Repetitive Emotional Eating...

IonaEllen123
IonaEllen123 Posts: 44 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
I'm stuck with trying to lose weight. I set out a healthy week food plan which I stick to however I also emotional eat which is usually anything unhealthy & alot all at once. I suffer from severe depression so I usually eat lots when I am having a bad day which is usually every day. I know food isn't helping but all I think about is that I don't care if I am damaging my body.

Anyone else have emotional eating? Or have you managed to control it?
Any help/ideas welcome
Thanks

Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Been there.
    Done that.
    Will probably do it again.

    I've got 2 crutches I lean on...
    (1) Caffeine. I'm not sure what it is about the stimulant, but it helps get my mind out of the gutter. Often times it helps me focus on something other than being miserable. It could be work, it could be a hobby around the house. It could be laundry or dishes. Just so long as it's something.

    (2) Do something. If I can find something to occupy my mind, I can usually get back whatever lul I'm bogged down by. I have a few hobbies, and I'll try to find a way to tinker with those things, or I'll do the housework I've been putting off.

    But ultimately, if I'm to the point where I don't care, then not much seems to help.

    I used to drink to make myself feel better. Now I eat. I consider that an improvement, but I'm trying to find some other, less destructive vice, to replace the eating. So far no luck.
  • Molly_234
    Molly_234 Posts: 89 Member
    I struggle with emotional eating as well and I find keeping busy is what helps me most. When my mind is occupied and I'm doing some type of physical activity (hiking, window shopping, anything out doors) I rarely think about food unless I am ACTUALLY hungry. Staying inside, watching tv, and moping around are all things that can trigger me to overeat.
  • RandiNoelle
    RandiNoelle Posts: 374 Member
    My comment would just be an echo of what @Molly_234 said. Find something to keep your mind preoccupied. Also, make sure you're eating enough. I always find my overeating days come towards the end of the week when I've been at too large of a deficient.
  • JacquiH73
    JacquiH73 Posts: 124 Member
    T-H-E-R-A-P-I-S-T.

    Numbing emotional pain with food addiction is just as physically damaging as using drugs or alcohol. I see an individual therapist and I participate in a support group twice a month.

    Even if you don't have decent insurance a lot of therapists offer sliding scale. You can often find one even without insurance for $40-50 per session and support groups are often free or just a few dollars suggested donation and there are many different support groups for different issues. Just do a web search for support groups in your county and state and you will find a list of lots of different meetings.

    Here's a couple groups that deal with eating issues specifically
    https://www.foodaddicts.org/
    https://oa.org/


    Finding better ways to cope with emotional stress besides over eating is key. Meditation and exercise are great ways to work through stress and depression. Yoga is a great combination of both and in addition to yoga centers you can learn yoga online through youtube for no cost.

    I made the conscious decision that I'm going to eat to live and not live to eat. Therapy helps a lot in keeping me on track and talking out my problems.
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Also understand that healthy eating isn't just about the nutrition, you have to enjoy what you are eating too. You don't want to eat depressive food on top of depression. Eat food you like, plan meals to give you enough food, and food you want to eat. Remove foods that are too tempting and too easy to overeat, but don't cut out entire food groups. We need a wide variety of foods in our diet to be happy and healthy.

    And then be aware that referring to food you want to eat, as unhealthy, sets you up for a constant inner conflict. Trying to control that, is like fighting the hydra. No food is off limit, but you need to eat responsibly. That is self-care, something you deserve. Eat for nourishment and enjoyment, but not to numb feelings.

    Very sound advice.

    I don't buy or bring home unhealthy food. No candies, no cookies, no highly processed foods. At the convenience store I buy trail mixes and flavored seltzer instead of soda, chips or candy. I steer clear of fast food restaurants. I eat healthy foods I like and indulge on occasion but try to keep it within my calorie goals. I'm not perfect and I falter/don't care from time to time. I don't beat myself up about it, I just move forward and work on doing better. Making yourself feel guilty for not sticking to your plan just gives you a reason to give in to failure.

    Losing weight and looking and feeling great bring me much more enduring happiness and a sense of well-being than eating sweet, salty or fatty food. Keep that in mind next time your think about eating your way to feeling better. HTH.

  • tlbutler57
    tlbutler57 Posts: 1 Member
    Yep. I lost my only child in June 2008. He was 28 with two babies. Was brutally murdered as he left his recording studio. His best friend murdered too. For no reason. Just a couple of low life thugs looking for a car to steal because they were too lazy to walk home. Anyway, it's been 8 and 1/2 years and I'm still heartbroken. It's something I'll never "get over", I guess. So, boy do I understand the emotional eating!!! I struggle with it every day. I've been thinking about finding an overeaters anonymous group in the area. Just not sure if it would help. Definitely not bringing home the junk food would help :/
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I go ride a bicycle when I'm having a bad day. Not only does it lift the mood, it does wonders for the calorie balance. Win win.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited February 2017
    A lot of people have found help through The Beck Diet Solution, a cognitive behavioral therapy approach to dealing with the emotional issues surrounding weight loss. There's a workbook that goes with it.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    tlbutler57 wrote: »
    Yep. I lost my only child in June 2008. He was 28 with two babies. Was brutally murdered as he left his recording studio. His best friend murdered too. For no reason. Just a couple of low life thugs looking for a car to steal because they were too lazy to walk home. Anyway, it's been 8 and 1/2 years and I'm still heartbroken. It's something I'll never "get over", I guess. So, boy do I understand the emotional eating!!! I struggle with it every day. I've been thinking about finding an overeaters anonymous group in the area. Just not sure if it would help. Definitely not bringing home the junk food would help :/

    Thats an incredible burden to bear - my heart goes out to you.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    A lot of people have found help through The Beck Diet Solution, a cognitive behavioral therapy approach to dealing with the emotional issues surrounding weight loss. There's a workbook that goes with it.

    Second this. It was a tremendous help to me.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    edited February 2017
    IonaEllen123 wrote: »
    Hi,
    I'm stuck with trying to lose weight. I set out a healthy week food plan which I stick to however I also emotional eat which is usually anything unhealthy & alot all at once. I suffer from severe depression so I usually eat lots when I am having a bad day which is usually every day. I know food isn't helping but all I think about is that I don't care if I am damaging my body.

    Anyone else have emotional eating? Or have you managed to control it?
    Any help/ideas welcome
    Thanks

    Exercise really helps my depression. I used cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to mostly transition from being an emotional eater to managing stress with exercise.

    I am sleep deprived today and was on the verge of a meltdown. Forced myself to go for a walk and feel much better.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    IonaEllen123 wrote: »
    Hi,
    I'm stuck with trying to lose weight. I set out a healthy week food plan which I stick to however I also emotional eat which is usually anything unhealthy & alot all at once. I suffer from severe depression so I usually eat lots when I am having a bad day which is usually every day. I know food isn't helping but all I think about is that I don't care if I am damaging my body.

    Anyone else have emotional eating? Or have you managed to control it?
    Any help/ideas welcome
    Thanks

    Exercise really helps my depression. I used cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to mostly transition from being an emotional eater to managing stress with exercise.

    I am sleep deprived today and was on the verge of a meltdown. Forced myself to go for a walk and feel much better.

    I'd even go so far as saying that forming the habit of regular exercise has changed my overall level of stress/anxiety permanently.

