Emotional Eating.....

RainbowNtheWaterfall

I hate to keep bringing the emotional eating thing up but I'm really trying to understand it better so I can overcome it. What I want to know is if you have so many different things going on at one time that could be causing stress, how do you identify which one is causing you to eat?...Sometimes I have a tendency to think of more than one problem at one time....I might be thinking of the how to solve it, who's involved, how I can help, if I should leave it alone and alot of the time, I'm the one who has the problem...*sigh* so many different thoughts for so many different problems....do you ever have so many things going on you don't know where to start to beginning fixing things to help you feel better?...Any suggestions?

RainbowNtheWaterfall

I hate to keep bringing the emotional eating thing up but I'm really trying to understand it better so I can overcome it. What I want to know is if you have so many different things going on at one time that could be causing stress, how do you identify which one is causing you to eat?...Sometimes I have a tendency to think of more than one problem at one time....I might be thinking of the how to solve it, who's involved, how I can help, if I should leave it alone and alot of the time, I'm the one who has the problem...*sigh* so many different thoughts for so many different problems....do you ever have so many things going on you don't know where to start to beginning fixing things to help you feel better?...Any suggestions?

1Corinthians13

Oh honey, welcome to my life. I don't even know where to start fixing things. Everything in my life is so interconnected like a house of cards, and either way everything's going to come crashing down and will be a mess to clean up. Sometimes, it's seems better to just let everything stay the way it is because it's going to get worse before it gets better.

I've been tempted to binge lately. Actually, it's almost all i can think about right now - going home and eating a bunch of things that aren't good for me that I know I shouldn't eat.

Have you tried just writing? Journaling everything? Don't think about what you're typing (or writing). Just let the words flow. If you don't think about it, perhaps whichever problem is most pressing will come out on top, and you'll figure out what you need to do. Meanwhile, your hands will be busy, and you won't be eating!

Chellekk

My thought and hope this does not come out wrong and I might be way off but here's my thought on eating/stress.

It's not the stress, it's the habit you've created due to the stress. I have 4 HIGH STESS days at work each month and on those days I always crave chocolate. Some days I used to indulge, some days I didn't. Now...I just don't. I think it's all in your mind and what you tell yourself. You either give in or you don't.

Get out of the habit, tell yourself no, go find something to do OR start a new habit in its place. Every time you are stressed and think cake...go have an apple. It'll take time to get into that habit, but like everything else...it takes time.

It's all about will power and training your mind that stress does not equal junk food or an eating binge.

What helped me: I said NO to eating while stressed and the HIGH I got from making it thru the day with out eating a ton of junk was enough to keep that habit going.

wildkat318

I agree, stress is a part of life, no way to escape it. Some days are worse than others. The only choice is to come up with a way to deal with it that does not involve eating. The best way I've found is exercise. Take a break, clear your head, get back to it. Remember it will pass, it's not permanent.

Easier said then done, I struggle with it myself but that's part of the journey to being a healthier you! Some days you will do better then others. Don't beat yourself up about it, forgive and move on. Next time will be better. Pretty soon you'll have more successes the failures and that will be empowering!

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

RainbowNtheWaterfall

You all give great feedback...thanks for your thoughts and thanks for your time...keep up the good work everyone....
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If anyone has any ideas they'd like to share, please feel free to do so.....

dewpearl

Take a look at this
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/31501-why-am-i-eating-this-by-geneen-roth

bootsnspurs4horses

Im learning it is a fine line between binge eating. . . emotional eating. . . or just eating. Of the three, I think I just enjoying EATING !! I'm not terribly obese, but feel overweight. Lately I eat all the time. It's like I can't get enough. I feel miserable after I eat. But trying to get a handle on this situation is more than I can do full time. This site is a tremendous support for everything a person could ever need. But where does the willpower come from. The want-to to do it ? It is always work in progress and making the right decisions is just as easy as making the wrong ones. So little by little. . . thanks for your help. I've taken a new perspective on this eating-all-the-time thing.

RainbowNtheWaterfall

Im learning it is a fine line between binge eating. . . emotional eating. . . or just eating. Of the three, I think I just enjoying EATING !! I'm not terribly obese, but feel overweight. Lately I eat all the time. It's like I can't get enough. I feel miserable after I eat. But trying to get a handle on this situation is more than I can do full time. This site is a tremendous support for everything a person could ever need. But where does the willpower come from. The want-to to do it ? It is always work in progress and making the right decisions is just as easy as making the wrong ones. So little by little. . . thanks for your help. I've taken a new perspective on this eating-all-the-time thing.

Good for you!!:flowerforyou: ...much success 2 u!

Coach2010

I'll eat when I have clear deadlines and engage in "it can't be done" type efforts. It's kind of my gig to do that which others say can't be done. So, I eat certain foods that gets me in 'the mood' for taking on my challenges. I know...bad habit. But I have to say, I can tell there's a survival transaction going on inside that puts all the positive pieces together.

Keep on MFP to stay encouraged in maintaining your exercise program, and your own personal system on how to manage the eating part will come. Now, a couple of your statements...

Sometimes I have a tendency to think of more than one problem at one time....
....do you ever have so many things going on you don't know where to start to beginning fixing things to help you feel better?

Yes, and great challenge. Please try not to get too caught up in the trap of, well if I do this then this will happen - then that will happen. I've done that before and it can be stifling. Instead, consider working your issues backwards in discovering the root of the issue at hand (this takes time to really identify the multiple conditions that lead to the root cause), and then discover how to resolve the root first...then work the rest of the conditions to resolution in the same way.

Another tool that may help is to write down your thoughts on a white sheet of paper (no lines). One issue per page...on that page I work through my options and consequences from those options (kind of a pros / cons set up) ;-)

I'm a mindmapping kind of guy, so I hope this helps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UCXalYcoko&feature=related

arewethereyet

I kind of agree with the habit vs emotional eating thing. When I stressed at work (which happens to be in my home!) I would grab anything and eat. All day...munch munch munch. New issues at work, a hard case to work on...munch munch munch.

I still do this ......no I am like a rabbit! I eat carrots, celery, apples....munch munch crunch!!

Good luck! It looks like you are doing a great job so far!!:flowerforyou: