The emotional side of eating
LowCarbInScotland
Posts: 1,027 Member
In the spirit of the No Diet guy on My Diet is Better Than Yours, I thought this thread might be interesting.
If you are or have been an emotional eater, how do you cope with it now that you're eating a LCHF diet?
Whilst my physical food cravings are under great control with a ketogenic diet, I still struggle with stress eating and the nasty mental challenges that come with the increased cortisol. For me, the next step is to make exercise a habit so that I can turn to the gym for stress relief and not the bakery. And though I count my overall calories, I don't stress about going over 100-200 calories if I'm feeling hangry.
If you are or have been an emotional eater, how do you cope with it now that you're eating a LCHF diet?
Whilst my physical food cravings are under great control with a ketogenic diet, I still struggle with stress eating and the nasty mental challenges that come with the increased cortisol. For me, the next step is to make exercise a habit so that I can turn to the gym for stress relief and not the bakery. And though I count my overall calories, I don't stress about going over 100-200 calories if I'm feeling hangry.
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When I want to eat but know I'm not actually hungry I will make hot tea with a splash of heavy cream. I also redirect my attention to something else. I have a few of those grown up coloring books and colored pencils and I know once I start a picture I won't stop til I'm done and that can distract me for a good while!0
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When I want to eat but know I'm not actually hungry I will make hot tea with a splash of heavy cream. I also redirect my attention to something else. I have a few of those grown up coloring books and colored pencils and I know once I start a picture I won't stop til I'm done and that can distract me for a good while!
Distraction like this was a tip I once heard on some podcast I was listening to. Great advice. The podcast guest mentioned playing a few minutes of a simple game in your phone. Whatever works for you will be good. He mentioned how forcing the brain to focus on something new that actually requires some attention can really help.0 -
I'm a stress eater too, it got the best of me at the end of last year. So I guess I haven't conquered that yet. I can handle a couple stressful things at a time but if there are to many stressing about not eating bad things is too much. I guess luckily since I feel physically ill eating poorly for to long it's easier to get back to what makes me feel best. This site helped a ton, even though I wasn't tracking my food I still checked in each day and found it much easier to get back to tracking when I was ready.0
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Stress now means I need a cup of caffiene free tea and a break. Stretching n taking time out for me, even briefly, so relax my breathing and body helps. An Amy Cuddy Power pose never goes astray. So I have designed other ways to cope. Having said that, cashew nuts munching is too tempting when stressed so I now I only keep 10 in my purse for emergency inadequate protein at canteen days.0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »When I want to eat but know I'm not actually hungry I will make hot tea with a splash of heavy cream. I also redirect my attention to something else. I have a few of those grown up coloring books and colored pencils and I know once I start a picture I won't stop til I'm done and that can distract me for a good while!
Distraction like this was a tip I once heard on some podcast I was listening to. Great advice. The podcast guest mentioned playing a few minutes of a simple game in your phone. Whatever works for you will be good. He mentioned how forcing the brain to focus on something new that actually requires some attention can really help.
I love the idea of adult colouring books! How fun
Playing a game on my phone or just coming to the forum and reading or posting totally works for me with minor stress issues. 0 -
I'm a boredom eater and I'll just find myself wandering into the kitchen to find "something/anything" when I get bored with TV/knitting/reading or whatever. I kind of had an ah-ha moment a while ago when I realized that what was keeping me from losing control was treating my WOE as a "sacred" space that nothing and no one (including me!) is allowed to touch. It may sound weird, but its like it takes eating out of the equation completely and I am forced to find other coping mechanisms. I've used this technique to manage stress also - but under extreme stress I actually tend to under eat. I had a lot of stress at work in November, dropped weight like crazy, then plateaued for nearly 2 months as a result.0
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I used to go running to distract myself, with the added benefit of getting the exercise in as well It was great stress relief, but unfortunately I injured my foot almost a year ago and am STILL waiting on a date for the operation to fix it
So I've been trying to go to the gym instead, but I find that takes more motivation which I sometimes don't have!
I read this quote somewhere - 'Food is fuel. If you're bored, get a hobby or a pet or a lover. If you're upset, work towards solving your problem. Treat food as what it is - fuel for your body and nothing else'. I actually really like it as I have a tendency to eat out of boredom or from emotional stress, and it helps me to remember not to think of food as a cure/something to do.0 -
I dealt with my stress eating years ago, with the help of a lovely psychotherapist. Boredom and procrastination eating is what I struggle with now. If I don't know how to proceed on a project, I want to eat. Keto helps with this quite a bit, as I spend a lot longer feeling full, which puts a damper on even my emotional eating.
What helps me most is to set up my projects step by step to make them very easy to tackle, and to have two or three going at once, so when I need a break, there's something easier to do that is practically right in front of me.0 -
Boredom eating is my thing. Right now, my job is repetitive and tedious as hell. So, I boredom eat.
But when I am too busy with a deadline, then I don't even think about food.
Looking to switch to a busier department which might help...I hope lol0 -
I switched from boredom eating to boredom drinking. If I am not hungry, I will sip on water. Works with the added bonus of keeping me hydrated.0
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THIS! THIS has been my dieting demon. It is the thing that always derails me. If I feel an emotion, I eat. Happy, Sad, Bored, Depressed, Celebratory, the list could go on and on.
