How to stop emotional eating.

old school MFP cliche coming now..

Stop and just say to yourself. If the problem isn't hunger, the answer isn't food.

Over the years i have whittled this down to a simple put the fork down fatty inner dialogue.

Whenever I'm sad, angry, upset, lonely, or sometimes even bored, I tend to binge. And I'm not binging on veggies and water (I WISH!). My weight loss journey has been going solidly well, except for when I feel the need to eat 6 trillion calories in one sitting because my emotions are wacky. Any advice on how to knock this habit off?

Put the fork down.

Oh, for real, I never thought of that before.
I would smack you upside the back of the head if I could.

Apparently, you must not have. It's really that simple. How do you stop emotional eating? Don't eat. When I realized that's what I was doing for years, that's the step I took. Stop being so angsty and overthinking it. Just stop doing it. If that's too hard, see a head shrinker.

As for the second point, I wouldn't suggest it.

I'm glad it was that easy for you to do. It's very difficult for some of us, as this thread attests. But feel free to stay here and feel superior to us mere mortals, if you'd like.

And yes, I found my emotional eating much easier to control when I got my chronic depression and anxiety under control through therapy and medication. Go headshrinkers for helping me make my life better!

I haven't read any replies indicating this was easy. Yes, it's ****ing difficult for many of us. If it was easy, do you think many of us would be here??? But, guess what, some of the most worthwhile endeavors in our lives aren't easy. But we do it because the consequences of not doing it becomes unbearable. When the consequences of any behavior becomes unbearable, change it possible, putting down the fork in possible.

Changing your emotional eating behaviors is simple - just put down the fork. No one EVER said it was easy.

I think you underestimate the actual inability some people have to just put the fork down, no matter how unbearable the behavior becomes. Particularly for people suffering from actual diseases; I'm not just talking about willpower here.

For instance, people with severe depression can be completely incapacitated - I know this first hand. That'll extend to something as simple as getting out of bed, let alone not eating bad foods.

For some people it might be as simple as simply finding the willpower to put the metaphorical fork down, but for other people that's just not possible. There are other steps they need to take to overcome their problems.

I've been working on this the last week or so because I've had massive binge eating issues since November.
I started doing a 50 Day Binge Free Challenge on tumblr, which has kept me focused, and I'm drinking a ton more water than I was. If I really feel the need to binge, I just specify two things I can have, even if they put me over calories, and don't go running through the kitchen blindly like I used to.

Name the feeling, and ask yourself if it gets your closer to your goal. Then from there, find a way to challenge yourself to not binge, and if you absolutely need it, then have a small something. Also log it. That really helps you realize just how much your binging.

It's tough, but you can do it!

Whenever I'm sad, angry, upset, lonely, or sometimes even bored, I tend to binge. And I'm not binging on veggies and water (I WISH!). My weight loss journey has been going solidly well, except for when I feel the need to eat 6 trillion calories in one sitting because my emotions are wacky. Any advice on how to knock this habit off?

Put the fork down.

Oh, for real, I never thought of that before.
I would smack you upside the back of the head if I could.

Apparently, you must not have. It's really that simple. How do you stop emotional eating? Don't eat. When I realized that's what I was doing for years, that's the step I took. Stop being so angsty and overthinking it. Just stop doing it. If that's too hard, see a head shrinker.

As for the second point, I wouldn't suggest it.

I'm glad it was that easy for you to do. It's very difficult for some of us, as this thread attests. But feel free to stay here and feel superior to us mere mortals, if you'd like.

And yes, I found my emotional eating much easier to control when I got my chronic depression and anxiety under control through therapy and medication. Go headshrinkers for helping me make my life better!

I haven't read any replies indicating this was easy. Yes, it's ****ing difficult for many of us. If it was easy, do you think many of us would be here??? But, guess what, some of the most worthwhile endeavors in our lives aren't easy. But we do it because the consequences of not doing it becomes unbearable. When the consequences of any behavior becomes unbearable, change it possible, putting down the fork in possible.

Changing your emotional eating behaviors is simple - just put down the fork. No one EVER said it was easy.

I think you underestimate the actual inability some people have to just put the fork down, no matter how unbearable the behavior becomes. Particularly for people suffering from actual diseases; I'm not just talking about willpower here.

For instance, people with severe depression can be completely incapacitated - I know this first hand. That'll extend to something as simple as getting out of bed, let alone not eating bad foods.

For some people it might be as simple as simply finding the willpower to put the metaphorical fork down, but for other people that's just not possible. There are other steps they need to take to overcome their problems.

Yeah, I guess you are right. Putting down the fork can't be near as easy as completely putting down the bottle after 15+ years of almost daily excessive drinking. That was a total piece of cake! Silly me!:huh:

Oh, and BTW, my husband suffers from chronic depression, so yeah, I understand that.

Whenever I'm sad, angry, upset, lonely, or sometimes even bored, I tend to binge. And I'm not binging on veggies and water (I WISH!). My weight loss journey has been going solidly well, except for when I feel the need to eat 6 trillion calories in one sitting because my emotions are wacky. Any advice on how to knock this habit off?

Put the fork down.

Oh, for real, I never thought of that before.
I would smack you upside the back of the head if I could.

Apparently, you must not have. It's really that simple. How do you stop emotional eating? Don't eat. When I realized that's what I was doing for years, that's the step I took. Stop being so angsty and overthinking it. Just stop doing it. If that's too hard, see a head shrinker.

Simple isn't the same thing as easy. Yeah, the idea of "put the fork down" is simple, but the many factors that play into binge disorders makes it far from easy. Get off your high horse, please.

However I do agree with the "see a head shrinker" comment, as callously as it was expressed. Getting to the root of emotional issues has made it a lot easier to get a handle on my previously out of control eating.

(28lbs down from highest weight - ticker reset Jan. 1)

For me:
1. Separating food and exercise in my mind regarding weight loss. I EAT to lose weight, I exercise for FITNESS. This alone was an eye opener.
2. Don't trust your emotions. Emotions come and go, and your life is only as upsetting as your current mood. It shall pass. Take note of your "internal weather" and "dress" accordingly. Feeling sunny? Wear a smile and problem solve. Raining? Put on your "protective" wear (ie mindless chores, fun craft, something to give you a sense of accomplishment. Your "protective rain coat" prevents you from getting soaked in rainy emotions, wallowing, or worse, dwelling on your problems. Problem solve (pull weeds from the garden of your life) when it's not raining.
3. Eat better during the "normal" times - you can eat "boring" food when all you really want to do is eat to satisfy hunger. You'll find that's the majority of the time. You only really need "exciting" food a little bit. You'll find that you binge less. You just don't have the taste for it.
4. If you must binge, binge on healthy stuff. I have a family, who is not on a diet, and I cook for them. Bacon, pancakes, cake, carbs, meats, sauces, desserts are constantly made, by me, for them. Not only is this stuff in the house, but I'm handling it all the time. I have Skinny Cow candy just for me, easy steam veggies, canned soups, frozen meals, etc. that no one else in my house cares about. That's my go to at crunch time.
5. Count your blessings and pray. We can focus on bad things or good things, and these will affect your moods. Counting your blessings help you focus on good things. Prayer gives you strength and joy.
6. Post daily on MFP. Sometimes just admitting you are struggling can give you the fortitude to make a DECISION to change your mood with life affirming things. Post your struggle and your decision: I feel like wallowing, BUT, I will do ten squats right now.
7. Clean. This is a real mood booster. It might be unpleasant, but you see the results right away, and your little brain chemicals give you a star. Other mood boosters:
Change clothes
Put on sneakers
Read something inspiring
Exercise
Give encouragement to others
Hugs and kisses
Do an unpleasant task you've been avoiding
8. Separate the behaviors of others from your self worth. People can be really selfish, mean, catty, uncaring, critical, etc. women tend to take these things personally. Don't. They're just being insecure jerks half the time, and has little to do with you. Find ways to not "catch the hot potato" they are trying to throw on you. You can return to sender or, better, let the potato drop on the floor and let them pick it up. There are ways to do this without acting like a jerk yourself. Half of it is training your mind to separate honest constructive criticism from a critical person's insecure need to critique others.
9. Train yourself to take life one day at a time. Most of the time we are feeling bad its because of hurts from the past or worries about the future. Don't think of HOW LONG you will have to eat well. Think of eating well today. Think about tomorrow, tomorrow,

And,
10.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

I log as I binge. It tends to stop me when I see what I'm doing.

This has helped me, too. It doesn't stop me, usually, but it does make me aware of it and I can think about it to avoid in future. Several bad habits were broken this way.

This has been a HUGE problem for me, particularly in the afternoon when I'm home alone after work. I can't believe how much damage I can do in a short space of time!

I've only just restarted focussing on a healthier lifestyle, but some things that have worked for me:
- Lollipops! The yumearth organic lollipops are absolutely amazing for ~20 cals each and they take some time to eat... sometimes long enough to take your mind off the craving to binge
- A protein or meal replacement bar (I was eating the optifast 800 chocolate bars, they are delicious) cut into tiny pieces, served on a plate. It encourages more mindful eating
- Blend 1/2 cup natural yoghurt with a similar quantity of frozen raspberries. Takes time to prepare, and it's like eating icecream but can be done for minimal cals!
- As weird as it sounds, I often dry fry an egg or two and some slices of lean ham. The protein is really satisfying (despite eating breakfast for afternoon tea!

I can't imagine not having an afternoon snack and I'd be KIDDING myself to say I would be able to go home and not eat. For me, it's about having the right choices on hand and not punishing myself if I occasionally make a poor choice.

Best of luck everyone!

Yeah, I guess you are right. Putting down the fork can't be near as easy as completely putting down the bottle after 15+ years of almost daily excessive drinking. That was a total piece of cake! Silly me!:huh:

I didn't see anyone minimizing your struggle with alcohol, especially since I didn't see you mention it upthread at all, so why you are using that to minimize someone else's struggle with food is frankly a bit beyond me.

For some people, excessive eating is the same kind of problem as binge drinking, so I'm surprised that after admitting quitting alcohol wasn't a piece of cake (in a very sarcastic way) you are being so callous toward others struggling with a different kind of addiction.