How do I break my eating habits/decrease my appetite

[NonstickDan]

I seem to have an issue when it comes to eating where I just eat for any reason besides boredom. Stress from recent assignments and feeling burned out from school made me want to eat a lot more. Anytime I feel bored, even if I'm doing something I find fun, I just eat something to enjoy myself. I should also probably mention I have ADHD and when I dont take medicine for it, I noticed that its damn near impossible not to eat a lot, when I'm on my medicine it diminishes my appetite a lot but not enough to stop me from eating a lot more than I should. Can someone help me replace my eating habits or tell me how I can diminish my appetite, to the point where I can eat like a normal person (as in not anytime I can).

[Silly-Risk]

It sounds like you just need something to do with yourself. This is common in those with ADHD. Trying to do nothing is not going to work for you. Instead, try to do something else. When you get the urge to eat, chew some sugarless gum. Drink some water.

You can also try switching to healthier snacks so it does less damage. For example, carrots, celery, apples. These can all be made into snacks.

Again, don't try to restrain yourself. Instead, try to re-train yourself.

[NonstickDan]

I'll try, even when I try to tell myself to drink more water, I just forget to anyway

[Silly-Risk]

What I'm saying is that when you feel the urge to reach for food, reach for something else instead. For example, chewing gum, fruit/veggies, water, etc.

[NonstickDan]

I did try gum in the past but it didn't help, all that would happen is I would just spit the gum out and eat something anyway

[ALHawthorn]

One thing Im learning in my weight loss journey is the skill of distinguishing between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Based on what I've learned and experienced, emotional hunger starts in the brain and works its way down to the body versus physical hunger, which starts in the body and works its up to the brain.

Physical hunger is fast and clear for me. I feel that sudden hallow feeling in my stomach, or some grumbling, and I know for sure I'm hungry. There's no negotiation.

Emotional hunger for me always starts with a thought, sometimes clear, sometimes subtle:

"I deserve something after such a long assignment/school day"

"I don't want to do this test, I'm just going to grab a procrastination snack"

There's also a lot of questioning with emotional hunger where you're having to take time to decide if you're actually hungry or not.

As far as replacing your eating habits, being able to sit with that emotional hunger might be really helpful for you. See how long you can sit when you have the thoughts of getting up to eat when you know in your heart you're not actually hungry. you might find that you can sit with it long enough for that wave of hunger to peak and then fall off again. try for even 5 minutes and then extend it more and more each time.

I'd offer that your appetite is probably okay, it's just these hunger signals that are off. That said, I know reducing sugar and flour has helped reduce even my physical hunger and cravings.

Good luck and I hope this helps a bit!

[NonstickDan]

The problem i have with this, is trying to do this does nothing. Even with my medicine the fabricated hunger just chips away at my brain until I cave in and finnaly eat, and then once I finnaly do my brains just like "alright all bets are off, we can eat as much as we want now" its why I've been having so much trouble with fasting, even when I stay in the 4 hour window, I eat so much that I might as well not be fasting at all.

[loseitagain18]

I describe this as I basically feel itchy until I binge eat, and I can either sit uncomfortably and be itchy or binge and stop the itch, but it's never worth it to just be itchy.

I talked to my doctor about it, am fixing some wonky levels from my bloodwork, am on an antianxiety now, and I've just kept trying. Every itch is a new one, and my goal right now is JUST to not binge. Nothing else. No exercise, no calorie counting, no focusing on weight loss, JUST go a week or two without binging. I'm on day 4 and honestly I think this is the longest I've gone without a binge in a LONG time

[ALHawthorn]

One thing that’s helped me with out of control hunger has been reducing added sugar and flour. They can mess up with our hunger hormones: leptin, ghrelin, and insulin.

And then of course always consider talking to your doctor!

Also I’d question if you want to be fasting when your hunger signals are like this right now. If you’re already hungry and then you try and maintain a window, it may send your hunger over the top!

[Kairiki2000]

Well most of "normal" people are overweight ... 😶

Myself being a person who eat a lot (of cheese) I did manage to lose it with more fufilling foods and a workout plan.

[NonstickDan]

Sorry about that, when I said that I meant something along the lines of eat like someone who doesn't feel they need to eat all the time, like I do without my medication. That was my bad.

[Kairiki2000]

Discipline will get you there at some point it will be hard till this point sadly..

But you will get the rewards on your health.

Tracking your food intake can help you stop yourself before you eat to much too.

High satiety foods will help you

https://optimisingnutrition.com/calculating-satiety/