Changing eating habits.

dekaspace

I know I have asked this sort of thing before but its more looking back at old habits, when I first left home I had a bland (even thought so back then) but tolerable diet was basically eat cornflakes (often in water as couldn't afford milk lol) porridge, noodles, pasta with chopped tomatoes, with biscuits/wagon wheels as snacks and if I was still hungry a plain Tesco Value pizza and once or twice a week a treat was bag of chips, I also made a lot of plain home made cakes as back then flour was like 9p a bag and sugar 40p and eggs were cheap or even made pancakes a lot. a random change was I might boil some eggs and have them with pasta.

Looking back that was a strange but doable diet.

Breakfast every morning was a egg roll with a glass of milk

By early 20's it was ready meals, microwave chips and still ate pasta/noodles and a few takeaways a week, wasn't as peppy as my teenage years but still a lot of energy.

Then I got my first flat and started eating stuff like chicken/beef and rice a lot and sometimes cereal when I was hungry.

By recent years I just have a really bad diet, I starved today till around 4.30 and I started to crash so I went into cupboard and found a chocolate chip bun which I ate, barely had enough energy to go up town and treated myself to a chicken subway, packet of crisps and a drink.

Tonight decided I wanted to have a proper meal so made 6 cheap sausages, some potatos and a large portion of peas, yes sausages are bad but to me thats still cooking.

I am less looking for advice on what to cook and more on changing habits, as currenly I crash around late evening especially around this time and feel weak so want to stuff my face and doesn't help I barely eat during day if at all(when I do eat during day though I get psychological hunger so I think I am misinterpreting signs)

I know the basics like you are meant to eat 3 meals a day but how I force myself to do so and when eating not just pig out (which I assume is a defense mechanism in the brain wanting to store food)

So to stop the psychological hunger and to teach my brain not to treat when I do eat as act as if I haven't eaten in days.

Money_saving_maniac

Nothing wrong with sausages if you don't eat them every day.
Sounds to me like you need to take a packed lunch to work and meal plan for the week.

I have no idea what you mean by psychological hunger, I think if you are not eating all day, you get so hungry that when you do eat you stuff it all in and you buy a subway because you are starving. Not surprising really.

You don't have to eat 3 meals a day but not eating all day is probably not the best idea.

Don't buy chocolate chip cakes, buy bananas, then if you are really hungry and need a snack it will be healthy

dekaspace

I don't work, but I got the buns on yellow sticker reductions its a one off,

Part of the problem is I don't feel like eating during the day unless its out of boredom i.e I have gone on bus somewhere (and not eaten) I could then go to even a buffet and would take like 20 minutes to eat a small plate of salad (which is my favourite food) then suddenly get starving now I have started eating (though stomach not rumbling) but then be physically full eating something more like a small bowl of soup and a sandwich, my stomach would feel like its bursting on that but then I walk up the road and think "im hungry" but those feelings go after a while.

In the evening its more eating out of tiredness and a little boredom, im off to bed soon and literally reading this thread I feel starving yet 5 minutes ago I didn't even feel hungry.

I could be mixing up hunger and tiredness as I feel tired all day but never hungry and at night I feel hungry but not tired.

I need someway to train my brain that its ok to eat during the day and not at night as that will make me physically feel better and probably emotionally too and also train it to not go crazy when I do get food acting as if I haven't eaten in days.

I normally feel better on things like rice and potato I assume as its carb based, and pasta with meat.

Feral_Moon

You don't mention how much you drink during the day. People often mistake thirst for hunger. Next time you feel hungry have a glass of water instead and wait 20 minutes. You should be drinking 1-2 litres of water per day.

YORKSHIRELASS

My son has Crohn's disease and food is a problem, he struggles to eat large meals and doesnt have much appetite. Food is not something enjoyable for him, he eats because he has to.

His doctors have said that your body becomes used to the eating pattern that you set, and more worryingly, if you dont eat much then your body will adjust to that over time and you will lose your appetite.

Missing meals is really really bad for you and you are more likely to stuff yourself with something unhealthy eventually as you know. I think this is your first priority, doesnt have to be 3 full meals a day but not eating until 4.30pm is not doing you any good.

Are there any foods that you really like? If not maybe its time to start trying some new things and maybe you do almost have to force yourself to eat regularly to begin with to get back into the habit.

The other problem is that if you dont have a routine in your day it makes it harder to eat regular meals (been through this with my son too). Then again if you have got spare time maybe you would enjoy learning to do a bit of cooking. How about browsing the internet for some recipes that you like the look of?

I would also suggest writing down a plan of what you are going to eat for the next 3 days or so and shopping for those meals so that you have the right food in the house? If money is really tight there is loads of advice on here.

Oh and yes I get hungry when I am tired too, and as Feral Moon says make sure you are drinking enough too.

VfM4meplse

dekaspace wrote: »

I don't work, but I got the buns on yellow sticker reductions its a one off,

Part of the problem is I don't feel like eating during the day unless its out of boredom i.e I have gone on bus somewhere (and not eaten) I could then go to even a buffet and would take like 20 minutes to eat a small plate of salad (which is my favourite food) then suddenly get starving now I have started eating (though stomach not rumbling) but then be physically full eating something more like a small bowl of soup and a sandwich, my stomach would feel like its bursting on that but then I walk up the road and think "im hungry" but those feelings go after a while.

In the evening its more eating out of tiredness and a little boredom, im off to bed soon and literally reading this thread I feel starving yet 5 minutes ago I didn't even feel hungry.

I could be mixing up hunger and tiredness as I feel tired all day but never hungry and at night I feel hungry but not tired.

