What should I do when I am stress ...HELP!!!!

sillysilv33
sillysilv33 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Yesterday was not a good day for eating for me. I went to Taco Bell and me a pig out of myself. I think it was because I felt bored and stressed. I tend to binge eat when I am stressed. I need to find another way of handling stress instead of eating at places that are no good for me.

Replies

  • sprale
    sprale Posts: 117 Member
    Exercising is great for dealing with stress. Find something you like and stick with it. This will also help decrease your appetite. I also find meditation or self hypnosis to be very helpful for me when I am dealing with stress. Being outside in nature can be very good for you, then, too.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Exercise.

    Also, how much Taco Bell did you eat?
  • bergpa
    bergpa Posts: 148 Member
    I find music helps. I've reallocated some of my food money to new downloads.
  • flitabout
    flitabout Posts: 200 Member
    This is going to be the standard answer that you will hear. Instead of eating try taking a 5-10 minutes walk. It does help. Although personally when I am stressed I the last thing I think about is taking a walk. For me when I am truly stressed I can't eat, and I just have a couple of glasses of wine. Not that that is the best idea! You will have to try a few diffenent techniques to find out what works for you. Get on line and talk to people, call a friend and tell them how you are feeling, play a video game. That one sounds dumb but you aren't putting food in your mouth so if it works for you do it!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Yoga is good for that. So is exercise so intense you can't think of anything except not dying. I prefer the latter because I suck at yoga, but that's just me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    When I'm feeling extra stress, I usually go for an extra run. It also helps if a stressful day happens to fall on a lifting day...'cuz I can pretty much move mountains when I'm stressed and by the time I'm done lifting, I'm too shot to stress about anything.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    Exercise
    Alcohol
    Sex

    I usually rotate between these three things and just so I don't over indulge in any particular area. I would say make sure you over rotate exercise and sex as alcohol tends to do just as much damage as food.
  • jagh09
    jagh09 Posts: 555 Member
    This is my constant struggle too. I'm an emotional eater. I've been working with a nutritionist for a little while, to try to address some of these issues. Try to keep a journal and identify your "triggers". Like, does a bad day at work send you right to the wine bottle and the pizza take-out menus? (That's me on a Friday night!) Becoming more aware of it is the first step. Realizing what drives you to that "I want to stuff my face for comfort" point, will help you side-step it and plan better.

    Definitely take a moment to just take a few deep breaths. If you have to go hide in the bathroom and close your eyes to take some deep breaths, do it. Find other things that will give you relief, like a pedicure, a walk around the block, painting a picture, talking to a friend, washing dishes....anything to distract you from the food.

    This is a life-long process of unlearning bad food behaviors. Every step towards progress is a success. Just being aware of your bad habits and trying to find ways to deal with them is a great step. Keep going! You're going to be great.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Workout
    take a walk
    read a book
    do yoga
    clean out a closet
    go window shopping
    treat yourself to something in moderation that will fit into your calorie goal
    listen to music
    get a massage
    get a mani or pedi or both
    do your own mani/pedi
    plan a future vacation or fun activity
    dance
    ride a bike
    plan a super healthy meal
    go to the movies
    hang out with a really good friend
    play on pinterest (I'm addicted)
    learn a video game
    take a nap
    Do anything but binge. Remember.....we are all allowed to eat, it's the moderation that counts.
  • matt2442
    matt2442 Posts: 1,259 Member
    how much Taco Bell did you eat?

    I want to know this as well. if it's less than 6 soft tacos, 2 burritos, and 3 hard tacos, then you did not get your moneys worth on that cheat day.
  • amandamotley
    amandamotley Posts: 63
    If I'm bored and it's making me want to eat, I usually take a hot bath, sometimes with my Kindle. Great distraction.
  • Erin0164
    Erin0164 Posts: 64 Member
    Exercise or I drink a big glass of low sodium V-8. Surprisingly filling and very few calories with the added benefit of nutrients.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    For during finals (yay) I have a calisthenics program consisting of squats, pushups, lunges, crunches, and dips that I do every 2 hours or so. Gets my mind off the work and brings the blood flow back. Helps to keep me going.
  • TinaBaily
    TinaBaily Posts: 792 Member
    I totally hear you. I am under some stress right now and due to not feeling too hot I skipped my post-work workout. Not the best idea because that lead to a short binge for me and that was followed by not feeling great about myself. At least my binges aren't too terrible like they used to be, as this one was 2 tiny slices of pizza, half a serving of homemade potato, onion and sausage casserole, a guesstimated serving of potato chips, a bowl of Cocoa Krispies with skim milk, a Pop Tart and a serving of chocolate covered marshmallow Easter eggs. I felt like a total bloated pig when done.

    As other commenters have said, this is a lifelong challenge and effort to unlearn old, bad habits and learn good, healthy ones. Just realizing that you "binged" and want to do something to avoid it in the future is a gigantic leap in the right direction! I find this site to be hugely helpful, and there are some wonderful ideas on here for the next time, although it may well take several times before you learn to think "what should I do BESIDES eat right now, because I'm not hungry, but feeling stressed?" I wish you all the best of luck!

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