Not sure where this would go - Emotional Eating

kkopp93

I have had a very stressful week. And the emotional eating cravings are terrible. I don't understand why I feel like this or why I think eating will make me feel better. It's like a vicious cycle. Does anyone have any ideas to curbing cravings? Or healthy emotional eating ideas? Motivation? Kind words? Anyone who share's the same struggle? I mean, if I really think about it, its like a form of suicide. I eat and eat and afterwards I regret it and in the long run it is clearly killing me.

Cloebb

If something bad ever happens in my life i always turn to eating, as the taste of Mcdonalds chips always seem to make everything better. But after i finish the feeling is still there and i just keep eating and eating as a way of coping.

Lately ive started thinking more about what that food does to me, think about how far you have come and is eating those fries really worth the extra one-hour of exercise tomorrow.

Try and figure out some less unhealthy options to eat for when your stressed, like some air popped popcorn or a big fruit salad, or even maybe go for a short walk and or anything to try and get your mind off your feelings.

Its a horrible habbit to get out of but like everything it takes time Just be positive!

mmcdonald700

I think that being aware of it is a great first step rather than just mindlessly doing it without thinking about it. Before I put food in my mouth I try to think ... why am I eating this? Do I need this for nutrition to fuel my body? Do I just want some pleasure from something that tastes good? Is it social eating? If you make yourself actively choose to eat something - for whatever reason, you can at least know I thought about it, I was in control and I made a decision to eat that. Sometimes when I want to eat something but I know I'm not actually hungry I just want the comfort of eating I first of all remind myself that my body has all the fuel it needs. If I really want a small piece or two of chocolate then yeah, I'll eat it - but I admit to myself it's not for nutrition it's purely for pleasure. Sometimes just changing what you're doing helps.... call a friend to chat, come on MFP, cuddle with your dog, go for a walk... these are all things that distract me/make me feel good the same feel-good feeling I get from eating! As you gradually build habits it will become natural to turn to things other than food. Of course, if you have an extremely severe case of emotional eating there is always professional help for it to to really get down to the root cause of why you are self-medicating with food - ie, depression, previous trauma, etc.

_celesse

It really is a terrible cycle. I feel bad pretty often (depression, low self-esteem, etc) and usually the first thing I want to do is stuff my face with something that will make me fatter. Sure it tastes good, but then I feel stupid and guilty for being so weak and allowing myself to rely on unhealthy foods to make me feel better. I haven't figured out how to get over that, so I am now just trying to will myself to have better discipline, since I KNOW I know better.

thistimewillbedifferent

When the emotion is anger or frustration, I have had wonderful success using boxing or shadowboxing to work through it. Now when I get upset, my first thought is "I want to punch something," when it used to be "I want nachos." Still working, however, on how to work through it when the emotion is fear or worry...

NuggetLovesEdie

I had one of those "EAT ALL THE THINGS!" days today. I blew about a third of my week's total caloric deficit today.

Usually what works is having a glass of water, asking myself if I'm mouth hungry or belly hungry, and asking myself if I'm hungry enough to eat a small apple or a couple of carrots and celery pieces.

My downfall today is the emotional backlog of stuff I have kept telling myself that I would "make time" to deal with but haven't yet gotten around to dealing with yet. It's all the emotional backlog of thoughts and feelings that drive me to distract, deny, and otherwise not DEAL with myself in the present moment.

The other downfall for me was not planning ahead for the reality that I would be around lots and lots of sugar (doughnuts, cookies, etc), and bringing healthier snacks.

One of the things that I've been finding helpful in general is to have a much more regular schedule, so my body gets used to being fed at certain times. Generally I can regulate my energy expenditure and monitor my body hunger that way (did I work out harder this morning or go for a longer walk?). I find that when I have regular "feeding times" it's easier for me to sort out the emotional/mouth hunger from the body/tummy hungry.

jennyharland1

Im so sorry you go through this. I do too! I have been an emotional eater since about junior high. Only last week I had a disappointment and "ate away my feelings". I wish I knew how to stop this from happening for you and for me, but I don't. I just decided to open up and be honest with my husband/best friend about what I do (binge eat crap when Im upset or down) and not to burden myself with guilt or let it destroy my goal of becoming a healthy person. I put the whole binge on my food diary too, so I acknowledged that it had happened, then moved on.

