Can I vent here?

overit

My husband is currently deployed so of course I am trying to get my butt in shape while he is gone. For the past month I have been working out 6 days a week with Jillian Michaels (her 30 day slim down, which includes the 30 day shred workouts, metabolism boost and no trouble zones). Anyway, I start the day out great but screw it up at the end of the day with eating and I know it is emotional eating. I'm not hungry. How can I overcome this emotional eating?? I am down because my hubby is gone and then I am down when I screw up the diet Part of me just feels like I am going to be stuck this size forever

Mindful_Trent

While I don't have a spouse overseas - I have always had a problem with emotional eating. I've found the key is, at first, distraction. Find something else to do - I'm not sure if you work or if you're at home all day, but try to find things to take up your time. If you're engaged, then you're less likely to be focused on eating. Over time, your instinct to eat as an emotional response will decrease. I would also recommend putting some kind of motivational saying/collage/image, etc. somewhere in the kitchen where you will see it when you go in to get food. If you're going in for a meal, then it is okay but if you're going in just to eat when you're not hungry, hopefully seeing the reminder will help you learn to say no and develop the discipline.

I don't know if you already have a support group for spouses of people deployed, but there must be some around (whether in person or online) and that may provide another emotional outlet for you instead of eating.

Most of all - every day is a new day. If you screw up one day, that's okay. Start fresh the next day. It's tough (believe me, I know!!) but you can do it!

One of my favorite quotes, I have up on my board right now:

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -Eleanor Roosevelt

ali258

I am also an emotional eater, and I like to find things to do that aren't compatible with eating for those times when I just want to eat to fix my emotions. I love to crochet for that, since I don't want to get my yarn all dirty with food. I used to have a big list of things to do that would keep my hands and brain busy so I wouldn't eat emotionally. Think about all of the activities you could do at different times of the day so you can avoid eating at your problem times. If it's always late at night, you probably can't take a lot of walks in the dark, but you could play video games or do an art project or if you have kids, play a card game or do some other activity with them that would make it harder to eat. Scrapbooking is good since you could chart your journey and when your hands are working with glue and paper, you really can't eat. You could also save 100-200 calories for the end of the day when you want to stress eat, and then plan a comforting snack to have at that time.

Good luck! You won't always be the size you are. You just have to figure out ways to trick yourself out of the emotional eating habits you're in. Once you break that habit, it's much easier to substitute the emotional eating for other, more positive activities when you are having a rough day.

Silver_Dream

I'm not a stress eater, but I"m a boredom eater. When I feel liek I want to eat because I"m bored I chug 2cups of water. If 2 cups isn't enough I chug 2 more. Sometimes that helps the "empty" feeling to go away. Like right now, I"m not hungry. I had 2 cups of water, a Fiber Plus antioxidant bar, and a smoothie. I'm supposed to be eating lunch right, but since I"m not hungry I'm saving it for when I star feeling "BORED"...And like others have said, put aside a couple hundred calories to have a night time snack. Also if your worried about going over your calories, just throw one more extra work out in there and that will give you the extra calories you need to cover your "emotional" eating. Just some things to throw in there for advice. :flowerforyou:

overit

Thanks. I need to learn to crochet or knit to keep my hands busy. Silver I think some of it is boredom too, not just emotional eating. I will have to try to chug the water as well. I usually get my water in early in the day and stay away from it at night to keep from getting up in the middle of the night. (LOL)

keiko

I made crocheted dish clothes when DH was in Iraq. They are easy and useful. It really does help to keep your hands busy. Scarves are another easy thing to crochet and you can use them for gifts.
Check out Lion Brand Yarn. Their website is lionbrand.com They have instructions for both knitting and crochet, plus lots of free patterns.

I know it's hard having your husband deployed, the more you keep busy the quicker it seems to go by.
Oh, if you have a senior center near you sometimes the ladies might offer classes in knitting/crochet. They can be fun to visit with and really enjoy the company from young people.

Thank you to you and your DH for serving. As you already know you are also making a sacrifice.
:flowerforyou:

pinkissheek

I know this sounds dumb...but chew gum...you will already have something in your mouth...so you wont need anything else! that works for me!
Jessi

courtneyweiss

I agree with those who say to knit or crochet. I knit a lot and I've made my family some very interesting things. Also, I find reading keeps me from snacking...you just need to find a good book that will keep you completely distracted.

