EMOTIONAL EATING

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Strong emotions=hungry...

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birdie_mmw
birdie_mmw Posts: 12 Member
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It is interesting to notice when I want to eat and catch myself before I go to the fridge. So often I am not hungry but stressed or bored. A lot of it is caused by stress and anxiety. Then to notice what is causing stress, that is a challenge as well. Why is it that I want to eat or tame my emotions when certain people are around? I ask myself that and choose instead to feel those feelings rather than to eat them away (always temporarily). It is exhausting to feel some of these feelings or anxieties rather than eating them but I know it is important to do for my health. Just thoughts :) I find that writing helps with these emotions, a bath, doing something to keep busy. What do you do to move through emotions without food?

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  • Liaki13
    Liaki13 Posts: 1
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    Hi birdie,
    I totally understand where you are coming from... i eat my feelings too... I have thought ofa few new ways to take my mind off it...

    Taking a shower
    Making a cup of tea
    Go to the gym. ..I

    Now i can't say it always works but I am trying to put more effort this week onwards. .



    You are not alone.. i hope this helps a little. .
  • branbuds
    branbuds Posts: 624 Member
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    It is important to feel the feelings instead of eating them! Just yesterday I was sitting in the parking lot of Walmart, craving my trigger food. Should I go into Walmart and buy (and eat) this food? I struggled. I knew that while I was eating the food I would enjoy it and feel good, but that afterwards the feelings I was avoiding would still be there, have to be dealt with and on top of it, I would have to deal with the self-hatred from overeating.

    What can I do instead? Think through why I am feeling badly and what is the cause. Also, try not to catastrophize those feelings (just because someone said something mean to me doesn't mean that it is true or that I am a bad person etc). Remind myself that the eating will only temporarily make me feel better followed by feeling worse. Also tell myself to wait. Don't buy the trigger food - wait until I get home and if I am still hungry then I can have a snack.

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