Emotional Eater...Anyone else??

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cassiemk85
cassiemk85 Posts: 20 Member
in Motivation and Support
If there was only one word I was allowed to use to describe myself it would be...addictive. I have always had an addictive personality, and if there is something bad, I have been addicted to it. I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, former smoker, etc. One issue that I also have is I can be one emotional eater. Take out the substance and alcohol, and my crutch will be food. While I have kept it somewhat in check for a while, yesterday I had a very bad day and wound up eating a medium breakfast pizza from Casey's. No, I did not share it, I ate, THE.WHOLE.DAMN.THING...yea. My question for anyone reading this is...do any of you suffer from emotional eating? What do you do to combat that, what are your healthy alternatives to avoid turning to food for comfort? I would love to hear from you and maybe get some helpful advice, thank you!!

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  • msthang444
    msthang444 Posts: 491 Member
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    I think you were meant to post this today. I'm about 30 minutes from a pizza, pepsi and chocolate fest. Anytime I feel out of control, or like I'm not expressing a feeling, I eat whatever it is I"m feeling. So... my first bit of advice would be... Assess what you're emotional about. Is it something you can talk to someone about? Is there someone you can talk to about it? Can you journal? Sometimes getting OUT the feeling is enough.

    When it's not... Can you fix it? Can you change it? Is there anything you can do to address it?

    If there's not... what else makes you happy other than food? Can you get a pedicure? Can you read a book? Soak in a tub? Sit in a sauna? Get a massage? Is there anything else that brings you joy?

    What about a jog? (doesn't work for everyone) but a lot of times, if I go run, especially if I'm listening to music, by the time I'm done with my run, I feel better. Not good. But better.

    Just my two cents...
  • msthang444
    msthang444 Posts: 491 Member
    Options
    If there was only one word I was allowed to use to describe myself it would be...addictive. I have always had an addictive personality, and if there is something bad, I have been addicted to it. I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, former smoker, etc. One issue that I also have is I can be one emotional eater. Take out the substance and alcohol, and my crutch will be food. While I have kept it somewhat in check for a while, yesterday I had a very bad day and wound up eating a medium breakfast pizza from Casey's. No, I did not share it, I ate, THE.WHOLE.DAMN.THING...yea. My question for anyone reading this is...do any of you suffer from emotional eating? What do you do to combat that, what are your healthy alternatives to avoid turning to food for comfort? I would love to hear from you and maybe get some helpful advice, thank you!!

    Oh yeah... and remember - One day at at time and Progress rather than perfection...
  • jojo28012
    jojo28012 Posts: 26 Member
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    To be honest what motivates/stops me is the fact that I have to log it in MFP. I hate to see the calories go way over, so that usually stops me from eating a large amount of food. I don't know if it will always be like this, but that's what has been working for me whenever I want to splurge.
    Healthy alternatives would always be to exercise...even when you don't feel like it! I know it's a struggle, but keep pressing on! You can do it!
  • cassiemk85
    cassiemk85 Posts: 20 Member
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    If there was only one word I was allowed to use to describe myself it would be...addictive. I have always had an addictive personality, and if there is something bad, I have been addicted to it. I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, former smoker, etc. One issue that I also have is I can be one emotional eater. Take out the substance and alcohol, and my crutch will be food. While I have kept it somewhat in check for a while, yesterday I had a very bad day and wound up eating a medium breakfast pizza from Casey's. No, I did not share it, I ate, THE.WHOLE.DAMN.THING...yea. My question for anyone reading this is...do any of you suffer from emotional eating? What do you do to combat that, what are your healthy alternatives to avoid turning to food for comfort? I would love to hear from you and maybe get some helpful advice, thank you!!

    Oh yeah... and remember - One day at at time and Progress rather than perfection...


    *tear...Thank you for reminding me, it IS progress, not perfection. And yes, when I feel depressed and emotional, I do NOT want to exercise, but once I get off my butt and get out there, the endorphins kick in and I feel so much better. When I over eat, I feel guilty during and afterwards, and always wind up with a tummy ache. Thank you for the helpful advice!!!!
  • cassiemk85
    cassiemk85 Posts: 20 Member
    Options
    To be honest what motivates/stops me is the fact that I have to log it in MFP. I hate to see the calories go way over, so that usually stops me from eating a large amount of food. I don't know if it will always be like this, but that's what has been working for me whenever I want to splurge.
    Healthy alternatives would always be to exercise...even when you don't feel like it! I know it's a struggle, but keep pressing on! You can do it!

    THAT is SO TRUE, I felt so bad when I finally came clean and logged it in last night, and my stomach was so messed up eating all that grease and fat after eating pretty clean for so long. Exercise is always the best answer, no amount of pizza can give you that endorphin rush, I need to remember that! Thank you so much for commenting!!

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