The interns desk, I think she may suffer from your affliction.

It just seems to me, the OP has an issue with constraint so, I just don't think putting 2000kcal worth of nuts in front of him would be a good idea. They'd probably be consumed in one sitting.

Carrots, tins of tuna, pre cooked chicken. I'd recommend any of those. Low calorie/gram and a lot more satiating.

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K2

Do you suffer more when you train, or cannot train?

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I think changing from chocolate to coffee is just changing the addiction.


I recommend that you change to fruits and some other bars.
Or get the dark chocolates that are over 60% of kakao if you must.
And take a chocolate right after a training ride.


In the meantime, stop thinking about chocolates and HARDEN THE F*CK UP you spoiled fat kid!!!!!!!!

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EX Colnago C50
TREK Madone 5.9 SL #7

Yep. Definitely a good case for Rule #5.



One thing to try is drinking a large glass of water every hour or 2. Then have a snack of something more healthy about 10 minutes after the water. The water does 2 things: 1) it will keep you hydrated 2) it will help stop you from feeling too empty and binging on the snacks. Good things to snack on are bananas, carrots, roast chicken, poached fish.

You also need to ensure that you have a good breakfast with plenty of complex carbs, and some protein. Make sure you don't have high GI foods, as you'll get a sugar high. And when the high fades, you'll get cravings. Try to read up on glycemic index and sugar cravings.

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Snacking on carrot sticks - Where did it all go so wrong?
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Finsbury Park CC

Matt, you nailed it!

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EX Colnago C50
TREK Madone 5.9 SL #7

Unfortunately lots of fruits are out for me as after an altercation with a bad batch of cookies containing bleach, I've got a stomach ulcer. It is possibly a factor in my hunger feelings, but I'm able to manage it by cutting out or cutting down on excessively spicey and acidy things.

My wife had the same reaction on the coffee, saying I'd be mad to try it instead as I'd get totally hooked and it'd likely end up being worse. I'll maybe give that idea a miss.

I do drink alot of water during work. Not scientifically/religiously, but I take my 750ml bottle to my desk and have to refill it at least twice during the day.

I'll read up on the sugar cravings & GI as I suppose if I understand it more I'll maybe be able to talk myself out of it. I've never been a good breakfast eater, have been trying porridge recently, but don't enjoy it. Kinda like shovelling cement down your throat first thing in the morning.

That intern's desk looks similar to mine...except on mine they'd be wrappers. I'm ashamed when the cleaner empties my bin. Yip Shooman, love the kak, but actually like veg etc too. It's just nuts, veg and that kinda stuff is more expensive and I tend to pick the nicer stuff on my lunchtime shopping trips.

I'll maybe try drinking tea habitually. I can see that a hot drink would likely help combat hunger, and if I do the same as Mr Tapeworm with a big box of nuts, but limit myself to set tea times, maybe it'll keep me ticking over. Worth a crack...even if I hate tea (Just tastes like soily water to me).

Just read your thread.

Man.

I can't be in your shoes, so I can't feel what it's like to have your habit, but I'd recommend this:
1) Picture yourself as a healthy eating habits person. Be that person. Seriously. From now on, you have to consider all the people falling for a single bite of chocolate...well...not on your "team" (you know what I mean, I could have wrote bad adjectives here but...?) If you can't go thru this first step, you'll always feel miserable and frustrated.
2) Go see a nutritionist (we have Rustychain, WW member here). He(she) can guide you thru better knowledge of food groups, nutrients, food content (protein, fat, sugars and starch), etc...
3) With the help of a specialist, build a menu that you can "live with". It'll be a trial-and-error journey. One day at a time, like the A.A. say (seriously).

If you had an ulcer, coffee might be a bad idea. Good quality green tea is an option. I'm a coffee drinker, and also find commercial tea tastes bad. But I discovered premium quality green tea, and really like it.

Louis

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http://www.ccsalma.com

People are very stuck in their ways where food is concerned. You'd be surprised how plastic (adaptable) your palate is if you're prepared to re-educate it!

