Emotional Eating

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  • 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.
  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    So what is the answer? Let me share a story, a friend of mine told me that he couldn't stop smoking cigarettes for years until one day he asked for God's help; and then he told me once he did that he stop smoking and hasn't smoked for six months. So I thought, God can help with cigarette smoking. Maybe God can help with my over eating. The problem was I never had much of a belief in God; or maybe the real problem was that my God was real small, of course he help me with little things like finding parking spaces but the big things like eating and smoking and other bad habits I can handle. So I decided I was going to give this a try, I'm was going to try to get a bigger God.

    I meditated on this for a long time, and this is what came back to me. "Little God, big problems. Big God, Little problems". It is my mantra before and when I eat.

    I know there's a lot of atheists and agnostics out in the world, and I hate to open up the God box if it offends, but I wanted to share what has been helping me. Good night
  • kristalasimpson
    kristalasimpson Posts: 19 Member
    Over the past 5 years, I have watched first my grandfather and them my mother both fight and then die from lung cancer. My grandfather was from asbestos exposure. My mother from smoking even though she quit 23 years ago.
    During this time frame, I gained and then lost and then gained and gained some more. I know how to eat healthy, but when I am sad, stressed out, lonely, bored, freaking out, having a grieving moment, I turn to food. Cookies, chips, tarts. Repeat.
    It became a way of life for me. A way to cope while watching my loved ones die. Now it is a way to cope with them being gone. I know I am sabotaging myself, but I can't seem to get around it completely. I lose 2-3 lbs and then gain it right back.
    I have been to therapy and hypnosis. Learned a lot. I just can't seem to move beyond where I am now. Even right this minute, I want to eat that banana on my desk and I know I am not hungry. Just fighting the urge is too hard sometimes.
  • richbrenton
    richbrenton Posts: 13 Member
    kristalasimpson wrote: »
    Over the past 5 years, I have watched first my grandfather and them my mother both fight and then die from lung cancer. My grandfather was from asbestos exposure. My mother from smoking even though she quit 23 years ago.
    During this time frame, I gained and then lost and then gained and gained some more. I know how to eat healthy, but when I am sad, stressed out, lonely, bored, freaking out, having a grieving moment, I turn to food. Cookies, chips, tarts. Repeat.
    It became a way of life for me. A way to cope while watching my loved ones die. Now it is a way to cope with them being gone. I know I am sabotaging myself, but I can't seem to get around it completely. I lose 2-3 lbs and then gain it right back.
    I have been to therapy and hypnosis. Learned a lot. I just can't seem to move beyond where I am now. Even right this minute, I want to eat that banana on my desk and I know I am not hungry. Just fighting the urge is too hard sometimes.

    I hear you; we are in the same boat. I am back after wrestling my will back again, the results -- not good.

  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    For me I tend to use food as a reward, punishment and safety blanket.

    When I am happy or something good happens - I eat to celebrate
    When I am feeling awful about myself/Fat - I give up and eat
    When I am stressed at work or at home - I eat to give me comfort

    What I am trying to teach myself (i'm not perfect, I sometimes crack)

    When I am happy about something instead of eating, I do something i've never done before...like zip lining or Hiking
    When I am feeling awful about myself, I workout or try a new type of workout (currently I am enjoying Pole Dancing classes)
    When I am stressed at work or at home, I take a long breath/Meditate, go for a walk or have a cup of tea
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