Lost 100# but starting to gain... HELP

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thicknfit86
thicknfit86 Posts: 9
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I lost 100# in the last 2 years but im starting to gain it back. Emotional eating has taken over. What should i do?
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  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,487 Member
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    You know what you are doing and why, so you are half way there.
    Are you still counting your calories on MFP?
    If not, start doing it again.
    If you are review your calorie allotment and eating habits to see where you can change things.
    How is your exercise?
    You may just need to ramp it up a bit or change out your routine if it is getting stagnant.

    You know how to do it, you did it before. Get back in control before it snowballs.
    Cheers, h.
  • nogrows
    nogrows Posts: 56 Member
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    Do not buy the food you like to eat when you are emotional. If you feel too tempted when you are in a grocery store/supermarket--> order your food online (I mean fresh food etc. -->at least that would be a possibility here in the Netherlands)
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    The root cause here is how you choose to deal with 'emotions' because obviously you know how to lose the weight (congrats btw on the 100# lost).

    SO I'm thinking that you may benefit from speaking to perhaps a 'Life Coach' of sorts to teach yourself NEW coping skills instead of reverting to bad habits of eating food for comfort. Let's face it, a habit is just a learned behavior developed over time. And just like any learned behavior, one can certainly unlearn it and create new healthier habits.

    We can't control life & life sometimes will just plainly suck. What we CAN control is how we react to life when it's sucking. SO it's not a sign of weakness or anything negative to seek out someone to teach or re-train your brain if you will how to redirect the 'emotional eating' towards something more healthy for you physically & mentally.

    Best of luck to you!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You know what you are doing and why, so you are half way there.
    Are you still counting your calories on MFP?
    If not, start doing it again.
    If you are review your calorie allotment and eating habits to see where you can change things.
    How is your exercise?
    You may just need to ramp it up a bit or change out your routine if it is getting stagnant.

    You know how to do it, you did it before. Get back in control before it snowballs.
    Cheers, h.


    ^^ good advice here and from @Raspberrytickle

    Better to nip this in the bud now and get back on the losing streak again ...
    wishing you the very best, you did it before, you WILL do it again :smile:
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Log your food. Identify your triggers and find an alternate - something other than eating. Walk around the block. Hit a punching bag. (The list could go on & on but the key is to do something physical rather than turn to eating for emotional 'support'.)

    Set a calorie intake target 200-500 below your daily needs, depending on what you've regained.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Log your food. Identify your triggers and find an alternate - something other than eating. Walk around the block. Hit a punching bag. (The list could go on & on but the key is to do something physical rather than turn to eating for emotional 'support'.)

    Set a calorie intake target 200-500 below your daily needs, depending on what you've regained.

    ^^ this.

    You know you're overeating, so stop doing it. Start logging again, maintain your deficit until you lose what you've gained, and then log at a maintenance rate. Find other outlets for your emotions, whether it's counseling, family time, activities, etc.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    love Geneen Roth books on emotional eating. I have a hard time figuring out if I am hungry or aggravated. Working on this.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
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    get you some friends on here to help you!
  • jukyu
    jukyu Posts: 80 Member
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    You have a few options, one of which is NOT "stop doing it"; to imply that you are turning to food for comfort due merely to a lack of self-discipline is myopic and absurd. Look into the non-diet approach, or intuitive eating. Regimented dieting and meticulous tracking are triggers that are only going to set the vicious cycle into a tailspin.

    I also agree with the brenn24179. "Breaking Free from Emotional Eating" by Geneen Roth is a great resource.
  • iheartinsanity
    iheartinsanity Posts: 205 Member
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    Dealt with the same thing this past year (lost about 109, but packed on about 20), and now I'm finally losing again. Even if you're eating "unhealthy" do it in portions. I've been exercising less than I EVER have in 5+ years, and I'm finally losing since I'm focusing on portions and eating what my body needs. Gotta let go of the habits before you even worry about the weight. Once you fix the problem, you'll have a solution.
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
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    Welcome back! Feel free to friend me.

    It sounds like you're going through a rough patch. You probably need someone to talk to.

    Maybe try another form of self-care. Go for a walk with some music you like ... have a cup of tea or take a nap ... take a mental health day from work ... get a pedicure ... retail therapy ... take a bubble bath ... call a friend. What else feels indulgent to you?

    And track your intake, so you at least will remain accountable for your behavior. You have achieved a huge amount, and I know you can do this.
  • Sylvarose
    Sylvarose Posts: 70 Member
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    brenn24179 wrote: »
    love Geneen Roth books on emotional eating. I have a hard time figuring out if I am hungry or aggravated. Working on this.

