Emotional Eating

caviardreamz

Does anybody struggle with emotional eating? What are some of your coping mechanisms when you've been strong all day and then something happens that makes you all "these feelings would go great with some pie"?

ladynocturne

I replaced it with exercise. Took awhile, but it works soooo much better than food.

SammyDizzle81

I'm a huge emotional eater and I try to keep busy with my hands---sounds crazy I know.

AspiringPinkPinUp

Oh boy...I'm a huge emotional eater. I'm no pro at avoiding it ALL the time yet but, right now what's working for me is tossing my sneakers on and heading out the door for a walk with some music in my ear. It's mostly "angry" music to help me clear my head and get all the emotions out while walking. If I'm in a position to do so I will go to the gym and hit the weight room! There are still days that creep in I get so overwhelmed and emotional eating just takes over so fast! Happened to me the other day. I felt sooooo guilty as I swallowed that last bite of donut. After, I found my way to the trail and walked/jogged it out and I felt much better after.

Key for me is to NOT beat myself up if it happens. I'm not perfect and these things will happen. Good luck!

2Become_Fit

I replaced it with exercise. Took awhile, but it works soooo much better than food.

I'm the same I have an emergency stash of workout clothes in my car, if I'm having a bad day I don't even go home I go straight to the gym. Even if it's the worst workout ever and I just sit on the bike pedaling watching something on hulu or Netflix on my phone. I usually just need some time being distracted, to calm down.

jess6742

If I feel the urge to binge due to stress I try to just sit and drink a cup of hot tea. I'll normally eat a bowl of oatmeal and fruit with it that way I still feel satisfied but not much damage is done.

super_J73

I became overweight from emotional eating. It's a struggle every single day. I've learned to make better choices if I feel a binge coming on, or I grab my ipod and head outside for a walk.
I also keep a pair of my biggest size pants I used to wear hanging in my closet. I pull them out when I'm feeling a binge coming on and I also look at "before" pictures...helps a ton.

phoenixgirl81

I have to agree with the others here. I used to fill all my voids with food...and lots of it. I learned to recognise why I was suddenly "craving" all these foods that I normally wouldn't want to eat...and to acknowledge what I was feeling. I needed to tell myself "you feel sad, not hungry. And feeling sad is ok" or "you're feeling bored, not hungry. How about you get a good book out instead?" or "you're feeling scared, not hungry. Why don't you call someone to talk it out or at least write out how you're feeling?".

I also learned that everything that I would usually emotionally eat for can be "cured" or at least "lessened" by exercise. Get out and go for a walk (I have been known to take my partner out with me for a walk around the block at 10pm when we're both in our pjs and ugg boots - it doesn't matter, we're out walking). If you're scared or sad, the endorphins produced when you exercise will more often than not counter-act your feeling (the same as food, without the calories). If you're bored, it will give you something to do. I have taken up jogging (not bad for a woman who started this out at something like 230lbs - 145 kg) and when I'm really angry or upset, I put my joggers and my HRM on and I just run! Sometimes to really angry music, sometimes to really empowering music, but I just run.

With exercise, an added bonus is that if the exercise doesn't completely help with your feelings and you still want that piece of cake, you've probably got enough calories to do so!!!

AnneMarieCaroline

I pray a lot. I have found that when I surrender the urge to God, calm and quiet myself from the panic in my head, I feel more serenity. Sometimes I still pick up. I'm nowhere near perfect! But it does help.

Mismis28

Okay, you need to read this article! Some fit page I follow on facebook shared it, I just loved reading it.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/meaningful-you/201306/the-cycle-emotional-eating

ostrichagain

I'm a huge emotional eater and I try to keep busy with my hands---sounds crazy I know.

