Emotional Eating

2

Replies

  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    edited April 2015
    Well, I keep asking myself what will be different this time. I've had some success with this action: when feeling the urge for food, even after I know I have had enough to eat, I say to myself: "this too will pass, and you can have that food, just wait a 15 minutes". I find that if I just put a little time between me and the urge, I get busy with something else, and the urge it passes. So this is what I'm going to do different this time I'm going to pause when I feel the urge and not admonish myself that I can't have it, but that I just can't have it now.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I get emotional when the portion size I want is not big enough. So I eat more.
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    You might want to check out the website for the beck diet solution. It really isn't a diet--she is a cognitive behavioral therapist. There are some really good (and free) tips on the site about how to change your reactions to triggers. It has helped me a lot, but I think that I will always struggle with emotional eating.

    Triggers for me are stress and sadness, and I agree with whomever mentioned feeling a loss of control in my life. I never really thought about it that way, but that almost exactly describes what I'm feeling when I stress eat. And that is also interesting, since I have seen many anorexics state that feeling out of control in their life had contributed to their anorexia. When I am eating and immediately after I feel an endorphin rush that takes away the negative feelings. It doesn't last long, though, and of course leads to weight gain and negative feelings. So I try to substitute other activities--a hot bath, reading a book, going for a walk, or even a different treat (hot tea with splenda, or hot chocolate seem to work. Fruit or other substitutes less so).
  • Zombella
    Zombella Posts: 490 Member
    Stress and anxiety completely. I think that eating x or z will make the stress go away when really it might make it go away for a minute or two, then I am down on myself for eating x or z and it just starts all over again.
  • carlysuzanne85
    carlysuzanne85 Posts: 204 Member
    Well, I keep asking myself what will be different this time. I've had some success with this action: when feeling the urge for food, even after I know I have had enough to eat, I say to myself: "this too will pass, and you can have that food, just wait a 15 minutes". I find that if I just put a little time between me and the urge, I get busy with something else, and the urge it passes. So this is what I'm going to do different this time I'm going to pause when I feel the urge and not admonish myself that I can't have it, but that I just can't have it now.

    That really is one of the things that has worked best for me. I am also a big advocate for reaching out to a friend or family member who knows your struggle and seeing if they have five or ten minutes to chat, whether via text or phone call, to provide that distraction and receive support and encouragement. I've also looked up positive mantras, wrote down the ones that I connected with, and bring them out when needed. I also find that I can't have "trigger" foods in the house; there are some foods that I just can't seem to eat in decent portions, especially when tempted to eat for emotional comfort. Not having it in the house (or at the office) helps a lot. (When I want a treat, I go buy an individual portion rather than keep a whole box of cookies in the house, for example.) Lastly, one other trick I've been trying on myself lately, is planning a "cheat meal" every week and when I am tempted to order pizza instead of eating the healthier food in my house, I'll say to myself, "You can do that, but, if you do, you don't get to have X that you're so looking forward to on Friday night" and that really helps--especially if my cheat meal is combined with time with friends! I don't want to be the only one fretting about calories at girls' night :)

    This is definitely still a huge struggle for me so I look forward to seeing how others handle this issue!
  • triciaj410
    triciaj410 Posts: 1
    edited April 2015
    Boredom is the worst for me. Also - fatigue. My self control is so much worse when I'm tired.

    I have been trying to drink more water and wait until I'm hungry to eat but I can't even really tell whether or not I'm hungry anymore. I just want to eat all the time.

    Yesterday I wanted nothing more than to go to the vending machine and buy a kit kat and eat it in about 5 seconds. Instead, I made myself write about how I felt and how it would make me feel to eat it and how I am struggling with my body image. That helped me refocus on why I shouldn't. A good first step in self control I guess?
  • RaySn63
    RaySn63 Posts: 1 Member
    I have been good for fifteen days then last night I bought junk at the store, foolishly thinking I could have a little each day but instead spent less than 24 hours eating it all, did not exercise for 2 days and am 950 calories over my goal and it is only 3PM. The obvious answer is not to bring it into the house. Why I sabotage myself, I don't quite know and maybe it doesn't change anything if I did, I'm going to take a nap and try to start fresh.
  • omelet2000
    omelet2000 Posts: 110 Member
    What works for me is realizing that there's a lot about life that I cannot control. I cannot control what my boss does, or the IRS or whatever. Stress is about the lack of control in my life.

    However there IS something I CAN control in my life and that is I get to choose what passes into my body. Realizing that is quite empowering.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    For me before I could even begin to think about controlling my food intake I had to fix the aspects of my life and my self that were driving me to eat.

    That meant a hard road of self discovery and self improvement. Changing the way I viewed the world and myself. Gaining some self confidence, self worth and learning about healthy boundaries and relationships. It meant changing my environment from the place I lived to the people I surrounded myself with to the way I make a living.

