Help with cravings &demotion all eating

maymie04

I have recently been dealing with some personal issues and in the process I have been craving sugar, salty, crunchy foods. Don't get me wrong, I love fruit but the frirst thing I reach for isn't an apple. It is something full of calories. I am an emotional eater. It is something I learned from my family. I eat/drink my feelings.

Do any of you have any tips for me on how to handle my cravings? Does anyone have any tips for dealing with emotional eating?

Thanks in advance.

Lleldiranne

Start with a large glass of water. Then if you really are still craving something, have a small amount and eat it slowly so you really enjoy it. Then log it and make room in the rest of your day for the calories. That is usually the best way for most people to avoid a binge later on.

As far as the emotional eating, I have the same struggle. Allow yourself some treats, as above, but also remind yourself that eating won't deal with the emotion. Talk to someone. Go for a walk. Scrub the bathroom. Write in your journal about how you're feeling. Find what works for you.

rainbowbow

For me, drinking hot tea or coffee helps a lot.

Additionally, things like goldfish crackers (55 peices for 140 cals), fiber one brownies, and Cliff Builder's bar in mint/choco which is crunchy/sweet/dessert like are my go-tos.

Of course the best thing would be to not have those foods you emotional eat around at all.

futuremanda

Can you not have those foods around for right now? Or label them someone else's -- ex "the kids' chips" meaning, they do not belong to you, you are not free to go eat them.

Start exercising / exercising more? Pick something you'll like.

Shift your thinking. Things are difficult right now, so you have to work HARDER to take care of yourself. You need the apple, the extra sleep, the exercise, the quiet time, etc. Focus on self-care, and think of fueling your body as part of taking good care of yourself.

Pre-log your day and account for portioned treats that satisfy your cravings in the evening ahead of time. Say, two scoops of ice cream after dinner, and maybe making dinner something exciting, something salty and crunchy. Then, that's it, that's what you get, and when you get it. Schedule your eating, and plan. There doesn't need to be any "reaching for" food at all. It's really easy to make choices when we're hungry and emotional and like, wandering into the kitchen to get something NOW, choices that we would not make without that context. So remove that context. What do you want to eat tomorrow, and when? Plan it out. Follow the plan. When you have a craving, don't tell yourself no exactly, just "not right now". If it's 4 pm, think about how dinner is not that far, and how you're really looking forward to that after-dinner ice cream too, then go get busy to take your mind off it. If you planned a 2 pm snack, and you planned it to be an apple and greek yoghurt, but now you want a chocolate bar, that's really irrelevant, because you planned the apple and yoghurt, so eat that. You get ice cream later. Don't leave choices up to your in-the-moment-hungry-craving-emotional brain, and don't let that side of yourself start to debate things either. Or plan for the chocolate bar, make it work, don't let it be an in-the-moment decision that won't fit into your day or that will turn into like, three chocolate bars or something.

Also, try to find out what sets you up for success. A treat early in the day throws me into cravings mode, but evening treats don't do that. I also like heavier dinners and/or evening treats, so it's better for me to save some calories for then anyway. Also, carb-heavy meals or snacks throw me off -- I need protein and fat. It's not a magic bullet against hunger and wanting things, but knowing these things and trying to follow them is really helpful nonetheless.

You may also want to set a modest weight loss goal, or even maintenance. I'm not going to tell you that you can't lose weight and deal with emotional eating and so on, because that isn't true. But if you're going through a really tough time right now and that's how it is manifesting, then simultaneously trying to cut calories to, say, 1200, is probably just going to worsen the cravings and set you up for failure. You know? Start small, start at maintenance, then bump to 0.5 lb, and so on. Or stick to maintenance while the difficult period persists, and re-evaluate later.

mrsdcsmithiv

I'm in the same boat and I've gained about 30 lbs since November. I sit a lot at work and get bored so I end up eating instead. My boss told me to eat an apple when I get bored but they aren't my favorite

maymie04

Thanks so much for all the tips. I have a lot to work on.

RodaRose

Find different ways to deal with the emotional issues -- lots of exercise, yoga, deep breathing, walking. Get enough sleep.

kchezelle

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