5 Tools to Stop Emotional Eating!

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  • aloranger7708
    aloranger7708 Posts: 422 Member
    Nighttime is the WORST for me, as well. I'm glad these suggestions were posted!
  • Saratini76
    Saratini76 Posts: 115 Member
    Thank you Thank you Thank you!! I feel so much better that I am not the only one that tries to cover up my loneliness, sadness, and other bad emotions with food. Last night after a fierce argument with my SO, I ate 1/4 of a bag of milky way, 3 musketeer, milky way midnight minis. That was over 1,000 calories of sheer wasted energy. I love chocolate, but when I woke up this morning, I was nauseous, had a headache, and was barely clinging to not finding chips or something else to cover up the guilt from bingeing last night.

    It's not the end of the world though, and I am hoping to get up and move today. Eat healthier today, exercise, and just try to take it as a lesson learned.

    Sara

    :ohwell:
  • mom7boys
    mom7boys Posts: 1
    I have just joined this group & I am a horrible emmotional eatter. Exspecially at work(they give us candy bars when we're having bad or stressful days). I'm hoping some of this advice will give me the will power to walk away from the chocolate I love so much.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
    thank you for this post!! I am going to work on these; I am definately an emotional eater. Especially at work in the afternoon and it doesn't help everytime we reach a goal, we get cookies or sweet treats. I need to rid my drawer of some of these (I can take them home to my husband) to try and avoid some of the temptation. I do have healthy snacks in my desk (nuts, seeds) but they are covered up with the cookies :ohwell:
  • Andreaviolet89
    Andreaviolet89 Posts: 290 Member
    Great advice! Thank you for this post. Emotional eating is a big down fall of mine.
  • Primroseangel
    Primroseangel Posts: 1 Member
    This was definitely helpful. I think more people should know about this because then more people can get help. It gives us hope. I think that for a lot of people, they are so discouraged because they don't know why they can't get a control over their eating, and the worst part is, they have no idea that there is hope. When we open up this issue and find the causes and find how this issue works individually within ourselves, we can find solutions. This is SO helpful. It is greatly appreciated.
  • lehuagirl
    lehuagirl Posts: 40 Member
    This was extremely well put! Thanks for walking the walk with all of us!
  • lua262
    lua262 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi to all members
    I've just joined this group. I'm an emotional eater. I'm in all the categories that I've just read, but mostly the evening hours are difficult. My triggers are stress, sadness, boredom, procrastination, etc. I've gained even more weight since I first did my profile, but I decided to post the weight, and face it.

    I definitely do the "mindless eating". What makes things worse for me is that I don't like to cook, and end up eating out where the portions are huge. Well, I'm here, and I need support. I'm beginning to make improvements. I generally don't record my excesses but I decided that I need to do that so that I see how many more extra calories I've indulged, and then create awareness.

    I'll be reading the posts to remind myself that there is light in the end of the tunnel.
    Thanks!!
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    Great post!!

    Thank you!

    D
  • diannemary50
    diannemary50 Posts: 5 Member
    This is the First thing i have read and thought this Makes Sense " THANKYOU"
  • sophisli
    sophisli Posts: 41 Member
    #4 and 5 really resonated with me. Thanks for posting.
  • aliciadub
    aliciadub Posts: 73 Member
    Just what I needed! So glad I found this group tonight. Thank you!
  • KaylaBarrett01
    KaylaBarrett01 Posts: 5 Member
    I completely know where you are coming from. I am fine throughout the day when I am at work or out and about. But after 6pm when I am home alone, it is just me and my food. I always say this has to stop and its the last time but the next night I am there with my emptiness and my food
  • jhloves2knit
    jhloves2knit Posts: 268 Member
    bump
  • Thanks for posting this. They are good suggestions.

