Has anyone else noticed that their mood seems to affect their eating habits. I have begun to notice the following pattern: AM - Good to go, stick to diet, inspired etc. PM - Tired after a long day at work and training = eat a bunch of food even though I'm not particularly hungry

I don't really eat "junk food", but I am usually craving some Kashi Cereal, Whole Grain crackers w/ PB etc. The problem seems to be more the quantities than the qualities.

My Fiance suggested that I am not getting enough cals during the day and that my body is trying to signal that it needs some fuel.

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated -- I really need a workable strategy to lose 10-12 lb.

Has anyone else noticed that their mood seems to affect their eating habits. I have begun to notice the following pattern: AM - Good to go, stick to diet, inspired etc. PM - Tired after a long day at work and training = eat a bunch of food even though I'm not particularly hungry

I don't really eat "junk food", but I am usually craving some Kashi Cereal, Whole Grain crackers w/ PB etc. The problem seems to be more the quantities than the qualities.

My Fiance suggested that I am not getting enough cals during the day and that my body is trying to signal that it needs some fuel.

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated -- I really need a workable strategy to lose 10-12 lb.

It's tough. I found the first week to be the worst.

There's really no easy answer on this...

I assume your're eating 5-6 meals a day. (mini-meals)

Try to get your carbs in the first half of the day.

A little bit of light cardio each day might relieve some of the run down feeling after work.

It's definitely just as psychological of a game as it is physiological.

If you really need the quantities, start making some huge salads w/ some no cal dressing. I do that for my dinner meal, because I could eat a house by the time I get home from work.

A bit more cardio each day would buy you some caloires to spend at night.

It will get better, I promise. You'll get into a groove, and your body will adjust (somewhat) to the caloire deficit.

Visit this site often for continued inspiration. As you start to see results, the sacrifice will become less significant.

:gl:

Could be true, could be not. I listen to my body very carefully now, and when I'm in a good mood, it doesn't lie to me. However, when I'm in a bad mood, tired, or stressed, it works against me. Case in point: last week was very stressful, and I also had two parties to go to. Usually at the parties, I eat very reasonable small portions and quite often skip dessert. This time at the party, I ate a huge amount, and went back for dessert three times. It improved my sluggish depressed mood at the time, but I felt bloated and disgusting later on in the evening, and it took me a week to overcome the setback.

I've never restricted the quantities of food I allow myself to eat, but I know that most of the people in these forums are watching calories. Even without restricting my quantities, I've been able to lose weight by eating better quality food. It's hard to be hungry when I'm eating two apples, an orange and a banana a day in addition to all my other meals!

I always feed my body when it asks for food, but sometimes when it asks for cake, I give it cereal instead.

Tired could mean a protein shortage. My body always asks for peanut butter in the late afternoon.

I usually plan my meals out a day in advance. I plan it ALL out using Excel and print it. I put it on the refrigerator and mark off each thing as I have prepared it. I only eat what is on my menu for the day.

Some people may think this is just a wee bit too anal retentive for them, but it works for me. I would graze otherwise. I would also be afraid I would be all over the place in calories and macronutrients. This method keeps me right on target.

Some people may think this is just a wee bit too anal retentive for them, but it works for me. I would graze otherwise. I would also be afraid I would be all over the place in calories and macronutrients. This method keeps me right on target. It's not too anal. IMO it's 100% perfect.

Of course it's also what I do (except for printing) :whistle:

I asked John once, he plans out a week in advance. Wow!

Not only does mood effect how and what you eat, but it's probably one of the major causes of obesity. Some folks eat poorly to relax or celebrate, some to help "deal" with stress or emotional difficutly.

Until recently, I did all of that. It's a crutch, like liquor for some people.

The ultimate relaxation for me is to pop in a sweet DVD and settle in with a nice big sandwhich. It sure helps when your boss is on your ass and you think your girl is nailing your best friend.

"Trusting" your body is something I gave up on. It wants sweet or meat or whatever- I just ignore it. I'm trusting my brain now. Maybe in time I'll be able to get to where Guava is and play nice with my physiology.

PM over eating was a huge factor in my being obese. I still have problems with cravings now. Instead of grabbing 5 bowls of Cheerios during the commercials of my favorite TV show, I putter. I figure out what I'm going to eat tomorrow (I have a notebook that I keep track of everything that I eat and activity I do), put dishes away, fold laundry, read a magazine, do some stretching, etc. It helps distract me from focusing on food and also gets things I wouldn't normally do, done.

I saw a problem on Discovery Canada, a doctor says that if you don't have enough carb in a day, it affects your mood. So make you you have enough % of carb in your diet.