Falling off keto and finding a way back to it might actually be the most common manifestation in the community

#21

It’s interesting what you say about the TV. Well identified. The same could be said for social media apps.

I think it is stressful to load up on the problems of the world as they appear in the media, or in movies or TV shows. That stress pushes up the cortisol, releasing glucose into the blood so we can fight, flee, freeze (in-place) or freak out, and that drives the hunger straight toward old bad habits like snacking, I think.

(Probably should have read Fangs’ reply before typing this as she has likely covered all this with the added bonus of getting us ‘on plan’)

#22

yes so agree but even if you are watching that ‘good show on tv’ ya love then you wanna celebrate it with good snacks too HAHA

can’t win on that one I think other than change our habits. Work in progress on all of us I think at some point in our lives.

also ya know…eating ON PLAN food while watching tv or just to snack is not wrong. Never will be. As long as you are eating your plan foods then you are OK and there should be no guilt. But key to it all is why are you snacking out of control? tv/boredom/stress etc or just that habit we all have learned and enjoy? OR IS YOUR meals not good enough…that was a biggie for me. Key was eat all you need well and the snacking truly gets so much easier to handle and deal with in breaking that habit. A full nourished body doesn’t require snacks so everyone eat darn well in their meal choices first, start there :wink:

#23

I agree that finding a new habit is beneficial as long as it’s healthy for you. We enjoy watching a little Netflix in the evening as a way to transition into bedtime. I have a cutoff time for eating, too, so that helps. My DH likes to have a dessert while watching a show (LC/K), and I, more than not, join him. I portion out the dish, and at the same time I will make a cup of tea. Sipping on the cup of tea really helps me to move away from having any more dessert/snack. It keeps my mouth and hands busy.

#24

I probably would go with the tea route myself… :wink: If I want to consume something but I am not hungry (and I am good so I really don’t eat some food), I drink tea or coffee. Or carbonated water, it’s always fun to me…
I never had this tv/movie snacking, it’s very weird to me. I watch something, why would I eat? I like to focus on my precious food. And whatever I watch, that needs attention too. The only exception happened with peanut and some not too important relaxing video watching but my peanuts lasted 1-2 mins and I went back to my coffee (I drink coffee at 2am as well, it doesn’t matter to me as far as I know. but I usually stop it around 10pm, I am a thirsty one at night so I drink a lot of water).

Something else that would work for me: being very, very, very full so eating is simply out of question, no matter what. I like eating, I have an overeating past (but I was often hungry and now I am very rarely so), little food makes no sense to me and food is one of my most important joys and I find this perfectly normal - but if I am completely full, my desire to eat turns off. Right food choices, bigger, very delicious meals - and I don’t get tempted for a long time, zero willpower is needed.

(Family, Honor, Freedom) #25

TV watching doesn’t generally hold my attention. If I’m really into the show, then I’m fine. But that’s unusual - so I start looking for a secondary distraction: food, phone, something.

I don’t have that problem with video games - just TV.

So totally agree. Besides one other thing, there’s nothing I consistently enjoy more than food. Fasting is truly a deprivation for me. But it works.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #26

Robert Cywes, a bariatric surgeon in Florida, finds that with the vast majority of his patients, the challenge to low-carb eating is dealing with addiction to carbohydrates. He says that he himself keeps a cup of coffee constantly nearby to deal with his addiction.

There are strategies for dealing with any addictive substance or form of behaviour. Firstly, most addicts find complete abstinence easier to manage than engaging in the substance or type of behaviour in moderation. That said, however, there is a psychological element to abstinence. I know that telling myself that I could no longer eat sugar for the rest of my life would send me to Dunkin’ Donuts in a heartbeat.

Instead, I borrow a page from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and tell myself that tomorrow, I can eat all the glazed doughnuts I want, just not any today. (Or sometimes, just not for the next five minutes.) As a psychological strategy, temporarily postponing my indulgence in my substance of choice works well. Just getting through one day at a time is a lot more manageable than facing a lifetime of “deprivation.”

(Family, Honor, Freedom) #27

That’s helpful - I’d forgotten that trick. Need to remember it.

Having tea will be good too.

One thing on the “5 minutes” aspect - that only works if I change the trigger. So, sitting in front of the TV, it’s not hard to postpone grabbing some food for 5 minutes. Another 5 minutes after that might be doable too. But, eventually, I’m going to give in unless I get up from the TV and do something more engaging. Or go to bed.