the days I work, usually after lunch I will plan everything throughout the rest of the evening so I know what I can eat when I get home, it's just a matter of when I do it. If I spread that out over the evening, I don't find myself scrounging the fridge looking for something else. If I eat it all early in the evening it's a struggle to not go get something else later.

I also try and have small meals so that I can have Snacks. That sounds awful outloud, but if I plan for it, I feel like it's alright. A "Snack" could be a salad or a bowl of veggies, or lite icecream or any number of things. Some of them could be considered 'small meals' so you might say some days I have 4 or 5 small meals instead of 3 meals and some snacks.

After some WONDERFUL advice from Pfunkem, I am going very low carb, low sugar TOMORROW. I really think this may help.

I LOVE books. I will check out "why you are fat".

The thing is I am going to KEEP trying.

Lins12, the only other thing I might try doing is instead of just writing what you ate in your journal, why not include how you were feeling when you ate as well? E.g. stressed, bored, nervous, etc. Maybe this will help you to see some patterns and figure out why you are eating what you are eating, and maybe then you can work on changing those habits.

Bottom line, 39lbs is a great, you've just hit a little wall. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep on going.