You know those signs at factories and stuff that say It has been 15 Days since the last incident? To show osha how safe they are? I think I'll make an incident sign for myself to show how many days since last binge. Maybe that will encourage me to make the "incidents" fewer and further apart!

I hope it helps you to know you are not alone!

NuggetLovesEdie

I really like your idea of XX days since last incident!

There's a concept in cognitive psychology about continuity of behaviors... Try to not "break the chain" of successive days without incident. How long can the chain be?

SonicDeathMonkey80

Get in your car and go somewhere, or smoke a couple Marlboros

kellymac518

when i feel those emotional eating cravings i try to avoid them by coming on this website and reading through various message boards... not only does it keep me from actually eating and pass the time until my next meal, but it also motivates me reading what others are saying about losing weight.

wigglypuff

Wow, I'm pleased to find you! I deal with the exact same thing. But instead of seeing it as a problem to try and fix, I just think about EVERY small change I can make in my food choices. For me, most of my cravings happen during my 2nd meal or after. I'd expect it's the same for you. One big tip would be to always have a healthy breakfast and work your way into the afternoon feeling proud and confident, then MORE pride and confidence to carry over dinner time. Work hard, sista!
One thing I realized is that your mental focus is such a huge player in your dieting. Repeatedly I can tell myself how much weight I need to lose while I glare at my body or at an unappealing plate of vegetables. But that leads me no where. Think of how self-motivating that money-saving salad or smoothie is during other times of the day, like when you're driving to school/work, spending time with friends, or doing other activities unrelated to dieting.
Of course, you will still have those annoying cravings. I get them too, and trust me, I struggle, struggle, and struggle. But NO cheat meal can be considered a failure.
You can make changes that handle your junk food desires for you. How? Stick to a plan of light eating for 3 weeks. Typically, I never hear this from people who want to lose weight. They're idea is "calories in, calories out." But cravings will not go away unless you habitually put those sweets/guilty foods on the bottom of your food list. Grocery shopping lists are soooo essential. 80% healthy foods/drinks that will HELP your dieting, and 20% foods/drinks that will REWARD your dieting.
I wish you the best of luck on your health journey. It's a tough ride, but definitely worth every new step you take, no matter how small. My whole experience with dieting is not one to brag about, but I still get up from my downfalls with greater expectations. How badly you want to see your life change transforms your mind into this health-freak, guider star! Shine bright. Haha

Hitesc

It happens to me All the time, during exams I binge like mad cause of stress and then beat myself over it afterwards.... But after exams I tell myself I have no excuses and go extra hard at the gym to compensate

aalbert_82

I hear you OP. I have struggled with emotional eating in the past. I second the suggestion of psychotherapy (if you are able and even if it's mild to moderate) in order to gain insight into what is driving your eating behaviour and figuring out other ways of coping. If you want to go the self-help route, books by Geneen Roth are great ie. Feeding the Hungry Heart. There are also great books on mindful eating, and the bonus to that is developing a mindfulness practice can help with all kinds of things in general. A cool mindful eating exercise to try is eating a raisin mindfully ie. hold it in your hand, look at it, feel the texture, smell it, put it in your mouth, chew it very slowly paying close attention to the experience.

kczarnec

Author Geneen Roth has some great books on the topic. Check her out when you have a chance!

