Help with stress/emotional eating

Serenitytoo

Hi All,

I am a stress/emotional eater and the stress I have been fighting for the last year and a half has not done me well on the weight loss front. Any time my stress peaks so do my calories in and my energy levels plummet. I have had a couple of anxiety attacks as well as I have gone though this ordeal and I find when I am going through one it is almost impossible to not turn to food. I know the stress load will not lessen for at least another 4-6 months and that is out of my control.

I know many say exercise can help relieve stress, and I am trying to get that back on track after having 2 major chest colds in the last 4 weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions on any other coping strategies? My motivation has been pretty much nonexistent for the last while and I am not sure how to get it back.

Thanks :flowerforyou:

AllyS7

When I'm stressed if I can't run, (So good for clearing my head) I run some bath water, light some candles turn on some relaxing tunes...OH I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER ALREADY!

flying_woman

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Therapy, a program based in meditation that can help you destress, and decouple emotional eating from stress response. Check out a book called Full Catastrophe Living in your local library, or the book MP3 on iTunes. It is an invaluable skill to develop.

Panda86

Deep breathing. Sounds kinda dumb, and maybe too simple, but so many people forget the power of energizing breathing. Go outside or somewhere nice, or light a candle. Just close your eyes and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. It does wonders for me. Also, hobbies! Preferably ones that make use of your hands! I prefer knitting and crocheting, because then I have something neat to show for it. Drawing is also good, writing in a journal, emailing friends. Turn the stress you are feeling into something good. And when you do feel better, walking is an awesome reliever of stress. Just a stroll. Don't worry about how many calories you are burning. Just enjoy the outdoors, take in some scenery. Hope that helps!

zakku1

Yikes, that's a hard one for me too.

I try to talk myself down from stress eating, remind myself why I'm doing this and what the goal is, and what I've achieved so far.

I also try to swap out the junk for healthy stuff (like carrots with a 100 cal pack of guacamole), or portion control the junk.

zakku1

Also, yoga! I always feel goofy when the guy on the yoga videos in hulu tells me to feel my stress falling away like leaves but I feel really relaxed by the end.

sparklypoof

to keep me from rummaging in the kitchen, I turn to crafts. I put on some fun music, and focus on knitting, crocheting, drawing, painting, sewing, paper stuffs - whatever will keep my hands busy and my mind occupied. sometimes 'll try and learn a new stitch, or sometimes 'll end up cleaning out a whole section of crafty stuffs and re-organizing everything. even just taking 15-30 mins to switch gears and focus on something just for fun, for the sake of creating something, really helps.

Serenitytoo

Thanks all! Those are some really good ideas. I just need to force myself to get up and do some of them!:laugh: