any emotional eaters around ?

Colfiii

officially discovered that I'm a 'emotional eater' ... I've been doing very well ( with stagnation sometimes but no binging ) in the last one month and a half - practically changed 90% of my eating habits, gave up junk etc. No wrong foot ! However, I'm having this deadline at the end of April and my advisor wants to see me more often and check on my progress- tomorrow I have to meet him, I didn't do too much so guess what I ended up eating one tablespoon of chocolate + halva plus eating from moring all that came in my way and I"M SOOO STRESSED !!!... Is clear now that this is what made/makes me fat - when I'm stressed and scared I EAT ! ... Oh God how does one go around this ? Is a much bigger problem than just food it comes from my brain and my nervoys system - how can I fix that ?:(( ... Are there any other people around here having same problem ? ... i feel sooo SOOO SOO bad

lizard053

Oh Yeah! I'm learning to separate my emotions from my eating. If you are eating to soothe an emotion, you'll never feel satisfied! You have to work on finding more productive ways to let out your emotions. Sometimes crying and beating up pillows works. Sometimes a good heavy lift session helps. Depends on the emotion. But you have to find a way, other than eating, to express those emotions or you're never going to get beyond it!

It's a life-long process, and I've been working on it for a long time! But definitely, DO NOT feel guilty about it! You'll just give yourself another excuse for emotional eating. It's okay, and it's going to keep happening. The key is to realize what you are doing and why. Once you know that, then you can work on stopping the eating part, and dealing with the what and why in a better manner!

Frumpy2Fit

*raises hand* You caught me! I am definitely an emotional eater. I eat when I'm happy to celebrate and I eat when I'm sad to try and make myself feel better. I am still struggling with my emotional eating but I have found that there are many other things I can turn to (besides food) to make myself feel better when I am craving food to fill an emotional need. It is different for everyone, but for me, doing something nice for myself like getting a manicure/pedicure, taking a bubble bath, taking a nap, going for walk, lifting weights (this is usually great when I'm feeling frustrated, etc. Just a suggestion, but maybe developing a list for yourself would help. For example: The next time I feel stressed I will _______________ (take a bubble bath). The next time I feel sad, I will ___________(get a manicure). The next time I feel angry, I will ____________________(work out my frustrations in the gym). Etc. Hope this helps!!!

crazytreelady

I am/was a HUUUUUGGGGGEEEE emotional eater.

I realized that I would eat stuff that didn't even taste good!!
I was just eating it because I needed to fill whatever void I had.

Now, I take my dog for a run everyday to keep my mind off things..

It's helps a lot at the times when I all you feel like doing is curling up into a ball with an drumstick in your hand and dying.

Fresh air REALLY helps

runningfromzombies

This has me all over it...it's just a matter of re-wiring your brain. You've recognized the problem, so now you have the power to fix it. When you're about to binge, go exercise instead. It works wonders, and eventually your automatic response to stress will be to go to the gym, not the fridge. :flowerforyou: Good luck!

Colfiii

thanks everybody soooo much !

graelwyn

Fighting the same battle. I tend to turn to sugary foods when I am feeling anything, and unfortunately, one of the issues I am having to work on is recognising and being able to label my feelings, as I tend to just not realise they are there half the time, or what exactly I am feeling. Feelings annoy me, emotions annoy me, sometimes wish I had none at all, lol.
My worst times are late evening when sat alone at my laptop, watching whatever DVD I have on. Not really a time to exercise as it would make my sleeping issues even worse. I just need to find my comfort alternatives.

aurora15

I am guilty of emotional eating! and not ashamed of admitting it.
I agree with what everyone says about recognizing the problem and not shying away from it. Fixing the real problem behind emotional eating is the key to solving it. For me, its about dealing with stress and bad relationships. And so, I spend time reflecting and working on communication, as well as exercising regularly! Exercise produces endorphins which make you feel good, and make your body look good
Of course, there are a million ways out there to help deal with stress! For me, I enjoy watching TV shows, going for a walk, lookin at the sky, talking to my friends about it! Social Interaction helps!
I still am prone to emotional eating but now I realize that it doesnt solve anything and I try my best to deal with the real cause.
Good luck to everyone dealing with it! We are not alone

tabulator32

Tons of people are emotional eaters, myself included.

If something really ticks me off, the fridge gets rearranged.

I have learned to control my emotions somewhat but, more realistically, I have learned to keep plenty of healthy foods in my path.

The latter plan seems to be more effective for me.

:bigsmile: