How do I stop using food to relieve stress?

Melmo1988

I have two kids, aged 5 years and 5 months, plus I babysit my 13 month old neice and a 17 month old girl. I'm also a single mom. I find myself eating large amounts of junk food to relieve stress, and I sometimes can't stop thinking about food.
Anyone else experience this? How do I stop?

SeptemberFeyre

Exercise is good at relieving stress, even if you can just manage a 20 minute walk. Stop buying the junk food and replace it with low calorie things to munch on when you can't stop thinking about food- like popcorn, cheese strings, fruit, jello, yogurt, and low cal snacks

Melmo1988

I generally don't buy junk food but when I start thinking about eating, I will go out and buy junk food. Or lately I've been ordering take out. I like to sit in front of the TV and eat until I can't eat anymore. It's a horrible habit I just an't seem to break.

SeptemberFeyre

I hear you. I like to snack and watch tv too. It's like a comfort thing. It took me a while to really REALLY want to change, and it's still hard but I've reached the point where I want to shed the pounds more. That's when the lower cal options come into play. I measure and log what I eat and then go have a munch fest and watch netflix or whatever. It's not as fulfilling as eating whatever I want, but I know I want to reach my goals so I resist eating more. It takes practice and diligence. You can do it

Melmo1988

Thank you! What kind of low calorie things do you eat while watching TV?

Sued0nim

Came in to suggest hot sex - notice the small children - now I'm lost for words

Knitting?

jgnatca

Take some time to analyse your habit patterns and what need you are filling as you eat. It could be boredom, habit, anger.

When you figure out what need the food is filling try and disrupt your old habits with different activities and rewards.

Having a five year old and a five month old in a house at the same time would drive me batty.

Sued0nim

Save calories for the evening

I like to eat multipack packs of chips - they are lower calorie, pre-portioned also ice cream sticks or Mars - popcorn

Hot cups of tea / coffee

Doing something with your hands - like knitting / crochet etc (I wasn't being that facetious )

Exercise instead - dance around your living room, do a dvd or a youtube class

jgnatca

Non food stress relievers include a library trip (plop the five year old in there during story time), bubble bath during nap time (enforced nap time), a game of tag in the park, petting someone else's puppies, a fitness video in front of the TV, yoga, or adult conversation (moms and tots).

allenpriest

rabbitjb wrote: »

Came in to suggest hot sex - notice the small children - now I'm lost for words

Knitting?

That may have led to the stress.

Machka9

Melmo1988 wrote: »

I have two kids, aged 5 years and 5 months, plus I babysit my 13 month old neice and a 17 month old girl. I'm also a single mom. I find myself eating large amounts of junk food to relieve stress, and I sometimes can't stop thinking about food.
Anyone else experience this? How do I stop?

Can you exercise?

baroquepop

I've also been a comfort eater. I find a few days of none of the junk w/a rule to not go buy it is the only way to break the habit. Or only go buy a healthy snack if that's possible. I think most people want to eat again whatever they've been eating in the last few days. It normally reinforces it to have it. And if it's junk it gets the better of you. But once you give yourself a break you can choose more easily.

baroquepop

Try a calming or self-compassion guided meditation from on the free app - Insight Timer - if you can lay in bed listening to it for 10-30 mins. it can help you handle and feel some relief from stress.

ncfitbit

Wow, you really have your hands full! You are probably super tired at the end of the day and that probably makes it even harder to resist the comfort food at night. Give yourself a lot of credit for what you are doing because it's a lot.
I know you have a five month old, but I remember when I had one that age I would try wake up early and taking my baby monitor to the treadmill so I could get something, anything in before she woke up. Sometimes I got a full 30 minutes in and that felt great. (It doesn't have to be exercise equipment. If we'd had it back then, I would have used free youtube walking/workout videos. Jessica Smith is one of my favorites). Even just a few days a week makes a big difference and there's something about doing something for yourself BEFORE you start tending to everyone else's needs that was really helpful. Exercise is the best stress reliever in my opinion so it's great for you at this stage of life on all counts.

Good luck. I'm rooting for you! And enjoy those babies. Mine are a lot older now and there's nothing you can do to turn back the clock.

Lucille4444

When you mentioned stress, you specifically described children. If 4 small children is raising your stress level, perhaps you can change that. The 5 year old should be old enough for kindergarten, so you could arrange to trade babysitting with another mom or asking Grandma or Grandpa to help watch the 5 month old and maybe work outside the home a few days a week.
I agree with others that exercise is a stress reliever, but if you change the cause of the stress you will be that much ahead.

kshama2001

Melmo1988 wrote: »

I have two kids, aged 5 years and 5 months, plus I babysit my 13 month old neice and a 17 month old girl. I'm also a single mom. I find myself eating large amounts of junk food to relieve stress, and I sometimes can't stop thinking about food.
Anyone else experience this? How do I stop?

If I don't eat food that fills me up, for example too much carbs in relationship to protein, I will eat and eat and eat because my body keeps looking for the protein. I've had great success saving (small) treats for after dinner. I don't even think about them during the day anymore. See http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html

For stress, I exercise. I self medicated with alcohol and food and other things for many years, and am delighted to have found that exercise works even better.

baroquepop

Robert Lustig's pbs video 'Sweet Revenge' from the library, maybe streams online, explains how processed and sweet foods cause loads of insulin hormone to overwhelm the 'fullness' hormone leptin & you won't get full and will eat more than you need. Lots of insulin (hormone triggered from eating sweets & carbs) blocks leptin.'That Sugar Film' is a super DVD, too. You might watch more than once to get supportive info to better care for you. You need care, too. Take good care of you!

Francl27

Buy an exercise bike. Best investment ever. Not only you get to exercise while watching tv, you also can't eat while you're on it, you still get to watch your shows, and you don't have to get out of the house (which I know is pain with kids). Win/win.

But personally, I stopped eating while watching TV anyway... I don't enjoy my food as much when I do, as I'm focusing on something else, and I don't get to eat as much food as I'd like anymore, so might as well get as much enjoyment out of it as possible...

Also, think about it. You're stressed. Does eating food actually make you better, or worse? I realized that eating junk didn't help with the stress, and just made me feel fat and guilty on top of it, so it actually made things worse.

I still think about food a lot though, but when I'm not hungry (focus on protein and fat for that), I'm less likely to.