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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on July 13, 2004, at 20:10:37
It seems to go in cycles. And it makes me feel awful and sick and sleepy. I don't even enjoy it.
Why???? (a rhetorical question)
Posted by partlycloudy on July 14, 2004, at 8:21:36
In reply to I have *got* to stop overeating., posted by Dinah on July 13, 2004, at 20:10:37
Dinah, I remember that you're a diabetic; are you on insulin for that? And I forget whether you're on any ADs or not.
I don't like myself when I overeat, too. It always seems to happen when I'm in a daze, as a distraction almost.
And also, young lady, are you exercising?
pc
Posted by Dinah on July 14, 2004, at 8:27:09
In reply to Re: I have *got* to stop overeating. » Dinah, posted by partlycloudy on July 14, 2004, at 8:21:36
I'm on minimal psych meds. And Glucophage, not insulin, for my diabetes.
No exercising, I'm afraid.
I just get so frustrated with myself at times for eating enough to make me feel ill. I'm relatively certain it's anxiety. My father isn't well, and there are some other stressors, and carbs are a natural antianxiety remedy. Sigh.
I'm still feeling ill this morning from yesterday afternoon's overindulgence. :(
Posted by partlycloudy on July 14, 2004, at 14:31:51
In reply to Re: I have *got* to stop overeating. » partlycloudy, posted by Dinah on July 14, 2004, at 8:27:09
Exercise was the last thing I was able to take up. I made it really specific: it had to be an all woman gym so I wouldn't care what I looked like; it had to be on my way home; it had to be fast in and out; and I didn't want to wait for exercise machines, or be part of a "class" with everyone going in the same direction except me. I actually found a place that fit the bill perfectly. It's called Curves and they are sprouting up all over the place. You're in the door and back out in 30 minutes. I go 3 x a week and have not been dieting. I lost 3 lbs in a month and 10 inches total from various places on my body. Considering I started going on my doctor's orders to help with the depression, it's been one of the best things I've ever forced myself to do.
I realize that none of this has to do with overeating, but: you don't have to worry about yourself as much if you're doing some form of exercise. It really put my metabolism back in gear.
Posted by Dinah on July 14, 2004, at 16:35:22
In reply to Re: I have *got* to stop overeating. » Dinah, posted by partlycloudy on July 14, 2004, at 14:31:51
I have no real hope whatsoever of being able to stick to a routine exercise program. I couldn't even manage to do the dog obedience I used to love.
And I always figure that if I *am* going to exercise, I should multitask. My front and back gardens are so overgrown that I'm reducing property values for my neighbors. I don't remember the last time I mopped the entire floor. Etc. Etc.
My husband goes twice a week to the gym, and the exercise has done his mood a world of good. But I've exercised regularly in the past, and never noticed that I had that very nice side effect. :)
I'm starting to wonder if I'm just sick, though. It's been a long time since my indiscretion, and I still feel lousy. D*mn glucophage.
Posted by Kacy on July 14, 2004, at 22:26:41
In reply to Re: I have *got* to stop overeating. » partlycloudy, posted by Dinah on July 14, 2004, at 8:27:09
I’ve fought escalating overeating with… meals.
When I wanted more food–and what I really wanted was the desserts I had built up a taste for–then I just ate another meal. It didn’t cause more weight gain than desserts, and I got more nutrition from it. I focused on meat and vegetables, even if the veggies were yams or potatoes. (Neither of those two alone; steamers cook those in no time with little mess.) If I ate dessert first, and a lot of it, I ate meals anyway. It has helped me more than once, even before I began an ssri.
Effexor seemed to cut off the “you’re full” message. (I also don’t seem to know how hungry I am before I begin eating.) I was wolfing down food without realizing it. I was always the last one to finish a meal before Effexor, and I often didn’t finish the whole thing. Now I can finish a meal and still be hungry. I just couldn’t see it, even though I looked around and saw others still eating after I had finished, and even though I brought home fast food and had it finished before I got here. The best guess I have is that I ate until I was full my whole life and it has been inconceivable not to do that. I just couldn’t see it as overeating.
My plan for that has been to focus on… chewing. I chew and chew. Maybe I wasn’t getting enough nutrition out of my food, despite the increased volume, because I was eating so fast. That could have kept my appetite up. I have been enjoying food more and haven’t looked for more food when I finished. I’ve even delayed eating sweets afterward. (Before, I could never eat a dessert right after a meal. I could eat a lot of it; I just couldn’t eat it until later.) It’s helping. I’m dropping closer to my regular weight.
I also make sure that if I’m indulging, it’s with treats with nutritional value. No empty calories. If I’m going to gain, I might as well gain weight on healthy food.
Posted by Snoozin on July 15, 2004, at 11:19:11
In reply to I have *got* to stop overeating., posted by Dinah on July 13, 2004, at 20:10:37
Hey, Dinah,
I don't know much about diabetes at all. But do you/are you allowed to drink products with NutraSweet? I am a Diet Coke addict, and I noticed that when I don't drink it on the weekends (decaf iced tea unsweetened is my thing), that I don't have problems with over eating.
It's like the Nutrasweet makes me even hungrier, or at the very least, kills my ability to limit portions. I'm just throwing it out there to see if it might be something you've thought of. If I stay off of Nutrasweet, I do just fine in my eating habits.
Hang in there. One day lapse does not a defeat make! :-)
Susan J
Posted by Miss Honeychurch on July 15, 2004, at 11:57:07
In reply to Re: I have *got* to stop overeating. » Dinah, posted by Snoozin on July 15, 2004, at 11:19:11
Dinah, my hormones at certain times of the month make me ravenous. While I'm sure anxiety may be the main cause of your overeating, never underestimate the power of your hormones!
Posted by Dinah on July 16, 2004, at 17:11:32
In reply to Re: I have *got* to stop overeating., posted by Miss Honeychurch on July 15, 2004, at 11:57:07
I wouldn't be at all surprised if it isn't hormonal, or maybe tied into my mood cycle. Because for the most part since I've been on Glucophage I'm really not hungry. Even when I eat too much it's not because I'm hungry. :(
Posted by Racer on July 18, 2004, at 15:39:38
In reply to Re: I've been doing better, posted by Dinah on July 16, 2004, at 17:11:32
I just read something from the NIH about artifical sweeteners: Apparently they interfere with the body's feedback mechanism for overeating, and reduce the hormones that tell you you're full. If you -- like my Type I husband -- drink diet drinks, that might be part of the problem.
Gotta tell you I have to kinda back up PC here: exercise is the best way to reset your metabolism, especially with Type II. Exercise helps reduce insulin resistance, which can actually get some people off meds. If you can get into the habit, it's a great idea. If you can't, of course, you can't...
Other than those comments, and telling you that I feel your pain (I have a very bad habit of eating just because, even if I'm not hungry -- and it's the "craving" foods, like potato chips, for me. Sucks a lot. I do have a couple of suggestions, things that have helped me in the past. Some are things that are so automatic now I don't think about them.
1. Keep a food diary. Trust me -- I think twice about what I'm putting in my mouth if I know there's a record of it. Never underestimate the power of the mind, right?
2. Take some Metamucil about half an hour before a meal -- or before the time that your overeating tends to happen. The fiber will help fill you up, so that there's a better chance that you'll stop before you overeat.
3. Make up serving size portions of the foods you generally grab, so that you aren't doing the "grab full box of Ginger Snaps," but grabbing "small baggie of 6 Ginger Snaps." That sort of thing. With the potato chips, I don't measure them out anymore, but I do use a bowl that holds [never you mind how many] ounces of the bad things that call my name.
4. I also snack on things like pickle slices when I'm a little ready to start snacking, but know that I'm not really hungry. They satisfy the "crunchy/salty" pretty well, which at least staves off the grab for the Ruffles.
5. Then there's the diabetic thing: keep a chart of what you're eating, blood sugar readings from before and one hour after eating, Glucophage dosage and times, etc, for a week or so. One of the possible complications of diabetes -- this is a very long shot -- is gastroparesis. Basically, the stomach doesn't empty normally, it's partially paralysed, and that will play havoc on your blood sugar. (Imagine: not eating because you're too full, while your blood sugar is falling rapidly because nothing it getting into your system; then feeling as if you're starving to death as your blood sugar goes through the roof for no apparent reason. As far as I know, it's not common in Type II, but you can check it so easily just by charting blood sugar, glucophage, and food for a few days or a couple of weeks. Why not, right?)
There's no doubt that overeating is a very difficult thing to deal with. It's always nice to have your company, Dinah, but I'm sorry you're with me with this one. ;-( If you find an answer, let me know, 'K?
Posted by JenStar on July 19, 2004, at 0:46:59
In reply to Re: I've been doing better, posted by Racer on July 18, 2004, at 15:39:38
hi all,
keeping a food diary helped me too. It's amazing how much I personally 'graze' during the day (a bite of this...a bit of that...etc.) I was able to somewhat curtail my excessive snacking by doing this. I'm a food addict though, so it's very hard for me!This weekend: not so good. Hubby & I were intrigued by the idea of deep-fried twinkies (saw a show on TV that featured them.) So I got supplied & we made them! Ha! They were strange, sweet, and loaded with greasy calories. Oh well...this is a new week, and I can choose to fill it with celery and water. :)
Good luck to you all.
JenStar
Posted by gardenergirl on July 19, 2004, at 12:54:49
In reply to Re: I've been doing better, posted by JenStar on July 19, 2004, at 0:46:59
It's helped me, too to log my food intake into a diet and exercise program I have on my Palm. Just seeing the calories in say, a Wendy's frosty gives me pause. And it also sets a daily goal of caloric intake based on my height and weight and level of activity. And then I can project out my weight loss goal to see how many calories I need to "save" in order to lose weight.
Of course, I still binge at times, but I can see the effect it has on how many calories I've consumed. And I can also see, if I exercise, how that also helps.
Bottom line, right now what it has done is help me to maintain the weight I'm at instead of continuing to gain. Once I add exercise, I'm sure I should be able to lose slowly. Now, to find a motivation program....:)
gg
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