Not crazy!! I do the same thing.

coffeejen26

I too am an emotional eater. Recently, I have been verbally asking myself why/what am I eating. I find that if I voice the words, its a lot harder to face giving in. I eat when I am lonely, so no one is usually around to hear me talking to myself. I am working on being active instead of eating, but its a big change for me.

hzliiz

I had to learn to talk myself through it, that it wouldn't really make me feel better, at best it would just numb me out or distract me for a short time but then after the feeling will still be here with an added dose of regret, shame and disappointment. I had to learn to deal with the feelings instead. If it was something that needed to be resolved, I needed to do that. If it was a situation I couldn't resolve or was out of my control I had to learn to let go of those feelings. That stuff was the hardest part for me of ending emotional eating -- learning new and different coping skills. It took time and practice.

Squirrel1601

Keep busy, stay away from the kitchen.

BreytonJay

It may sound counterproductive, but I cook. It's something that really soothes me. I usually find myself stressed when I get home from work. So instead of sitting down and worrying about how I feel I get online, get an idea from a recipe for dinner and spend the next hour or so in the kitchen focusing on what spices I want to use to enhance the flavors, what will go well with it, have a glass of wine if my calories allow it and just let myself go. Sometimes I talk with my husband in the process but mostly it lets me focus on one thing so that those thoughts can't creep up. And I only bake when I know I can tke it to work the next day so it's not sitting around

AliceA2013

I remember that great throw-away line: "the answer is not in the fridge" from the film "What Women Want" - Mel Gibson wanders around in his flat, emotionally bewildered, goes in the kitchen, opens the fridge and says something like that. I probably remember it all wrong but that scene always comes to my mind whenever I should open the fridge hoping to find the answer there.

hayleymc3

I wish I knew. I think some of these responses are great, though.

I'm slowly trying to get myself to replace food with exercise, but it's difficult. Sometimes I feel like I could :explode:

I find that keeping busy with cleaning, school, family, and exercise are the best methods though.

TMcChamp

I replaced it with exercise. Took awhile, but it works soooo much better than food.

^^ I am an e,ptional eater, After a particular dreadful day all i wanted was 1-2 family blocks of white chocolate.... Instead i got on teh exercise bike for 30 minutes.... worked so well!

MuslimahMama

I have to agree with the others here. I used to fill all my voids with food...and lots of it. I learned to recognise why I was suddenly "craving" all these foods that I normally wouldn't want to eat...and to acknowledge what I was feeling. I needed to tell myself "you feel sad, not hungry. And feeling sad is ok" or "you're feeling bored, not hungry. How about you get a good book out instead?" or "you're feeling scared, not hungry. Why don't you call someone to talk it out or at least write out how you're feeling?".

I also learned that everything that I would usually emotionally eat for can be "cured" or at least "lessened" by exercise. Get out and go for a walk (I have been known to take my partner out with me for a walk around the block at 10pm when we're both in our pjs and ugg boots - it doesn't matter, we're out walking). If you're scared or sad, the endorphins produced when you exercise will more often than not counter-act your feeling (the same as food, without the calories). If you're bored, it will give you something to do. I have taken up jogging (not bad for a woman who started this out at something like 230lbs - 145 kg) and when I'm really angry or upset, I put my joggers and my HRM on and I just run! Sometimes to really angry music, sometimes to really empowering music, but I just run.

With exercise, an added bonus is that if the exercise doesn't completely help with your feelings and you still want that piece of cake, you've probably got enough calories to do so!!!

Good tips - thanks for posting

juliegrey1

Put on your walking shoes and do about 5 miles.its great for the head ,so to speak,when you get back you have earned that snack and you will feel much better!!

jen_zz

I replaced it with exercise. Took awhile, but it works soooo much better than food.

I'm the same I have an emergency stash of workout clothes in my car, if I'm having a bad day I don't even go home I go straight to the gym. Even if it's the worst workout ever and I just sit on the bike pedaling watching something on hulu or Netflix on my phone. I usually just need some time being distracted, to calm down.

That's great advice! Any workout is better than no workout, and definitely better than emotional eating.

caviardreamz

Thank you guys so much for all the advice!