I need to STOP emotional eating! Tips?

I know how very difficult that is because I do the same. We have to keep in mind that we are in control of what we put into our mouths. It's not like somebody is tying us down and force-feeding us. Sometimes I find myself in the kitchen with the cabinets open and yell out loud "STOP!" Eating doesn't help, it only gives us something new to be miserable about. I'd rather only be miserable about one thing, wouldn't you?

I have a habit of emotional eating at night I am a night owl and I think about my day and watch tv and make myself feel better:( I have recently started going to bed earlier/ reading to occupy my mind or going on here for times when I really feel tempted...Sometimes I log on here to many times to count and look at success stories and it keeps me strong that and drinking water/ eating a piece of fruit:)

Is there anyone you can talk to about your worries. I find that usually helps.

Find a new outlet for your emotions. Kickboxing is FANTASTIC, punching the crap out of a punching bag helps too.

Ugh, I hate this... I went through a time when I was really hung up about this guy, just wanted to eat chocolate and ice cream! I found chatting to close friends helped as well as replacing foods, instead of chocolate id slice up an apple or eat blueberries, or make a smoothie! I actually really like fruit and veg, so it's making sure you have a good selection in the house! If not, take a walk to clear your head, and buy some healthy snacks! Double whammie! Walks always help me to clear my head when I'm feeling down and just wanna lye on the sofa and comfort eat! If you ever wanna message me/add me as a friend feel free!

This website is chock full of help for emotional eating, in fact, it is the entire focus of the site. Highly recommended.

http://www.shrinkyourself.com/?v=60&bhcp=1

Believe it or not, meditation will help with this. Setting aside a little time everyday to be quiet helps with a lot of our destructive habits. Simply set an egg timer, sit down in a chair and follow your breath. Breath in, breath out. When your attention drifts, notice that, and return to following the breath. Don't concern yourself results. Just do it daily and see what happens.

Of course, counseling can help too, if the problem is very serious.

Good luck!

I haven't had an emotional binge since April...UNTIL THIS PAST WEEK! I dove right into the carbs scene w/o taking a deep breath first...hence, the bloat, the headache, the sugar spike, the guilt, etc...I have learned that if "IF you fail to plan, you plan to fail." That is sooooo true for me...I had learned to do deep breathing, short slow paced walks, or mindless household chores when that urge envelopes me...but I pushed it all aside one day cuz I was tired of the "routine"...I wanted to change it up....like I hear at meetings, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results...I thought since I had it "made" since April ONE time will not hurt, but I also KNOW that one bite is too many and a thousand will not be enough! Like ChancyW said.."have one cheat meal every week" so you do not feel deprived..I have also taped to my cupboards and fridge...STOP! Nothing new in here since the last time you looked! Also, try chewing gum...wearing a rubberband on your wrist to play with to wile away the moments...and when all else fails...take a nap!

I've been doing good for the past 5 months, but something happened recently that's triggering my emotional eating. Getting to that point where you just don't care about calories and you want that temporary satisfaction.

Does anyone have any tips/ways of thinking that helps avoid this problem?

I have friends who say writing down their feelings helps. It's usually something completely unrelated to food and possibly filling the void with food, which won't fill it.

Being on a calorie deficit is hard. You can't do this journey on will power alone. You must set up your environment for success. Have a team around you in your real life, not just online. Get trigger foods out of the house. It will take some sacrifice and it's not easy. You might have to say no to some social events sometimes.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. 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.

For me riding my bike or going for a run puts my mind at ease, so does a punching back, or playing the guitar/piano, music is a gateway to emotional release, at least for me.