comfort food

[Andy1dog]

i have lost over 50 pounds , and now adjusting  my portion size  and  once i get that in line ill loose a little more. Its a combination of the type of person i am that causes my biggest problem, friday and saturday nights. Im 49 swm and a introvert, a bit of a extreme introvert, i txt no one , i have no friends outside of work , during the week it doesnt bother me a bit, i dont go out on dates or anything. I have no problem going out on my hikes or anything. The problem is i gave up my drinking friday and saturdays and figured its  less calories. But its boomeraged. So now i download movies and watch them friday and saturday nights, and it isnt a movie unless i have my popcorn, a massive bowl with 1/2 pound of melted butter AND finely sliced cheddar cheese that melts. I think its a comfort food because it takes my mind off of getting out, and if i go out, ill just drink, wont talk to a soul and end up buzzed or worse. SO i stay home friday and saturday night. I drink enough water everyday to float a boat. Any idea's on what i can do to combat this "comfort food"?

[sinch]

I think you need to find some outside activities where you can make new friends who have similar interests.  Also, you could join a gym that is open during these hours when boredom sets it and you start mindless eating. 

[vsch]

I was thinking the same thing.  Join a 24 hour gym and make friday and saturday nights your gym nights.  And who knows, maybe you'll meet some new friends with similar interests. 

If not, cut out the movies since they are associated with the popcporn.  find something else to do at home.

[Andy1dog]

Thank for your ideas, please note, I've been a introvert all my life,
making friends is not a major or even minor priority to me, that's the way
introverts are. During the day on weekends I'm always doing something ,
mostly outside either hiking or working on the house. My 2 best friends are
my dogs, it's only Friday and Saturday nights that cause a issue

--
Sent from a dog with paws, do you know how hard that is?

[WendyB · Accepted solution]

Popcorn alone is not bad. Cant you cut down on the size and ditch either the Butter or the cheese and use less of it?

[Ukase]

It says solved -- but it's not. 

I'm in the same boat you are, in a sense. I'm not an introvert - but am seldom bothered to go anywhere on the weekend - and that comfort food - well, it's comforting! 

So - here's my tip. To avoid that popcorn with the butter and cheese - you've got to avoid those movies. You've conditioned yourself to be "comfortable" while you watch, as you shovel the food in. I have done the same kind of thing - just a different snack of choice. 

So - let's look a little deeper. Why the snacking while watching? A lot of that is conditioning. As in, you've either conditioned yourself, or when you were younger, and you went to the movies with your family or by yourself, you had popcorn and you were able to enjoy the movie as well as the eating sensation. This brings a higher level of dopamine into your brain. You're not even thinking about it - but your brain is happy. 

So - the suggestions of going to the gym - they're not bad ones. Exercise also increases dopamine levels in the brain. But, you could simply do 20 push-ups at home for the same effect. 

You didn't mention how you lost that 50 pounds. One thing that seems to work for me is writing down everything I eat before I eat it. Measure out that popcorn! Measure out that butter! 

Now - here's another idea. Butter buds and air-popped popcorn. 

Butter buds are a butter substitute that's actually pretty good. Air-popped popcorn has a lot less calories than popcorn you slap in a microwave and wait two minutes. A lot less. 

You could probably get away with that as it would have very few calories compared to the usual butter and popcorn. I do not have a sub for the cheese, however. Maybe you can find some cheese flavored powder. 

I do congratulate you on your 50 pounds - that's not easy. In fact, maybe think about how hard it was before you scarf down popcorn. 