    It started in 2008 with a realization that something had to change. It got rolling in 2009 with walking into an aikido dojo. Finding a physical activity that I loved so much that I wanted to do it even though I knew that the next several days were going to be painful. Being willing to do that for months and then years. Gaining skills in that environment which built up self confidence. Discovering wonderful new friends who were supportive and encouraging. Understanding yes but never allowing me to make excuses either. Learning how to think about positive things and not dwell on negatives. Getting a better job with better income so that I could afford to live in a home that was comfortable and for me easy to maintain. Being in a home where keeping things neat and clean is not an overwhelmingly large chore. Feeling good about my home helped with depression and low self worth.

    18 months ago I entered the phase of changing jobs and home. Getting stable after this huge change took some time. Now I am in a place where I have a support network and an outlet for stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety are no longer about things that are quite as severe as not having enough money to pay bills or a house falling down around me because I could not do anything to fix it.


    I have fixed my outlook on life, my environment and my career. Through aikido I am learning to deal with years of repressed anger and traumas in a more healthy way. Now I can focus on putting food in it's proper place. :)
  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    I like the idea of reaching out to speak to somebody when you're feeling a little down and moved to obsessively eat.
  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    Well the weekend's almost done and I stayed pretty true to my intention which is to stay within my limits; it is always difficult because on the weekends I tend to go crazy. How is your weekend going?
  • SoulSisterSoulBrother
    SoulSisterSoulBrother Posts: 220 Member
    The triggers are restlessness, boredom, nervousness, the need for comfort, anger, disappointment.. The list is quite extensive. I am hopeful that if I could stop smoking I can somehow manage to get my had around this too. I think my overeating has the same roots.
  • eeelizabeth2012
    eeelizabeth2012 Posts: 132 Member
    I struggle with this. I thin it stems from my childhood. My grandmother's house was always safe and there would always be snacks. Friday nights are a trigger for me due to the long tiring stressful work week being over. I try to workout instead now. Even a brisk walk is a much better way to cope with stress, anxiety, etc. than eating a bag of chips is.
  • sarapesek
    sarapesek Posts: 9 Member
    I don't think anyone has said it yet -- exercise is an excellent stress/anxiety buster!

    Honestly, if I feel myself craving something specific as a crutch (the self-control associated with turning down something in front of you is a different struggle for me) I check in and see if I think a good sweaty workout would help. Even on the days that suck the most, getting those endorphins pumping really helps.

    Also, tiny bars of dark chocolate are my friend. In the freezer. Hidden from view. Satisfying without breaking the bank on the food log!
  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    sarapesek wrote: »
    I don't think anyone has said it yet -- exercise is an excellent stress/anxiety buster!

    Honestly, if I feel myself craving something specific as a crutch (the self-control associated with turning down something in front of you is a different struggle for me) I check in and see if I think a good sweaty workout would help. Even on the days that suck the most, getting those endorphins pumping really helps.

    Also, tiny bars of dark chocolate are my friend. In the freezer. Hidden from view. Satisfying without breaking the bank on the food log!

  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    I agree, but sometimes I use exercise as an entitlement i.e., "I worked out today and earned 'X' calories", I may not really be hungry but "I don't want to lose on the deal"; or have you ever worked out so much you feel like you coud eat your own arm? Essentially, I agree with you totally.

  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I got emotional when I spilled some of my oats on the counter at work. It is black granite and I work with all guys. At home I'd have scooped them into my bowl...as I scraped them into the trash I thought sadly, "those are MY oats" :'(
  • cj94404
    cj94404 Posts: 154 Member
    triciaj410 wrote: »
    Boredom is the worst for me. Also - fatigue. My self control is so much worse when I'm tired.

    I have been trying to drink more water and wait until I'm hungry to eat but I can't even really tell whether or not I'm hungry anymore. I just want to eat all the time.

    Yesterday I wanted nothing more than to go to the vending machine and buy a kit kat and eat it in about 5 seconds. Instead, I made myself write about how I felt and how it would make me feel to eat it and how I am struggling with my body image. That helped me refocus on why I shouldn't. A good first step in self control I guess?


    Yep. That is mindful eating. Delayed gratification doesn't always work for me. I just ate a bag of croutons I have been eyeing for two weeks. The whole darn bag in two snacking sessions. I enjoyed them but now I know I can't buy them for a while. Knowing your trigger foods helps. Mine is crunchy bread.

    I worked out hard today to earn those croutons. That's not a sustainable plan for me. I will never be a serious exerciser. My old coach told me I need to control what goes in because it is hard to burn off.



  • Bailey_432
    Bailey_432 Posts: 55 Member
    For me I have a major association with food and comfort. When I've had a long, hard day, it makes me feel relaxed to sit down and have a chill out, of course accompanied by food... It's a bad association...
  • bljames9132
    bljames9132 Posts: 2 Member
    I eat out of boredom ALOT. When I was off to college I never did this in fact when I became bored I go walk the block or do a workout video, and I lived alone with no family and friends! Since moving back to my hometown for a job (that I have now grown to hate and find utterly boring) I have gained 20 pounds and find myself running to the fridge every chance I get. I went through a period of depression and that surely didn't help either.