[MarilynMonroe]

i'm 21 years old, 5'4", and 165 lbs. My weight is depressing me. I'm not fat, yet but I feel like I'm getting there. i'm currently on a diet, but i'm having trouble motivating myself to exercise daily, drink water, and eat right. i'm fine while i'm at work for the most part, but when i get home and watch tv or play around on the computer, i eat like crazy. sometimes i eat when i'm not even really hungry. what's wrong with me? lol does anyone have any suggestions other than diet pills on how to control my appetite. i can't do the diet pill thing because they make me feel jittery and i'll still eat everything anyway.

[Pocky]

I eat when I'm bored. Are you bored with life? Maybe you need something to stimulate you mentally?

[tiki]

Keeping track of what you eat is the winning key!

[StillHurtin]

I am the same way. I eat all the stinking time! I never thought about it from being bored. I am going to go back on my diet starting tomorrow.

I heard that drinking lots of water helps the appetite. I also heard that you may actually be thirsty instead of hungry so try drinking more water. I fill up a 32 oz glass of water and fill it up several times a day so I know how much water I am getting.

[sophia34]

Are you eating a lot of sweets? I am a confessed sugar-a-holic, and from my experience, I think that the more sugar you eat, the more you want to eat everything (sugar, carbs, etc.)

I did an experiment once, which worked, and now whenever my eating gets out of control, I do it again. I cut out of my diet anything containing refined sugar for two weeks (That's the white stuff--I allowed fruits and a bit of honey now and then.) I also cut out white bread and white pasta (I still ate white rice--1 billion people in China simply can't be wrong about that). This wasn't Atkins--I was just cutting out refined sugar and starches.

The first few days were horrible--it took every ounce of willpower I had. All I wanted was a cookie! But after a few days I started to notice I wasn't ravenous anymore. And after the two weeks, I was eating normally and had even lost a few pounds.

Did I stay on this sugar-free diet? Heck no. As I said, I'm a sugar fiend! But I now know what it does to me. I have a dessert every now and then, but I don't allow myself to eat sugar every time I see it or snack on cookies, pudding, candy, etc., with abandon. If I keep sugar under control, I keep my appetite under control.

I've also found that exercising at high intensity is a powerful appetite suppresant. For years, I walked two miles almost daily at a pretty brisk pace and I was still putting on pounds. The day I started running those two miles, I wasn't hungry afterwards for hours. (of course, you know the drill there...check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine!)

[lostgirl26]

I am 26 and 5'4" also. About three years ago I weighed 156lbs. that was the heaviest I had even been in my entire life. I was always athletic and ate real good. When I got married though, good lord did I pick up my husband's poor eating habits and I was working 2nd shift. He hates to exercise, never eats veggies, not one bite. No fruit, no dressings, no salads, nothing, zip! He lives off fried foods, potatos, and snack chips like Ruffles and Doritos. I seemed to absorb these habits and never exercised anymore. I visited my parents in AZ that year and when I got the pics back, I throughly disgusted my self after looking at them. I joined Weight Watchers that same month(March), started watching what I ate, portion control is a big thing, laying off the bad snack items and exercising regularly. By June I had lost 30lbs. I am no longer in WW but I try to maintain by watching what goes in my mouth, its hard to resist things sometimes and in WW you don't have to just make sure you budget the points. Now I am not pushing WW, but their regimen is pretty much like you should eat normally. Its just basic common good nutrition, protion control and exercise. When its cold its very hard to get motivated(trust me I know), and I have to work alone since no one will go with me but you had set small goals. It makes it easier that way. I gained back about 10 or so but I am back to getting on track on what I need to do, and 10lbs in 3 years is not bad considering. Also when you are really tired sometimes people confuse that with hunger and go for the cabinets, so don't deprive yourself but eat a small snack and move on to something else. If you slip up which happens a lot, then just start fresh the next day and don't beat yourself up, we are only human after all Good luck! You can do anything you set your mind to(I know it sounds cheesy but its true).

[Moose]

but when i get home and watch tv or play around on the computer, i eat like crazy.

"Doctor, it hurts when I do this"

Then don't do it. Find something else to do. (preferrably physical)

[gridiron]

A couple of suggestions I'll throw in:

- If you have trouble getting started, take it slowly. Don't make it an all or nothing deal where you either have the perfect day, three-four healthy meals and exercise, or a disastrous day of no exercise and three bad meals. Pick one thing to change and commit to it.
- Do try to get on a schedule as far as eating healthier and exercising. You can make these changes gradually, but do set some goals, even if it is first committing to not have more than one snack per day, then cutting down to one every other day, then one a week, and so on.
- Since you eat when you are not that hungry, you enjoy good food. If you cook, find a cookbook with lower-fat recipes. If you go out to eat a lot, try some of the lighter dishes, such as grilled chicken dishes. It may not be your top choice, but good food doesn't always have to be bad for you (though it does seem that way).
- Once you get a couple of weeks into your diet without cheating as much, your tastes will start to change too. For example, I used to drink almost six cokes a day. While I thought I could not live without it, once I was off of it (and it can be like a drug) for a while, the cravings decreased. After a month and a half, I treated myself to a Coke and it tasted way too sugary, and I could not finish the can. So keep in mind that it gets easier if you do start making healthier choices and stick to them.
- Find something to motivate you. Visualization is also very powerful. Everytime your mouth starts watering thinking about a double cheeseburger, chocolate cake, or whatever, substitute that thought with the image of yourself with the body that you want, slipping on a sexy dress, or playing tennis (or any other sport you enjoy) better, or just feeling a whole lot better. Visualize it in detail-how it feels, how it looks, hear the compliments you will get . . . use as many details in your image as you do when you think about that food. And then remind yourself that once you get there, that great feeling will last a lot longer than the great flavors in your mouth that goes away minutes later when you are done.
- If you're able to do ok at work, the others are right in finding something to keep you active outside of work, as you may be eating so much because you have free time on your hands. Or it is a way for you to relax and unwind. Try to create those same feelings in other ways, go for a swim, go for a walk, or maybe pick up a new hobby that gives you the same feelings that you can become addicted to.

Just some random thoughts. Good luck.

[moimeme]

Every time you get the urge to eat, check yourself. Are you actually hungry or is it your tongue that wants entertainment? If the latter, have one bite of whatever and then put it away. Refuse to eat unless you're hungry and stop eating when you stop being hungry. That doesn't mean eat until you're stuffed; rather that you eat until the edge is off. Do NOT allow yourself to eat out of boredom - find something else to do.

[MarilynMonroe]

hi guy it's marilyn. well, since i'm getting back into the swing of a crazy fulltime school and full time work schedule, i don't eat all the time anymore. i started my diet over on tuesday and when i weighed myself, i had lost 2 pounds since tuesday so there is HOPE!!! my goal is to a total of 30 lbs by my birthday on may 27th. i want to be hot so i won't be embarrassed the next time i reinact that famous shot from my movie, the 7 year itch.. u know the one where my dress flies up... i can't be doing that with thunder thighs!!! lol thanks for all the advice. i think i'm on the right track now....


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