I need someway to train my brain that its ok to eat during the day and not at night as that will make me physically feel better and probably emotionally too and also train it to not go crazy when I do get food acting as if I haven't eaten in days.

I normally feel better on things like rice and potato I assume as its carb based, and pasta with meat.

Friend, I have walked in your shoes.

It sounds to me like you have a number of things that need to be addressed, but the over-riding one is your sugar sensitivity (this would explain your erratic eating patterns in part). Check out my "I quit sugar" support thread. 70 days in, I feel much better, enjoy exercising and motivated to eat food that is actually good for me. Instead of talking the talk, I am finally looking after myself as well!

Still early days but I now spend my days surrounded by sugary treats and don't bat an eyelid.

Pollycat

dekaspace wrote: »

Tonight decided I wanted to have a proper meal so made 6 cheap sausages, some potatos and a large portion of peas, yes sausages are bad but to me thats still cooking.

Money_saving_maniac wrote: »

Nothing wrong with sausages if you don't eat them every day.

'Cheap' sausages are false economy.

If you buy good quality sausages - Iceland & Lidl do high meat content ones e.g. 90% + - you don't need 6.
We have 2 each with mashed potatoes, I buy 2 packs of 6 and freeze them and they will do us 3 meals each, so that would be 6 meals for you.

I bought some from Iceland recently on offer (not YS) 6 for £2 so that works out at 66p for a meal.
How does that compare with your 6 cheap ones?

monnagran

It's not what to eat you need to think about but WHEN to eat.

I think you have to stop waiting for hunger to prompt you to eat because we all know that if you get too hungry you will just push in whatever food you can get hold of in a hurry. That's when you overeat and probably rubbishy stuff. Your poor body must be totally messed up by being either stuffed or starved. No wonder you feel weak and tired most of the time.

How about forgetting about how hungry you are or are not and concentrate on eating SOMETHING 3 or 4 times a day.

For example.......when you first get up you may not feel like eating but make a hot drink and have a snack. Something on toast would be good. Did I read that you liked eggs? Excellent. Eggs are brilliant things to eat. But anything really.

Then decide that you will eat again in 3 hours time. Set your alarm if necessary to remind you. Still not hungry? Never mind, make another hot drink and another snack. Soup or a sandwich or some crackers and cheese, or a ham roll and some fruit.

3 hours later, set your alarm if necessary, another drink and a couple of biscuits or piece of cake and fruit or scone and jam.

3 hours later you could have a small meal, some protein, some salad or vegetables and a treat .

By this time your body will be relaxing. It no longer has to get stressed by wondering when, if ever, it will be re-fuelled again. It will be thanking you for not mistreating it.
Your body might take a little while to fully trust you again but it will happen. Just keep on being kind to it.

Good luck.

x

charmed1318

Agree with monnagran. I am not working but have set myself a routine.
I get up and dressed at a certain time. Probably down a pint or litre of water as I like to, plus fill's me up until I am hungry
I eat something like a piece of toast and 2 scrambled eggs by about 10/11, I rarely get hungry early.
Lunch happens around 3/4pm
Dinner is at about 7pm, for me due to meds
I then just find things to do between, mostly come on here for when i'm bored. If I am going out take a bottle of water
Good luck

Pollycat

dekaspace wrote: »

By recent years I just have a really bad diet, I starved today till around 4.30 and I started to crash so I went into cupboard and found a chocolate chip bun which I ate, barely had enough energy to go up town and treated myself to a chicken subway, packet of crisps and a drink.

Tonight decided I wanted to have a proper meal so made 6 cheap sausages, some potatos and a large portion of peas, yes sausages are bad but to me thats still cooking.

Some good points about timing from the last 2 posters.

Do I read it right that you didn't eat at all until 4:30pm yesterday when you had a bun, then a sandwich & a bag of crips and then had sausage, potatoes and peas?

To get all that in you probably must have eaten quite late which is a bad idea if you are eating something as substantial as 6 sausages and potatoes.

I appreciate it's not easy when you're on a very low budget but buying Subway sandwiches and bags of crips (if you bought them from Subway) is probably not the best use of your food money.
Maybe as well as changing your habits you should also be looking at what food you are buying to cook.

How about trying to have some porridge in the morning?
I buy the microwave sachets quite cheap in Home Bargains, Farmfoods etc - usually the plain sort - and add a spoonful of jam, curd etc. Milk can be bought pretty cheap from the same shops i you have access to any of them.
A box of porridge is even cheaper.

dekaspace

Eating a Subway for my hunger is my current compromise, it stops me eating as much in the evening.

I do get butchers burgers, sausages sometimes small steak pies or pork stir fry and have a lot of stuff in my chest freezer I often either forget to take something out or think I don't feel like the thing I took out, sausages are normally my compromise when I cook something (and good ones) I just happened to get a yellow sticker pack at supermarket and wanted to cook, I can tell the difference as the real ones I dont need to use oil and don't burn easy,

I normally prefer chicken as a compromise but its quite expensive too as beef can get chewy is cooked wrong.

I have cut down on sugar in my diet over the last year and lose a small bit of weight as was drinking a lot of pepsi every day now its diet/max

When I visit my parents I have lunch around 12.15 dinner around 5.15 and feel hungry around 7pm again but after that not realy hungry (and even there I think its more my routine expecting food in evening)

I don't drink much during the day, its also a evening thing and I have soft drinks (diet)

I suppose like most things its about enjoyment, I dont eat during the day as its not enjoyable and at night when tired and I am hungry the food tastes far better.