Emotional Eating

Chelle_D
Chelle_D Posts: 33
edited September 27 in Motivation and Support
Trying something different: how about actually NOT eating until I'm hungry!!!! That sounds SO easy, but to an emotional eater like me, it's harder than you'd think. What about the rest of you? Any emotional eaters out there? How do you stop yourself from going off the deep edge? What have you found are your triggers? Are you able to stop them before they begin?

Replies

  • Shannmarrs
    Shannmarrs Posts: 117 Member
    I'm an emotional eater as well, and I'm trying to work out instead of eating. So far so good, but it's hard, I'm not gonna lie.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I've never been able to tell the difference between a craving and actually being hungry. It just all feels the same to me. Indeed, I am an emotional eater. The only time I ever make really good food choices in the past is when I'm happy, no stress, all's right with the world. Throw in a little bit of stress, and I need food. I don't really have any good advice. When stress comes on, I just have to put in a lot more effort to resist. It's so stinking hard!
  • dosesr4winners20
    dosesr4winners20 Posts: 362
    Oh goodness do i know the feeling. I'm a bored eater, and a depressed eater. In the last few weeks I have slowly begun to put a stop to doing this anymore. For me out of sight really is out of mind! I now only shop the outter regions of the grocery store. I don't even go down the aisles, it's all junk anyways. If i don't have it, it can't happen. I know how cheesey that sounds. I have also raised my water intake to atleast 7 cups a day and now i'm too full of water to snack. lol!
  • dfborders
    dfborders Posts: 474 Member
    This is a hard one that I am still struggling with. I try to keep lots of fruit and veggies in the house along with Weight Watchers ice cream bars. This way if something goes wrong and after trying the fruits and veggies I still can't feel satisfied until I have something sweet I will grab one WW ice cream bar and enjoy. Also I now carry water with me everywhere I go and keep Crystal Light on hand in case I feel a craving for soda or fruit juice. I also try to stop myself before binging and try to talk myself out of it - with all the hard work I have done is it really worth destroying it!! Can I wait 15 minutes and then if I am still starving I will eat something. Like I said, I am still a work in progress but I have found some of the above have helped. When all else fails, I will eat chocolate and be done with it - I find that if I allow the craving to get too big then I will binge and really be in a bind. Good Luck!!

    <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com"><img src="http://badges.myfitnesspal.com/badges/show/633/3652/6333652.weight-lost-md.gif&quot; border="0"></a><p style="text-align: center;width:152px;"><small>MyFitnessPal - <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com">Free Weight Loss</a> Tools</small></p>
  • shonasteele
    shonasteele Posts: 473
    Oh yeah!!! I feel bad for my hubby cuz if I get annoyed at him about something, I start to eat then get even more upset with him and start a downward spiral of misery. It's not good - I really need to work on this.

    I envy the people who actually WANT to exercise to burn off their emotional crap - it's WAY more productive than trying to eat to feel better. But somehow the treadmill doesn't call to me the way the cookies do when I'm upset. Or happy. Or anything really. Damn cookies :o(
  • shefly
    shefly Posts: 81 Member
    Me Too! I'm reading a great book now that is helping me with my emotional eating..."Made to Crave" by Lisa TerKeurst. Powerful!
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Trying something different: how about actually NOT eating until I'm hungry!!!! That sounds SO easy, but to an emotional eater like me, it's harder than you'd think. What about the rest of you? Any emotional eaters out there? How do you stop yourself from going off the deep edge? What have you found are your triggers? Are you able to stop them before they begin?

    So what emotion/feeling do you eat on the most? Happy, sad, mad, glad, joy, lonely, bored, fear, stressed, sensual...all, some, one. Since we always "feel something" maybe instead of using food/eating as an excuse to "hide/soothe" our feelings, maybe we actually WANT to overeat and use our emotions to do so. EXAMPLE: I have been wanting pizza for a while, well, I have a stressful appointment coming up so I used that to justify buying the pizza.

    All I'm saying is that we always have emotions/feeling...we are Human. I think eating when we are having a particular "feeling" is a HABIT, just like over eating. And Frankly, if we ONLY ate when we experience one particular feeling/emotion we probably would NOT be over-weight. If I ONLY over-ate when I felt stress I'd be underweight.
  • PoppyinBoulder
    PoppyinBoulder Posts: 103
    I agree with you Value - substituting low cal foods for treats (cookies, cake, candy - the 3 c's, lol), I'd like to not eat at all when I'm bored, depressed, etc - but find another way of dealing with the emotions. I think it's all just habit and that needs to change with me.

