Emotional eater/Sugar addict HELP NEEDED!!

mariejoe88
mariejoe88 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Mon 04/15/13 01:47 PM

Hi!

I am an emotional eater.. I lost my mom a year and a half ago and gained 30 pounds during and after the event because of stress and sadness. I managed to lose 11 so far, but I still need to lose another 20. I am going to a bachata festival in Dominican Republic and will be dancing in a bikini on the beach :( I don't feel confident and I need tips to control my SUGAR ADDICTION!!!!

I can do well food wise all day long, until work stress can make me eat a chocolate bar or cake, and here goes my calories for the day! Any tips to control emotional eating + sugar addictions??

I would love to lose another 5-8 pounds in the next 6 weeks..

Thanks!! :wink:

Replies

  • meganshort11
    meganshort11 Posts: 48 Member
    i feel you...im an emotional eater too.

    the best advice i can give, is try to relax, stay happy, and treat yourself.

    the fiber one 90 calorie brownies are actually pretty good...or slice up a banana with 1 tbsp honey and a litte cinnamon...it's suprisingly good, and gives you the satisfaction you get from eating something decadent. cause who REALLY wants fruit after a crappy day?

    exercise too. even if you hate it, you always feel good after a good work out....and burns the extra calories.

    good luck!
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    To me, the mouth feel of plain Fage Greek Yogurt is very reminiscent of good ice cream. You can flavor it with fresh or frozen fruit, vanilla, honey, cocoa, etc. The underlying nutritional boost makes it an excellent choice, even if you "sugar" it up a bit
  • groovy_dhruvy
    groovy_dhruvy Posts: 35 Member
    I'm an emotional eater too. It's tough. I've always used food to comfort myself when the chips are down. I'm feeling pretty low at the moment but I've found that by focussing on the person I want to be in terms of fitness and body shape, I reward myself psychologically from resisting the temptations. It's like I'm high-fiving myself.
  • QuirkyRedhead
    QuirkyRedhead Posts: 8
    Mon 04/15/13 01:47 PM

    Hi!

    I am an emotional eater.. I lost my mom a year and a half ago and gained 30 pounds during and after the event because of stress and sadness. I managed to lose 11 so far, but I still need to lose another 20. I am going to a bachata festival in Dominican Republic and will be dancing in a bikini on the beach :( I don't feel confident and I need tips to control my SUGAR ADDICTION!!!!

    I can do well food wise all day long, until work stress can make me eat a chocolate bar or cake, and here goes my calories for the day! Any tips to control emotional eating + sugar addictions??

    I would love to lose another 5-8 pounds in the next 6 weeks..

    Thanks!! :wink:

    I'm an emotional eater too. I've found that when feeling stressed, instead of going to get something to eat I get on the treadmill and run(or go workout). I feel so much better when I workout. I've found the more stressful the day was, the harder and more intense my workout is.

    I also have a sugar addiction. Until I could get it under control, I had to ban sugar from my house. I turned to foods that were sweet naturally. So, I tend to eat a lot of sweet oranges and honeycrisp apples. Now that I've started losing weight I can eat a bowl of light ice cream or a pudding cup and be okay and not go on a sugar binge. It takes an incredible amount of discipline. Sometimes, I still lose it and go on a junk food binge. Unfortunately, at this point in the game it just makes me really sick afterwards. I'm eating so healthy now, that when I do that it's like shocking my body.
  • ghhosstt
    ghhosstt Posts: 112
    learn to pay attention to how you are feeling when you want to binge on sugar, and find a way to express that emotion and get it out instead of trying to numb it with sweets and food. Keep in touch with your support system of family/friends often. I'd really suggest keeping a journal as well. I find it to be an incredibly cathartic/therapeutic way of getting out emotion if you are like me and have a hard time confessing to others that you need outside help and support. My heart goes out to you and I wish you the best getting through the pain of losing a loved one.
  • MitziGrl
    MitziGrl Posts: 1
    I am emotional eater as well. If I am feeling good about myself I lose weight but when I feel blue I gain it all back. It is very frustrating because I start to feel I am getting ahead of the game only to fall way behind. I am starting over again and hope to get back to a weight I am happy with. If you have a friend to walk with or a pet to walk, that walking (or whatever exercise you enjoy) helps me to relax and stops me from eating when I feel stressed out. Good luck!
  • Shrynkabelle
    Shrynkabelle Posts: 32 Member
    The key to dealing with any addiction is to think about the consequences of your actions. Ask yourself this question 'how will I feel in 2 hours if I eat this (whatever it is you're thinking about!) because the chances are, you may well regret what you are about to eat! Think about it; eating something that you know is going to take you away from your goal, as opposed to closer to it, is not going to make you feel any better about yourself. How did you feel after your last 'lapse'? And if you are an 'all or nothing' person, which so many overweight people are, then it could well be the catalyst that makes you ditch your sensible eating plan for who knows how long! So, think about something more positive, such as how wonderful it feels to slip into those favourite 'slim day' jeans, or slinky dress! Nothing taste as good as that feels, honestly. Any cravings that you might feel will disappear within a very short space of time! Drink a glass of water, and tell yourself that you will review how you feel in 10 minutes - I promise you, you will feel very empowered by taking control of your actions. Everything we do begins with a though, which then affects your feelings, and then your actions! You CAN do this - and tell yourself this, because your subconscious can't tell the difference, so make sure you are talking to yourself if a very positive way! Good luck. I have faith in you! Let me know how you get on. Hugs x
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
    I'm fortunate to not have this issue - but my wife has been an emotional eater her entire life, and gained over 100lbs because of it.

    The key for her is:

    * Don't have addictive foods in the house. (She's drawn to a combination of highly-refined carbs and fats - ie: pastries, etc.) so we do NOT buy them, period.

