New here.. need support

amandar8313

Hi, my name is Amanda. Im 31 married SAHM and we have 6 kids total. They are 19, 17, 8, 6, 4 and 8 months. Im struggling. My husband is gone most of the time ay work and when he is home he isn't much help either. I have no friends really and no close family. Im at a horrible mind set right now I trying so hard to get out of it. Im a terrible emotional eater. I have decided to join the gym, but now I have made every possible excuse not to go. I try to watch my portions. I joined MFP just yesterday. Im trying but I need support. I there is anyone who can help me figure this out? I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

lizzieollie502

Hi Amanda. I am still trying to figure out what to do about my emotional eating myself. I don't have any kids but I come from a family or emotionally eating. If you want to be friends add me. I have been on MFP a few times but i am hoping it sticks this time. I have been logging for 35 days and I am challenging myself to type in everything I eat and I am finding ways to work in exercise which is helping with stress.

jdarcy6870

Hi Amanda,
I am also struggling with emotional eating. July name is Jennifer and I have 4 children. It is hard to try and lose weight when you are busy being a mom. I am still learning how to use MFP but I am happy to be support for you. Please add me as a friend and we can figure this out together!

crazygreenlady

Hi! I'm not a mom (yet!), but I am definitely an emotional eater. First of all, welcome, and good job for joining MFP! Tracking what you're eating is for sure the first step. You can't manage what you don't measure, after all. My advice is to track everything you eat for a month - even if the food isn't all that healthy or you're consuming more calories than you want to be. Write it all down and don't judge yourself. If you can, make notes about your emotional status that day, and anything else that might be relevant (such as if you're on your period). After a month, go back and review it. It's very likely that trends will emerge. Hopefully this detailed food log will help you identify your triggers, and then you can start working on them!

Also, if you can, try to get out and meet new people - especially mothers with little ones! Meetup.com is a great resource. There are tons of types of groups that you can join and attend meetings of like-minded folks. There are often lots of groups of moms - who get coffee, have book clubs, go on walks with strollers, meet at the park, etc. I have found an excellent women's wellness group that I attend every month, which I love.

On going to the gym - does your gym offer group fitness classes? If so, those are a great option for folks who have trouble getting motivated to work out. Plus, if you go to the same one a few weeks in a row, you'll likely start to run into the same people. I've had great friendships develop out of group fitness classes!

My final piece of advice is to talk to your husband honestly and openly about what you're going through. I found that once I finally explained to my fiance that I'm an emotional eater, what that means and how I'm trying improve my relationship with food, he has been able to be much more supportive. Now he'll suggest that we take a walk, watch my favorite trashy TV show, or give me an extended bear hug when he knows I'm stressed, instead of tucking into a big bowl of mac'n'cheese or a pint of ice cream with me. It's so helpful to have him as an ally. If your husband is not understanding or willing to be actively supportive, find someone else in your life who will be on your team.

Good luck!

senglishrose

Wow Amanda, you have a lot on your plate. While I'm not as bad as I used to be, I can be an emotional eater.

I'm a believer that we make time for things that are important to us and YOU are important. So you need to make time for yourself. Going to the gym will help you mentally, physically and emotionally not only with your household responsibilities but with your eating as well. Feel free to message me anytime if you want to.

I just added a picture to my profile of a book I created with positive messages. I have posted messages like this on my mirror, refrig, etc....always in my sight to remind me of what I need to do for me!

Good luck!