[Andy1dog]

Popcorn is actually bad, i use myfitnesspal and got them all tied togother. My thing was carbs, i killed the cabs and did the gym 3 to 4 days a week. The weight came off slowly. I quit the gym a few months back and have managed to stay at my lowest weight yet. BUt i also know sooner or later my popcorn could send me back over. But  dont bother looking deeper, i have already gone deeper with my shrink, he and his 2 little pills have done wonders, i dont flip people the bird in the morning when they say hello, i actually say "morning" back- massive step for me. One of my saying from way back is "everything is better with cheddar".  But ill try the above comment for now, Thanks to all for replying

[WendyB]

Well I hear you on the Cheddar. I love cheese. I have a  Cheese stick daily. It keeps me from going crazy. Course I don't buy blocks of cheese anymore either or I would devour it 

I am not to be trusted with a Blockof cheese 

[Raviv]

So I get that you don't need to make friends.  I'm like that too.  But you need to be doing something that involves either moving around a lot (so it's hard to eat), away from food (so it's hard to eat), takes both hands (so it's hard to eat) or really messy (so it's disgusting to eat).

Whatever you want that to be is fine.  If it makes you happy enough that you'll keep doing it, then that's what counts.  Painting, gardening (which actually may help to have better food in the long run anyway), dog obedience, geocaching, nature photography, taking up a musical instrument - anything that will fit in with one of the above so it's difficult to mindlessly eat.

I go to the gym twice a week because it's hotter than Hades here and I want to run.  On Sundays, when I can get out in the wild before it's over 100F, then I avoid the gym like the plague.  I don't have any friends at the gym, and I'm thrilled when people leave me alone.  If you join a large enough gym, like a chain, then you don't have to really socialize when you're there.  Join a smaller one and there might be more pressure to chat between sets.

[Andy1dog]

chesse sticks are a acceptable snack, if i dont have it melting on my grilled chicken

Spoiler

Spoiler

[Andy1dog]

on a friday night , after a long week , no way im going to a gym,or do much of anything else,  hell i have to take a nap to get my energy back if i want to make it past my normal bed time , i mean friday night if i dont nap, im lucky to make it past 10pm .Saturday days  dont present any issues. im always out and about so food isnt on the mind., i live in AZ and we are sliding into fall. Saturday was a great day weather wise and i took hike in the national park and explored a cave. BY the time i got home again im not thinking of doing anything but kicking back, had a normal dinner . little while later when they " am i going out or staying in"  hit the brain again it was movie time popcorn time, I not the type of person to take 10 minutes to "dress" if i decide to go to the bar. ill go in dirty jeans and ragity tee shirt. Shows about how much i care about what other people think of me. I might get a pass on this friday, a old friend coming into town, she owes me money so ill be happy to go drinking for a night

[Knitknitfrog]

i am like you, id rather be at home quiet doing my own thing than out with a crowd. i can just manage to get through a week at work surrounded by people. as for the movies and nibbles, i loooove cheese, so it comes home in very small amounts. my solution is twofold, i craft (many different  things, bookbinding, knitting, spinning fibre, embroidery), which means i cant have sticky fingers. when i craft i dont eat. i also subscribe to good craft magazines, and i cant eat when i read them, i dont want them sticky or buttery. sometimes magazines come home from the libray, i cant make them messy - the crafting and the magazines and 'surfing' on a tablet are what keep me from eating when i watch trash-tv. i walk from the car to work, walk 40-50 floghts of stairs at work, work for 40+ minutes at lunchtime, and do a 20 minute strength routine most late afternoons - friday and saturday  evenings are my down time, 

[Andy1dog]

its good you can do your hobbies at home, but think the people around me would have a problem with my target pratice in the middle of the street, and a 40 caliber has a pretty load bang.i take my daily lunch time walks and the dogs get one after the sun drops a bit, i do a few other minor workouts while at home but those are pretty short . and ill read, but usually not books or magizines, just news surfing on the internet. But it seems you found something that works well for you, so keep on going, thanks for writing

[Raviv]

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@Andy1dog wrote:

on a friday night , after a long week , no way im going to a gym,or do much of anything else,  hell i have to take a nap to get my energy back if i want to make it past my normal bed time , i mean friday night if i dont nap, im lucky to make it past 10pm .

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So... just go to bed then.  Obviously you won't be snacking if you're asleep, and if you're tired, then your body is telling you sleep is what it wants.