    My biggest trigger time is when I get home from work. I'd much rather just graze on crap until bedtime than make dinner (I live alone). I've found that if I make myself eat something healthy (dinner), it really helps.

    But, it's easier said than done.
  • Chelle_D
    Chelle_D Posts: 33
    Shefly, I'm interested in this book. What turned you on to it? How exactly has it helped you?
  • Coco_Belle
    Coco_Belle Posts: 12
    Hey everyone,

    this is such a great topic as I think it applies to a lot of people.
    I'm in a real downward spiral at the moment: feeling down so comfort eating then getting upset at not being able to stop it, and so on! I wish I knew what my triggers were, as many will feel it is ANY emotion at all, and that leads me to think that the earlier poster was right....it has just become a habit. So now I think that if it is not meal time and I am craving a certain food then it is just an emotional craving rather than an actual hunger. This might just help me, who knows, but as of tomorrow I am going to try and not let this get any more out of control.
    My fiance and I are both doing Diet Chef and he is doing so much better than me, not having the emotional eating problem. But I feel awful as I am resenting him doing well and having the will-power rather than being happy for him! And that is not a person I want to be!

    Good luck everyone
  • Chelle_D
    Chelle_D Posts: 33
    It's so hard!!!! Losing weight is such a mental problem as well as a physical problem. That's my issue: I eat no matter WHAT emotion I'm feeling! I'm happy, let's celebrate and get some cake! I'm sad, bring on the chocolate or ice cream (or both!!!). Nervous, stressed... you name it, I medicate myself with food. It's horrible!!! When someone challenged me not to eat until I actually heard my stomach growl, I never realized how HARD it was to do!
  • shefly
    shefly Posts: 81 Member
    I heard about it through my church and I have to say this book is amazing. The author has walked throgh this process and she has put everything she's learned into the book. I strongly encourage you to pick it up and read it. Go to her website
    http://lysaterkeurst.com/made-to-crave/
    Let me know what you think.
  • Kanzaki3
    Kanzaki3 Posts: 656 Member
    Sometimes I eat just because there's nothing else to do. I could workout but hey... eating... that's something else I could do. I'm working out by chewing right? Practicing for the hot dog eating contest! No, I'm kidding. I don't think I'll ever do that.
  • Winged_Victory
    Winged_Victory Posts: 58
    I am an emotional eater, usually when I am bored or anxious.

    I find not keeping fatty foods around is helpful. There is no telling myself I will slowly eat that bag of potato chips because if the mood strikes me, they will be gone in one sitting.

    The food tracker on here has really helped me this past week: I could eat 4 waffles with jam and peanut butter, but then I'd have to log it and go over my cals and everyone would know and I won't lose weight! Once I give my mind time to think and process the consequences, I have found myself able to stop myself and go do something else instead. I guess it is because tracking makes me conscious of my choices, forcing me to really think about them.
  • AnR28
    AnR28 Posts: 56 Member
    I find myself falling into the category of an emotional eater. I eat when I am bored or feeling lonely. I constantly change locations for work and so it is very difficult being away from my loved ones (and my pets!). Emotional eating is very challenging to beat - I am struggling with it a lot lately. Identifying your triggers is definitely one of the first steps to overcoming this personal challenge that many people share or suffer from. Food has always been related to comfort in my life - stressed?, "let's take a nice break and have lunch, get away from all of this work" OR bored?, "I ate very healthy today, I deserve a treat and I don't have anything else to do since my day is almost over *reaches for chocolate*" ..

    Through my own thoughts and analysis on my food logs, I've learned that I am most likely to surrender to emotional eating at the end of the day when I am at home. It's almost like an escape from everyday stresses, especially when I'm alone and no one is around to hold me accountable. I think it's great that you and your husband are striving for a healthy lifestyle together. Instead of turning to food for support, talk with him on a walk. I find that if I can incorporate some sort of physical activity with my emotional release, I eat healthier for much longer periods of time. Also, chocolate is my weakness. I've had to stop buying it all together for when I'm at home and alone. Hopefully one day I will be able to have it, but not all of it at once. Good luck to you and always know that you are not alone - you have almost anyone in the world to turn to.
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