Emotional Eating Issue

GingerRunner

Hi,
I've joined this group to try and get some type of program going. The first few days I was on fire with my diet and exercise. I really enjoy exercise and I have a group of friends who meet at the local running park so that's not my issue. EATING is most definitely my issue. It's my drug of choice and I reach for it.

To *lose weight* I KNOW what I'm supposed to be doing. I get the concept and I know the foods. What I'm struggling with is being able to HANDLE my emotional eating issues.

I wonder if anyone has any helpful tips for this issue. I am currently experiencing one of life's rather difficult bumps in the road....i can't control life but I'd love to control my reaction to it in a healthier fashion.

Any and all advice welcome. Thanks and thanks for allowing me to join the group!

lsapphire

Not sure what type of emotional eating you do. General binging or a specific food. If it is a specifit "not healthy food", get rid of it and substitute something healthier or find some other kind of replacement ( I kraft or make a game out of taking a fave recipe and making it healthier)

impyimpyaj

Welcome! Emotional eating is a hard one, and I think a lot of us struggle with it. I've never been quite as bad about it as some, but I've had my phases when it gets bad. One thing that helps me when I want to eat for stress relief is just to be realistic and honest with myself. I'll ask myself a series of questions: Will this really make me feel better? Will this solve my problem? Is it what my body needs? The answer to those questions is generally "no," so I move on to another series: What can I do to solve my problem? What can I do to truly relieve my stress? What will make my body feel better (which in turn will help my mind feel better)? If I can't actually solve the problem, I just move on to stress relief, which generally entails getting out in the sun, getting moving in some fashion (even if it's just mopping the floor), and/or watching a good movie, catching my favorite show, or reading a good book.

It's not foolproof. Sometimes I still slip up. But going through that mental process has helped immensely, and even when I do indulge in some emotional eating, it's not as bad as it could have been. It's 2 cookies instead of a whole package, or it's a single serving of chips and dip instead of half a bag.

Betrbleave

I stopped eating for planned periods of time, to get use to that I'm not actually hungry. I'll do something else, just get a bottle of water and continuously drink it slowly

_Wits_

Well...I can absolutely relate to you. Food became a source of comfort and safety growing up in a troubled home. I never learned to have a good healthy relationship with food and I struggle with it still to this day.

The days I truly conquer my emotional eating is when I refuse to accept it, and acknowledge what I'm doing. If I find myself sitting on the couch eating a half box of Triscuits with hummus for no reason other than I'm bored and lonely, I get on my feet and go to my car and just go. Anywhere. The mall. The park. My favorite place to escape to is Barnes and Nobles. I spend hours in there looking through books on self help...making plans on how to tackle my next self demon. Or travel books....imagining places that my husband and I could go for our honeymoon (finally) or if all else fails, fantasy because sometimes real life just is too much.

Find some new hobbies. Was there something you enjoyed doing when you were younger that you stopped doing? For me it was two things...art and music. I played the flute for many years and put it down for no reason. I'm now playing again and looking for some sort of orchestra to join to play in because I love love love it. Also, painting..I have paints, brushes, canvas all over the place. Even if it doesn't come out looking like what I visioned, just the process of getting to teh end takes my mind off whatever emotion got me in a frenzy in the first place.

Be aware that it takes time, you may stumble and fall into old habits now and then but that is ok. Just keep trying. Meditate. Read. Sew. Play videogames. Keep yourself and your hands busy with other activities that you enjoy and keep reminding yourself that food is energy, not love.

Good luck.

thetrishwarp

It takes something like 28 days to make something a habit, so for me, to stop just eating all the time because I was stressed/bored/etc, I had to really think about it EVERY single time I went to eat.

"Why do I want to eat this?" "What could I do instead?" "How long do I have to run to burn this treat off?"

It was a pretty slow process for me. I gradually stopped reaching for treats, and started doing other things in its place.

I'm in university so most of my stress is school-related. Here are some examples:

Stressed over a major paper: pump out 10 pushups or just walk around for a bit to clear my head.
Tired after a long day of class and just want something to relax: Paint my nails
Want to reward myself for doing well on an assignment: Buy a magazine or a new [inexpensive] accessory.

I've also tried teaching myself to express my emotions rather than eat them. If I'm sad, I don't eat, I cry. If I'm angry, I don't eat, I fume. If I'm happy, I don't eat, I smile. I mean, I generally do this privately, I don't just immediately start sobbing or whatever, but I imagine one wouldn't stop in the middle of a conversation to grab a snack, either.

