Emotional Eater

TaraLW86

Hey everyone,

I joined this website in hopes to meet other people like me to help gain the support I need to lose weight and achieve my goal. Let me tell you a little bit about myself...

I'm 5'3, 171 lbs, 25 years old. Although I do not have any kids yet, I do work 2 jobs and go to college full time. I am going into my senior year which is very stressful, on top of having to work 2 jobs just to make ends meet, the stress just adds up.

I've tried all crazy diets you can think of. Interactive Wii games, workout dvds, gyms, you name it I've most likely already tried it. I joined Planet Fitness for $10 a month, went for a while and now it just feels like an effort like I'm being "forced" into this ritual of exercise. I was on the swim team in high school and it kept me really active so I am thinking of getting back into swimming. I also have fallen in love with Zumba!

Now on to the real problem: FOOD. Food is my enemy. I love veggies and fruits and many healthy choices, however I have 1 very sedentary job and 1 mediocre job and when I am not working I am either sitting in a 3 hour class trying to stay awake or up late at night studying. In order to help me feel "happy and satisfied" I turn to food: McDonalds, Taco Bell, chips, pepperoni pizza, etc.

I'm sure some of you reading this are in the same boat I am in so I am hoping we can come together to support each other in our weight loss journies because I believe group support will result in better outcomes. For the rest who are on the right path and reading this, how can I stop leaning towards junk food as an outlet or a comfort zone? I need tons of support and ideas on how to fix my problem. I want to fix the problem, my heart is set on becoming a healthier me, but my mind likes to discourage me quite often. Any new ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Tara

charlotterick

Hi Tara,

I totally understand what you are going through. I use food as an emotional crutch & have suffered from weight problems as a result. It is very demoralising & mentally exhausting! It seems you are in a constant battle with yourself most of the time.

I find I tend to walk towards the fridge when bored, sad, angry etc etc! I found having a list of things to do instead of eating on the fridge helpful, ie other things I enjoy doing which would distract me or raise my mood level like reading a bit of a book I was enjoying, doing my nails, having a mini facial, just going for a walk or even just post on here & you will get loads of support. Sometimes, it is enough to distract me to forget I was off to chomp something.

However, it is easier said than done sometimes & having people to just offload your emotions can be a great help so feel free to add me as a friend if you want to.

Keep going, sometimes we are so hard on ourselves when in fact we are doing really quite well anyway.

Sorry if that was a garble, its early here in South Coast UK!

xx

feelingalone

Hi Tara,
I am a soon to be 42 yr old mom of 2 grown girls and 1 needy husband. The husband has Crohn's Disease and we have a strict diet for him. I work in a 911 dispatch center so am a butt sitter for 8 hours a day plus sleeping 8 hours a day. I don't get much exercise as that takes effort I don't have. I have lost 15 pounds just by talking to others who are in the same boat we are in. The people on here are SO WONDERFUL! All you have to do is keep on keeping on. You CAN do this. You have to believe in yourself and know that there are others out here like you who eat for the joy, sorrow and anything else we can think of. I started by chewing my food a few more times before swallowing it....That actually made me full faster, but being an emotional eater, it didn't matter if I was full or not....I WANT FOOD! I started paying a bit higher prices for some foods that are good for me and started to take a walk a day even if it was only around the block. Now that I've been doing that, I am feeling a bit better and don't eat as much because I feel good about what I am trying to do. Just try walking around the block once a day for a week and see the difference on how you feel. It is amazing. GOOD LUCK!!!! You CAN do this!

janesmith1

Support for Binge Eating Disorder thread
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/216083-support-for-binge-eating-disorder?page=6#posts-2955374

Food Addicts Anonymous thread
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/184627-food-addicts-anonymous?page=4#posts-2957446

I'm part of both threads. *Hugs*