I absolutely adore food and eating and this is a huge struggle for me right now because food is constantly on my mind. I’m working, I’m trying to focus on problem-solving on a deadline but instead of the task, my brain is thinking “get up and go eating something”. So I go have a piece of cheese or something but then I sit down and it happens again. And again. And again. And by 9pm I’ve eaten the whole package one slice at a time. It’s not that I’m hungry, it’s that I love the act of eating. I also hate sitting at my desk working so getting up and going to the fridge is tempting on that front too.

When I meal plan, I can’t focus on my tasks because I’m too excited checking the clock salivating over the meal I planned to eat at noon. So I’ll eat it at 11 instead… or I’m so eager to eat the dinner I planned that I end up caving and eating it at 5pm, which is too early and leads to me eating again at 6 and 7.

I’ve tried drinking water, chewing gum, buying foods I don’t really like, avoiding keeping snack foods in the house, eating grapes, drinking miso, and good old fashioned willpower. Is there anything else I can try or is it time to look into therapy or something?

ETA: to clarify, I’m not hungry at all. 1200 calories seems to be plenty of calories for me to feel satiated. It’s that I’m addicted to the feeling of eating food, tasting food, the crunch, or the textures and flavors.