Emotional eaters

PrittyPiton
PrittyPiton Posts: 25 Member
in Motivation and Support
I 'm emotional eater myself - every time when I'm really stressed or feel sad or depressed I really want to eat. Stress is the worse - then I can eat anything and completely forget about my goals, weight, diet ... Are there any emotional eater here in this community? How do you fight with these moments?

Replies

  • kkaci5
    kkaci5 Posts: 59 Member
    Well, I don't fight it (also an emotion). I seem to have "cured" that through my logging here. Because I log everything, I think about everything I put in my mouth. It also helps if you log in advance -- plan out your meals and snacks, especially if you know it might be a stressful day.

    I also still have "that" kind of food, occasionally. I never knew 1/2 cup of ice cream could taste so delicious -- I've never eaten an actual serving size of ice cream in my life :-P.

    But really, after about two months solid of logging daily, (and regular exercise) my former emotional eating seems to have disappeared ...

    Edited to add: I couldn't have had ice cream early on ... just added it back in recently. The hold it had on me is gone.
  • poptastic
    poptastic Posts: 151 Member
    I used to be an emotional eater but now I use exercise instead. Honestly, I started running a few months back and now whenever I've had a hard day instead of reaching for a chocolate bar/glass of wine/takeaway, I get home, put on my running shoes and run as fast as I can, even just around the block for 15 minutes. Exercise gives you endorphins that last much longer than a sugar high!
  • mattschwartz01
    mattschwartz01 Posts: 566 Member
    I 'm emotional eater myself - every time when I'm really stressed or feel sad or depressed I really want to eat. Stress is the worse - then I can eat anything and completely forget about my goals, weight, diet ... Are there any emotional eater here in this community? How do you fight with these moments?

    Yes, I am an emotional eater. How do I combat this? The power comes in reviewing my daily food/exercise log before I'm going to eat anything. I stop and think before I'm going to eat. I look up the calories and then suddenly it isn't so attractive anymore. I'll also take a nice light walk or chew gun or even have the emergency Frost mints for when all else fails. While I'm on my weight management program, I also discuss this with my therapist. I want to stop the emotional eating habit once and for all.
  • PrittyPiton
    PrittyPiton Posts: 25 Member
    I used to be an emotional eater but now I use exercise instead. Honestly, I started running a few months back and now whenever I've had a hard day instead of reaching for a chocolate bar/glass of wine/takeaway, I get home, put on my running shoes and run as fast as I can, even just around the block for 15 minutes. Exercise gives you endorphins that last much longer than a sugar high!

    Well It would be great to get endorphins from sports.
  • tashannaturnipseed
    tashannaturnipseed Posts: 15 Member
    Walking really helps me deal with my stress...it just feels so freeing and relaxing!
  • IMD918
    IMD918 Posts: 49
    Part of my eating plan used to include cheat days about once every 8 days. In the last few weeks I cut that out and got past a plateau. I've been doing really well until my gf and I broke up a few days ago, and the next day I was more tempted to blow off my diet than ever! Took every ounce of will power, but I pushed past it. Its just so hard not to give in when you are emotional.
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    I was so proud of myself yesterday! I got some bad news at work, and my first thought was "I should stop for a bottle of wine on the way home today." But I looked at my journal and saw how right on target with my calories I was for the day, and instead I went home, spent some time chilling out in the kitchen cooking a healthy dinner, and then did a little yoga until my husband got home. Same effect, I managed to calm down and shut my brain off for the day, but I did it without sabotaging my fitness for the day. I hope this becomes my natural reaction instead of a conscious choice at some point.

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