[Andy1dog]

Only issue with that is be going to bed very early evening and when the sun comes up, is when I usually wake, trying not to feel like the "oldie" I am, would like to stay up a little later , fighting that 50 that's due in 3 months to the day, I like to think I could still go out, hang out all night and drink, but when the weight came off, can't drink 1/2 much as I use to without getting buzzed

[SunsetRunner]

What I did in a similar situation is ask myself why I was doing what I did(your post indicates that you have reflected upon this concept yourself). If you were on your deathbed 30 years from today what would you think of the person  you are today and the actions that you are choosing? Would you regret not eating that popcorn or would you regret that you were sabotaging your progress and the missed opportunities(whatever they are) resulting from that? Is the mental anguish caused by being uncomfortable(the result of not comforting yourself with food) outweighed by the anguish caused by not achieving your goal? Try to dig deep and understand your motives. Often times the goals we think we have are not our real goals. So often I hear people say "I want to live a long life" or "I want to look good" but in reality these are simply means by which a deeper psycological goal is obtained. A long life is meaningless if it is not a satisfactory existance. Looking good serves no point if it goes unobserved. Wanting to see your children grow old, wanting to attract a mate(and thus alleviate one's perceptual loneliness) and to know love are goals. It is purpose which drives us to action. What is yours?

I have found great wizdom in Friedrich Nietzsche's quote: "He who has a why can bear almost any how."

[Andy1dog]

What drives my action, not hardt, a few simple words  from my doctor, With my personality , all the goods and bad points it has, some things stick with me, Last time i was in his office i was on 3 different blood pressure  meds (runs in the family) and weighted in at 222. At 5'10 it wasnt wearing well. i told him once i was a gym rat 25 years ago , i was 180 lbs and it was more muscle then belly fat. He said bascially that was fine for back then, but today ,at your age, i wont see below 180 except when you die. I said oh well, my life, left his office and went into action, im 2 pounds away from 170 , i  go back in about a month, i want to walk in his office below 170 and watch his draw drop. Now the sas point, after that visit, my intentions are simply to take off the fit bit and go back to how i was. Do i like the way i am now, no i dont, ive had to change **ahem** near every aspect of my life, and i want to enjoy my life, eat want i want. Im simply not happy this way

[WendyB]

Im am sad to see you say that @Andy1dog  You have done so well and to go back Im sorry I just dont get it.

I wish you well and the very best to you.

[Andy1dog]

It's all about being free to be how I want to be, entering everything I eat
and watching calories , weighting my food on a little scale, just isn't me.
I never gave a **ahem** about what other people thought of me, but now that I
have dropped this weight, people are friendlier to me, say I good I look,
well the jokes on them, my personality hasn't changed in the last 5 months,
only my weight, and I will still be the same person personality wise as I
always have been, as long as I stay on my meds, if they are to shallow to
see past my soon to be back belly, that's their problem

--
Sent from a dog with paws, do you know how hard that is?

[Raviv]

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@Andy1dog wrote:
It's all about being free to be how I want to be, entering everything I eat
and watching calories , weighting my food on a little scale, just isn't me.
I never gave a **ahem** about what other people thought of me, but now that I
have dropped this weight, people are friendlier to me, say I good I look,
well the jokes on them, my personality hasn't changed in the last 5 months,
only my weight, and I will still be the same person personality wise as I
always have been, as long as I stay on my meds, if they are to shallow to
see past my soon to be back belly, that's their problem

--
Sent from a dog with paws, do you know how hard that is?

---

To be quite frank, you don't sound like you were happy when you were heavy, and you're still not happy now that you're thinner.  I'm seriously not trying to be obnoxious when I say this - I really mean it - but maybe that's the part you need to be working on - changing your life in whatever ways will make you happy regardless of what your weight is.

It took me until very late into my 40s to figure out what that was (and, more importantly, what that wasn't) and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Take it for what it is - someone just hoping you find happiness, comfort and peace in this world because I know how life changing it can be.

Or tell me to blow it out my ear.  Either way.