Day 8___ Emotional eating

monkey246
monkey246 Posts: 30 Member
in Success Stories
Today is my 8th day of MFP and although I'm yet to have breakfast I feel it's going to be a bad day.
Since I was 16, I've dealt with my emotions through eating. Unfortunately never eating less or being put off food but eating junk and oversized portions.
If it's a sad day - 9 times out of 10 it's going to be an 'over my calories/fats/carbs' kind of day as well. I've never been into the gym/exercise to counteract my emotional eating so over the past 5 years I've managed to it on 3 stone.
I really want to make this work but can't seem to get my head in the right place!
- Hufffffff -

Replies

  • Wreathy
    Wreathy Posts: 61 Member
    Sent you a message :)
  • mirrors2001au
    mirrors2001au Posts: 19 Member
    Keep your chin up Monkey! The fact you are using mfp, looking at your diet and recognize the emotional eating are all steps in the right direction, keep trying and keep reading the forums and learning as much as you can about all facets and before you know it you might find things starting to swing in the right direction and things get easier
  • monkey246
    monkey246 Posts: 30 Member
    mirrors2001au wrote: »
    Keep your chin up Monkey! The fact you are using mfp, looking at your diet and recognize the emotional eating are all steps in the right direction, keep trying and keep reading the forums and learning as much as you can about all facets and before you know it you might find things starting to swing in the right direction and things get easier

    Thanks very much!
  • mirrors2001au
    mirrors2001au Posts: 19 Member
    monkey246 wrote: »
    mirrors2001au wrote: »
    Keep your chin up Monkey! The fact you are using mfp, looking at your diet and recognize the emotional eating are all steps in the right direction, keep trying and keep reading the forums and learning as much as you can about all facets and before you know it you might find things starting to swing in the right direction and things get easier

    Thanks very much!

    My pleasure :)
  • farmerpam1
    farmerpam1 Posts: 402 Member
    Well Monkey, you've come to the right place. Don't beat yourself up because of your past. Give yourself a break and try to take little steps into the future. The fact that you're aware of your emotional eating habits is the first step! So celebrate that and know it's only got to get better. Take the stairs instead of an elevator, or park as far away in a parking lot as you can, that sort of thing. Don't think you have to jump right in at the gym all at once. Just keep taking those baby steps into the future. You got this, you can do it!
  • hupsii
    hupsii Posts: 258 Member
    What helped me was this : if hunger is not the problem, eating is not the answer
  • laurie62ann
    laurie62ann Posts: 433 Member
    hupsii wrote: »
    What helped me was this : if hunger is not the problem, eating is not the answer

    Well Said!


  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Whether you take pills, consume alcohol or consume food to excess these are all issues tied to underlying issues that are unresolved in a person whether that be due to some sort of trauma, loss, etc... etc...

    All of these things can be corrected if you seek help.
  • OBXgirl130
    OBXgirl130 Posts: 43 Member
    I'm not going to say you're suffering from depression because that's not my place to conclude. However as someone who has suffered from depression and years of major binging/emotional eating and no exercise, I can tell you no amount of medicine is going to help you like clean eating and a good workout. And starting out is tough, but you're going to feel so great after you workout. Just take 15 minutes to punch and kick the air if you have to. Lol it really helps, and it's a start. Now when I have bad days where things happened that were out of my control and have just pushed me to the point of tears, I redirect that emotion to clean eating and exercising because if I can't control anything else, I can control that. Sometimes you just lose your motivation, but you just got to push past it until it comes back and it will! I promise! :#
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Welcome. You are gaining insight and that will lead to new strategies. A program that helped me out of my rut is called "Chronic Disease Self Management" offered by Stanford. I checked, and this program is also offered in the UK, called the "Expert Patients Programme". Obesity, IMO, is a chronic medical condition.
  • Angelfire365
    Angelfire365 Posts: 803 Member
    You've totally got this! Head out for a walk, turn on a good tune and dance in the kitchen, youtube a beginner's yoga routine. Anything to get you up and moving.
  • monkey246
    monkey246 Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks for your support everyone! :)
  • shvrondvblvck
    shvrondvblvck Posts: 2 Member
    Wow, I can definitely sympathize with you. I, too, am an emotional eater. It got very tough when my husband deployed last year. I ate all of my feelings. I had to fix me first. I definitely agree with the poster above. Recognizing the problem is the first step! I'm rooting for you, Monkey!
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
    I can totally relate. I binge when I am stressed out. It is how I cope unfortunately. Other people may drink or do drugs. I do lines of Oreos. While I don't really have a solution for you, I just wanted you to know you aren't alone.
  • monkey246
    monkey246 Posts: 30 Member
    jenluvsushi wrote: »
    I can totally relate. I binge when I am stressed out. It is how I cope unfortunately. Other people may drink or do drugs. I do lines of Oreos. While I don't really have a solution for you, I just wanted you to know you aren't alone.