    I highly highly recommend her book - "When you Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair". That's my favorite. Another good one is: "When Food is Love."

  • SquareMiles
    SquareMiles Posts: 1 Member
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    Try cutting the amount of sugar you're eating. There's some science that concludes eating sugar tells your body to pack on fat, while at the same time, you're brain doesn't get the signal that you have consumed calories.

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=pxG3YiBMMZE
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    thicknfit86 wrote: »
    I lost 100# in the last 2 years but im starting to gain it back. Emotional eating has taken over. What should i do?
    You should do what works for you.

    There's no way that emotional eating didn't rear it's ugly head in the 2 years that it took you to drop the weight. You have successfully dealt with emotional eating before. How did you get though it then? Tap into what worked then and apply it now.

  • williamwj2014
    williamwj2014 Posts: 750 Member
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    gotta learn how to control those emotions. I'm not sure what you have done in the past 2 years to keep it off but if regular exercising isn't part of what you do, you should really devote time to doing it. Working out is almost like a form a therapy which relaxes and relieves a lot of stress.
  • JadeRabbit08
    JadeRabbit08 Posts: 551 Member
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    If it is clinical depression or PTSD related, then go see your doc. I had problems with this after someone close to me was killed and I could not have "just stopped" it was compulsive (may not be applicable in your case).
    Two weeks of antidepressant/appetite suppressive medication broke the cycle and I came straight off them again.
    Also just talk to someone about this, get support. Eating disorders come in a spectrum of behaviours and severity.
    Finding peace over whatever is sending you to food for medication is possible I wish you the best of luck.
  • JadeRabbit08
    JadeRabbit08 Posts: 551 Member
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    zarckon wrote: »
    Welcome back! Feel free to friend me.

    It sounds like you're going through a rough patch. You probably need someone to talk to.

    Maybe try another form of self-care. Go for a walk with some music you like ... have a cup of tea or take a nap ... take a mental health day from work ... get a pedicure ... retail therapy ... take a bubble bath ... call a friend. What else feels indulgent to you?

    And track your intake, so you at least will remain accountable for your behavior. You have achieved a huge amount, and I know you can do this.

    ^^^this is good - Have a list of alternate choices, things you can do instead of eat that make you feel good. Think about what that would be and write them down so it is easier to bring to mind when you are reaching for the fridge.
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
    edited December 2014
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    And I think assessing who you were at +100 pounds and who you are now at -100 pounds could be beneficial.

    I lost 75 pounds, gained back 40, and have lost 20. The weight loss issues I was dealing with when I weight my heaviest and needed to lose the 75 pounds are not the same weight loss issues I am dealing with now as I knock of the last 20.

    I hope that makes sense. When I was obese and lost 75 pounds I had to deal with fat person issues like not feeling attractive, feeling shame, feeling insecure about clothes, the gym, parties, etc.

    Now that I'm normal sized and only have to lose 20 pounds, I'm not dealing with the shame but rather dealing with food itself -- counting calories, getting good nutrition, etc.

    Good luck to you!
  • KeriA
    KeriA Posts: 3,275 Member
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    I lost 40 lbs and the last 20 were in a slow healthy way with exercise and staying between my BMR and TDEE. I never though I would gain it back but I started to when my work schedule changed. I stopped the gain for a while by upping exercise. However it started back when I got too busy with 2 part-time jobs. I have been fighting hard to turn this around. The 1st thing was I figured how to improve my exercise within my busy job schedule. I then reexamined my calories, TDEE etc. I have adjusted that. As I found one issue then the next would be evident and I figured out how to deal with it. I have stopped the gain and am now trying to turn it around. My problem was adjusting to schedule change. However losing weight and not gaining is the same. Eat between your BMR and TDEE to lose. Track your intake and burn. Get the support here you need. Find a group that has the same food issues you do. Since fitting exercise into my schedule was mine, I post on several threads where we track our exercise. Maybe use the blog function here to let friends know what is going on.

    Best wishes
  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
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    I find the only thing that allows me to overeat more than occasionally is skipping logging.

    Not sure if it works for everyone, but for me its pretty much impossible to put those numbers down and see the excess calories adding up and not make changes. Don't lie to yourself, log it, accept you're off track, then put it behind you and start over fresh tomorrow and do (and don') what you need to do to get the results you want. Also pre-log as much of your day as you can and stick to it.

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