I know this is unhealthy but I daydream about food. A lot. Is there any way to stop this?
I think it’s all a bit of a headgame…there are many pathways to induce you to EAT. Some are habits like those around timing breakfast, lunch etc. You are used to eating at this time.
Some bad gut bacteria can signal directly that they want to “feed” and those like candida want sugars, grains,….lots of carbs!
I had to learn that just having an empty stomach doesn’t MEAN I’m actually hungry…just, empty. I grew to like this!
Then there are blood sugar drops…and electrolyte problems. For BS you will dream about food as do addicts about drugs or alcohol.
B4 i resume fasting I’ll sit down and ask if there is ANYTHING I actually REALLY want…I’ll have it and then maybe set a date for a day where I can “free eat”…seriously, I rarely do eat off plan ( OMAD keto mostly) because food porn is just a fantasy…oh I’d love some chips…and then blech I don’t want them when I can have them etc etc.
And yes, the inane amount of food advertising and marketing doesn’t really register until you are on a plan/program … I was watching biggest loser and was legit shocked that it was oke LONG commercial for shit foods, followed up by ads for…more shit foods!
These days my brain is relaxed. I can sit in a restaurant, watch food network or cook for my friends and I just don’t care much BUT there were days where my brain was constantly intruding with food thoughts.
It passes…
Not sure why this is bad/negative. A lot of people actually watch videos of others eating, or those mukbang videos, and it actually helps. I think there’s actually evidence to a certain degree that watching those videos, fantasizing about eating, visualization of eating actually can trick the mind to thinking its being fed, to a certain degree, which can also help alleviate hunger and cravings, etc…
I watch refeed videos of others, especially Jerome, his channel is Finally Fasting on YouTube. It’s very entertaining and informative and motivational. You would think that you’d become MORE hungry watching food videos, but oddly, it actually does the opposite and it’s satisfying. 🤷♂️
Give it a try. Good luck.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but I would encourage you to think & reflect about your relationship with food. Part of the reason that so many individuals are overweight is because they see food as a reward or as something that makes them happy (source of dopamine). A huge part of not just losing weight, but maintaining your weight in the long run is changing your relationship with food. You can’t continue to look at it as a reward or as a source of happiness. Otherwise you’ll eventually end up binging and gaining your weight back when you make excuses like “oh I had a hard day at work” “oh it’s a birthday” “oh I’m on vacation” and before you know it you’ve gained back all the weight you lost because you lack discipline and you still look at food as a way to make you happy. It’s there to keep you alive and that’s it. Eventually, when you have the discipline and you’ve built healthy habits, it’s obviously okay to relax and enjoy yourself here and there (life is too short). But you have to be honest with yourself.