Separating Feelings from Food Consumption

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KahalaGal
KahalaGal Posts: 112 Member
in Motivation and Support
Has anyone mastered separating feelings from food consumption?
i.e. Not overeating when anxious or depressed or going through life's changes?

if yes, How did you do it? What if any suggestions do you have? Books? etc.

thanks!

Replies

  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I like the book "Women Food and God" by Geneen Roth. It's got funny bits and it's a quick read. I've read it twice, and would do it again.
  • LadyRiverRider
    LadyRiverRider Posts: 1
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    Unfortunately it takes a lot of self-control to eat strictly, but it helps to just stay focused on WHY you want to lose weight. Also, take a second to consciously make your choice. But when motivation and focus fail you, at least look for a healthy alternative. Here are some of my favorite / most satisfying alternatives and go-to plans when I feel like stuffing my face senseless with a mountain of calories:

    - Don't deprive yourself. If you're dying for that piece of cake or ice cream, then drink 2-3 glasses of water before (this will fill you up and help with your self-control) and then have a thin slice of cake or 1 scoop of ice cream. Savor it. Enjoy every bite, slowly.

    Sometimes all you need is some flavor to spice it up and make you super satisfied, so...

    - I like to take a LARGE soup bowl and cut 2-3 cucumbers with skin into tiny pieces, and then sprinkle it with any and all herbs/ spices that I want: cayenne, basil, parsley, black peppers, corn peppers, dill, paprika, onion powder, garlic (not salt), etc. It's a punch of flavour and you'll be SUPER full and satisfied... and it's only 100 - 150 calories.

    - Same for coffee/tea... add unsweeted almond milk, and then add some flavour: cinnamon, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice - whatever you're in the mood for.
  • Qski
    Qski Posts: 246 Member
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    I would like to think that despite emotional tendencies we could navigate healthy eating and exercising anyway. I use eating as a coping strategy for every emotion I have (well nearly).

    I think being aware of it is a significant step to keeping it at bay

    also the little tricks that you need to add to your arsenal to try to divert yourself (as per LadyRiverRide's post) would work well too.

    With me not stocking any of my bad go to foods in the house has helped. So now when I am bored or want to graze since there isn't a bag of kettle crisps available, I'll have some fruit or yoghurt or something else healthier.
    Regardless of the emotion I always feel I need to feed it right away so not having something extremely unhealthy at hand helps a great deal.

    Try anything that will delay the need...

    if you are on the road and near a drive through, try to focus on what your purpose is for being in the car and make getting to your destination more important than interrupting it with something on the road.

    Plan some treats so say if you are going shopping and are near a food court or a chocolate shop or a bakery, have a plan of what you can have in your calorie allowance go get it and don't get anything else.

    if you have a bag or a jar of something, hand it around to everyone and leave it with someone else after you have taken a portion of it.

    Seems lame but if you have to have things in the house (for partner or children or guests) put it out of your line of site in the cupboards and buy single serve items. I'm quite short, so having things at the back in the top shelf helps and so does in the back on the bottom shelves.

    Google tips to stop eating emotionally and try anything and everything that is practical for you that sounds like it might help, till you have an arsenal of tricks to use in any circumstances.

    Most of all if you do feed an emotion don't beat yourself up about it too much, just continue to do well the rest of the day, the rest of the week, etc... One mistake is not going to totally derail your effort.
  • KahalaGal
    KahalaGal Posts: 112 Member
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    Thank you all so much!
  • FixIngMe13
    FixIngMe13 Posts: 405 Member
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    Ahhhhh..... Well.....

    I haven't exactly *mastered* this yet... but I am a LOT better than I used to be. First of all.... when I get to feeling *down* and really *depressed* instead of going for the food ((Which let me be honest I was a HUGE binge eater at night...and I do mean BINGE to the point I'd get sick and throw up)) I now go for the water, and I do a light exercise (yes even at night) Especially when I'm fighting those darn emotions that I'm not good enough, that I'm not pretty enough, that I will NEVER be good enough... or healthy enough! I still get that twinge of defeat... about once a week, but I now am armed with my IPod, and I work through it. Is it easy? OMG no ... NO it isn't!!! BUT... I have learned that my mind is a powerful thing, so re-routing any feelings I have is a MUST in order for me to succeed and not go through a binge eating session.