One HUGE thing that has helped me is the Beck Diet Solution. It is a book that guides you through Cognitive Behavior Therapy and I have found it to be a big help in recognizing my triggers. The nice thing about it is there is no defined way to eat, so you can do it with any WOE, but it addresses the emotional side of dieting and changing your mind set towards dieting, food, eating, etc.
When all else fails and I know I am losing control, I go upstairs (away from the kitchen) and take a long hot bubble bath and read a book. I can knock out a good two hours of my evening by doing this.0 -
THIS! THIS has been my dieting demon. It is the thing that always derails me. If I feel an emotion, I eat. Happy, Sad, Bored, Depressed, Celebratory, the list could go on and on.
One HUGE thing that has helped me is the Beck Diet Solution. It is a book that guides you through Cognitive Behavior Therapy and I have found it to be a big help in recognizing my triggers.
LOL... yes, those are all my triggers too. Basically, any excuse will do Though this woe has definitely changed that for me, except for the high stress eating. I love the Beck Diet Solution. I read that years ago, and still mentally flip through those 3x5 cards in my head. There were a lot of really good tips in that book that I definitely apply still today. However, it wasn't until committing to a LCHF diet that it all came full circle for me as even with all the mental tips, I couldn't overcome the physicality of food addiction, until now. I need to buy the kindle version of that and go through it again. 0 -
Brushing and flossing after I eat helps because I don't want to have to floss again.0
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lithezebra wrote: »Brushing and flossing after I eat helps because I don't want to have to floss again.
I do this sometimes. Then hubby will ask if I want whatever snack he's having, and I say, "No, I already brushed my teeth."0 -
I read this quote somewhere - 'Food is fuel. If you're bored, get a hobby or a pet or a lover. If you're upset, work towards solving your problem. Treat food as what it is - fuel for your body and nothing else'. I actually really like it as I have a tendency to eat out of boredom or from emotional stress, and it helps me to remember not to think of food as a cure/something to do.
I'm stealing this.
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THIS! THIS has been my dieting demon. It is the thing that always derails me. If I feel an emotion, I eat. Happy, Sad, Bored, Depressed, Celebratory, the list could go on and on.
One HUGE thing that has helped me is the Beck Diet Solution. It is a book that guides you through Cognitive Behavior Therapy and I have found it to be a big help in recognizing my triggers. The nice thing about it is there is no defined way to eat, so you can do it with any WOE, but it addresses the emotional side of dieting and changing your mind set towards dieting, food, eating, etc.
When all else fails and I know I am losing control, I go upstairs (away from the kitchen) and take a long hot bubble bath and read a book. I can knock out a good two hours of my evening by doing this.
I love that you have the Beck books. I just ordered three of them from Amazon and I'm loving them... working my way through the workbook they have helped so much I would suggest them to anyone who has emotional eating issues will just eat out of boredom etc.
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I read this quote somewhere - 'Food is fuel. If you're bored, get a hobby or a pet or a lover. If you're upset, work towards solving your problem. Treat food as what it is - fuel for your body and nothing else'. I actually really like it as I have a tendency to eat out of boredom or from emotional stress, and it helps me to remember not to think of food as a cure/something to do.
I'm stealing this.
Someone else around here once said " I am not a dog. I will not reward myself with food treats." I thought that was brilliant.0 -
I read this quote somewhere - 'Food is fuel. If you're bored, get a hobby or a pet or a lover. If you're upset, work towards solving your problem. Treat food as what it is - fuel for your body and nothing else'. I actually really like it as I have a tendency to eat out of boredom or from emotional stress, and it helps me to remember not to think of food as a cure/something to do.
I'm stealing this.
Someone else around here once said " I am not a dog. I will not reward myself with food treats." I thought that was brilliant.
I remember that too! Can't remember who said it. It has stuck with me.0 -
I used to eat from boredom or for relaxation, but I just realized after reading this, I don't do that anymore. I get up and go outside to visit the horses, ride, or play with the dogs. Sometimes, I'll clean, or do laundry. Because I feel so much better than I used to, I'm happy to get up and do something, anything.0
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I used to eat from boredom or for relaxation, but I just realized after reading this, I don't do that anymore. I get up and go outside to visit the horses, ride, or play with the dogs. Sometimes, I'll clean, or do laundry. Because I feel so much better than I used to, I'm happy to get up and do something, anything.
I found that I get up and do the dishes after dinner each night to keep busy rather than snacking. Once the kitchen is clean then all I want is my spicy hot chocolate and to go to bed 0 -
I'm def a boredom eater. During the work week it's easier to eat well as I'm a distracted by work. The weekends I need to find more non-food activities to stay busy. In the evenings I allow myself to snack but on keto friendly things. I usually have a half cup of blackberries, two small squares of 85 percent dark choco and a soda water with a stevia flavour. I chew on the ice from my drink for quite a while and that satisfies my need to nibble. So far this is working quite well but I know I need to be careful that I don't expand into other things.0
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