Emotional Eating -- Is mine normal?

yasminara

Hello,

I have a problem with emotional eating. I consider myself a relatively happy person, but I've had somewhat of a dark past and consequently don't exactly know how to deal with what upsets me sometimes. I noticed that when I get upset I can binge pretty bad, once when an ex hurt me (long story but it was really mean), I solved it by eating a bunch of food. I ironically never get full so even though I'm a 5'2" person, I can pack away 2-3 meals worth of food before I fall asleep.

In any case, as I've spent the last year trying to understand myself better, this was something I notice on how I deal with my issues. It makes it very hard to get back up every single time, so I wanted to reach out. Have you suffered with it? How have you dealt with it? Do you recommend getting help to deal with it?

Thanks,

Yas

yasminara

As example, once I ate 3 chipotle burritos when I was upset...I don't eat at that level anymore but it can get bad.

ShrinkingKerrie

I sometimes binge eat, I can't say its just emotional either because it can be on random days when all is fine. I just go out of control then feel guilty afterwards. I'm on day 4 of this and its been OK so far though. Good luck to you!

lovelybluelove

yasminara wrote: »

Hello,

I have a problem with emotional eating. I consider myself a relatively happy person, but I've had somewhat of a dark past and consequently don't exactly know how to deal with what upsets me sometimes. I noticed that when I get upset I can binge pretty bad, once when an ex hurt me (long story but it was really mean), I solved it by eating a bunch of food. I ironically never get full so even though I'm a 5'2" person, I can pack away 2-3 meals worth of food before I fall asleep.

In any case, as I've spent the last year trying to understand myself better, this was something I notice on how I deal with my issues. It makes it very hard to get back up every single time, so I wanted to reach out. Have you suffered with it? How have you dealt with it? Do you recommend getting help to deal with it?

Thanks,

Yas

I also have emotional eating issues. And I can kind of relate with your last relationship ordeal in a sense.

BZAH10

It's "normal" as far as it is common and it is a legitimate issue for many people. However, eating your emotions is not "normal" in the aspect of it isn't healthy and it doesn't erase the emotions. They are still there and you have the additional problem of the effects of over eating.

I'm not criticizing you. It's good that you recognize that this is a problem and that you've identified it. There's a lot of info and methods online that teach you coping skills that may work for you. Or talk to a therapist or a group support meeting. Whatever path you choose you CAN over come this!

RodaRose

Take up a yoga practice with a good teacher. Yoga helps with body - mind awareness.

sunandmoons

Prelog your calories everyday. Own up to it. Find your maintenance calorie intake, deduct 500 calories and consume that amount of calories.

If that is impossible for you to do, I would seek council.

Either you want to or you don't.

Zombella

I used to do this myself.I am 5'3 and didn't feel full for years until I started watching what I put in my body, basically eating less. Eventually, I am guessing my stomach shrunk and I could feel full again. It is normal to emotional eat this way, as I used to do this myself. Now, I try to work out if I can in the moment or I use my mind to overcome the situation. I know that by emotional eating I'll just feel worse afterwards.

yasminara

Thanks everyone except sunandmoons! I personally don't care for people who are like "it's just discipline" because if it was that simple this app wouldn't be necessary.

yasminara

I'll try the continued food, online and yoga help. Hopefully I won't have to resort to council because it's expensive but try my best.

middlehaitch

yasminara wrote: »

Thanks everyone except sunandmoons! I personally don't care for people who are like "it's just discipline" because if it was that simple this app wouldn't be necessary.

This app is here to help people control their food intake to either lose or gain weight. It teaches one discipline through counting calories.

Once one has learnt how to eat, one has self discipline and may be able to throw the training wheels ( MFP) away.

What @sunandmoons said was one of many ways you can help yourself deal with binges.

It is good that you have recognized a problem, shunning advice because it wasn't a pat on the back won't help you deal with it.

Cheers, h.

noraron

I am a total emotional binge eater, but have managed to get it under control in the last couple of months. The key thing for me was to recognise that acting on the urge to binge-eat when I'm unhappy is something that will make me feel worse, rather than better. Now, when I'm feeling the urge to binge eat, I either do something nice for myself that isn't food-related (e.g. listen to some music, go for a walk, look at some flowers, buy a new lipstick), or I treat myself to something that is really delicious, eat it slowly and mindfully, and consciously choose to indulge in that food without feeling guilty. This is so much more satisfying than stuffing in lots of food, not really tasting it, and hating myself the whole time.

The "log it, and move on" approach is also really helpful for me, so if I do mess up I just enter my calories and try not to get too worried about it. This helps to avoid getting caught up in a cycle of feeling bad/eating/feeling bad for eating/eating more.

Finally, it's been important for me to confront and try to consciously deal with the feelings that previously I've tried to suffocate with food. If I can identify what's making me unhappy or stressed, and think about ways that I might be able to improve whatever that situation is, it helps me feel more in control of both my life and my eating.

Hope that's helpful!

Nora

sunandmoons

yasminara wrote: »

Thanks everyone except sunandmoons! I personally don't care for people who are like "it's just discipline" because if it was that simple this app wouldn't be necessary.

Yes it is about discipline. Sorry, I'm not here to coddle anyone. Either you want it or you don't
Your upset because I told you to prelog??
Emo much?