Fighting the urge to emotional eat

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karamille
karamille Posts: 79 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have been plugging along diligently and watching the weight come off slowly but steadily. I've went thru a couple of stressful periods with little to no emotional eating despite the desire too. I went for a walk, called up a friend, took the kids on a family outing, etc... But when life throws you a big ugly life changing curveball that is going to be a stressor for a very long time... how do you "fix" the desire to comfort yourself with food? I can feel my fight/flight/eat response kicking in and not sure how to cope with it.

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  • elksy
    elksy Posts: 45
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    That's a tough one... let me know if you find out. x_x I find that drinking tea often helps... it doesn't satisfy the craving per se, but it keeps it at bay until it fades away.
  • jpierce8806
    jpierce8806 Posts: 44
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    That's what we're here for. Please feel free to friend me. I know what that's like. That's how I gained all my weight.
  • wintermama13
    wintermama13 Posts: 172 Member
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    I'm sorry to hear about the curveball. :frown: Just keep reminding yourself why you are doing this. When I feel an emotional binge coming on I try to get myself to stop, think, think some more, and put down/walk away from whatever it is. I try to make myself realize that eating because I'm stressed out is never going to make me feel better. Good luck!
  • anolan807
    anolan807 Posts: 273 Member
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    Eat something healthy if you really need to eat something. Keep up the workout to try and get away from the urge, but if you do have to have something at least by working out your still burning the calories off..
  • cjwolfjen
    cjwolfjen Posts: 323 Member
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    it sounds corny but i really thinks its all mind over matter. i find comfort in food too. i like to eat when i am stressed. i force myself not to, and when i say force i mean literally FORCE myself not to. And I don't always win. But I try... It is really hard because sometimes I literally do feel really hungry. But I just force myself not to eat. Then when I go to bed I feel so satisfied that I stayed strong. The satisfaction feeling from not eating feels better than the short bliss of eating followed by guilt. The only thing I can say is, you came this far and you've made so many changes already, you should have a good bit of habits formed just STICK TO THEM. Life throws you curve balls all the time. If it is a very hard thing to deal with, then don't beat yourself up if you eat a little more. Just try again the next day to make better choices.
  • mrsDanielleRyan
    mrsDanielleRyan Posts: 3
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    Watch an episode of "The Biggest Loser" on Hulu! That will give you inspiration and motivation to fight through. I would suggest also going to the gym. If you are not truly hungry, just want to comfort yourself, going to the gym will get you through and make you feel good about yourself. Also make sure to drink lots of water- it keeps you full. Lastly, and this is kind of silly, but you can go try on some of you clothes that fit you now that didn't when you started trying to loose weight. That will remind you of how far you have come and how great you feel NOT eating just to eat. Good luck!
  • guppygirl322
    guppygirl322 Posts: 408 Member
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    I am a very big emotional eater. I have eaten my weight up and down quite a bit. The only thing that helps is mind over matter. It's an awful reality, but a true one. Force yourself to think of the damage you are doing to your body by over eating, or eating the wrong foods. Think of the fortune you will have to spend on medications one day if you make yourself sick through unhealthy eating.

    A miracle happens when you have been eating healthy for a while. You don't really want to eat for emotional reasons anymore. I've just noticed over the last week or so that I'm not craving junky foods, and I don't really want to stuff myself to make myself feel better.

    Just give yourself time to change, and know that you will.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I am an emotional eater. When I'm super stressed or super mad - food is what I want to comfort me. I've learned that - for me - trying to fight the urge to eat makes it worse. My brain will go into "food mode" and I literally can not think of anything BUT food. So, I've learned to go ahead and eat something - but make sure that it is something I can control the portion size of it. Usually I want something salty and then something sweet. Then I feel better. So, I will eat a pre-portioned veggie straws or pop chips. Then comes the sugary side -- I usually eat a Skinny Cow heavnely crisp bar or something else pre-portioned. Then I drink water and I go do something. It works for me. I don't tend to binge anymore. :)

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