    I'm a very different person than I used to be since becoming an active person. It's like the time I spend in my head during my long walks and morning runs is the outlet I needed all those years when things would just bottle up inside of me and lead me to food. I never feel that constant simmering state of anxiety anymore.
  • doittoitgirl
    doittoitgirl Posts: 157 Member
    I have suffered from emotional eating and EDs for a long time. I find having someone to talk to helps. I don't know if you have a counselor but it helps having an unbiased party to support you. I have no insurance and can't afford one so I try to talk to people close to me when I have cravings. Even if it's after the fact, having someone to listen to me and support me helps. I don't know if you're on any medication either, but sometimes theres pills that can help your mood and kill your diet. I got really heavy on my last antidepressant and I just got off my bc because the side effects werent worth it. Overall, finding some outside support is key.
  • JacquiH73
    JacquiH73 Posts: 124 Member
    tlbutler57 wrote: »
    Yep. I lost my only child in June 2008. He was 28 with two babies. Was brutally murdered as he left his recording studio. His best friend murdered too. For no reason. Just a couple of low life thugs looking for a car to steal because they were too lazy to walk home. Anyway, it's been 8 and 1/2 years and I'm still heartbroken. It's something I'll never "get over", I guess. So, boy do I understand the emotional eating!!! I struggle with it every day. I've been thinking about finding an overeaters anonymous group in the area. Just not sure if it would help. Definitely not bringing home the junk food would help :/

    I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my husband suddenly and unexpectedly just a little over a year ago. Our young daughter hadn't even turned 2yo. The only thing I could imagine being worse is losing my child.

    After the initial shock of his passing I started eating for comfort. I remember finishing a plate of KFC potato wedges and gravy thinking to myself that I cannot let his death cause me to gain back all the weight I worked so hard to get off (at the time I had lost over 50lbs), so then the reverse happened and I refused to eat anything I deemed "unhealthy", ate very little because I had very little desire to cook or even grocery shop, and even when I did manage to eat I got violently ill from all the stress and grief. I lost 25lbs very rapidly in the three months following.

    With the help of supportive friends, attending grief support and an individual therapist I was able to get better. Started cooking again, eating out more and managing to hold my food down with the help of herbal supplements. I took stomach pills my doctor recommended but then my massage therapist recommended specific herbal supplements and they reduced my daily feeling of gastric distress rather significantly. More so than the medication.

    I definitely could have gone the other route of eating through my pain, but I made a conscious decision not to do so and sought the help that I needed and continue to need. It takes time to heal. Be gentle to yourself and try to take the best care of yourself that you can.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited February 2017
    You referred to this initially as "Repetitive Emotional Eating". It's part eating, it's part emotional, but also part repetitive. Aka compulsive. Compulsion - not OCD, but normal everyday compulsive thought/behavior - often comes from perfectionism, when we feel we aren't doing good enough, and should be able to do a lot better. Healthy eating is a holy grail for many people, it's something we really want to do, really feel that we should do, really think that we can do. But we're not really sure what it means, or why we should do it, and then we can't tell when we're doing it right, and we do lots of things that we don't have to, just to make sure we make enough effort. The constant feeling of not being good enough creates a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness, and those feelings are strong and unpleasant, but can be soothed effectively, although temporarily, by eating, especially by eating large amounts of exactly those foods we think we shouldn't be eating. This creates a downward spiral, obviously.

    Western mindset has made an advanced civilisation, science and knowledge possible. In certain aspects, it's crucial to be accurate and not make mistakes - surgery and aviation are two examples - nutrition for healthy adults is not one of them. The binary thinking - black/white, on/off, right/wrong, good/bad, healthy/unhealthy - is not appropriate for choosing what to eat. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrition over a certain period, but it's highly adaptable and will take what it needs if you just let it. You can set up a better environment (for instance - this helped me - not buy large amounts of "binge" type foods, but stock up on a variety of simple, nutritious, versatile single food ingredients, and learn to cook (which is fun when you make something you like), structure your life better (for instance have regular meals at regular intervals, get up and go to sleep at roughly the same time every day, exercise moderately) and then learn to trust your instincts. Your instincts are meant to guide you to survival and pleasure, not to be something you have to fight.
  • elfin168
    elfin168 Posts: 202 Member
    i find exercise helps. gives me an outlet - much like emotional eating does. loud music and taking it out on the treadmill lol (or bike or rower etc)
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