I've spent a lot of time trying to understand the psychology of overeating ... nfortunately I buy Galaxy Ripples, which I love, and have one every night!
xx
Hurrah! I am a "Ripple Girl" too. But I won't buy them. I'm buying Milky Way. Fudge and Curly Wurly as they have half the calories.
Now, please DO share with me anything you like about the psychology of overeating. I have been trying to stop myself from overeating for a long, long time. My history is one of dieting then overeating, rinse and repeat. Seems I am never just eating normally. I've lost a stone and gained it back time and time again.
Unfortunately it seems I am an emotional eater who eats for comfort, out of anger, to stuff down my feelings instead of expressing them. I had the misfortune to fall hopelessly, passionately in love with a man who refused to be monogamous. I tried for a long time to accept the way he was and not express my feelings to him about it (as it was pointless because he refuses to change and there is no point in nagging). One time, when my b/f told me he had started up yet another relationship with a new woman (third time in four years) I was absolutely distraught, devastated, in so much emotional pain I didn't know what to do with myself. I wanted to scream at him, punch him, kill him, and indeed kill her. All my anger had to be suppressed. So I ate, and ate and ate and ate and ate. I could not stop myself. Some days I felt suicidal. Then one day he told me it hadn't worked out with her, they weren't going to become lovers after all (which is what he had hoped for). I then found that I was able to stop the overeating. I am 100% aware that I should not have let some bloomin man ruin my life and my health, that I should have stopped being his puppet, but there you are, that was my (stupid) and uncontrollable reaction to his action. It taught me one of the reasons I overate.
If you could see what I was stuffing down my gullet until a week ago you'd faint. I have many times in the past eaten a big meal then gone back to the kitchen and made another, equally big. I've eaten until I feel so stuffed I am nearly sick. At that moment I've said "Never again" and then the next day gone and done the same darned thing again. A chip shop in town delivers, but only if you order £10 worth of food. So a few times I ordered large cod and chips twice (£10.80) and ate one portion that night and the next for breakfast. I kid you not. I locked the door so I would not be seen and I ate cod and chips at 7am. (It was utterly wonderful.)
Eventually last week I said "No - this has GOT to stop" and I set myself 1600 calories to stick to for one month. If I can make it for a month, then I can do another month. Seems to me that the "sensible" me has to use psychological trickery to fool the overeating me into promising to stick to a diet by making it seem achievable. So my first goal was to stick to the calories for 30 days. I didn't set a weight loss goal, because we cannot control that. However, my username is a goal, because I started at 366 4 years ago and after the diet-binge-diet-binge thing I landed up last Monday at 352 and now I am 346.5.
Anyway, I am finding it stupidly easy, much much easier than I thought. There is no way to fail on this, unless you fall off and don't get back on. I wasted so many years trying to do Atkins, but failed because you have to be so strict. One little thing and you are out of ketosis and you just think "sod it, I've blown it, might as well give up." Calorie counting is crazily easy by comparison with Atkins. Even if I had fish and chips it would not be the end of the world! I could even budget for it in my calorie count, and maybe take in fewer on the surrounding days.
I cannot tell you what a relief it is to be able to eat a
plum --- yummy! A
sandwich feels like the most decadent thing ever!
Now who's rambling?