I mean, I eat, obviously, but not just for the sake of it :P

Basically, things like this for me came gradually. I didn't immediately start replacing every emotional reach for food with something productive or at least non food-related. I would just try very consciously to catch myself, think of why I was doing it, then do something else instead. Now it's more instinctive for me to think "YES! Got an A! Going to walk downtown and see if I can get a new pair of earrings." than "YES! Got an A! Gonna get Starbucks!"

Best of luck, hope this helps at least a little

tkcasta

It's really hard. I totally get it. I had been in a slump for a month. A couple things I found that helped me was that I would (when I was eating emotionally) log all the food I was thinking about eating before I ate it. Then I would think about why I was wanting those foods and then make the decision to eat it. Sometimes I didn't eat them and sometimes I did. But what doing this did was make me reflect on why I was upset and take a moment to redirect myself to something else to help with the emotions and stress - for me its video games and painting or reading, so you'll have to figure that one out.

Also, I found that giving myself positive reinforcement when I do do well helps curb the negative emotions, IE instead of rewarding myself with a treat or something (enforcing the positive emotions associated with food) I would do something else like buy a new book or nailpoish or something like that.

For me it is still a work in progress and it's really hard and somedays I'm going to eat a whole pint of ben and jerry's but overall I feel much more in control and far less upset when I can't satiate my emotional cravings.

I will be honest it has taken 3 months of non-stop work to get to this point and I don't feel 100% there. Keep up the good work.

BrandiH2007

Emotional eating is a hard thing to over come. I'm pretty sure I won't ever have it completely under control, but I have learned a few things.

Every time I eat I ask myself 2 things:
1- Am I really hungry? Or am I just eating because I'm down or bored.
2 - Am I going to be upset with myself later for eating it?

If I still decide to eat something unhealthy I do 2 things:
1 - Check to see if I have enough calories left for the day, if not, the answer to above number 2 is going to be yes.
2 - If I have enough calories can I stop myself at one serving?

Depriving yourself of the foods you love will always set you up for failure, but planning a day with lots of lower calories foods throughout the day so you can have a high calorie dinner (or however you choose) is a great way to still get in those foods you love without feeling bad.

I've noticed most of my emotional eating stems from feeling down about myself and nothing makes me feel worse about myself than feeling like I failed. It's a vicious circle.

Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend if you need some extra support.

mlewon

My best tip is to surround yourself with healthy choices, so if you do end up grabbing something, it'll be something that won't set you back.

AwesomeMoJo

Hi,
I've joined this group to try and get some type of program going. The first few days I was on fire with my diet and exercise. I really enjoy exercise and I have a group of friends who meet at the local running park so that's not my issue. EATING is most definitely my issue. It's my drug of choice and I reach for it.

To *lose weight* I KNOW what I'm supposed to be doing. I get the concept and I know the foods. What I'm struggling with is being able to HANDLE my emotional eating issues.

I wonder if anyone has any helpful tips for this issue. I am currently experiencing one of life's rather difficult bumps in the road....i can't control life but I'd love to control my reaction to it in a healthier fashion.

Any and all advice welcome. Thanks and thanks for allowing me to join the group!

Ginger,

I actually wrote a blog about emotional eating just the other day. A small tip is, instead of eating that delicious food that tastes so good going down..then we experience the regret of eating PLUS it doesn't make the other bump in the road go away either. Replace that food with something healthy a piece of fruit, glass of water, OR get up and go for a walk, go to the gym, play with your kids...ANYTHING but eating....

I am here for you. emotional eating is huge for me. I have gotten a little control over it in the last few weeks....it is difficult but I have no doubt you can overcome it. We are all here for support.

GingerRunner

OMG you guys kinda rock! Thanks for all these posts, so far! I got a little out of each of your posts..... I do love exercise so when that's an option, I'm ok. My downfall is at night.....after it's too late to get out and do something.....when it's settle down time and relax so I can go to sleep time.....when my partner is eating a gallon of ice-cream time...... whaoh. It's that dirty little secret that I just want to sit on my couch, watch something like...OH, THE BIGGEST LOSER, or something and stuff numbing horrible foods down the hatch. I'm horrified because I love healthy food. I love feeling healthy. It's like jekyl and hyde. There's no denying i have issues...now there's not. ha!

I recently lost my job and my identity and with the rug ripped out from under me, Im rather lost. I didn't have my weight under control * BEFORE * this happened but this has just sent what was a bit of a bad habit into overdrive.

I am going to re-read all of your tips and start today as a new day and REALLY employ them. I really DO want to be healthy and fit.

GingerRunner

My best tip is to surround yourself with healthy choices, so if you do end up grabbing something, it'll be something that won't set you back.

It's a great tip. I have done this numerous times and it totally works. How is it that the garbage slips back into my pantry one box at a time?? *sigh*

impyimpyaj

My best tip is to surround yourself with healthy choices, so if you do end up grabbing something, it'll be something that won't set you back.