    Knowing I'm not the only one is a comfort. When I get bored or feeling eating my feelings, I'm going Togo for a walk instead.
    Thanks for all your comments X
  • corinic91
    corinic91 Posts: 148 Member
    hupsii wrote: »
    What helped me was this : if hunger is not the problem, eating is not the answer

    Wait why have I never heard this before? I love it!
  • CoachKerriG
    CoachKerriG Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2015
    I strongly suggest to my clients that struggle with mindless/emotional/boredom eating to create an "Instead Of" list and hang it on the frig, at your desk, in the pantry...wherever!! It's helped me many, many times! It's a list of 15 or 20 things you can do instead of eating.

    Stop ~ Challenge ~ Choose! Take a deep breathe to slow down the impulsive/mindless eating that's about to happen. Challenge your thoughts. Choose your action wisely!
  • jennaatsuad
    jennaatsuad Posts: 35 Member
    CoachKerriG wrote: »
    I strongly suggest to my clients that struggle with mindless/emotional/boredom eating to create an "Instead Of" list and hang it on the frig, at your desk, in the pantry...wherever!! It's helped me many, many times! It's a list of 15 or 20 things you can do instead of eating.

    Stop ~ Challenge ~ Choose! Take a deep breathe to slow down the impulsive/mindless eating that's about to happen. Challenge your thoughts. Choose your action wisely!

    I love love love this idea, thank you! I struggle with boredom eating more than emotional eating - I also call it "auto-pilot" eating, because I'll have a snack half-prepared before I even realize what I'm doing. I'm getting better at it since starting MFP, because I've made a habit of logging my food before I eat. I'm going to print this out and put it on my 'fridge tonight!

    To the OP - I couldn't agree more with everything everyone's written here. All I can add is what's also worked for me: be kind to yourself. Take it one step at a time. Journal. Talk a friend's ear off. Cry yourself silly if you need to. Give yourself permission to get it wrong, because you will every once in awhile. This is as much a weight loss journey as an emotional growth journey. Sending you all kinds of good thoughts - you can do this!
  • monkey246
    monkey246 Posts: 30 Member
    CoachKerriG wrote: »
    I strongly suggest to my clients that struggle with mindless/emotional/boredom eating to create an "Instead Of" list and hang it on the frig, at your desk, in the pantry...wherever!! It's helped me many, many times! It's a list of 15 or 20 things you can do instead of eating.

    Stop ~ Challenge ~ Choose! Take a deep breathe to slow down the impulsive/mindless eating that's about to happen. Challenge your thoughts. Choose your action wisely!

    Great idea!! I'll try this :) thanks everyone!
  • marlanaperry
    marlanaperry Posts: 20 Member
    I do the same thing, though it's more often related to plain stress and I binge mostly on sugary candies. I have been on MFP three times in the last year, each time losing ten pounds, and then being turned off by a binge and gaining that weight back plus ten pounds in the last year. I just got back on the wagon two days ago, and I have to keep telling myself that starting and even having a couple days of success is better than not starting at all.

    Also, remember that you should get a binge day once a week to rev your metabolism back up. Just don't let it turn into multiple days of binges like I do. And if you plan your binge and feel like a binge is going to happen on the wrong day, go work out instead. That can be just as effective in getting those emotions out as eating can be.

    Good luck, and hang in there!
  • monkey246
    monkey246 Posts: 30 Member
    marlanaperry wrote: »
    I do the same thing, though it's more often related to plain stress and I binge mostly on sugary candies. I have been on MFP three times in the last year, each time losing ten pounds, and then being turned off by a binge and gaining that weight back plus ten pounds in the last year. I just got back on the wagon two days ago, and I have to keep telling myself that starting and even having a couple days of success is better than not starting at all.

    Also, remember that you should get a binge day once a week to rev your metabolism back up. Just don't let it turn into multiple days of binges like I do. And if you plan your binge and feel like a binge is going to happen on the wrong day, go work out instead. That can be just as effective in getting those emotions out as eating can be.

    Good luck, and hang in there!

    Thanks very much! It's great to know I can work towards one binge day :)

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