Advice for a comfort food eater?

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emkay26
emkay26 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone :)

I've always been a bit of a comfort food eater, but I'm noticing that I'm starting to struggle with it more ever since my grandmother moved in with my family. She is in the late stages of Alzheimer's, and my mom is her 24/7 caretaker. Needless to say, the dynamic and general mood of my house is often tense, uncomfortable, and scary. Everything that used to be is now turned on its head, and I've become very aware that I'm responding by eating more. I do go to the gym twice a week, and with the nicer weather coming, I'm going to try to push myself to go out for brisk walks when I get home from work. But that doesn't solve the fact that I'll still have to come home at some point, where the boxes of cereal (my ultimate comfort food) await. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to battle eating for comfort? It seems to be something so deeply ingrained, so emotionally entrenched, that I'm not sure how to dig myself out.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Replies

  • LacheleG
    LacheleG Posts: 37
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    I'm a comfort food eater too...and I have learned that if I keep my comfort foods out of my house or a limited amount if you NEED it...I dont believe in going cold turkey...I believe in weening yourself off of things...bc it is an addiction and its just like any addiction you have got to ween yourself off if you want to stop for good!

    if you do ween yourself off...I eat my comfort foods out of smaller containers like cups so i dont over induldge or i make sure to drink water before, during, and/or after eating that food.


    Hope this helped....didnt mean to sound bossy its just how I have dealt w it!
    Good Luck to you!
  • capNramsey
    capNramsey Posts: 35 Member
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    Hi. I've had this problem before. I dealt with a lot of loss in a short amount of time and also was often stressed growing up. I noticed I would eat unhealthy things or remember people by eating those comfort foods. The first thing is to notice that you are doing it. The second thing I did was get rid of the comfort food. Also at those moments when you are feeling like you need that comfort food, ask yourself "am i hungry?" and "why am I eating this food?" That usually stops me and if I am hungry, I'll grab carrot or celery sticks or something healthy. That's what works for me.
  • kdsmith
    kdsmith Posts: 250
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    Hi everyone :)

    I've always been a bit of a comfort food eater, but I'm noticing that I'm starting to struggle with it more ever since my grandmother moved in with my family. She is in the late stages of Alzheimer's, and my mom is her 24/7 caretaker. Needless to say, the dynamic and general mood of my house is often tense, uncomfortable, and scary. Everything that used to be is now turned on its head, and I've become very aware that I'm responding by eating more. I do go to the gym twice a week, and with the nicer weather coming, I'm going to try to push myself to go out for brisk walks when I get home from work. But that doesn't solve the fact that I'll still have to come home at some point, where the boxes of cereal (my ultimate comfort food) await. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to battle eating for comfort? It seems to be something so deeply ingrained, so emotionally entrenched, that I'm not sure how to dig myself out.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

    I really struggle with this as well. I try to do a mental picture of something else providing me comfort instead of food. When I start thinking how I just want to sit down and eat, I will instead picture myself reading a good book while snuggled under a blanket and having a cup of tea.
  • Buckley10
    Buckley10 Posts: 6
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    I am sorry to hear about everything going on with your grandmother. You must be under a tremendous amount of emotional stress. My family went through something similar with my dad, and I turned to comfort food as well. The thing that has helped me most is journaling. I know it sounds trite, but when I start thinking about my dad or missing him, I pull out my journal and write a letter to him. For me, I find that if I confront the emotions I am having and let myself experience them, then I am usually okay afterwards. If I still want to eat after that (and I'm not truly hungry), then I try to go for a walk or just find some other way to occupy myself (like reading these message boards). I wsh the best for you and your family.

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