The Mental Battle of Restraint

charlottemcafee89
charlottemcafee89 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all! I'm wondering how you personally deal with this psychological connection to food. Eating when depressed or when feeling any extreme emotion/boredom. What are ways to overcome that? I'm struggling with binge eating and I'm thinking this extends beyond the region of lack of self control

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    It's habitual behavior more than anything else. Behavior can be changed IF one wants to change it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    I eat for the simple pleasure of eating. When reading a book, especially. Or watching TV. I have changed the behavior long enough to lose weight, only to revert to and gain some of it back. It is habitual behavior, but there is definitely a psychological aspect as well. Wish I knew how to change it for good.
  • kmradley
    kmradley Posts: 27 Member
    I used to emotionally eat alot, what helped me stop was making a decision to put my health first in my life. I got a therapist who helped a lot and her first advice was for me to get regular sleep by taking melatonin, do at least 20 minutes of cardio per day, cut back on caffeine and take vitamin d. I did those four things and also having a regular emotional check in with a therapist really helped me deal without needing to eat so much. Everyone is different but it's incredible how interwoven our emotions are to our bodies. Hope this helps.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    1- sit down to eat without the TV or a book to read or the internet. Enjoy the food itself.
    2- identify when you are reaching for emotional food
    3- find other ways of dealing with those emotions

    Consider getting professional help for steps 2&3
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    It's habitual behavior more than anything else. Behavior can be changed IF one wants to change it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    This. Definitely habit. Internal dialogues help.
  • RedLipsRedDress
    RedLipsRedDress Posts: 125 Member
    Mostly, I browse my fitness pal :) It has been helping a lot for the last 4 months. I look at my diary, at my friends' posts, at what I posted in my blog, my progress pics, the success stories in the forums. I'm trying to brake the connection between food and happiness in general (while still allowing myself to enjoy food). Being prepared is
    most important. Every single time when I wasn't prepared, I failed. I learnt from my mistakes and now it's not such an issue- having food that fits your allowance around is crucial.

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