Emotional eating

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Nanou1975
Nanou1975 Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
HI,

I am an emotional eater, the more stressed out or sad I am, the more I eat....and of course, the healthy choices are never the ones you tend to reach for.

I'm working hard on avoiding eating my emotions and taking the time to look at the ingredients or nutritional facts (it gives me a chance to see how much it's processed and just how much I'm going to "pay" for it after I ate it (by "pay" I mean not have any success on the scale and the added guilt of having given in to the emotion). I also picked up the leash and went for a walk with my dog. I know I'm on the right path, but is there any other suggestions for me?

I'm having a bunch of crazy family issues going on right now and it's nothing but bad news, so I've been walking more than ever lately (which I love to do)...but sometimes it's not enough.

I don't want to fall into the same pattern of eating all my emotions...I actually want to lose those 100+ lbs.

Replies

  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    Go to therapy.

    No, really. If you are an emotional eater, little quick fixes are not going to change what's going on inside of you that you only can control with food, you know?

    The biggest thing that I did for myself in order to finally get the weight off was get my head straight. I wasn't even thinking about weight loss, I focused more on fixing my head and heart and emotions. When I finally was able to deal with emotional stuff and I was finally able to value myself THATS when I was successful in finally losing weight. You can have all the tricks in the world, but if they are just covering up deeper issues.....the deeper issues will sneak up eventually. :)
  • jeme3
    jeme3 Posts: 355 Member
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    Well, I'm sure your dog is very happy about this new turn of events!

    I think walking instead of eating is a great strategy. Not only are you (and the dog!) getting exercise and avoiding eating, you are getting some vit. D and the endorphins from exercise. Keep it up!

    If it's not enough, it might be time to talk to a therapist or someone.

    Family issues can take their toll.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    I think walking instead of eating is a great strategy. Not only are you (and the dog!) getting exercise and avoiding eating, you are getting some vit. D and the endorphins from exercise. Keep it up!

    I agree! You need to find another way to channel the emotions. I get overwhelmed by anxiety, and I need to go for a run to clear my head. Which has the added benefits of keeping me in shape and keeping me out of the kitchen.
  • Joyfullykelli
    Joyfullykelli Posts: 9
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    I am also an emotional eater with food addiction. Journaling. You gotta get those feelings out so you don't eat them. I do it every morning and sometimes at night also. Not some long drawn out diary account of my every activity. I just start writing my basic feelings - happy, mad, sad, scared or ashamed. From one of those out pours all the crap. If I'm going through a particularly rough time I will carry a small journal with me.
    Also I always remind myself that true "cravings" only last 10 min. So before I take the dive into the thing I'm wanting to numb with I make myself wait 10 min. In that time I have enough time to write out my emotions and talk myself out of the danger. Lol.

    He's wishes for your journey!
  • lara1331
    lara1331 Posts: 15
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    I'm the opposite. When I'm stressed, my appetite completely disappears, which is just as destructive as eating too much. I think therapy and talking it out are great ways to move on and get over your bad relationship with food.
  • nicehormones
    nicehormones Posts: 503 Member
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    I think most of us are in the same boat with emotional eating. I think you need to dig down deep and work through your emotional issues possibly with a therapist if you can afford one. I sure wish I could. If not, there are self help books and programs online. But overall, for the time being, you should try and focus on keeping busy so that your emotions don't get the best of you and try and find a distraction for when they do. It's really good that you are walking your dog. A lot of times I have wanted to binge badly, and went out for a walk/jog and came back feeling great. Best of luck to you.
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
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    I exercise. I do it for my physical health but it also works wonders for mental health.

    I too and a very emotional person and used to turn to food for everything. Happy, sad, mad, depressed....................

    I have started to workout regularly for my physical health but on the days where I'm down and out or angry or whatever I hit the trail to clear my head and relieve stress.

    Someone on here once said that he "pounded the pavement" when he's angry and I thought that was great and I started doing the same thin.

    It has taken me a lot of practice to learn my body and what it really is trying to say and what it needs. Am I tired or thirsty or stressed or do I really need to eat. It takes time to retrain your mind and body.

    One day at a time one step at a time! It all works for better health! :drinker:
  • Nanou1975
    Nanou1975 Posts: 34 Member
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    My emotional eating is not to cope with "deep down in the pit of my stomach" issues, it's related to the major changes in my life right now.

    In July 2010, my husband was laid off, which just happened to be at the right time because he was struggling more and more with depression and his bipolar (or what we though was bipolar). He has not returned to work since. He had a change in diagnostic, he has Borderline Personality Disorder and major depression. More recently we found out that he has cirrhosis and yesterday we found out he has cancer cells in his stomach (got the diagnostic from the specialist on the phone and haven't talked about it with our doctor yet.). During this time, I lost 4 members of my family, my grand-mother passed away in my arms, and I lost my uncle, aunt and cousin in a murder/suicide, I also changed jobs for a director position, my husband's employment insurance has terminated and we are waiting for long term disability insurance but it's been 6 months. So you can add financial stress too.

    I am seeing a therapist but I'm also looking into other ways to counter the "cravings" that I know are not real.

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