Falling off the wagon HARD

What have you guys done to replace emotional eating? The last week has been tough with 2020 normal stress plus family fighting, deciding the possible future of my husband's career vs becoming the stay-at-home parent, and now our dog most likely will need to be put down (lost our other dog only a year ago). I'm at the end of my rope and went on a binge of pizza and brownies. I knew I shouldn't, but didn't care. What do you guys do to keep it from happening?

Replies

  • Megan_smartiepants1970
    Megan_smartiepants1970 Posts: 43,257 Member
    Sorry you are having a rough time ...I hope it gets better for you ....What I have done in the past is gone on a long walk with my daughter and dogs
  • lauragreenbaum
    lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,017 Member
    Well, first I forgive myself when I fall off the wagon. Times are very hard right now for everyone and it's a scary, uncertain world. When I fall, I take a deep breath, reach out to a supportive friend, then I get back on that wagon.
  • Geneveremfp
    Geneveremfp Posts: 504 Member
    Love yourself through it. Tomorrow is another fresh day to start again and do is the day after that and the day after that one. I recently lost my beautiful dog at six years old and it was really hard especially as I was dealing with family things as well. I really got hard into running during that time and I would mentally run from my anxieties until all I was focused on was my breathing then I would go home. Find something that takes your focus from food and is cathartic as well. Be kind to yourself. Realise that while weightloss is good for your health so are other things so prioritising is important. You can get through this

    Such a great response.

    You're not a terrible person for making a few non ideal food choices. Get back on the horse when you can.

    I personally have found exercise a great filler. I love yoga when I'm feeling rubbish. There's a yoga with Adriene called yoga for vulnerability that I do when it's all a bit much and have a good cry. Not going to be a fix all but it's helped me.
  • SBDino
    SBDino Posts: 1 Member
    I know this isn't an option for everyone (finance, schedule, what have you) but the number one thing that helps me control binge eating is therapy. Once I started to address the source of the emotions that led me to binge, the urge was less pronounced. I still have my bad days but it's more like once very two weeks now instead of every single day.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    @NovusDies , that is all so well said. Every word of it is true for me.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    I have no wiser words than has already been shared but just wanted to send you a cyber hug and wishes that you can turn it around. Stress, worries, depression, emotional eating is a very difficult thing to control when it (temporarily!!) makes you feel better. Unfortunately, when the food is long gone, the emotions are still there and if you're like me, you're also feeling failure, guilt, lack of self control which only prolongs the same vicious cycle. Take care of YOU and know YOU'RE worth taking care of. Maybe journaling your emotions and thoughts may help?
  • ElioraFR
    ElioraFR Posts: 91 Member
    if it happens more than a couple of times I set myself back to maintenance and try to get more walking. I realize something might be wrong and sit with myself and listen.
  • creesama
    creesama Posts: 128 Member
    lgfrie wrote: »
    There's no easy answer to your question. If there was a reliable and easy way to not binge when stressed, the world's population would be stick thin and there'd be no MFP.

    That said, oh man has 2020 been stressful for me, in so many ways. We (wife and I) did lose the diet thread for a while when we were hit with coronavirus lockdown, then death of her father, who was in a senior care facility in NY when all the infected people were sent to the old folks homes and killed them, and we lost our 14 year old cat, and so many other things. It did seem like the diets were the last things we had any emotional space available for, and we did gain a few pounds.

    The way we regrouped was by (a) just accepting the small regains as par for the course (because it is 2020 and in 2020 everything goes wrong) so that we weren't transferring general life stress over to diet stress too, and (b) setting calories to maintenance for a while and really being strict about it, with the counting, logging, and so forth. We just couldn't run a calorie deficit with all the stress, but we were able to run break-even weeks and track the food pretty well. So I would recommend that - just forget about dieting until other things settle down, and focus on maintaining but being strict about it.

    Switching over to maintenance a times when dieting isn't going to work anyway, is highly underrated. It's very doable, and a huge improvement on gaining weight.


    Thank you for responding, maintenance mode is a great idea. I feel like I can manage that and not feel guilty or like I'm back sliding.

    And just for more context, I know 1 day isn't a big deal, the pizza/brownie binge was just the pinnacle of the last 3-4 days. It's been a ramp up. But I now have some really good suggestions to try and appreciate the help from everyone. I've got a tough rest of the week ahead with a heartbreaking possible decision to make. Having some strategies ready is making me feel better, even if just a little.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    SBDino wrote: »
    I know this isn't an option for everyone (finance, schedule, what have you) but the number one thing that helps me control binge eating is therapy. Once I started to address the source of the emotions that led me to binge, the urge was less pronounced. I still have my bad days but it's more like once very two weeks now instead of every single day.

    Yes, I started stress eating in March and reached out for CBT-based therapy, with mixed results, I think partly because she was an intern. I'm switching to more therapy therapy shortly.