I'm a Stress Eater and I Don't Know What to Do About It

I agree with several other posts, get out and meet people thru volunteering or by taking a class that will help relive stress like yoga, Pilates, tai chi, art, theater... Any place that you can connect with others that share similar interests. That will do two things, 1) you will have an outlet for stress and 2) you will meet people and not feel so alone and that may reduce much of our stress and possible depression. You may also want to look at a website like meetup.com. They offer, literally thousands of meet up type groups. You're bound to find something on there that interests you.

As far as not eating, chew gum, take a relaxing shower/bath, blog on MFP, drink warm tea. I happen to like chamomile or white tea with a tsp of honey. Chamomile is decaffeinated and also relaxing. Drinking tea helps with the hand to mouth urges without a lot of guilt.

Remind yourself that food is not able to feed your emotions...no matter how much you eat, you're still going to feel like a bottomless pit if you try to feed your emotions. They are insatiable when it comes to food. Instead, learn how to openly communicate your feelings. Harboring anger and resentment or your true feelings lead to eating, trust me I know. I have learned how to communicate my TRUE feelings to others. I may not say what they like to hear but i do it in a tactful way. I put boundaries around myself and let people know why... I do not give ultimatums, i just do what I NEED TO to keep myself healthy, in every sense of the word. As a quick example, one of my family members is an alcoholic. I work with drug addicts and alcoholics in my job and it is quite stressful. Over a summer getaway weekend at my sisters vacation home this other family member was obnoxious intoxicated, so much so i was not able to relax and enjoy my weekend. I avoided the person all weekend but when i got home later that week, i called them up and told them they must have realized i did not spend much time around them over the past weekend. They agreed they had noticed. I then proceeded to tell the person that i am not able to relax when they are that intoxicated. I also told them i do not expect that they will stop drinking or change their behavior so I was going to change mine. I let them know that they next time i am around them and they get that drunk i will have to remove myself from their presence or cur my weekend short. I was prepared to do both as this was NOT an ultimatum, meaning, i didn't tell them, stop drinking OR else i wouldn't spend time with them. The person was taken back that i addressed this sensitive topic so directly but because i did not ask THEM to change, i instead only told them how I was going to change, they were open to hearing me... And they ultimately respected me enough to curb their drinking while i am around...

Remember, if you have unmet expectations, are harboring resentments, are annoyed with someone SPEAK UP.. But keep on mind, the only thing YOU can change is YOU. Perhaps taking a communications class would help or talking with a therapist or reading a good book on good communication skills. Check out this link.. http://serenityonlinetherapy.com/healthyboundaries.htm

I like to quote the Serenity Prayer.."God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (everything but YOU and your mind/actions/thoughts), courage to change the things I can (YOU) and the wisdom to know the difference."

Good luck to you and keep me posted!

I'm a stress eater too, I figured it out about 6 years ago. I thought, great, now it's fixed, I know what to do. Weird thing, I'm heavier than ever, I look at my life, it's pretty good, not too stressful, not more than I can handle. Yet I find myself eating stuff I'd never eat normally not because it's unhealthy (it is) but I don't even like those foods.

I just figured it out this summer, I always assumed it was MY stress that made me eat. It turns out my best friends, let's call them Doom and Gloom, are very nice however they're never happy and if they are, I never know about it because they only tell me how awful their lives are. They call, text, email and it's always depressing and I have to cheer them up, I have a couple family members that do the same thing, a few coworkers too. By the end of the day, I'm no longer upbeat and happy and end up eating junk food!

I've been avoiding Doom and Gloom and various family members and coworkers for the past few weeks and it's going great! I'm losing weight, I'm not overeating or craving junk food and I'm upbeat almost all the time! I don't want to lose these friends but I don't know how to tell them they can't keep doing this. I feel like it's killing me, my weight is causing my asthma and other issues to act up and I just can't continue this way.

I understand not wanting to work out when you're stressed. I tell myself I love the gym, I live to go to the gym, it's my favorite thing to do, the best part of my day, whatever, I repeat it over and over. It's not true but somehow it makes me do it and put in a really good effort and feel good about it. I like everyone's idea of volunteering, everyone I know who volunteers finds it very rewarding.

Yes, I totally meant you. You rock. And I'm rooting for you but you look smoking how NOW!

Yes, I totally meant you. You rock. And I'm rooting for you but you look smoking how NOW!

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it :drinker: :flowerforyou:

Now, of to the gym, there is a body combat class with my name on it! Have a great Saturday everyone :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I posted this in a similar topic, it might be helpful here:

"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."

What is important is that you noticed something...now you can do something about. Be kind to yourself along the way.

Good luck!

I'm not putting this advice down whatsoever... it may be very helpful for some! It just made me smile because for me, I'd probably want to smash something after a few seconds of pre-meditated sit down time, lol. I would just get antsy and more stressed and all that bejumble ha.
I can very much so be a eat when I'm bored, stressed, sad, etc. .. it is difficult.. but just start the day eating well with the attitude that you're not going to do that and finding something to do in place of it, whatever that may be.. is the only thing that helps me.

Thanks for your post!

Yes, it definitely isn't easy and it certainly isn't a quick fix. I also can't help but smile a bit when I think that we have stressed ourselves out so much in this world, that idea of sitting still for 10 or so minutes sounds impossible. Btw, my wife says the same thing, so I understand the resistance! In the end, it you say you can't, the you can't. If you say you can, the world is wide open. It's a choice.

Our minds are like a stormy sea, which makes us "antsy and more stressed and all that bejumble ha.". Doing a little daily meditation practice helps to calm the storm.

You need to find some positive coping skills for dealing with stress. Here is a list of 117 different coping skills.

http://www.teen-beauty-tips.com/support-files/117-healthy-coping-skills.pdf

other tips to avoid eating when stressed are:
-call a friend or family member and ask for help to deal with it
-chew minty gum or brush your teeth
-drink water
-take a nap or do yoga/meditation
-cry (helps me get my emotions out and relax)
Those are things I do when stressed and they work for me.