Emotional Eating

blondageh
blondageh Posts: 923 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I am such an emotional eater. I think I am just realizing that when I am in a "Bad mood", I just have a "I don't give a Sh#t attitude". What keeps you from emotional eating?

I am so tired of being in a bad mood. I know most of it has to do with my job, but at the same time, I can't change that right now, so why let it control my life and ruin my hard work?

What are some of the things you do when you are just so P.O.'d at the world that you want to turn to McDonalds to help you have some sort of happy feeling?

When I think of working out right now, I get even angrier because it is something I "HAVE TO" do. Another thing I have to do that I don't particular enjoy after spending 11 hrs getting done with something I HATE.

I always do feel better after doing it though, so I just need to keep that in mind.

What else do you guys do?

Replies

  • squoozyq
    squoozyq Posts: 305
    My husband always tells me that 'the food doesn't control you, you control the food'. And while he may be right, I find I am constantly losing the battle to emotional eating. I try to rationalize, make excuses for, and continuously say 'one day won't matter'. Well, I did that all weekend long, and now I have a 3lb gain to show for it.
    So, my advice to you is this:
    Don't have it in the house.
    Don't drive past it.
    Don't take it to work.

    Remember, a job is only a job. Try to get a walk in at lunch time to blow some steam....go to Starbuck's and get a no fat latte. Anything, any distraction. Also, live life. Once in a while is ok, don't cut junk out completely or you will become a crazy chick! Trust me, I've been there!
    Hope my endless preaching has helped in some small way.
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
    I have certain things that I just know I'll munch on if it's in the house: tortilla chips, ice cream, whipped cream :blushing: ... everyone has different favorite munchie foods, but those are mine. I just simply don't keep them in the house, and honestly, I don't even miss them. I keep healthy snacks in the house (homemade granola bars, veggies, etc.) and I'm only tempted to eat those when I'm actually hungry (not when I just want to munch because I'm pissed, angry, frustrated, etc.).

    That's what works for me, hope you find something that works for you :flowerforyou:
  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member
    Thanks! I was pretty good this past weekend, but it just irks me so much on Mondays to be back in this seat that I just want to go home and gorge. I am probably upset a little bit too because I did gain 3lbs as well over the weekend even though I worked out pretty hard. I didn't go over my calories but my night binging reared its ugly head and I am blaming that on the 3lb gain.

    It is funny how that stupid # on the scale can set you of right away in the morning.

    It seems like my life is a constant struggle to not be mad. A lot of my weight gain has been about that. Without going into all the details, I am on medication and that helps quite a bit, or it has, but it all comes back to hating what I do for a living most of the time.

    Now I am pissed at myself for not having a better attitude. I wish I had the answer. I know tomorrow will be better, Mondays are always hard. It is just do I want to be miserable all night? No, will I be? Probably.

    I guess it just comes down to needing to fix what is wrong at the core so I don't feel like I need to reach to food for a "pick me up".
  • absie107
    absie107 Posts: 290
    Well... I remember:

    a) the bad food is temporary
    b) food supposed to be prepared with care, and dined upon, not just scarfed down
    c) most of the crap is engineered and has more ingredients than I can remember
    d) eating is not productive when I'm not hungry

    I know it's hard to keep in mind... but it's a process, building up your mental strength. For a while I would break down every couple weeks and binge. Now it's like... do I really want to but that processed crap in my mouth? Or, if I do emotionally eat, I eat an apple or overeat fruit/veg/whole grain bread or something.

    Other than that, I try to find another activity. Sometimes just taking a quick nap helps.
  • anotheryearolder
    anotheryearolder Posts: 385 Member
    I know what you mean by wanting to eat your stress. I have my stress/boredom/what the heck eating under control (ok, at the moment:wink: ). What did it for me was eating a more substantial breakfast and lunch that I used to eat. This keeps me from being so hungry and wanting to graze in the evening after dinner. Also, if you can learn to enjoy veggies you can eat a ton and still be under your calories.

    Also, I would try to find an exercise routine that you can enjoy. It makes all the difference in how you feel and really helps burn the calories. I enjoy strength training with weights and the elliptical. Swimming is great for weight loss and toning. If you enjoy that, it would be a great workout. I am a very bad swimmer but I'm trying running in the water while holding a kick board. That really gets the leg muscles. Just keep trying to find some activity you can enjoy. You may learn to like exercise if you give it a little longer, I HATED the elliptical the first time I tried it and now it's one of my favorite things to do at the gym and I feel so darn good all day after I do it. Hang in there!:bigsmile:

    Oh, oh, and water - lots and lots of water. I drink lemon water - at least 8 cups a day. I crave water now. It's odd what you can learn to enjoy if you give it a little time.
  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member
    Oh and I should say, I will eat anything. Doesn't matter what it is, healthy or not, I will binge on it. We only have healthy food in the house and I try to steer clear of anything that is easy to grab. Problem is, even healthy food will hurt you with your cals.