    * Swap an exercise "high" for the food "high". You can get a similar feeling from exercise that you do from sugary/fatty treats... get those endorphins flowing and the upside is feeling good with no guilt!

    * Start to view food as fuel instead of as comfort. If you start counting calories, and going for a certain macronutrient ratio, it can certainly be boring, but it does change your mindset a little about food. When we view it as fuel - we can still enjoy the tastes of things, but within some predetermined limits.

    * If you are an impulse shopper - do NOT go shopping hungry, and always shop with a list and a goal.

    * It will NOT be easy - but it is worth it. Sometimes we fail - if you do, that's OK, pick yourself up and start again, and be better tomorrow than you were today.

    That's all I got.
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,293 Member
    I used to have coffee with sugar, chocolate en masse, etc etc etc. then i started the south beach diet - first two weeks, you pretty much dont eat any carbs. after a couple of days, the sweet cravings go away. then it's just psychological.
    I didnt end up sticking with it past a few months (because its quite restrictive on milk, and that, of all things, is one food i may never be able to give up), but it's really helped me cut down on sugar. i dont need it in my coffee anymore, i look at ice cream and wonder why bother, etc.
    and don't get me started on pastries, i know the calorie value, so i want equal value in flavour, which means, i usually end up having to bake things from scratch - if ever you 'want' a treat badly enough to prepare, bake, and do dishes for two hours, you deserve it :-)
    i still love my chocolate, and tend to overindulge when i am feeling low, but, i only buy one bar of toblerone a week, and when its gone, it's gone. I get so proud when it lasts me past saturday, when i buy the next one.
  • denisejelinek
    denisejelinek Posts: 17 Member
    this might help: http://www.firstourselves.org/
  • SenseiCole
    SenseiCole Posts: 429 Member
    I am so sorry for your loss, I lost my mum when i was 22 yrs old, that was some 25 yrs ago. remember the good times you had with her. if I could take away your pain I would. stay strong.

    as for sugar, I stay away from it, for me even having the smallest amount had sent me over the edge so i stay away from it.

    exercise has help me alot

    and this quote
    "If you had a million-dollar racehorse, would you let him stay up half the night drinking coffee and booze, smoking cigarettes and eating junk food?" Next question: "Would you treat a 10-dollar dog or a 5-dollar cat that way? What about a billion-dollar body?" thanks Zig Ziglar

    teat yourself with love and care, take care of yourself always you are worth a billion dollars
  • Awake_Alive
    Awake_Alive Posts: 261 Member
    The emotional part, I can't help with, I still have to figure that one out. The sugar is much easier. I stop eating anything with sugar for three days. Something happens after day three that makes me completely uninterested in sugar products. I can't explain it. Just try it and see what happens!!!
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    Do not keep your favorite treats in the house. Clean out the pantry when you are feeling strong so you won't be tempted in a weak moment. Remember the old adage, "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips" Really if you can stall yourself for 20 minutes you get a fresh second chance to decide to snack. If you still want it get dressed, get in the car, go buy it. Usually that's way too much work so I just say "forget it, I'll eat that tomorrow" Procrastination can be your friend.
  • anaboneana
    anaboneana Posts: 195 Member
    Hi there! I'm a recovering bulimic so I understand how awful emotional eating is and how easily it is to become addicted to sugar. I often joke that refined sugar is like crack to me. Horribly true.

    For me, the best approach was to not deprive myself and to ensure that I was getting the nutrients that my body needed. I recommend, if possible, going to a nutritionist and having them help you create a diet profile suited to your individual needs.

    I also recommend psychological help for the emotional troubles. I see a therapist and she's helped me immensely.

    Going back to what I say about deprivation. I think that depriving yourself of something is the worst thing you can do. It either leads to an unhealthy fear of food or eventual binging. Also, instead of saying "I can't have this", say "I can have this... But I don't want it because it's not what my body really needs right now."

    Now, I do think there are times when we deserve a treat.
    Treats are awesome. They just don't have to be 1000+ calories in one sitting.
    Rather... make reasonable swaps.

    Instead of having a poptart. Have a special k pastry crisp with an iced chai tea (made with truvia and almond milk).

    Rather than having a king size chocolate bar. Have a fancy godiva chocolate square (make it something special/a bit decadent) while you soak in a hot bath with some of your favorite music playing.

    Instead of reaching into a bag of chips. Have a pre-portioned bag of quaker popped rice snacks. Or 1 serving of tostitos bite sized chips (24 chips for 140 calories) and a couple spoons of fresh salsa.

    Rather than reaching for a tub of ice cream, have a 40-100 calorie fudge or ice cream bar.

    We don't have to give up food. We just need to make responsible decisions.

    Also, I highly recommend writing down what you eat and when. I like MFP for nutrition info, but I prefer to keep track of my calories on paper. Plus, it's nice to be able to write down why I ate something that I didn't think I necessarily needed. (Why did I eat that chocolate? I think I was tired/stressed/anxious..)
  • mariejoe88
    mariejoe88 Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks so much everyone for the tips, the love and support!! I can see i'm not the only one in this boat and glad that most of you have found the trick ; ) I will try some of those tips and will try to be strong :heart: :flowerforyou:
  • kfritz7162
    kfritz7162 Posts: 10 Member
    mariejoe88-

    I too am an emotional eater and crave sweets over salt. I found these Fit and Active 100 calorie pack Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are helping with the cravings.

    Also, I have found that I can't deprive myself of all that I love to eat...it just has to be donein moderation. If you want a piece of chocolate, eat it. Just don't eat the bag of chocolate.

    Stay strong and remind yourself that you can do it.

    Good Luck!

    Katie

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