Eating Disorder Or Bad Diet?

Volvoboy

Howyiz, today has been a normal day no major stress or anthing in my personal life to cause me stress, i aint going to loose my job anytime soon. Good friends, good family. Perfect day to day life.

But..

.. Like anyother day it's been filled with calories, i've always had a sweet tooth, but over the last say 3 years my daily diet has consisted of this;

4 Litres of coke
5 Bars
3 bag of crisps
Breakfast roll
2X jambons
Dinner
Lunch
Snack box
Paket of biscuits

Now most people i know wouldnt go throught this in 2 weeks, I dont smoke or drink, but i dont know what it is, i have cravings for food.
The job isnt helping either (Taxi Driver) my previous profession was a panel beater which was very physically demanding.

But when your sitting on yer bum for 14 hours a night and eating what i eat it aint the healtyest. I joined a gym the start of the year went 3 time, just wasnt my bag. But i do belive i'm adicted to food i crave it so much, even after dinner i'd sneak down to the chipper for a 4 in 1. Just wanna get it sorted out before its too late.

I dont know if its a case of bad diet/no willpower or somting more??

Experence/advice is most welcome.

radioactiveman

Hi
First of all the cravings are almost certainly because you are not getting the vitamins and nutrients you do need in the food you are taking in. If you start eating properly they will go away and you won't need to eat nearly as much.

Also you need to eat proper meals, with vegetables and fruit in EVERY meal!
The coke jumps out as the number 1 thing to cut out of your diet completely (how many calories are in that alone?)

The 4 Litres of coke, 5 Bars, 3 bag of crisps, Snack box, Paket of biscuits - you don't actually need any of these. You could be perfectly healthy and never eat these ever in your life.

I would say go to a nutrionist as a matter of urgency before you develop a real health problem. Also make sure you are drinking enough water to avoid confusing thirst with hunger.

Just in my experience if you're tired after work and don't exercise it can lead to a deadly cycle of being completely sedentary. You need to take up an activity and do it regularly to avoid this.

Rigor Mortis

its an easy routine to get into, i agree with the nutritionist line and also some exercise - dance, yoga, sports, it'll prob be hard at first but you will see a big benefit quickly.

i lost a pretty big amount of weight this year, it started by cutting out one thing, in my case choccie, then after that habit was gone went take aways during the week and after the pub, little changes to routine not full on diet and after a few months i was eating healthy and it wasnt a big shock to the system.

btw not being smart but whats a 4 in 1

Volvoboy

radioactiveman wrote: »

Hi
First of all the cravings are almost certainly because you are not getting the vitamins and nutrients you do need in the food you are taking in. If you start eating properly they will go away and you won't need to eat nearly as much.

Also you need to eat proper meals, with vegetables and fruit in EVERY meal!
The coke jumps out as the number 1 thing to cut out of your diet completely (how many calories are in that alone?)

The 4 Litres of coke, 5 Bars, 3 bag of crisps, Snack box, Paket of biscuits - you don't actually need any of these. You could be perfectly healthy and never eat these ever in your life.

I would say go to a nutrionist as a matter of urgency before you develop a real health problem. Also make sure you are drinking enough water to avoid confusing thirst with hunger.

Just in my experience if you're tired after work and don't exercise it can lead to a deadly cycle of being completely sedentary. You need to take up an activity and do it regularly to avoid this.

Well i would have a proper dinner daily, meat and veg, in regards work when i'm doing nights after i finish up i head straight to the leaba, but in recent weeks i've walked the dogs around the field before i start.

MagicMarker

You are heading straight into oblivion man....

4 litres of coke alone is approx 4000 calories!!!! (i assume we're talking about regular coke?).

You really need to sort this out!

Volvoboy

Rigor Mortis wrote: »

btw not being smart but whats a 4 in 1

Curry sause, Chips, Rice, Chicken Balls. In one:)

Volvoboy

MagicMarker wrote: »

You are heading straight into oblivion man....

4 litres of coke alone is approx 4000 calories!!!! (i assume we're talking about regular coke?).

You really need to sort this out!

Yep! Reg indeed!

