Need advice on breaking the cycle of emotional eating...

ginncjb · October 2012

One of my major hurdles is a family history of using food for emotions (Need to celebrate?...here's your favorite meal! Had a bad day?....have a piece of cake!) This week, I had my yearly checkup where my doctor raved about my fantastic cholesterol levels & my low triglycerides. He was even able to cut my blood pressure meds in half. So, to "celebrate", I had a 20 oz Coke & a handful of potato chips within the hour (had totally lost my taste for both & hadn't had them in weeks!) Then a few days later, even though I've upped my exercise considerably, I gained 2 lbs. So, I had a candy bar (also something I hadn't had or even craved in weeks)!

I know I just need to be more mindful of what I'm actually feeling at the time, but would like to hear from others who have battled this problem.

kirraleej · October 2012

I know the feeling. I've always rewarded weight loss with food- very counter productive and then commiserate with food too! It's not helpful at all! I'm also eating my way through some relationship issues at the moment :-( so have just grained a whole heap back!

When I'm focused I try to make sure to reward myself in other ways... I'll only eat chocolate if I've earned addition calorie intake with exercise and I've taken to online shopping- I'm crafty so ill buy myself a stamp set and do some card making instead of food rewards. I realize it's swapping one addiction for another but I figure it's still a better choice in the long run!

californiagirl2012 · October 2012

One of my major hurdles is a family history of using food for emotions (Need to celebrate?...here's your favorite meal! Had a bad day?....have a piece of cake!) This week, I had my yearly checkup where my doctor raved about my fantastic cholesterol levels & my low triglycerides. He was even able to cut my blood pressure meds in half. So, to "celebrate", I had a 20 oz Coke & a handful of potato chips within the hour (had totally lost my taste for both & hadn't had them in weeks!) Then a few days later, even though I've upped my exercise considerably, I gained 2 lbs. So, I had a candy bar (also something I hadn't had or even craved in weeks)!

I know I just need to be more mindful of what I'm actually feeling at the time, but would like to hear from others who have battled this problem.

I've never had this issue but I have friends that do and most of them find keeping a journal helpful. For many they are trying to fill some other need with food. Some find counseling helpful.

Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

kayduro · October 2012

You're not a dog so don't reward yourself with food;/

withchaco · October 2012

Definitely look into other ways of celebrating and consoling. Shopping, reading, getting a massage, dancing... or even a vacation if that's within your schedule/ budget... something you can enjoy and lose yourself in.

I don't have this issue, but I know a few who do. Most recently I came to know a 6 year old with this problem. She was at a perfectly normal weight, but gained 10+ pounds (which was significant on her little frame) within just 2-3 months. Her family was going through a hard time... She could sense it and turned to food for comfort. I tried to direct her to other means of relieving stress, like watching a funny cartoon together or taking her to the playground. It worked wonders. (note, I wasn't trying to make her a thin child, I just wanted to help her with an issue that could cause serious consequences for years down the road.)

Interestingly, while my family has a history of using food for celebration and consolation, no one among my immediate family members has emotional eating issues. My parents used food for celebration/ consolation from time to time when I was little, but 1) they don't engage in emotional eating themselves, and 2) they also used other things, like buying me a new video game or taking me to the amusement park.

kimcalica · October 2012

there are better rewards than food... clothes for instance.. a piece of jewelry or hair accessory that makes your self esteem go up.. something really cute that people will give you complements about.. nobody is going to complement that candy bar.. weather it's in your purse or in your stomach.. its not a very impressive reward.. you deserve better than that!

gazelleintraining · October 2012

For the happy events reward yourself with non-food items: a manicure/pedicure, a new shirt, a cool pair of fitness shoes, new workout videos, books

For the sad events or physiological addiction component of food cravings, there's not much you can do except push through the fear, disappointment, whatever. It will pass. To break the emotional eating cycle you must be able to allow yourself to feel discomfort, even high levels of it. Feel low self-esteem? It will pass. Feel *****y? It will pass. Tough love yourself and hang on.

For all types of events associated with any emotion, exercise as a reward is awesome. Find something you enjoy that maybe doesn't even feel like exercise, like bowling, walking in the beach/short mountain pass/field. Hook up a television or laptop near your treadmill and catch up on the latest episode of your favorite TV show while you walk. If you can begin to associate exercise with a treat, you'll be amazed how emotional eating pales by comparison to your body's own endorphins!

dr2k12 · October 2012

Technically you can still eat emotionally, the discipline of keeping it within your daily caloric goal is the key to it. So while downing a whole pizza is out of the question, a slice of pizza shouldn't break the caloric bank...

karabff · October 2012

I understand completely..I to am an emtional eater an do it no matter the mood happy sad stressed whatever-what I have been doing (an though I am getting better I still have those days-though they are getting further apart) is I have been buying my goal clothes in the size I want to get-an I am hanging them all over my house-now they dont go with the decor lol but I am tired of plus size clothing as it is not in my stlye so this seems to be helping me--wish you all the best on your journey

LitaRose77 · October 2012

I am trying to break this destructive cycle also. I am an emotional eater...if I am stressed, I turn to sweets, usually chocolate. I try not to keep snacks in the house, otherwise I find myself mindlessly munching while watching tv or on the computer before bed. I am also trying to break the habit of eating up until bedtime, as I have begun to notice that the closer to bedtime that I have something to eat, the stranger my dreams become. ;-)

I am trying to keep a reasonably goal in mind. I try not to think of a number I want to get down to in weight, because if I do that, I will start to feel overwhelmed....where I should be is a long way off from where I am now. Instead, I am setting smaller goals for myself....Clothing sizes. My goal is to get down into the next clothing size down. Once there, I am purging my closet of the bigger stuff, donating it, selling it, etc. This way, I am not tempted to give up because I have "safe" clothes in my closet. Once I start getting down in sizes, I am going to stop buying stretch waist pants. This too will help, once the jeans become snug or hard to put on, time to regroup & get my focus back. My reward for getting to my next step, a new outfit or two.

I would love to get into the single digit clothing sizes. At this point, I would be happy in a 10/12.

ginncjb · October 2012

Thanks for the words of advice & encouragement. Good to know that others have worked through this.

Geneen Roth's book "Women, Food & God" really helped me with this in the beginning (I'm much better than I was), so probably need to read it again. I think it has just come up for me again because I had been doing so well.

Need advice on breaking the cycle of emotional eating...

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