Advice on comfort eating/drinking please!

amyj101

Hi, I've never posted before so please bear with me!

I just wondered if anyone has any good tips on avoiding comfort eating/drinking? I find that I'll be doing really well and then something bad happens and I just lose my motivation and give in. For example, yesterday I'd eaten really well all day, was on track for being under my calorie goal but I had a rubbish day at work, one of those days it just goes from bad to worse and by the time I got home at 9.30pm I just reached for the biscuits and the wine.

I also really associate certain foods/drinks with certain activities/times e.g. drinking red wine while watching Strictly and X Factor on a saturday night! I have great intentions but the cravings get the better of me.

I'm getting married in just over 9 months and really need to sort this out! Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Amy

jaitken_22

I get moments like that as well. At the moment I got back into the habit while letting the dog out during the night, my hand reaches for the biscuit jar and I munch on a couple of biscuits just for the sake of it. They are only Rich Tea biscuits, but still, it's not good! I usually take my mind off comfort eating by cleaning, but also if I feel like eating something, I will wait 10-15 minutes to see if I am still hungry and if I am then I will go and get something to eat.

I would recommend visiting www.graze.com where you can get healthy snack boxes, which also include chocolate in them!! I have a discount code M17BF9F which can give you a free first box.

purplebabe2025

Write down your goals & place them in places where you stash your treats so you see them before.
Remember why your doing this, you joined for a reason
WILLPOWER, I can't stress that enough, cause only you can do this.
Wean yourself off things slowly. Baby steps is the best way.
Replace treats with a healthy choice of treats, DONT BUY JUNK, if they're not in the house you can't eat it.
Add me as a friend, I'll give you a right telling off!!!

sagetracey

And drink plenty of water, it can help you stop feeling that emotional hunger.

nifnif

When you feel crappy, instead of eating, release your emotions. Cry, or scream, or rip paper into shreds, or paint or sing.

If you must eat when you have a bad mood, eat foods that enable lots of serotonin to be released, such a fresh fruits, like oranges or bananas. They are healthy and will help you to feel cheered up.

JennyJacobsen

Well I can certainly understand the cravings! I used to drink every night which caused me to overeat, once I put an end to constant drinking alcohol I stopped the overeating,started going to the gym and watch me finally lose this weight. I am overweight from drinking I did it for almost a year! It was just time to change things around. Do U belong to a gym or have a Wii fit or something to distract yourself from watching TV and drinking/eating?? I am a stay at home Mom homeschooling my 2 boys and found that going to the gym during the day not only wears them out but keeps me intact with my calorie counts. I sometimes drink but only on the weekends and I have to workout First! That's my personal new rule.Its good to have goals! Congrats With your wedding coming up I would think that is a great distraction but can be stressful too. Just hang in there and U can be my friend on here if U want to! I hope this helps:flowerforyou:

melcowenfitness

How do you feel AFTER you eat or drink that thing you know isn't too great for you? You may feel instant gratification, but how do you really feel maybe 30-60 minutes after you eat it? I usually feel guilty or feel sick to my stomach after eating junk food. So before I reach for that bad thing, I think "How is this going to make me feel after? Is it worth it?"

It also helps to think about all the hard work you put into that day's workout and whether or not I want to negate all that work for the sake of one piece of junk food.

And I pray for strength to walk away!

Mel

Beezil

Find other things to replace the comfort you get from those foods/drinks. Healthy things. For me personally, I drink hot unsweet green tea to relax sometimes. I also bought a bunch of ear plugs - because noise can really stress me out! It's weird, but really, loud noises of any kind, repetitive noises, etc, really aggravate me and can lead to terrible migraines. So that's another thing I've done to lessen my stress level. Stress might be the only problem that's leading you to seek out these comforts, so you can relax and uncoil. I also listen to music, take walks, simply sit outside for a few minutes to clear my mind, pet my kitties. lol. Whatever you do to replace the comfort foods, make sure it's not by putting something unhealthy in your body. That's my best advice, good luck!

amyj101

Wow you are all amazing, thank you! I'm feeling more motivated already just reading this. Think part of the reason I'm not finding MFP quite so effective is I only have 3 friends on here so noone to be accountable to, I need that so need to start adding people! I do need a good telling off!

I really like the idea off only drinking at the weekend and having to exercise first to earn it, I'm definitely going to do that! Have to cut down on wine anyway for so many reasons.

I think part of my problem is I've recently got invisalign braces and was convinced this would help me diet as I have to remove them to eat then brush, floss and mouthwash and clean the aligners before they go back in, which takes time so it does make me think twice before taking them out to eat, so I don't snack anymore. BUT...its had an unexpected effect. Because I'm no longer snacking I'm really hungry at mealtimes and tending to overeat because I know it's ages till I can eat again. I'm also tending to leave them out for ages after dinner to have some wine which isn't good for my health, figure or teeth!

I'm definitely going to be following all of your advice though, thank you again :-) x

lacroyx

some form of excercise helps me.