Rigor Mortis

Volvoboy wrote: »

Curry sause, Chips, Rice, Chicken Balls. In one:)

ah i see, well like i say somethings gonna have to go, but take it in easy steps.

oh and if you can change from coke to anything ellse, even full fat 7 up is better i think

radioactiveman

Volvoboy wrote: »

Well i would have a proper dinner daily, meat and veg, in regards work when i'm doing nights after i finish up i head straight to the leaba, but in recent weeks i've walked the dogs around the field before i start.

If it was me (and it mightn't suit you at all) I would start going running as well as going for walks, if you run for half an hour and exert yourself for that long every second day say, you will defo lose weight with the right diet.

Volvoboy

radioactiveman wrote: »

If it was me (and it mightn't suit you at all) I would start going running as well as going for walks, if you run for half an hour and exert yourself for that long every second day say, you will defo lose weight with the right diet.

Thanks for the reply man, yea the whole running thing i aint ready for (yet) but i'm gonna have to diet.:(

FunkZ

Man eating a decent diet and being a taxi driver must be a nightmare, you're gonna have a hard time getting used to it!

One bit of advice I can give ya is have a MASSIVE good breakfast. And a MASSIVE good feed before ya go to work. A lot of porridge and throw on a bit of honey or something tasty for breakfast. Start making your own sandwiches at home, all ya need is some bread and a feck load of good toppings. Like ya could make two or three sandwiches in the morning and bring 'em with ya. If it were me I'd probably make them with chicken, cheese and then have a tub of mayonaisse to put some on when ya decide to eat them. Maybe bring strawberrys and apples with ya too as snacks. Get some good healthy nuts too as a snack.

Hope I helped a bit somehow!

Macha

You're also getting food cravings because you're eating very sugary foods. The effect that these have on your blood-sugar is something similar to a rollercoaster.

You eat something sugar and your blood-sugar levels shoot up and then crash soon after. At this point, your body demands more food to get the sugar-levels back up asap and so you find yourself craving something sugary.

The best foods are low-GI foods that will keep your blood sugar levels on a more even keel. So all forms of lean protein, vegetables, complex carbs (brown rice, wholewheat pasta), nuts (incl. peanut butter), fruit (some can be sugary).

Have a look here for more info: http://www.gidiet.com/en-gb/
I used this guy's book a few years ago and lost over 15kg.

Try not to think about it as a diet - more of a lifestyle change. You can still eat the biscuits, chips etc but just keep them for treats once a week instead of every day.

jen_23

First off you need to get a check up done! your cholesterol could be dangerously high. Cholesterol can build up in the wall of your arteries causing heart disease. High cholesterol also has no symptoms so if your over-consuming alot of fatty foods you should get this tested.

Also you should talk this through with a doctor who can either go over healthy eating diets with you or refer you to a nutritionist.

Start exercising more. you say you take the dogs out. Do it when you get up int he morning and again in the evening. (20 mins- 30 mins each time).

Excercising can naturally help you to stop overeating.

You need to keep yourself occupied when your sitting in the cab waiting for a fare. people overeat mosty out of boredom! Get a paper, a rubix cube, start sudoku, get a ds lite anything to keep your mind from wandering to food!

+1 to taconnol about the low-GI foods. Try porridge for breakfast with a bannana or some other fruit you like. Starting the day right makes all the differebce. If you start healthy you'l most likely try to finish it healthy.
Lunch can be salad , sandwich on brown bread , soup brown roll. White bread is full of sugar so try to avoid.
You need to be getting a healthy dinner with meat/fish veg and carbs.
Also if you must snack try fruit or fig rolls(2 fig rolls).

When your eating sit down, don't do anything else to distract yourself and eat slowly! It takes twenty minutes for the message to get to your brain that your actually full. So if your woofing it down you will overeat.

Also Set goals to change eating behaviors. Make small changes and be patient. Changing habits does take time and a lot of effort.

Lastly go to the dentist and get your teeth checked. 4 Litres of coke a day!!!! Coke is actually adictive. I used to drink it years ago and whenever I got thurst I really craved coke nothing else would do.
You need to switch from these sugary drinks comletely! Try getting the kerry spring sparkling flavoured water as an alternative.

Read this http://www.healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/ for the effects coke has on youur body!!!

