emotional over eater... help!!! advice

What you need is a buddy. Someone to pick you up when you need it, encourage you, or give you a swift kick in the tushie when you need it!

I am in the same place you are, however I am nearly twice your age! I have fought emotional eating my entire life. I now find myself at 262 lbs with no energy, and staring heart disease in the face. I have a husband I love dearly and a six year old son who is a miracle. I have every reason to love myself and take care of myself, yet I don't. I think I need a swift kick in the tushie!

I think the key for both of us is learning that it's okay to love ourselves. And in loving ourselves, we will take better care of ourselves. Do you have a close girlfriend you can share this with? Someone who will commit to exercising with you? I am better at exercising when I have someone to do it with. And I am much less likely to break an appointment with someone to work out, than I am to break an appointment with myself to workout!

Message me privately if you need to vent. Sometimes that helps. Maybe we can help each other stay on track!

munch on cherry tomatoes or anything really low calorie.. plain popcorn? cucumber?

I would talk to your doctor and maybe get a recommendation for a therapist who works with eating issues/disorders. The vicious cycle of overeating-weight gain-depression/anxiety can be too overwhelming to conquer alone. Plus, it sounds like you need to be evaluated for possible eating disorder (30 pounds in 3 months...BTDT).

Of course, this isn't professional advice but if you decide not to talk to your doctor, maybe you could keep a journal. Write down whatever you want as often as you'd like but try to write down your thoughts, environment, etc. whenever you feel like eating to "fill a void". You may eventually see a pattern..."I feel like eating around this person, in this environment", and so on. Then you can dig deeper into that pattern.

You're not out of control. You are voluntarily giving in to your brain's urges. You have absolute control over your motor functions. Just because your brain tells you to "eat" when you're not hungry, you don't have to listen to it, nor should you try to distract or suppress that urge. Paying any attention to it, either by feeding the urge, or attacking it, or actively trying to ignore it only strengthens the signal to overeat. I recently read a book titled, Brain Over Binge, that covers the topic in more detail (although the author doesn't believe in therapy but I do). It's a decent book for explaining how the brain creates these urges to eat and how to handle them.

ANyway, you're not alone, you have more control than you realize and seek professional guidance.

Although i'm a guy but I had the same thoughts as you. I work in an office and sit all day on the pc. i was eating heavy food during lunch at work and when i got home i ate over 2000 calories (2 hotpocket, 2 burittos, chips, chicken nuggets, yogurts, etc). THat's how bad it was for me and I learned from it. I ate dinner and also was grabbing food from refrigerator during the middle of the night and even before bed. yes i was hungry and whenever im sad/depress/stress i just eat whatever is in the fridge or on the counter. My advice is to watch your calories and don't right right before bedtime. Drink a glass of water before going to bed because during sleep you become dehydrated.

I used to be 162 lb seriously but was cutting down on my late night habits of eating so it dropped to 150 and couldn't get it lower than that so i was desparate in finding a solution. I was feeling really frustrated because I felt stuck at 150. Was losing hope and concern I would be back to 160 lb. Came across this app and gotta say it works for me.
I assume you've been using the myfitnesspal app. I just started on it for 2 weeks now and have lost a few pounds so far.
This new app really help me cut down more but slowly which I am very impressed. you want it at this pace because it's healthier and safer than losing too much within a weak. That will cause a lot of damage to your health. It actually helps me track my calories. I was at 150 lb but now at 147 lb. Although it doesn't seem a lot but slowly progressing and feeling good. I know for sure if i keep my pace like this I will reach my goal in 3 months. Once I hit 125-130 lb I will stop losing weight and try to maintain that weight. Cant keep on losing weight or else i will turn into anorexic. Also sleep at least 7-9 hrs daily it helps the metabolism. If you lose 2 hrs more sleep each day .... it will make it that much harder for you to lose weight. you feel weak and would depend heavily on food to keep you going throughout the day.

I have learned alot this past couple of weeks about myself and how to control what I eat. I can honestly say that I turned into a maniac and obsessed with calories lol. Just think of calories as your enemy. Maybe try planning ahead on what you should eat during lunch and dinner. YOu can always take a 10-15 min walk during your breaks / lunch that's what i've been doing around my work parking lot. I figured out that you can burn 3-4 calories per minutes. Walk at your own speed no need to do speed walk. 4 x 10 min = 40 calories burned. I ate very light during lunch such as either a subway sandwich. other days maybe a slice of pizza. sometimes a banana with yogurt. Drinking unsweeten tea helps for some reason. I hope my advice helps. YOu just gotta think the negatives of eating too much. You dont want to end up with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and end up in hospitlal because of a heartattack. I used to have high cholesterol from eating too much mcdonalds so i stopped and now no longer have that issue. I walk and sometimes run on my treadmill but also been benching to tone up my body. I feel good about myself and happy these days. I hope my advice helps you. Good luck. Let me know how it goes for you. Don't lose hope!

My therapist told me to snuggle my cats or dogs when I feel compelled to eat for emotional reasons. If you don't have a pet, and can't get one, then find something else to give you that dopamine boost. A stuffed animal? Sometimes just hugging something soft and furry is enough to get that boost. It has really worked for me. Therapy is an emotional overload; if I can deter the eating after a session then it may help you out as well.