Emotional eating help

melharper1976

Hi all, I am , yet again, starting out on my weight loss journey again, my main vice is boredom and emotional eating, If I get sad, or bored, I tend to just eat, had anyone got any realistic tips for me please.
Thanks.

ktsmom430

The only thing that has worked for me is the realization that I really want it this time, and asking myself every time I am tempted it it is worth the calories. The answer is NO. I never want to go back to where I was.
I keep raw carrots, celery and radishes in the refrigerator at all times and they are my go to foods when I am tempted. They take a lot of chewing and have very few calories.
Another very helpful thing for me has been coming to MFP and reading the success stories. It is very motivating.

You can do this too!

jkidney

I am just beginning my journey as well. I am a stress eater. When I get stressed I go for the sugar/salt to perk me up. Well the perking me up has caused me to gain about 50 lbs in 7 years...yikes. Considering I already had 30 lbs to loose before that! I think the advice the first person gave is good. For me, it is maintaining the mental thought that the goal is what I'm working for. I need to face it the same way I quit smoking. Just don't do it. Every time I fall off the wagon is a step back. I want to move forward this time. I want to be able to do things I never thought I could. I know I can do it, and so can you. Online support is a good thing. Today when I'm faced with a craving I'm going to clean something, or just plain move around. Eventually my mind will get distracted and I'll loose the craving. That is my goal for today. Wish me luck.

invisibubble

A good thing to do is find something else to fill that gap. When you're bored/sad/stressed, try doing different things. If one doesn't work, try another. Keep trying until you find something that works. You need to identify when your triggers start so you can head them off in a healthier way. Go for a walk. Do some chores. Call someone. Write in a journal. Read some blogs. Do exercise. Get a new hobby. There's just a few ideas.

super_J73

I'm struggling right now with this. I was 5 pounds away from my goal, now I'm 10. I thought I had it under control. Sometimes life knocks, you down...get back up fighting. This morning I went into my closet and looked at the jeans I wore when I was my heaviest and that helped a lot. I can't imagine going back there.

Boogage

I do this too so I keep some low cal chocolaty treats in the cupboard because all I want is something sweet but don't want to completely screw my diet. I read the other day that if you pipe yogurt drops (a good tasty yogurt of course) onto a tray and freeze them they are very good for satisfying a sweet craving and they look like chocolate drops but with a lot less calories. Hmmm I really should give this a try....

videonasties

I might understand. I also struggle with emotional eating, compulsive overeating and binging. Though I've had success avoiding binges and poor eating choices since I started therapy for compulsive overeating. It's a group therapy setting where we set goals and learn skills and talking about body image issues. It's really helped me. Maybe do some research and see if there are similar groups in your area?

ETA: Some things I do to avoid overeating and emotional eating is just drinking lots of water. If I get tempted, I drink a big glass of water, wait 10 minutes and then see how I feel. I also avoid stocking snacks in my pantry and fridge in the first place. And finally, I have my "inspiration" dress (a dress I used to fit into) hanging in my kitchen. Whenever I feel the urge to binge, I look at the dress and it helps calm me down and focus on what I really want.

sun_fish

I am an emotional eater as well. A couple of things that helped me are: understanding what true hunger is and what the physical sensations feel like, making a list of things I can do when the desire to eat arises but I am not truly hungry and keeping that list on the fridge or pantry door, and realizing that if I eat when I am not hungry I have not "blown it" for the day. I don't beat myself up anymore, I just tell myself I will have another chance to make better choices that same day (or the next day if it is late). It takes time to change the way we view food, it won't happen overnight, but each day if you make even some small progress you are going in the right direction. It might also help to write down each morning one goal for the day, something very simple. Best of luck to you. :flowerforyou:

sare_bear90

I have also been an emotional/boredom eater for the past 3 years, and it caused me to gain 120 pounds. I tried so many things to stop it including going to a nutritionist, counseling, etc. A few weeks ago I started exercising every day and that is what has made me stop eating out of boredom and emotion (plus, exercising and seeing the positive things it is doing to my body has definitely cheered me up so I'm not feeling down all the time, and I think, is this food worth it, because I have to exercise it off later). Whenever I would eat from boredom or emotion it was always in secret because I was ashamed. None of my friends or family really know the extent of the things I would eat because I would leave my house to eat or if I ate at home I would hide the food wrappers until I could take them to a public trash can so that my family wouldn't see the evidence of what I had done. Now my cravings are probably 90% gone, and I'm mostly able to control them. And I don't eat in secret anymore. If I do indulge, I will let family/friends see me. I am so much happier this way! Oh and one other thing that works to help with cravings is to brush your teeth or chew some gum. Good luck, and feel free to message me!

FalloutAngel

I really hope this helps because the only thing that's helped me stop is to
Let yourself feel ALL your emotions,don't try to drown them with food.Sure it will help you forget everything for a while because you'll be concentrated on chewing but you'll be right back where you started after.:)