Volvoboy

jen_23 wrote: »

First off you need to get a check up done! your cholesterol could be dangerously high. Cholesterol can build up in the wall of your arteries causing heart disease. High cholesterol also has no symptoms so if your over-consuming alot of fatty foods you should get this tested.

Also you should talk this through with a doctor who can either go over healthy eating diets with you or refer you to a nutritionist.

Start exercising more. you say you take the dogs out. Do it when you get up int he morning and again in the evening. (20 mins- 30 mins each time).

Excercising can naturally help you to stop overeating.

You need to keep yourself occupied when your sitting in the cab waiting for a fare. people overeat mosty out of boredom! Get a paper, a rubix cube, start sudoku, get a ds lite anything to keep your mind from wandering to food!

+1 to taconnol about the low-GI foods. Try porridge for breakfast with a bannana or some other fruit you like. Starting the day right makes all the differebce. If you start healthy you'l most likely try to finish it healthy.
Lunch can be salad , sandwich on brown bread , soup brown roll. White bread is full of sugar so try to avoid.
You need to be getting a healthy dinner with meat/fish veg and carbs.
Also if you must snack try fruit or fig rolls(2 fig rolls).

When your eating sit down, don't do anything else to distract yourself and eat slowly! It takes twenty minutes for the message to get to your brain that your actually full. So if your woofing it down you will overeat.

Also Set goals to change eating behaviors. Make small changes and be patient. Changing habits does take time and a lot of effort.

Lastly go to the dentist and get your teeth checked. 4 Litres of coke a day!!!! Coke is actually adictive. I used to drink it years ago and whenever I got thurst I really craved coke nothing else would do.
You need to switch from these sugary drinks comletely! Try getting the kerry spring sparkling flavoured water as an alternative.

Read this http://www.healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/ for the effects coke has on youur body!!!

Thanks for the replys folks! Jeebus, read that coke article, kinda has me down to a tee:eek:

But today i tryed a few diffrent things; havent touched coke today! well a 330ml can but a bit of a diffrence between 4L of the stuff!:)

I'll keep yiz updated! Thanks again

jen_23

That's great. Remember don't be too hard on yourself if you find it difficult to change your habits over the course of a week or two.
These things take time as theve been gathered over a lifetime.
Give yourself goals of what your going to do each week and you'l start to find it getting easier and easier.

Just think in a months time you may only be having a coke as a treat once in a while

Good luck!

aare

Just in case nobody mentioned it...that coke is BAD NEWS man..:)

I had to knock off the diet coke myself recently (a liter a day AT MOST). FOR ME the comforting substitute turns out to be Tesco's Grapefruit flavour water...but there are loads of (sugar free) brands and varieties, try them one at a time till you find one that "hits the spot".

Also, one of the benefits of drinking coke and driving is, of course, that it keeps you awake. I don't drive a taxi, but I am a devil for dozing off at the wheel (which is torture). These freezing cold days and nights I have started bringing a flask of coffee in the car with me, as well as one of those insulated cups. Best driving innovation I ever thought of...and a lot of places will sell you a flask top up.

...another great thing for bored food cravings is the "Fusion" fruit flavoured gum - tastes just like "Starburst" (aka Opal Fruits) only more imaginative...no sugar at all, but I honestly can't tell....though, be warned, the hard shell version with liquid centres can taste a bit odd!

Any reason why you couldn't downsize the "4 in 1" to just chicken balls and curry sauce? It would take a few days to get used to cutting out all those carbs, but after a while you'd probably hardly notice.

Volvoboy

Brekie; Cupa tea, bannana, two slices of brown-bread toast with jam.

Lunch; Chicken and cheese roll that i made myself (so proud) 3 mandarins, and a capri sun.

I aint missing the coke at all? Not even the urge to go get some?

Contemplating what for dinner, it's gonna be fast food but a healty alternative would be good, anythoughts?

Thanks guys!

Macha

Volvoboy wrote: »

Brekie; Cupa tea, bannana, two slices of brown-bread toast with jam.

Lunch; Chicken and cheese roll that i made myself (so proud) 3 mandarins, and a capri sun.

I aint missing the coke at all? Not even the urge to go get some?

Contemplating what for dinner, it's gonna be fast food but a healty alternative would be good, anythoughts?

Thanks guys!

