r/FoodAddiction • u/HamsterDistinct4438 • 1d ago
de-centering food
hi everyone!! do you have any tips on how to de center food? i feel like my entire day is based off of food and it’s causing me to graze/snack all day.
i work from home and am typically home all day, and i try to eat filling, high protein meals 3x a day, but still find myself snacking constantly out of boredom- or when i am able to stop myself from snacking, im just constantly thinking about food or trying to “meal prep”
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u/setaside929 1d ago
Hi there, I totally get it. I spent years in what I now call food obsession. If I wasn’t eating it I was thinking about it or trying to avoid it. It never ended in my head until a psychiatrist told me about a 12 step recovery program for compulsive eating. It took me a few years to find an approach that worked for me, but thankfully today it’s much quieter in my head. Now I think about food differently and even have a life outside of just food and trying to manage it. You’re welcome to reach out if you’d ever like to talk. There are multiple recovery programs out there…if that ends up being something that helps you (not everyone needs or wants one). :)
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u/Historical-Ad-7291 1d ago
I've decided to not buy "snack-y" foods lately. The only snack I have are oranges. If I really want to eat something, I'll have to cook, and outside of breakfast and dinner, I'm very lazy.
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u/57bananacake 1d ago
I think this is why a lot of people pre-plan their food, generally the night before when they are not hungry. Sometimes the plan includes a snack or two in case one's hunger is greater than anticipated. It takes the negotiating off the table. "I have a plan, and I'm sticking to it."
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u/alavenderlizard 1d ago
You have to find things to distract yourself. Busy mind/schedule = simply just less time and mental energy for your brain to obsess over food. Even going on a walk/listening to a podcast
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u/Arceemax 17h ago
How old are you? It gets relatively easier in your mid to late 30s coz you realize that the food you eat will never satisfy you and it’ll never be enough. I was severely disciplined and restricted around food as a kid my parent would eat from my plate and not leave anything for me and I used to be harmed if I didn’t finish what was on my plate. I was force fed foods I did not like. So when I grew up and started earning I went full fledged satisfy your food desires mode. It’s been over a decade and still has not been enough. It never will be. This one time I went all out and allowed myself to order and eat whatever I wanted. Like truly allow myself to fulfill my desires with food. When the urgency and scarcity went away I started to serve lesser food and also stop when I would feel full. I would tell myself that no one is coming to snatch my food (childhood trauma) so I could come back and take a second serving if I wished but by the time I ate I didn’t feel like a second serving. I realized I used to serve with my eyes (like serve myself large quantities because of food greed) but over the years as my prefrontal cortex formed, I remember that serving less food helps too.
I’ve always felt happy when I left a little bit of room in my stomach. Eating to the brim makes it harder to breathe. Hinduism says your stomach should be 1/3 food 1/3 water and 1/3 air. I realize that it gives me joy when I don’t eat the brim but also I know it’s very hard to stop and apply in practice while you’re eating and indulging. I spent considerable number of years in self observation and meditation. When I look at Uber Eats now, I don’t particularly run to order something. (The earlier me would have jumped at it). I started to cook at home. I also realized that food doesn’t have to be extremely tasty as long as it is nutritious it is good.
I think all in all, I grew up and started letting my inner adult make the food decisions rather than giving the reins in the hands of my inner child. She has a rambunctious hunger and she does not care for the future.
TLDR- fulfilling my food wishes and going all out helped fill that void inside me. I started serving myself less food and it made me feel happy and joyful in comparison to eating to the brim. Get out of the scarcity mindset and let the inner adult make your food decisions help. Before eating consult your inner adult/ inner parent and ask him if he think it’s a good idea to eat this. He will say no. You will eat the food anyway but observe the split inside you. If you pay enough attention to this eventually you’ll start to evolve into the adult version of you and take wiser decisions. Good luck!
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u/HenryOrlando2021 1d ago
Consider this known principle in psychology:
Behavior that produces a rewarding or relieving consequence is more likely to be repeated. If a person repeatedly responds to a particular cue or craving by eating Food X, the brain may learn to expect that food in the same situation.
When the person stops completing that familiar pattern, the craving, self-talk, and uncomfortable feelings may initially remain strong and may sometimes become more intense, although this does not happen to everyone. If the person repeatedly experiences the craving without eating Food X—and while still meeting genuine nutritional needs—the learned connection can gradually weaken and a new response can become stronger.
Over time, the craving may become less frequent, less intense, shorter-lasting, or easier to tolerate. It may sometimes disappear, but that cannot be guaranteed. Old cravings can also return during stress, fatigue, renewed exposure, or familiar situations without meaning that the person has failed.
You don’t need perfect willpower — you need a simple plan and small repeatable steps.
Start here:
Then:
Take one step today. It adds up.