emotional eating

AmandaRhys

I like to think of myself as a usually upbeat and happy person...but I gotta say, this stupid holiday gets to me. It shouldn't, I know...but it does. Spent last Valentines with a divorce lawyer while I was 5months pregnant. Never went through with the divorce, but we're separated AGAIN... so this Vday sucks as well.

ANYWAY...I'm terrible with emotional eating. I want to eat anything and everything when I get sad. What do you do to stay away from food?? It's all I think about.

nano83

I eat when I'm sad , I eat when I'm happy..
I think of food as a source of joy..

I don't keep bad food at my house..
my fridge is filled with veg & fruits , turkey, tunna .. etc
No chips, no chocolates nothing at all..

Today is a good example, I'm super depressed and very stressed out, plus I'm PMSing big time..
I want to eat so bad but I really have no junk food to eat..
And I know I will feel amazing the next morning..

_Peacebone_

Head to the gym! Listen to some good tunes and get your sweat on! You'll feel so much better after an awesome workout! Much better than if you ate a pint of ice cream :flowerforyou:

Kosepose

I think it's amazing that you've realized it! Putting your finger on the problem is the first step.

If you're stressed out, your body is feeding you a stress-hormone called Cortison. The body is craving food for comfort, to level out the hormone. Those physiological forces are hard to resist, and nobody would blame you for caving in.

Here is what I did. Hope it might work to your advantage as well!

1) You need to break the psychological link between --- feel bad + food = feel good ---- Maybe you really feel that it helps you, and that it's comforting in some way. But think about how bad you're going to feel when you have eaten all those foods. Do they really help you, or in the end, make you feel worse? Ask yourself: am I really hungry right now?

2) Substitute. Make a list of all the things you love to do, and try to make yourself do those things instead of eating. Meeting a friend, dance with your kid, shop some new clothes, flirt with a man. Maybe you have a hobby?

3) Alternatives. What healthy food do you like? How about gulping down a cold glass of diet coke? I love veggies and dip, strawberries and low fat yoghurt. If you have to binge, go for some healthy stuff you love.

4) Sort out your issues. Easier said than done. I know. But it's the root of the problem.

Good luck. I'm sorry you have to go through this. You're not alone in this!!