Congrats! Massive improvement - how about a subway roll with chicken & salade? Or grab some esushi?

Volvoboy

Right Dinner;

Stirfry chicken and brocolli in a nam bread.:)

jen_23

Sounds like your making a running start to this. Well done:)

Some other alternatives from fast food are ;

Asian - Stir frys are generally the best in sauces such as Sauces such as ponzu, rice-wine vinegar, wasabi, ginger, and low-sodium soy sauce. If you must have rice opt for the boiled rice or even better the uncle bens 2 minute microwavable brown rice .

Good news you can still eat Pizza!! Opt for extra thin crust (Dominos do this). Get the low fat cheese (ask for a half portion and then get more veggies such as peppers, mushroom and sweetcorn.)

Also burgers are still in however and this is mean... Take off the buns as there usually white bread therefore full of sugar! you can get brown buns which you can put on yourself.

though it's nicer to grill the burger at home and serve it with veg and baby potatoes

remember though ALL takeaway should be in moderation. Home cooked is always better as you know exactly what goes in.

TerrorFirmer

If you don't mind me asking, that must have absolutely seen the weight pile on? You must have been taking in 7-8000kcal a day with that diet!!

Also I always say this, and people overlook it - don't try to suddenly go cold turkey. A totally healthy diet is ideal but not very realistic, especially not given your old diet. You could eat a normal breakfast, lunch of subway/mcdonalds/etc, normal dinner and have a snack or two in between and still see the weight literally melt away by the week. I'm not saying you should: after all, junk is junk and every little less will make a difference in health if not weight. But rather just that don't try to be overly hard on yourself unnecessarily. Coke, chocolate, crisps, hell, balls of butter. These things don't make people fat, contrary to what people like to shout about. For example: The poster above advocating that you suddenly should be swapping white for brown bread? Eh, what? You've coming off a 8000kcal diet and suddenly they're trying to micromanage it right down to the elementaries? This is an example of the overkill going on in peoples sudden shifts in perception of their weight/image. Excess consumption makes people fat - you won't get fat simply eating a packet of crisps and a bar every day (unless you eat them right before bed ). Much less using white bread for your morning toast. Be easy on yourself initially, otherwise what'll happen is some day you might just snap....I know it's happened to me in the past.

jdivision

The Coke thing won't kick in for about 48 hours, the first week's the hardest after that you should be able to control it. Try and avoid the naan bread if possible.

Volvoboy

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking, that must have absolutely seen the weight pile on? You must have been taking in 7-8000kcal a day with that diet!!

Also I always say this, and people overlook it - don't try to suddenly go cold turkey. A totally healthy diet is ideal but not very realistic, especially not given your old diet. You could eat a normal breakfast, lunch of subway/mcdonalds/etc, normal dinner and have a snack or two in between and still see the weight literally melt away by the week. I'm not saying you should: after all, junk is junk and every little less will make a difference in health if not weight. But rather just that don't try to be overly hard on yourself unnecessarily. Coke, chocolate, crisps, hell, balls of butter. These things don't make people fat, contrary to what people like to shout about. For example: The poster above advocating that you suddenly should be swapping white for brown bread? Eh, what? You've coming off a 8000kcal diet and suddenly they're trying to micromanage it right down to the elementaries? This is an example of the overkill going on in peoples sudden shifts in perception of their weight/image. Excess consumption makes people fat - you won't get fat simply eating a packet of crisps and a bar every day (unless you eat them right before bed ). Much less using white bread for your morning toast. Be easy on yourself initially, otherwise what'll happen is some day you might just snap....I know it's happened to me in the past.

Never really noticed any weight gain, prob because i'm a tall and broad chap, well its day 2 coke free days, when ever i get the need i just have a mandarin:) its working so far. I'll keep yiz updated.
@jen_23 cheers for the food info:D

jen_23

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The poster above advocating that you suddenly should be swapping white for brown bread? Eh, what?.

I did not say OP you must immediatly swap all white for brown I merely suggested it.
as brown bread/rice and other wholemeal foods are not as processed, do not contain sugar and are slow releasing carbs which keep you fuller for longer helping you to not feel the hunger and snack as much.
Not to mention provide roughage for a healthy digestive system.

After a life time of one routine it is difficult to change habits.