What should I do when I am stress ...HELP!!!!

sillysilv33

Yesterday was not a good day for eating for me. I went to Taco Bell and me a pig out of myself. I think it was because I felt bored and stressed. I tend to binge eat when I am stressed. I need to find another way of handling stress instead of eating at places that are no good for me.

sprale

Exercising is great for dealing with stress. Find something you like and stick with it. This will also help decrease your appetite. I also find meditation or self hypnosis to be very helpful for me when I am dealing with stress. Being outside in nature can be very good for you, then, too.

pastryari

Exercise.

Also, how much Taco Bell did you eat?

bergpa

I find music helps. I've reallocated some of my food money to new downloads.

flitabout

This is going to be the standard answer that you will hear. Instead of eating try taking a 5-10 minutes walk. It does help. Although personally when I am stressed I the last thing I think about is taking a walk. For me when I am truly stressed I can't eat, and I just have a couple of glasses of wine. Not that that is the best idea! You will have to try a few diffenent techniques to find out what works for you. Get on line and talk to people, call a friend and tell them how you are feeling, play a video game. That one sounds dumb but you aren't putting food in your mouth so if it works for you do it!

bcattoes

Yoga is good for that. So is exercise so intense you can't think of anything except not dying. I prefer the latter because I suck at yoga, but that's just me.

cwolfman13

When I'm feeling extra stress, I usually go for an extra run. It also helps if a stressful day happens to fall on a lifting day...'cuz I can pretty much move mountains when I'm stressed and by the time I'm done lifting, I'm too shot to stress about anything.

Cr01502

Exercise
Alcohol
Sex

I usually rotate between these three things and just so I don't over indulge in any particular area. I would say make sure you over rotate exercise and sex as alcohol tends to do just as much damage as food.

jagh09

This is my constant struggle too. I'm an emotional eater. I've been working with a nutritionist for a little while, to try to address some of these issues. Try to keep a journal and identify your "triggers". Like, does a bad day at work send you right to the wine bottle and the pizza take-out menus? (That's me on a Friday night!) Becoming more aware of it is the first step. Realizing what drives you to that "I want to stuff my face for comfort" point, will help you side-step it and plan better.

Definitely take a moment to just take a few deep breaths. If you have to go hide in the bathroom and close your eyes to take some deep breaths, do it. Find other things that will give you relief, like a pedicure, a walk around the block, painting a picture, talking to a friend, washing dishes....anything to distract you from the food.

This is a life-long process of unlearning bad food behaviors. Every step towards progress is a success. Just being aware of your bad habits and trying to find ways to deal with them is a great step. Keep going! You're going to be great.

lizziebeth1028

Workout
take a walk
read a book
do yoga
clean out a closet
go window shopping
treat yourself to something in moderation that will fit into your calorie goal
listen to music
get a massage
get a mani or pedi or both
do your own mani/pedi
plan a future vacation or fun activity
dance
ride a bike
plan a super healthy meal
go to the movies
hang out with a really good friend
play on pinterest (I'm addicted)
learn a video game
take a nap
Do anything but binge. Remember.....we are all allowed to eat, it's the moderation that counts.

matt2442

how much Taco Bell did you eat?

I want to know this as well. if it's less than 6 soft tacos, 2 burritos, and 3 hard tacos, then you did not get your moneys worth on that cheat day.

amandamotley

If I'm bored and it's making me want to eat, I usually take a hot bath, sometimes with my Kindle. Great distraction.

Erin0164

Exercise or I drink a big glass of low sodium V-8. Surprisingly filling and very few calories with the added benefit of nutrients.

Josalinn

For during finals (yay) I have a calisthenics program consisting of squats, pushups, lunges, crunches, and dips that I do every 2 hours or so. Gets my mind off the work and brings the blood flow back. Helps to keep me going.

TinaBaily

I totally hear you. I am under some stress right now and due to not feeling too hot I skipped my post-work workout. Not the best idea because that lead to a short binge for me and that was followed by not feeling great about myself. At least my binges aren't too terrible like they used to be, as this one was 2 tiny slices of pizza, half a serving of homemade potato, onion and sausage casserole, a guesstimated serving of potato chips, a bowl of Cocoa Krispies with skim milk, a Pop Tart and a serving of chocolate covered marshmallow Easter eggs. I felt like a total bloated pig when done.

As other commenters have said, this is a lifelong challenge and effort to unlearn old, bad habits and learn good, healthy ones. Just realizing that you "binged" and want to do something to avoid it in the future is a gigantic leap in the right direction! I find this site to be hugely helpful, and there are some wonderful ideas on here for the next time, although it may well take several times before you learn to think "what should I do BESIDES eat right now, because I'm not hungry, but feeling stressed?" I wish you all the best of luck!