Emotional eating?

Madbutatinybitbrilliant

My family culture has always centered around the enjoyment and consumption of food. During my formative years I learned that food can be a reward, a treat, a means of celebration, a pass time or something to cheer yourself up with. By the time I was in my mid teens chocolate was like another member of the family.
It has only been recently that I recognized that a lot of the time my eating habits are in response to emotion rather then physical hunger.
If I'm feeling lonely or unhappy I can find consolation in food. I would much rather have a slab of chocolate then talk about *gasp* my feelings. Except I know that chocolate will not ultimately make me happy. The Beatles didn't sing 'All you need is chocolate' after all. I recently lost ten kilos (independently) but would like to lose a bit more and teach myself to think before I binge, in the hopes that I will no longer use food as an emotional outlet.
I am curious as to whether there are other MFPs out there with a similar story to mine. If there are, hello! *enthusiastic wave* I know that joining MFP is a big brave step in the right direction x

sparklelioness

Yep, growing up i had a lot to deal with, and food was one of the ways i learned to soothe myself. Its a hard habit to break, but it can be done!

j_wilson2012

Yes the site is a pretty cool thing. It is a great forum.....I would say a great step in the right direction is the step you take outside your door for a walk every time you want something but cant control the urge at that moment in time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate....but I dont get emotional. Then again, I lack the feminine gene.....sorry. Anyways...this is a pretty cool site. I can see they are in a few countries at least.
Good luck with the plan to lose a few. And maybe our countries can win a few golds, eh? First day, and already China is takin our names. Pretty sad. Khazakstan? CMON!

j_wilson2012

oh...are you a briton? thought I saw it in the name, and then the kilos thing.....sorry if you arent....

Amber_lee_81

Same thing here! Every celebration involves food, every celebration involves food, nearly everytime we get together with family it involves food and not healthy options.

julialla

I've grown up in the restaurant business...food is my world. And yep, I eat when I'm bored, happy, sad, you name it! Welcome to mpf )

webarr2003

Yes, I was a big emotional eater. When I'm stressed out or sad the first thing I would do was snack alot. I don't know what I did to stop it, because lately

EQHanks

I grew up the same way. I have been really trying to work hard on focusing on being healthy because for me, I realize that food will always be a huge part of family, celebrations, emotions. It has been a challenge but one worth enduring.

IronmanPanda

I always get emotional when I eat this. Its so delicious it makes me cry!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/360696-if-you-re-a-fan-of-crockpot-cheeseburgers

crzyone

Yep, you can't do anything with a friend or relative without it involving eating.

Gidzmo

The holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) are loaded with food. Sometimes it's easier to deal with the food than with the relatives.

Debutante55

I don't consider myself an "emotional eater" in the sense that I eat when I'm angry, depressed, bored, etc. HOWEVER, my Achilles heel is when friends invite me to dinner at their place, or bake stuff for me -- YIKES! It seems like such an insult to not eat at least *a bit* of everything that is served. I got into serious trouble with MFP tonight because a good friend showed up at my place with homemade chocolate truffles (!!!!) .... and I ate four. (Yes, I know I *should* have stopped at one.)

So I guess I AM an emotional eater that I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. :flowerforyou: ....or maybe it's just a convenient excuse to eat truffles.:laugh:

Madbutatinybitbrilliant

Nice to know I'm not the only one out there. It is awesome that we are all making a change!

beachlover317

I would venture a guess that if everyone had to declare whether they eat for emotional reasons - about 85% of the posters would say yes. We use food for so many reasons and never think that it is just there for nourishment of our bodies. Plus we have a ton of media making it seem like such a wonderful way to connect with family and friends. Hello, my name is Jan and I'm an emotional eater. I am on Day 90 and am taking it one day at a time. This is the way I feel. It get's easier if you begin questioning your every motive for eating and snacking. Good luck to us all!!!