Stress/ Emotional eating- How do you stop?

Curves73

Hi All,
I had a great 2010. Lost 40 lbs and then had some family stress and I'm struggling to not gain it all back. Eating due to the stress and emotion. Any advice?

rhodes2b

Replace the emo eating with something positive. Gym time..
. Kickboxing... walk the dog

jpmajors

Find a substitute, helping others works for me. Talk to someone is always a great idea deal with the stress

aprils4961

I just went through a stressful test. I had lost 10lbs. prior to studying and stressing and I think I gained it all back. However, I find that one thing that kind of sooths me when I'm really stressing is taking hot baths just to kind of gather my mind. I also do EFT tapping which is surprisingly very calming and relaxing, i can also describe it as empowering at times. I know when you try it the first time you'll probably be like what the heck is this going to do but believe me it does help just give it a chance.

weesie1

First, great job on the weight loss! I bet you feel wonderful! I'm jealous!

Keep writing everything down. The guilt keeps me from reaching for the Doritos. According to i fit & healthy ( http://ifitandhealthy.com/how-long-do-food-cravings-last/ ) food cravings last 4-12 minutes. I set a timer and work hard at something else, and usually, I'm involved enough to ignore the timer and keep going. It usually works. It's hard when food has been a crutch for so long (and for me it has been), but I've found that eating a balanced diet and distraction seems to be the best method.

If emotional eating gets to be a real problem, it may be something you want to talk to your doctor about.

You can overcome it though! You've made such great progress already!

nonnahs413

I agree with everyone else. Find something else to do during those weak moments. Play a game online, find you a good book, or take a walk to clear your head. Kickboxing would be great too! Work off that stress and burn calories. For me, I have something most of the time to chew on. I dont smoke so, I have gum, mints, or jolly ranchers to keep my mouth busy. It helps me to get through those times when I feel hoo-hum. My brain thinks that I am eating so the "fill me up" meter goes away. It probably sounds silly, but it works for me. Congrats on your weight-loss journey so far. Keep up the good work!

HeadbanditAsh

Good advice all around! Sometimes I have a problem recognizing when I'm actually hungry and when I'm just upset and stressed, so I usually give myself 20 minutes to see if I'm actually hungry or not. In the meantime I'll either distract myself by doing something random (reading, keyboard practice, games, etc.) or taking steps to fix the thing that I'm most likely to be worried about at the time. I find that my hunger heavily subsides or goes away completely seven times out of ten. If I'm still hungry after those 20 minutes are up I'll grab something, but because I took the time to calm down I'm much less likely to act ravenous. Hopefully you can find a system that works for you!