    Right now, it is pulled pork. I made a huge pot of it last night. ACK!.

    I think the plan is going to be:

    Go home, eat a sensible portioned dinner
    Work out
    Go straight to bed and hand cuff myself to the headboard so I don't get up in the middle of the night and eat. :laugh:
  • anotheryearolder
    anotheryearolder Posts: 385 Member
    Wow! I didn't notice that you have lost 83 pounds! That is FANTASTIC!! Maybe when you get down you can try to focus on how far you have come. I think you are a winner.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    Long story short, in order to stop having that "I don't give a &@#!" feeling, you have to start giving a &@!!. About your health, about your goals and about your self.

    Find non-food ways to reward yourself and give you a "pick me up." My personal favorites are: face masks, hot bubble baths, self-pedicures, and hot cups of herbal tea. I'm sure you can find some for yourself.

    One of the most constructive things I was told (by a therapist for emotional binging issues) is "when you use a binge to solve a problem, not only don't you solve the original problem, you create another one."

    :flowerforyou:
  • blondageh
    blondageh Posts: 923 Member

    One of the most constructive things I was told (by a therapist for emotional binging issues) is "when you use a binge to solve a problem, not only don't you solve the original problem, you create another one."

    :flowerforyou:

    I love that and it is sooo true!!

    Thanks all. Just being able to ***** about my issues a little bit has actually helped. Not to mention some very good advice. I hope this blocks out my swearing. I have such a sailors mouth. Anyways, I now feel a bit better and more equipped to face the evening. Y'all are right! I HAVE LOST 83 lbs. I can do this!!
  • katlou2
    katlou2 Posts: 199 Member
    Blonda, I think you rock the house!
    :bigsmile:
  • squoozyq
    squoozyq Posts: 305
    It's official, everything that is good, is bad for us. Argh....in my next life I'm a tree.
  • jennk221
    jennk221 Posts: 85 Member
    Emotional eating is tough for me too...I am defiitely a night time binger and I also can not stand my job! It is no where near to what I want to do with my life. I am so new to this that I have not figured out a way not to do it, but I do know that logging on and reading your post helped me tremendously!:smile:
  • Callmefia
    Callmefia Posts: 42
    Do you seriuosly feel like you are in a bad mood all the time? or are you over-exaggerating?

    I was feeling that way around wintertime (in addition to sleeping constantly) and my Dr. put me on Zoloft. It is used to treat seasonal depression AND PMDD (I told her I felt like I had PMS all the time!). It helped a lot. She said that Zoloft is known to help (not hurt) weight loss. She was right because the first 2 weeks on it I did not want to eat a thing. It made me feel so full all the time. I got over that eventually and got back to normal eating.

    My issue is that she only prescribed it for 5 months, so I've weaned myself off (You have to slowly start and slowly stop taking it or else you will get some crazy dizziness and side effects). The last 2 weeks have been tough for me and I've considered going back on it to help control the PMS-y issues but I don't like the idea of being dependent on it. I think I need to learn to control my mood myself... hopefully it works :) Also I'm hoping that working out (which my Dr. always told me to do to relieve stress anwyay) and eating right will help control my mood too.


    Another thing I noticed is that when I was arguing with my mom on the phone (which is one of the things that made it a difficult few weeks) - I had a moment where I was going to reach for chocolate - then I realized that it was emotional eating and I was able to make a conscious decision NOT to do it. I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the night (It was already after dinner and I didn't need to eat anything!) I didn't want to emotional eat - whether it was chocolate or carrots.

    Good luck and I hope you start to feel better!
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
    What I do to keep myself from emotional eating is addressing the problem and why I would think food is not the answer. I tell myself, would this food really make me feel better? The answer is no. I have found other activities to help keep emotional eating at bay such as exercise or shopping. Sometimes I cook, which is weird, but I don't actually eat it or I have a tiny amount and give the rest to my co-workers.

    I find that dealing with what is wrong and finding a new outlet to deal with it helps. It takes time to change the habit or eating due to an emotion. Just keep reminding yourself that the food is not the solution.
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