A few comments on your situation:
- The research says you will consume anything that's within 2 metres! Don't buy the chocolate; definitely don't have it within reach or you completely sabotage the change in habit you want to make. A box of nuts on your desk is a bad idea for the same reason. Leave the nuts somewhere you have to walk to get them!
- Eat real food and you will not be hungry or physically able to overeat. Try a Paleo/caveman diet (see the Cordain book) for three weeks and see what you think. There is a tricky adaptation phase when you need to plan your food and work out how to eat in a different way. To summarise, eat meat, fish, eggs, fruit and vegetables in as fresh and un-adulterated form as possible. Not smoked, cured or salted (eg bacon, most ham). Avoid anything processed. No dairy, no starchy vegetables or legumes (potatoes, rice, wheat, corn, beans, etc), no added salt. If you're training you need some cheats - dried fruit and nuts - to make up calories without being uncomfortably full. Change slowly. One Paleo meal a day (without blowing out the rest of the day and no chocolate) and then build to two meals after a few days. Eating as you are, your insulin metabolism will be badly screwed up and this will improve it over time. If you follow this approach and don't deviate, you will make progress. In the transition, keep an honest food diary to manage your intake of non-Paleo calories.
- Eating all that sugar and crap is not going to help a stomach ulcer! What constituent of fruit is aggravating it that is not also in the chocolate you're eating?
- Eat protein at every meal. Chicken, salmon and steak for breakfast take a bit of getting used to but not eating breakfast doesn't seem to be helping the rest of your day. Eggs are an easy and more conventional source of protein as a starting point.
- Take small steps to change, don't beat yourself up excessively for deviations and pay attention to how you feel the next day when you eat different things.
- It's not all gloom! Have a small amount of Lindt 70% dark chocolate or cacao nibs when you need it. Wispas and Kit Kats taste terrible by comparison once your palate has adapted to eating real food!

And if you're struggling with the sugar-high addiction of the chocolate bars, then I would think that trying to go cold turkey would probably just result in you failing and bingeing again.

Cut things down. Maybe have one or 2 smaller bars every day for a week or 2. Maybe you can get something like 2-finger kit-kats, or 1 finger Twix. Have them with one of the other snacks. Better yet, bake some choc-chip flapjacks.

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Snacking on carrot sticks - Where did it all go so wrong?
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Finsbury Park CC

Flapjacks with kit kats melted into them with chocolate syrup instead of butter.

Eating issues are emotional issues.


Some of these are beyond this format. If you feel out of control (diet or otherwise) these issues need to be addressed. Some eat / overeat when bored, some when tired, others when depressed or to compensate for feeling deprived in some way. The list goes on. Chocolate is not required for survival is it, but it is filling a need you actually have. Identify the real need and satisfy it and you will be free to make better choices with foods.
Mindful eating, be aware of what, how and when you eat and how your food choices make you feel



Eating issues are emotional issues

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WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

Rustychain, I think you're bang on the money. I'm not an office person and need constantly changing stuff to keep me interested. I tend to be bored even when I'm busy. I've a business hiring sportscars (Caterham 7s) on the side and I'm trying to build it up so I can jack in the day job. Until then I've got to stick at it, even though it's not ideal, to pay the bills.

I don't eat kak at home, only in the office, so I think you're spot on. My line of work is office based though (I need CAD software), so I'm fairly snookered unless I do a major career change which is tricky.

Thanks to all for the advice; I'm going to have a serious good read up on everyone's suggestions and see if I can come up with some way of weaning myself off the boredeom bingeing.

Have you tried Oat So Simple with a flavouring? I know it's not 'proper' porridge but it's very tasty and is quick and easy to make in the microwave. You couldn't pay me to eat porridge made from scratch but I actually look forward to my OSS with honey in the morning!

I'm assuming here that you're in the UK...

Hi Routier,

Yep, I'm in N.Ireland. My "porridge" is Oat So Simple, but I take it plain and done for 1 minute with only a taste of milk...I can turn the bowl upside down and it doesn't shift

I'm a weird eater in that I hate mixing food (I eat my spuds first, then veg, then chicken etc), and I hate wet food, so I just couldn't get on with the honey or syrup in the porridge. I prefer it neat, but I just don't have an appetite when I'm first up.

I'm keeping a food diary on Map My Ride and it's really helped me cut down on kak yesterday and today. I leant a girl in work wetsuits so she landed at my desk today with a HUGE bucket of chocolate and sweets and I've managed to hardly touch them. As I'd been advised in previous posts, it's not stopping chocolate altogether I need, it's cutting it down. It's also handy to be able to see how much I've got left. MMR says 2967 calories budget...

I think you need to look at the issue of minerals and vitamins, inc. Magnesium, zinc et al. Craving chocolate is a signal that your missing something. Hope you get it sorted.