    Dr. Oz also suggested mixing two tablespoons of chia seeds into a glass of water before the worst time of the day to help make you feel full. At least that would deal with the hunger portion of why we eat. I'm a late afternoon snacker and just got this app, so I'm hoping that writing my food entries will make me more accountable to myself and decrease mindless eating.
  • Thanks a lot for that post :)Nowadays im also into emotional eating and i can't get away from that.
  • ashleykells
    ashleykells Posts: 5 Member
    Love it, thank you!
  • Catlover165
    Catlover165 Posts: 19 Member
    Awesome post!! Thanks I needed the recap today being the New year... Get the mind set... I like the part that sometimes we don't have enjoyable pleasure in our day... if its eating something we don't like to what we do with in reason or getting out of the house for a quick walk on a crisp morning instead of sitting like a bum on a log feeling sorry for myself~ feeling down is when I find myself eating for no reason. Thanks x
  • lmtdepaolz3
    lmtdepaolz3 Posts: 5 Member
    i am such a night time eater, its horrible!! I eat when i am bored too which is too often! And of course the stress does it too! I definitely need to replace it with some hobbies and go to bed earlier!
  • lenoresaari
    lenoresaari Posts: 500 Member
    bump thanks
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
    I'm a compulsive overeater and I connect with so much of what you wrote in this post. I became a COE to "stuff down" my rage and depression during a bad marriage and even though I've been divorced a long time, I go back to that behavior when I'm stressed, unhappy, bored, happy, mad, sad, depressed . . .

    I have noticed a small change, however. Yesterday, after a particularly stressful day at work, I began to binge eat. In the past, my binges would begin with a stop at the grocery story for chocolate ice cream, cake, candy, and non-chocolate cheese, bread, just about everything I shouldn't have in vast amounts. All these things would be consumed over the course of an evening.

    Yesterday I came straight home and my binge consisted of seven Triscuits, two tablespoons of hummus and an extra 1/2 cup of Vanilla Maple Arctic Zero ice cream (37 calories per 1/2 cup and I already had 1/2 cup planned).

    Technically, it's still a binge, but it could have been a looooooot worse! :glasses:
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
    One another suggestion, when you need some "sugar": grab your pen or computer and write down, what you think, and then it's easier for some people to realize and write what feelings you have, if it's hunger, boredom, stress,... and if u're still 100% sure that u're hungry, then go grab small yoghurt, fruit or some other healthy snack.
    I guess I kinda feel proud on myself, that I didn't eat Ferrero yesterday and did write a page full of my thoughts and then go for yoghurt instead. :smile:
    That yoghurt tasted even better :)
    Anyway you can also go reading all the articles about healthy eating (there're more than 1.000.000 of them, on www.livestrong.com are plenty of them, focusing on health, food and fitness), to blow away your boredom, or do anything else for yourself or anyone else (walk arround the house, make a plan for something fun,...)

    Great idea! We have access to a blog through MFP and we can control who sees it (no one sees my blog but me! lol) but maybe writing down my thoughts, emotions, etc., as an alternative to bingeing will help.
  • This was really helpful to read! I am a horrible emotional eater. Boredom, stress, anger, sadness, excitement even. Then I start to overeat and get emotional BECAUSE I'm overeating but I can't stop. I like the idea of writing down how I'm feeling before I do eat. Maybe that will make the craving/need go away. Thanks for the insight. :-)
  • Thanks for posting this, it will help with my sundowner, bored, craving sugar eating.
  • Bump
  • Wow! That really speaks to me!
  • timetravelforfitness
    timetravelforfitness Posts: 242 Member
    Great post and great information in the replies!
  • sunshine11111
    sunshine11111 Posts: 48 Member
    Thank you for the great post. I can definitely use these tips in my life.
  • Sofonda_
    Sofonda_ Posts: 2 Member
    going to have to take notes
  • thesash
    thesash Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the post. I am a late night eater. I am divorced and I suppose I am lonely and filling the gap with mindless eating. I hate that I do it, and I make promises to myself to stop but I need help withaccountability. :happy:


    I too eat because i'm stressed and lonely. I have a teenage daughter who treats me poorly......"the teenage thing" lol, lord help me..., but i find myself eating at night for comfort. I'm going to search for a fun activity for me to do that will occupy my mind. Needlepoint, cross stitch, painting..crafts, etc.