One thing that also helps me is joining after-supper activites. As silly as it sounds, I joined a dodgeball team...it gets me out and moving, it's SO MUCH FUN and it keeps me from sitting in front of the TV every night.

All this being said, I have never had my hubby gone for long periods of time, and I have no idea what kind of toll that would take on your mental state. Good for you for having the strength to get through it!

bettersusan

Boy do I understand! My husband is military as well. He goes TYD all the time, though usually state-side. I am at home with two very active little fellows, ages 2 & 5. I love them with all my heart and I am a stay-at-home Mom. Sometimes it gets SO exhausting though. It gets lonely and overwhelming too.

I KNOW I tend to eat when I am stressed. I CRAVE sugar like nobody's business! I even dream about it. It's good to be aware of when you are in the most danger for going off track I'm weak when I am very stressed, overly tired and if I am sick. I guess, in general I eat to make myself feel better and get a burst of energy, too. Those are the times I am EXTRA careful to pay attention to what I am doing, now.

It's up to you if you choose to do this. You CAN do it if you decide to, though. Try to find something to keep you busy, or save a few extra calories for an extra late night treat. Sometimes I will eat popcorn or drink a cup of diet Swiss Miss hot chocolate. I sometimes just go to the computer and read success stories on MFP.

Sometimes you have to take it hour by hour during those rough times. Can you call a friend? Take something to a sick friend? Write encouragement cards to people? Being aware of WHY you are wanting to eat and knowing it's a time to face temptation head on, you can DECIDE you are going to be in control. Make a decision that you are NOT going to give in, maybe another day, but not today! Decide, just for that ONE night, you are going to deal with the stress another way. It was hardest for me the first few weeks, but it does get easier. Every time you go to bed successful in your battle with temptation, the next time you will be stronger.

When my husband saw me after being gone for several weeks, boy, was it worth it!! I felt great and he was "Wowing" all over the place! It was awesome! He is here now, for how long I don't know. I am still losing. It is really fun when they are gone for a while though and you are working to surprise them. He saw a big difference and REALLY like it. He's going to be SO proud of you. YOU will be so proud of yourself! You'll be holding that head a little higher.

You can do this! If you need encouragement from another military wife, you just let me know! I'm here for ya sister!

Susan

bettersusan

forgot my ticker!

Susan


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Diet Plans

weaklink109

I know this sounds dumb...but chew gum...you will already have something in your mouth...so you wont need anything else! that works for me!
Jessi

I am glad it works for you, but if I am hungry the LAST thing I need to do is chew gum!! All it does is make me hungrier. I think it has something to do with the chewing and the stimulation of digestive juices and there being nothing there for them to work on. I would definitely TRY gum, as it might help, but listen to your body, and if you end up feeling like me, you will know it is not the right solution for you.

My theory is that my body feels like it got cheated out of something and, therefore, chewing gum makes me ravenous. I only use it to quickly eliminate a "too full" feeling if I have eaten too quickly for my body to tell me "enough" It does work great for that!!

Thanks to the original poster for the sacrifice you and your hubby are making for our country. :flowerforyou:

Another thing you can do when you feel like emotional eating is after you drink that water that was suggested, come on to MFP and do some reading and posting. I find it will pass the time all too effectively--I confess I can kill a couple of hours without trying when I start reading and posting on this site. It is a wonder I get anything else done!!:laugh: :laugh:

keiko

I agree with those who say to knit or crochet. I knit a lot and I've made my family some very interesting things. Also, I find reading keeps me from snacking...you just need to find a good book that will keep you completely distracted.

One thing that also helps me is joining after-supper activites. As silly as it sounds, I joined a dodgeball team...it gets me out and moving, it's SO MUCH FUN and it keeps me from sitting in front of the TV every night.

All this being said, I have never had my hubby gone for long periods of time, and I have no idea what kind of toll that would take on your mental state. Good for you for having the strength to get through it!

Is that a Carnival towel animal? He looks familiar!:laugh:

overit

Thank you everyone. I truly appreciate it. Susan, that is what I would like to do. Plus he has no internet right now so it may truly be 6 months before we see each other for R&R. So I would really like to WOW him. I am a SAHM also and when the kids go to bed that really seems to be my trouble time. I do try to keep some calories for my evenings but apparently not enough.

Zara11

If you mess up at night, work out at night, too. After a workout I never want to go near food except for protein.

courtneyweiss

Yes, Carnival towel animal! Those cruises don't go too well with the whole "healthy lifestyle" thing, but it was fantastic! :laugh: