Such a PROCESS...

First off, I love the community forum! I'm new to PT and I just find it all so inspiring and motivating...

This is my problem:
I am a healthy eater and work out pretty regularly...but I have one downfall-- processed food. During the day I am a healthy eater and dont keep any foods off limits completely, but am very good about portions etc. BUT...after a long day of work-- even after a yummy/healthy/satisfying dinner-- I cannot seem to avoid processed foods. I totally crave them...cereal, pretzels, ice cream, whatever! They are ruining my diet. I have tried to get rid of my sweet cravings by eating fruit, drinking tea, etc etc but i just really wish i didnt HAVE to have this food...i am full, yet craaaaving crap. And its really just a trigger bc once I start, i cant stop...Its absurd...How do I slowly, ween myself off of this viscious cycle of stuffing myself with junk at night??

Wed. Oct 3, 3:23pm

Boy, do I ever feel your pain. The only thing that has worked for me is to stop keeping any of it in my home. I know that sounds obvious, but once I stopped keeping even "safe" treats in the house, I slowly forgot about wanting them. Oh, sure...every once in a while I slip up, but now I don't eat after dinner. Now if I could only figure out how to eat better at work...

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 3:29 PM

Where are you when you indulge? Are they in your house? Are you out at dinner? Do you eat breakfast?

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 3:50 PM

i am doing a 30 day detox (homeopathic drops) through my osteopath because of this very reason! i crave everything from burgers to ice cream. Turns out my ph balance, candida (yeast) and toxicitiy levels were through the roof. My doc says once i do this for 10 days, i should stop having symptoms like cravings, exhaustion, brain fog, etc.

I'd be happy to share more info if you're interested.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 3:58 PM

OP here-- 3:58, can you explain....? thanks!!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 4:06 PM

no problem!

you can go to your local natural healing doc or homeopathic store and pick up ph test kit. I went to my osteopath and picked one one. I took a 40 page questionaire on everything for peroids to the color and consistency of my BMs (just what a lady likes to talk about with a male doc!). When we reviewed my numbers for the candida (yeast), toxicity, and ph levels, my doc was very alarmed. Here are my symptoms: headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, brain fog, exhaustion, eating beyond control, feeling hungry from the time i wake up to the time i go to bed, extreme cravings, anxiety, stress, bloating, belching, and slight depression...

Turns out ALL of the symptoms i am experiencing are due to long term dieting, thyriod is screwed up, and I have depleted every good nutrient in my body because i am not absorbing the nutrients i eat (because of toxins and a high acidity level), therefore, weight gain and lack of loss of weight loss and headaches (2 months and 14 days of a continuous headache).

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 4:45 PM

I totally agree with 3:29. Do a pantry purge and get rid of ALL that junk. I've had nights where I prowl the fridge and pantry, looking for junk, but it's simply not there, so I eventually give up and eat some fruit.

I would also recommend Dr. Phil's book about weight loss - he talks a lot about how being overweight comes from bad habits and how to change them. I found it helped me a lot! Good luck!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, 7:26 PM

I think of it a little differently.
The only thing that has helped me is to have night time snacks but make them healthy. Mostly it is fruit or something with high fiber. I did however make sure that there are NO bad snacking things in the house or I wouldn't be able to get away from it.
Over the months I think it was 2 or 3 I no longer craved the bad stuff. I now want the healthy food and less and less of it (at night).
Good luck to you.
Find the way that works best for you.
And remember we are all her for your support and eachothers.

Thursday, October 04, 2007, 12:03 AM

well, maybe its what you are eating for dinner. Do you know that high carbs might induce that craving at night? For example, eating a big plate of pasta will give you a spike of insulin, and when you crash, you'll crave the processed stuff.
Try finding healthier alternatives to the processed stuff, but that is closer to the real deal. Eating a plum when you want ice cream will not make it go away, but what about real fruit popsicles? Just an idea

Thursday, October 04, 2007, 1:17 PM

Re the homeopathy point above, I know that this is going to be controversial, but really, you don't need to go to a homeopath to learn how not to have processed foods in your house. Homeopathy is, in my view, a very easy way of extracting money from people who desperately want an easy answer. The link below is to a site run by a doctor who is all about debunking "bad science." It's entertaining and informative and challenges pseudo-science in search of the truth.

Link

Friday, October 05, 2007, 5:07 AM

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