MaryMBacon

I wrote a blog pot on my website on this www.coachmarybacon,com two in fact. Some tips are to make a list ahead of time of things to do & people to call when bored, lonely & stressed. Brush teeth and use listerine and for women (only because men look at me like I have 6 heads when I suggest it) knit or crochet because you can do that while watching TV or talking on the phone and then you can't eat.
Do your nails -- it makes you feel pampered and pretty and then you can't reach into a bag of chips.
It's a big problem for dieters but it's something you can overcome.

sarahsummers12

I know the feeling and the cycle well :-(... It's the most horrible feeling. I've been given suggestions like go for a walk, or do 20 pushups every time you want to eat - but lets face it - the last thing you feel like doing in that moment is push ups... Best of luck with finding a solution that works for you though. I have taken to laying down and shutting my eyes for 15-20 mins (which isn't always appropriate depending where you are at time of craving..lol), but I find if I have a rest, the craving will often pass - whereas if I go looking for food it usually ends up in a binge landslide where I eat everything in sight... Good luck!

jooliecoolie18

i'm with you, girl. i'm actually a pretty fit person, i workout regularly and am an active runner, but when it comes to eating, i just don't have any boundaries. the worst part is that i turned 30 last year (31 is looming around the corner) and since then my body just cannot bounce back like it used to. besides that, i work at a desk full time and so have very little activity for at least 40 hrs/week.

my husband works evenings so i often find myself sitting on the couch eating all night long, without any breaks, in front of the tv. i'm guessing the tv is usually on when you are binge eating too?

i just started something new this week. its nothing revolutionary, but i'm on my second day and it seems to be helping me so far. and that is to meal plan, meal plan, meal plan.

on sunday i went grocery shopping and i bought a lot of lunch treats for myself for during my work week. some different ideas; greek yogurts with the granola on the side, little babybel cheeses, tuna fish, eggs for egg salad, romaine lettuce hearts to have lettuce wraps instead of bread sandwiches, also almond rice crackers and salsa. on sunday night i entered all my foods into myfitnesspal app to achieve my calorie goal for monday. (i even had room for a slice of boston cream cake at the end of the day!) the goal is to find foods that are fulfilling, so when i'm aggravated at work and want to emotionally eat all the chips in the vending machine, i have my cheddar rice crackers and salsa instead to curb that craving. i've already planned ahead to find a healthy alternative that is equally satisfying. actually more satisfying when you count the fact that afterwards you don't want to kill yourself for binging!

i found that monday night i still wanted an extra sliver of boston cream pie, and so i indulged myself. which pushed me a bit over my calorie goal. but 100 calories over my goal for the day sure beats 1000 calories over, which is what can typically happen to me. the nighttime's alone are definitely going to be difficult but if i keep planning ahead i hope to find the willpower to say enough is enough!

i hope this helps and good luck to you! if i can do it, so can you! be positive and if you mess up, just pick yourself up and start again!! it happens to everyone!

4realrose8

I'm in the beginning of my journey to health, but I've learned setting myself up for success and meal planning with the right types of foods helps a lot. For me, personally, I have much better control of "emotional eating" when I keep my carbs under 100 grams (mostly from veggies/salads, nuts, full fat greek yogurt, low GI fruits, and occasional grains like brown rice) and increase my fats and protein intake. When I just don't have my trigger foods in the house, it's much easier to avoid emotional eating. Also, I'm working on reaching for green tea or water with lemon, music, journaling, etc. to help with getting to the root of my emotions.

It's not easy, so hang in there.

1princesswarrior

I am an advocate for counseling if you can get it. It will help to understand what leads to your emotional eating and help you develop coping skills not related to food. If not, try to find at least one person you can talk to. Heck I talk to my horse and my dogs. They are the best listeners. But it just helps to talk.

But maybe you could try meditation and deep breathing exercises to help recenter yourself when you feel like you're losing control.

Every_Day_Is_A_New_Day

I read Made to Crave by Lysa Turkhuerst... and its really helped me over come my emotional eating by like 95%.. i pray it will help u too ♡

Every_Day_Is_A_New_Day

You were made for more than this vicious cycle of defeat!

4realrose8

I read Made to Crave by Lysa Turkhuerst... and its really helped me over come my emotional eating by like 95%.. i pray it will help u too ♡

I second the recommendation of Made to Crave by Lysa Turkhuerst. So inspirational!