Hi - not sure how this forum works. I just joined and saw this pop up saying "how are you ?"
I'm not sure if this will appear as a new discussion or if someone is asking one to one. So test post I guess.
ok seems like general discussion.
I have a problem with food. I'm not currently overweight due to other circumstances. I will be soon enough but that's not what bothers me. I just feel a slave to this stuff. My whole morning on the way to work I'm obsessed with getting some kind of carby breakfast and coffee. I haven't done it often recently, again due to other circs, but I can go to the snack machine 6-8 times in a row. Chocolate bar, potato crisps, cans of fizzy crap. It's pretty much restricted to the usual suspects of direct sugar and refined carbs but occasionally salty, fatty stuff like cheese. It's really hard to be careful. I'm ok with proper wholegrains, even proper wholemeal bread I don't really crave but the food industry is pretty devious. I'm good with checking labels properly but I can't avoid eating out due to work. I don't mean restaurants meals but lunchtime places. If I go to a large, chain variety, you get labelling but it's almost always full of additives, preserves and things like msg (under any one of it's hundreds of names). Go to smaller, independent places and there's no info so really who knows the quality and make up of the ingredients.
Disregarding the above, I keep questioning myself about whether it's "sugar" that's really my problem. The reality is there are certain foods I crave and obsess about and I need to avoid all of them. None of them are required for my nutrition. Then I start thinking is it really food or is it just a constant need to be chewing tasting something. I sometimes smoke about 4 or 5 cigarettes a day even though I hate the things. I just do it as an alternative to having some food or sugary/sweetened drink.
I don't know. Eating or drinking something sweet or carby (with butter!) just provides a level of peace that nothing else does. The payback is it lasts such a short time, comes with loads of guilt and just makes any kind of real spiritual progress not happen.
I can honestly say that I haven't ever managed even one day of sobriety from this particular problem.
I completely feel your pain. Can you take healthy snacks and pack your lunch for work? Unsalted nuts and raisins help. Do you have time to cook/bake? I have been making my own dried fruit (just slice it up, toss in evoo and sea salt and put in preheated oven on about 225°f for a few hours) same thing with veggies. You can make anything into chips. Of course Google is at your disposal for whatever recipe. Also I've been make date "sugar" and date "honey" which are really easy. For the sugar same thing as dried fruit but cut pitted dates in half put on cookie sheet same 225°f for no more than 2 hrs, take out let cool. They're going to get nice and firm put in food processor or coffee grinder(really cheap on Amazon) and store in glass jar. I put that Sh#t on everything & the honey just put pitted dates in blender with enough hot water to just cover dates and blend until smooth. Store in glass jar. Great for drinks. I lost 12lbs in 30 days doing this. I make all this on Sunday and have it for the week. Fruit & veggie chips & date sugar & honey. God bless love!
@Teewhit578
thanks for your reply. The truth is I can take my own snacks and lunch to work with a little more effort and organisation. It’ll also make things cheaper as a lot / most places are overpriced as well as not being great nutritionally. I’m the sort of person who will beat myself up if I miss a day so I’m going to start by aiming to take packed lunch for most days. I do like unsalted nuts but some varieties I find very moorish (monkey/peanuts & pistachios mostly) and I can easily eat a large bag in one go but almonds, cashews, macadamia’s are ok. I wish I liked walnuts because the Omega6 to 3 ratio in most other nuts is pretty high but in moderation that’s ok. Fruit (dried or fresh) I have to be careful with. Your post has reminded me that I do like dates, so thanks for that 
Not sure about making date sugar though, or honey sugar. I could see myself eating it all in one go. Is honey sugar as moorish as honey itself for you ? With the veggie chips I did make some from sweet potatoes recently. They are pretty tasty. I made them myself then the next day saw frozen pre-prepared ones in the supermarket. Haven’t tried those yet.
Thanks again for replying and 12lb in 30 days is a great achievement - something to be proud of that !!