Eating the wrong things when stressed!

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Dukesjourney
Dukesjourney Posts: 146 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've come to the realisation today that I like to eat all the wrong things when I'm stressed! I've had a really bad day at work today, so come lunchtime instead of being good and having the soup I had taken in! I decided to go and get a sausage roll, crisps and chocolate, and today I didn't even feel bad about it either! Does this happen to anyone else? Any helpful suggestions of breaking this habit would be greatly appreciated!

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  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
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    Oh, yes. The book "Made to Crave" has helped me a LOT.

    The main thing to remember (not that it's easy to think clearly when you're stressed) is that eating junk is only going to give you something else to stress about later. You're made for more than that vicious cycle (that's from the book!).

    As one of my MFP pals said once (I'm not going to get this word for word) - "Eating to feel less stressed makes about as much sense as taking a nap to get the house clean."
  • SMelson89
    SMelson89 Posts: 6
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    i have days like that, when i get stressed or angry and then i just don't care what i eat, a few hours later or may be even a few day later i get upset that i let myself down and ate all the junk. i don't know how to beat it though, i'm still fighting that fight as well.

    i guess you just have to realize that no matter what makes you upset or stressed out that eating unhealth isn't going to make you feel better about the situation and could in fact make you feel worse at times. so you have to sit there and relax and destress, do some breathing exercises or something like that to work through it and talk yourself through why you are wanting to eat the unhealthy stuff and what not and talk yourself through the benefits of not eating it and staying on track and how much stress you will get rid of by making your goal weight.
  • nikkishai
    nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
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    I have my days too. Last weekend actually. I give myself one cheat day a week to pig out on jelly beans and cheez it crackers if I want to, but I still try not to undo my week. I know what my "weakness foods" are, and I don't keep them in my house. They're in the vending machine at work, so I don't keep loose change or dollar bills in my purse either. That way I won't be tempted to snack away all week. Knowing your habits and planning in advance helps alot... not just planning your meals but planning your moods, if that makes sense. I listen to Pandora.com or my ipod to calm my temper whenever I have one so I can stay on track. Gotta find what works for you.
  • bast2112
    bast2112 Posts: 63
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    What works best for me is to enter the bad foods into my food diary before I eat them and see just how bad they are. I also do a lot of self talk. "You don't want that, you don't need that, it will make you feel even WORSE, it won't taste nearly as good as it should..." Even then, sometimes I just can't muster the power to say 'NO!'. It's the number one reason I'm at this weight! Stress eating!

    Good luck!

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