It's a great tip. I have done this numerous times and it totally works. How is it that the garbage slips back into my pantry one box at a time?? *sigh*

I just don't even put it on the list anymore. And if it's not on the list, it doesn't get purchased. I came up with that rule to keep the kids from asking for lollipops at the register, but it works just as well to keep me from buying ice cream by the gallon.

GingerRunner

I stopped eating for planned periods of time, to get use to that I'm not actually hungry. I'll do something else, just get a bottle of water and continuously drink it slowly

Will you explain "I stopped eating for planned periods of time" ? Intrigued..

GingerRunner

My best tip is to surround yourself with healthy choices, so if you do end up grabbing something, it'll be something that won't set you back.

It's a great tip. I have done this numerous times and it totally works. How is it that the garbage slips back into my pantry one box at a time?? *sigh*

I just don't even put it on the list anymore. And if it's not on the list, it doesn't get purchased. I came up with that rule to keep the kids from asking for lollipops at the register, but it works just as well to keep me from buying ice cream by the gallon.

Love it. Somehow I have a sinister monkey that grabs the bad stuff. .... I will get back on the 'LIST RULES' program.

Here's something else--The "emotional pitfall" comes in complex forms. I do it when there's a blast of good news, too. It's like the "celebration" high or something. yikes.

impyimpyaj

Here's something else--The "emotional pitfall" comes in complex forms. I do it when there's a blast of good news, too. It's like the "celebration" high or something. yikes.

Yeah, I can understand that too. Because think about it: every time there was a celebration at school or with family for your whole life, there's been pizza, or cupcakes, or cookies, or something equally indulgent. School kids bring cupcakes for their birthdays, Pizza Hut gives you pizza if you read all your Book It! books, people bring incredibly rich food to family reunion pot lucks, and so on. But again, go back to the questions. Am I really hungry? Why do I want to eat this food? Is there a better way I can celebrate instead of indulging in this treat that will make my body feel unhealthy? And it's ok to indulge in a piece of birthday cake, or go out to dinner with friends to celebrate a promotion. But you can make good choices at that celebratory dinner, and you can limit yourself to one piece of birthday cake.

GingerRunner

But you can make good choices at that celebratory dinner, and you can limit yourself to one piece of birthday cake.
[/quote]

True story. But I'm starting to truly wonder (by simply watching my own behavior) if I can "limit myself to one piece of" anything anymore than an alcoholic can limit himself to "just one drink."

betteringmyselfeachday

1) Create a list of reasons why you are losing weight. Find one reason that will seriously make food do a u-turn before entering your mouth
2) A little induglence is okay, as long as it is in your calories for the day. Ie that time of the month I allow for chocolate!!
3) Get rid of the temptation. Replace any bad food with grapes, bannanas, etc. When I go to the grocery store, I go home and prepare my food. I count out a serving of each food, cut it up, etc. that way I am more apt to grab that instead of bad foods.
4) Make yourself wait 15 minutes before giving into your temptation. Also drink water in that time period.

Rem: WHAT YOU EAT IN PRIVATE, YOU WEAR IN PUBLIC!

impyimpyaj

But you can make good choices at that celebratory dinner, and you can limit yourself to one piece of birthday cake.

True story. But I'm starting to truly wonder (by simply watching my own behavior) if I can "limit myself to one piece of" anything anymore than an alcoholic can limit himself to "just one drink."
[/quote]

And that's valid. I have a really hard time with sugary treats. If I have one, I'll crave sugar for days. So the key is knowing yourself. If you really don't think you can limit yourself, then find a different way to indulge that doesn't trigger your cravings. Maybe some fruit in some Greek yogurt, or apples dipped in peanut butter, or something like that. Or, simply don't eat anything if you're not hungry.

"If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got." Change the way you think about food. It's not a reward, it's not a celebration, it's not a friend to comfort you. It's fuel for your body, period. It takes time to change thought patterns that have been ingrained for decades, but be persistent. You're worth it.

_Wits_

1) Create a list of reasons why you are losing weight. Find one reason that will seriously make food do a u-turn before entering your mouth
2) A little induglence is okay, as long as it is in your calories for the day. Ie that time of the month I allow for chocolate!!
3) Get rid of the temptation. Replace any bad food with grapes, bannanas, etc. When I go to the grocery store, I go home and prepare my food. I count out a serving of each food, cut it up, etc. that way I am more apt to grab that instead of bad foods.
4) Make yourself wait 15 minutes before giving into your temptation. Also drink water in that time period.

Rem: WHAT YOU EAT IN PRIVATE, YOU WEAR IN PUBLIC!

Love this...especially the last sentence! So true!