emotional eaters

skwright2001
skwright2001 Posts: 7 Member
edited September 21 in Motivation and Support
Why oh why am I such an emotional eater! I know every time I get upset I am going to eat, yet I do it every time!!! Any advice on how to make myself stop????

Replies

  • rockinmomto3
    rockinmomto3 Posts: 97 Member
    You have to take control of your emotions. Explore them. Why are you feeling that way? What triggers that? And decide that you're just not going to eat. Or if you are, make a mini bag of popcorn. Find healthy alternatives to the food you usually eat!
  • Kminor67
    Kminor67 Posts: 900 Member
    Self-talk is important. Ask yourself if it's worth binging over. Will the binge ultimately make you happy? Try loading up on veggies if you cannot resist the urge to binge eat. Also, maybe make a few low-cal recipes up in advance and put them in the freezer, so that when you get stressed and feel the need to binge, you can heat and eat instead of eating junk. I'm an emotional eater too, and I have found that even though the urge to stuff myself is still there, I CAN resist. Also, exercise can help chase away the blues. Turn on You Tube to a Paul Eugene dance fitness video and work out for 10 minutes. You might find it improves your mood. If all else fails, and you still have the urge, then eat; but try to eat low-cal. If you can teach yourself to resist the urge you'll feel better. Feel free to add me as a friend. I actually have some great recipes that might help if you want them, and if nothing else you can lean on me. I battle with emotional binge eating all the time.
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
    Just remember that sugar acts like a drug in the brain to make you feel better. And if you are like me, you just don't care about anything and rather feel good with food in your mouth. Problem is, you only feel worse the next day.

    If you want to eat, just keep things you enjoy around that are as healthy as you can get, then the next day, don't beat your self up over it.
  • suzikelley
    suzikelley Posts: 210 Member
    I didn't even realize I was an emotional eater until I started this a little over a month ago. One thing I've found that really helps is to go for a long brisk walk when I'm stressed or upset. There's something about being out in the fresh air and really exerting myself... it helps me to take a "time out" and put things into perspective. Walking fast and sweating it out seems to melt the stress away.. and when I get back home things don't seem to be quite as bad. :-)
  • trgobble
    trgobble Posts: 51 Member
    I am so like that too. I think because we are always taught that food is a reward/punishment instead of just something we need to live. I used to NOT eat if I'd had a fight with my boyfriend, or I'd drink Mountain Dew if I had a bad day because "I deserved it." I've found that being lazy helps. Weird, right? Well, if I don't keep MD in my house, then I have to STOP somewhere on my way home to get it, and I'm too lazy, so I don't. :P But I agree, keeping HEALTHY things around if you can't control your eating is useful. I've been eating a lot of handfuls of popcorn lately. :)
  • suzikelley
    suzikelley Posts: 210 Member
    Turn on You Tube to a Paul Eugene dance fitness video and work out for 10 minutes. You might find it improves your mood.

    I didn't even realize Youtube had fitness videos!! I'm going to check it out today -- you just opened up a whole new door for me!! :-)
  • seearainbow
    seearainbow Posts: 57 Member
    I'm an emotional eater too! It's always been a struggle to not binge eat when I feel any stress, sadness, etc. I even have tried not keeping bad food in the house, but I'll be so obsessed with thinking of the sugary binge that I want that I'll leave the house to go buy candy and other foods! Or I'll use basic household staples and make my own junk--funnel cake, cookies...

    You have to stop the binge at the source--yourself. I know from past attempts at controlling this that I need an alternate activity or list of activities that I will pursue BEFORE I let myself binge. Usually I don't feel like binge eating by the time I go through my list.

    Examples:
    -Exercise (or be more specific-go for a walk, do sit ups...)
    -Look at my online weight loss blog/website
    -Clean
  • skwright2001
    skwright2001 Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for the support everyone! I think you talked me out of that Blizzard. I'm going to go ride a bike with a friend instead!:smile:
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