    I refuse to give up the foods I love.... sorry, I'm not dieting. I still eat my reese cup ((I just don't eat the other one in the package!)) I move more, and... I of course am armed with my motivational tapes/music. Ever hear of Joyce Meyer? Ever hear of her dvds on POWER thoughts? The wisdom of making right choices? Living without frustration? These are ALL good dvd's that have helped me a LOT. If you aren't a believer, and you don't want to listen to those (which is okay) than can I suggest what others are suggesting with the water (it works for me also) and maybe look online for some motivational books that pertain to you and your situation.. not necessarily God based, but something you will read and get something out of. :flowerforyou: I do wish you the very best! Feel free to add me if you'd like additional support/motivation.
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
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    Emotional eating is a tough one. I get upset when I read posts that say things like:

    "Food is just fuel" (Tell that to the many who use it as a numbing tool, a security blanket, to head off boredom or anxiety).

    " Losing weight is simple. Just eat more than you burn" (I've known the calorie in/calorie out equation for decades. If losing weight didn't have a psychological component, it might be simple. Since we can't detach out pesky psyches from our bodies, it's anything but simple.)

    Emotional eating is a battle that is never completely won, like many maladaptive coping mechanisms. Once I figured that out, I quit beating myself up for slip ups and started trying to just dust myself off and go again when the siren song of the chip bag gets overwhelming.

    I try to leave the kitchen when not eating. I keep "trigger" foods out of the house as much as possible. I take a few minutes to figure what problem/anxiety/issue has flipped my switch then I try to do something about it right away (pay that bill, call that parent, stop that procrastination). I exercise good and hard to release some feel good chemicals. I knit (quit smirking at me. I knit and I'm proud! Fill in any geeky relaxing hobby that keeps your hands busy.)

    Over time you'll find the right combo of jedi mind tricks and ideas that make it a little easier. Good luck.
  • FixIngMe13
    FixIngMe13 Posts: 405 Member
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    ^^ Exactly. Emotional eating is not a simple thing to leave behind. 100% true...and like I said, I still suffer from those moments I want to inhale everything to numb my emotions. Food is fuel, but it is much more to those of us who have used it to numb our emotions... so much more. Good point. It is a matter of finding something you like/love that keeps you busy.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    IMO separating food from feelings is not an appropriate goal.

    Food and emotion are intricately bound in the human psyche, as they should be, as food is a life-or-death issue. Sharing a pastry and a coffee with on a first date...over-indulging on a family holiday ham or turkey...these are all examples of emotional eating, and they are all perfectly healthy.

    The answer lies elsewhere.
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
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    It's interesting that you ask that because I was thinking about this recently. I recently dropped about 12 lbs in a fairly short amount of time. The reason for the loss was to hit a lower weight class for strategic reasons for a powerlifting meet.. For years I lifted in one weight class and decided to drop to another.

    While it wasn't 'easy' to cut weight, it was unemotional. Because it was tied into strategic, competitive reasons, it was wrapped up in my training decisions. When I train, I know what I'm training, what weights, what lifts, reps, sets etc. The weight drop became part of that. "This is what we're training today and this is what we're eating".

    I guess my recommendation is to tie it to something objective and quantifiable.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
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    i've been working on that since i got here over a year ago. I'd like to say i've come pretty far. I'd also have to say that I learned a lot from doing a "metabolism reset" which for me was eating at TDEE for over 8 weeks. As i came from very low cal, it was very hard for me to stuff all that food in, at the time i started. I had to like force feed myself when food was the last thing on my mind. That actually turned out to be a turning point for me in that i think i FINALLY got, that food is for my body...not for my pleasure, enjoyment, or emotional satisfaction. Eating at the same cals every day, also exposed when i was attempting to eat for reasons other then nourishment. Overall it helped me remove the emotional component from eating. Which made me backtrack quite a few years to try and figure out where i learned to deprive myself of food and mentally blanked out when i was emotionally eating. For me it was a LOT of learning in that 8 weeks. I think i've figured it out though. I still have struggles, but they're less and less all the time. It's definately a learning experience that can take some time to figure out, but the sooner the better for sure.
  • KahalaGal
    KahalaGal Posts: 112 Member
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    Thank you all again, so much!

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