When something really bad happens...

seeing1111

Hey friends, I could sure use some advice as something rather traumatic just happened and I am spiraling into total emotional eating, I am worried about losing all my progress i dont know what to do... help please not feeling strong I do not post often here but read a lot... I could use some words of support Thanks

joans1976

Breathe breathe breathe.

jolive7

Sorry to hear that, it is easy to lose motivation when something traumatic happens. Don't be too hard on yourself - you aren't going to ruin all your progress for having a few off days/off week. Don't stress yourself, maybe a week off tracking/having rest will be good for you in this time, then get back on board when you can.

Bonny132

Relax, take the control back, deal with your emotions. Stay on track, log everything, plan ahead and stay strong.

Talk to friends, in real life or on here so you have an outlet for your emotions so you can start dealing with the issue and start the healing process.

youngmomtaz

Breathe, walk, grab an apple, nap, make tea. On good days I can do those things. Other days I struggle. Take care of yourself!

Seffell

Hey, I'm sorry to hear that. My advice is from what I learned from stopping smoking. If you're not a smoker you might have heard how smokers reach for a cigarette to calm their nerves and especially when something awful happens. What's stopped me from doing this while I was quiting was the thought that lighting a cig will ONLY make everything WORSE once I've finished smoking it. I will feel doubly upset and doubly depressed. As not only whatever happened to me happened but I lit a cigarette ON TOP of it.
The same is with binging. What you're gonna do is only going to make your situation worse than it already is. You don't want to have to cope with one more problem now. You need your strength to cope with whatever bad thing happened.
Please think about it. You will only make your situation worse. Binging will not comfort you like it has done before. Because you are now making progress. It is not the same and it will NOT have the same comforting effect you might be expecting from it.
I hope you feel better soon. ♡


ETA: Thought I should add - I don't mean you should continue trying to make a deficit while you feel bad. I'm only cautioning against binging. I think you should take a break if you need it and just eat reasonably.

JeromeBarry1

At several points in life it's ok to do something that might help your emotional state.
Chocolate, 85% cocao, 2 squares daily to combat mild depression.
St. John's Wort supplement to combat mild depression.
Talk to someone. Not type to someone. Talk to someone.

SLLRunner

seeing1111 wrote: »

Hey friends, I could sure use some advice as something rather traumatic just happened and I am spiraling into total emotional eating, I am worried about losing all my progress i dont know what to do... help please not feeling strong I do not post often here but read a lot... I could use some words of support Thanks

I'm sorry something bad happened. Do you have anyone to talk to? Family, friend?

lissmayer

Something awful happened last month that triggered past trauma. I made a list of self-care things: exercise, therapy, massage, etc.- and I gave myself permission to eat at maintenance any time I wanted without feeling bad. Using those tools got me through the month without falling off the MFP wagon and without smoking a cigarette (even though I really wanted to). Maybe that sort of thing would help?

I'm sorry you're hurting.

andrea_nichol

So sorry to see you're dealing with a stressful situation. I hope there is someone in your life you can reach out to. There is some good advice up above. Be careful with St Johns Wort if you take any prescription meds, it can interact. Ask a pharmacist if you're not sure. Take care of yourself.

Lounmoun

Try to do different things.
Take deep breaths, mediate, listen to music, make music, talk to someone, write about what you are feeling, create art, do crafts, walk outside, exercise, soak in the tub, clean, paint your house, ask for help, spend time with animals or kids, sleep.

cnbbnc

I know it's much easier said than done, but at times like that I think to myself that I can binge and binge some more, and that problem is still going to be there. Eating will solve nothing.

ogtmama

Adding weight to the horrible situation can only make things worse. Take some me time, maybe go to a spa or get a massage to make yourself feel better instead.

I hope you feel better soon.

seeing1111

Wow thanks you guys. I haven't done what i would call binge eating yet really but definitely felt like grabbing every piece of food that seemed comforting in the moment and did overeat. Sorry my head is swimming right now so i dont even know what to say other than thanks for the great ideas and i am so touched that so many of you took the time to write. I relate to everything you all said. I think i will at the very least have a nice hot bath right now and try to do one nice thing for myself tomorrow. I plan to talk to someone about it too just not able to yet. Again thank you all.. it really means so much

sunny_d22

I've been going through something very difficult the last two months. Self care is important and part of that for me is sticking with my eating plan and goals. Most days I feel sad, but I'm proud and happy to be sticking with MFP. I'm also talking with someone. All of you had great suggestions for seeing1111.

seeing1111

I like what you said sunny_d22. I hope you hang in there too

ericwhitt

The biggest advice I can say to someone is that when you feel like you have lost all control of the world, you need to realize the one thing you have 100% control of is your body. The way you treat your mind and body is always 100% in your control, so when the rest of the world is in a spiral, that's even more of a reason to focus on your mind and body. Put some earbuds in, turn on your favorite music, do your favorite workout and enjoy the one thing in life you can control 100% of the time.

cross2bear

I feel for you, I really do. Just remember that whatever you eat, or how much of it you eat, its not going to change what happened, and has a real potential for making it worse, as you blame yourself for being weak and a failure. Now is the time to really fight back against those binge urges and maintain control over what you put in your mouth - nourish it instead of punishing it. While a can or two of Pringles (one of my faves) may have allowed you to become oblivious to the events in your life in the past, it cannot and will not do it now, now that you know better. Every moment that you do not binge is a victory, and a string of victories will make you feel so much stonger. You can do this. We have faith in you, please have faith in yourself.

MommyMeggo

I am dealing with something very heavy myself. I have undone a lot of progress Ive made since this situation arose. And it will only get worse. Seeing how I cope concerns me. There have been many days that I have eaten my feelings. (or drank them)
I have 3 small children and work full time. Crying isnt something I can do as freely as eating.
But in an effort to not fall apart and realizing how easily I could lose myself, I have opted to take my emotional woes out on my tennis shoes and weights. My anger and grief is better than any pre-workout I can drink.

I dont know your situation but see if you can shift your focus and dont add to your plate over whether or not you overate today. It will happen as we cope. Some days I just eat all the things and go to bed. Others Im ok and well within my goals. Find someone to talk to. A friend to help keep you on track. Find something that gives you joy.
You can find a way to work through it.
xoxox

Habiteer

Don't give up. Take care of yourself.

seeing1111

MommyMeggo wrote: »

Some days I just eat all the things and go to bed.

...... yep, THAT!