Umm help

whatalazyidiot

I am having some serious issues with just wanting to stress eat my weight in donuts and fries all day. I haven't yet.. but it's like I keep riding wave after wave of my dumb brain telling me JUST DO IT, over and over again.

A little background: I have MAJOR issues with food. Food addiction, compulsive overeater, binge eating disorder, emotional eating crazy person right here. A severely damaged relationship with food, combined with anxiety, depression, and holiday stress is making staying on track very difficult.

The weight is also coming off a little slower than it used to (an age thing maybe), and because of that, I don't have that little extra push to keep going.

I'll jump on the treadmill later and hopefully that helps to de-stress a little, but what do I do until then?! What does everyone else do to get past these moments?

cmriverside

Do you meditate? Have you been to therapy? How about reading uplifting things or listening to podcasts or taking a long walk.

It's a process to stop turning to food for comfort. It took me a good amount of time to get on top of the emotions that led me to eat. It was mostly my inability to establish healthy boundaries and to defend those with kindness and grace.

If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution.

whatalazyidiot

cmriverside wrote: »

Do you meditate? Have you been to therapy? How about reading uplifting things or listening to podcasts or taking a long walk.

It's a process to stop turning to food for comfort. It took me a good amount of time to get on top of the emotions that led me to eat. It was mostly my inability to establish healthy boundaries and to defend those with kindness and grace.

If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution.

Very good way to put it. I Haven't been to therapy yet. Probably should in the new year though. It's like my rational brain knows that stress eating will not take away any of the stress, it's just a temporary bandaid, and probably make it worse in the long run out of guilt. But the other part of my brain screams at me a lot too.

So far, since I re-started 13 days ago, I have been able to kind of ride these waves out. So, it's progress, but my instinct is still to have that short-term solution to a long-term problem.

cmriverside

I did a lot of journal-writing when I was trying to get binge eating under control. It helps to see in writing whatever little thoughts are simmering. I would try to pinpoint the actual emotion. Is it anger, frustration, boredom? What is it exactly? Then I came up with other ways of treating that emotion.

The act of writing it down ( I just used my computer ) is enough to break the craving, or the conditioned response, if you will. It made me take a pause for a few minutes. That's usually enough to slow the brain down in my experience.

kimny72

Can you keep something near you that you can turn to in a pinch instead? A quick game on your phone, someone you can text whose response will make you laugh, that sort of thing? I can't speak to any issues that a therapist would be needed for, but sometimes wanting yummy food is a habit. And the best way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with another habit.

I find when I'm not really hungry, I'm just snacky, a diet soda or a fruity herbal tea can help. I honestly think in addition to giving my brain something to taste, the act of getting up and walking into the kitchen/breakroom helps. I also keep Dove Dark Chocolate Promises pretty much everywhere because they are 40 calories, taste better if you let them melt in your mouth a bit, and take a few seconds to unwrap.

If you're a reader, check out The Power of Habit by I think the author's name is Duhigg or something like that. Easy read, interesting anecdotes, and lots of science all around habit and habit change.

mbaker566

i did find reminding myself about food is only the answer if hunger is the issue.
do something to take your mind off the idea. exercise, journal about the feelings, call a friend, etc
you can try therapy or decide if something like overeaters anonymous is for you in the long run

cheryldumais

I walk to try to get it off my mind. The treadmill isn't the same for some reason. The park filled with deer, birds and squirrels is better at taking my mind off food.

JeromeBarry1

I'm not in drag so I have no idea how to speak to a woman, hooray for 2018, but what works for me is that when I have the presence of mind to recognize that binging beckons I have also the opportunity to get on a cardio machine in my home to sweat that emotion right out of my pores.

cariwaldick

As Kimny said, replace bad habits with good ones. Think of the opportunities you have to binge, and put something in place to keep that from happening. If it's when you relax and watch TV, do crunches during commercials instead. If it's your break at work, walk around and talk to people--chase pokemon even. Look for those moments when you're tempted, and take that opportunity to do something more productive. I crochet a lot, which keeps my hands and mind busy, and occupies my lap so it's an effort to stop and put it aside.

All of your reasons and excuses mean you need a lot of small interventions. Chew sugarless gum. Drink lots of water. Brush and floss your teeth after every meal. Put snacks out of reach, so you need a stool to get them. Give the food away if you can. Keep things you don't like for guests. Freeze the goodies. ALWAYS have good choices on hand, ready to grab in a moment of weakness. Divide food into individual portion baggies. Challenge a friend to a daily confession for accountability. Wear clothes without elastic. Take a daily vitamin to eliminate nutrients as an excuse to eat.

Mostly, change your mental dialogue. You won't always have major issues with food, so start claiming it now. Don't look at yourself as a helpless prisoner to your body's demands. You're not dumb! You're not an idiot! You've been coping with stress in a way that worked, but it's not good for you. Maybe you could find something to hit? Maybe you could go someplace private and scream, jump up and down, swear, and vent about what's stressing you out? Maybe before you hurt yourself with food, you should go after your stressor? Learn to say 'no.' Learn to let go, and cut loose whatever's dragging you down.

whatalazyidiot

cheryldumais wrote: »

I walk to try to get it off my mind. The treadmill isn't the same for some reason. The park filled with deer, birds and squirrels is better at taking my mind off food.

Yeah it doesn't seem to be for distraction purposes. I have a treadmill at home, so it's tempting to use that more often. I do miss walking more outside though.

88olds

Maybe try to wring some of the emotion out of the process.

You don’t really want to eat your weight in donuts, fries or anything else. That’s a wild exaggeration. That part of your brain that says it wants to do those things wants something. What is it? It isn’t dumb. If you figure it out, it’s likely reasonable on some level.

Maybe quit calling yourself names. Consider a new screen name. Weight loss is about problem solving. It’s a skill set. Habit management, good habits and bad. It’s not about character. Trying to beat yourself into it will just result in a beating, not weight loss.

Give yourself a break. You can do this. Embrace the process, plan, execute, food diary, problem solve. Calorie counting works. I found it a huge relief to have an alternative to good day- eat. Bad day- eat. Happy, angry, stressed- eat eat eat. There is a way out.

And exercise is a great stress reducer. Overrated for weight loss, but great for our heads.

whatalazyidiot

88olds wrote: »

Maybe try to wring some of the emotion out of the process.

You don’t really want to eat your weight in donuts, fries or anything else. That’s a wild exaggeration. That part of your brain that says it wants to do those things wants something. What is it? It isn’t dumb. If you figure it out, it’s likely reasonable on some level.

Maybe quit calling yourself names. Consider a new screen name. Weight loss is about problem solving. It’s a skill set. Habit management, good habits and bad. It’s not about character. Trying to beat yourself into it will just result in a beating, not weight loss.

Give yourself a break. You can do this. Embrace the process, plan, execute, food diary, problem solve. Calorie counting works. I found it a huge relief to have an alternative to good day- eat. Bad day- eat. Happy, angry, stressed- eat eat eat. There is a way out.

And exercise is a great stress reducer. Overrated for weight loss, but great for our heads.

Thanks. I agree with most of what you said, but I am a sarcastic person by nature, which is why this is my screen name I don't like taking myself too seriously most of the time, and I like my name to reflect that. Totally with you on everything else though!

whatalazyidiot

Thanks everyone - I survived! Stayed under my calorie goal, the treadmill and journaling helped HUGE. Also, this re-start has been different because I am able to kind of separate my emotional eating brain (Eventually if I'm patient) from my rational brain so far. I just hope it's progress. I'm really glad I posted, because I needed other people to kind of rationalize it with me.