I started working from home in June 2014 and I've put on around 2 stones since then. I was eating for the sake of it, no one was there to make me feel embarrassed about have slices of toast with butter as a snack or getting through a loaf of Soreen (mm malt loaf mmm Jamaican ginger cake) in two days. I'd get restless and fidgety and instead of chatting to work mates I'd go to the kitchen and just eat and eat and take a snack back to my desk and eat. So I think it was boredom and loneliness.

I also eat (and drink wine) to treat myself or celebrate minor victories or it just being the weekend or to relax/unwind after a stressful day/week.

I still am of the opinion that life is too short to deprive yourself of the treats but (and it's a big but) in moderation and balanced with exercise. I've seen friends unsuccessfully go back and forth to weightwatchers and slimming world making themselves miserable by eating potatoes with no butter on then cracking and binging. So I really don't want to feel like I'm depriving myself - so, yes, have butter on potatoes but have fewer potatoes or no pudding or go for a cycle/jog/row that morning if you know you'll be having a celebratory meal.

Stress and when I'm bored, makes me over eat.

I overeat when I'm depressed; the last 10 years or so after my divorce, I have felt like a failure on and off so I resort to food for comfort. Also, sometimes I don't want to attract the wrong guy so I isolate and just eat a whole lot. Eitherway, I am trying to regain my control and this time for good...and I am going on day 3 of working towards eating healthier and working out even if that makes me look good and learning how to respond to unwanted attention. Hope to stay connected and stay encouraged

I did fine all day until I had dinner at my sister in laws. That just wrecked my mood and I returned home to eat Ben & Jerry's with streusal bread. Now I'm thinking, why do I let fake, hypocritical and jealous people ruin my mood?

A better question would be what doesn't make me overeat!!! Everything makes me overeat...but the two biggest culprits are stress or boredom.

I overeat bc I am lonely bored stress and when I am tired. Most of all when I feel sad I binge. Having My fitness Pal has helped me bc people can view my diary so i focus on that. So far so good. I just need to get change my situation

It is stress and boredom for me as well. Eating while I'm watching TV just feels comfortable, normal. If I don't it's like walking out of the house without pants on, something just doesn't feel right. I did notice when I stopped eating so much sugar at one point that I didn't crave it anymore and it actually made me feel sick when I ate it

cheyenneandcosmo wrote: »

I overeat when......
Im sad
Im angry
Im happy
Im lonely
Im bored
Im stressed
Im at a party
Im at a family get together
I want to make myself feel better
Ive accomplished something, overeating is like a "treat"

So yeah....I think thats pretty much it!

Me too... I've found that I overeat when I'm feeling ANYTHING other than 'normal'.

I know that I am an emotional eater, but I would not say I am an emotional overeater. I more tend to eat things that I should not eat. I have never been one to sit and it a whole bag of chips or cookies or five candy bars, but I used to eat many foods that were not good for me on a regular basis. So when I get stressed out or when I am feeling periodic I crave chocolate. I can usually talk myself out of it now because I know it is not good for me, but there are days when I will allow myself something that I should not have.

I always have this weird power struggle going on inside. When I was a child, my parents always curtailed what I ate because I weighed more. I began to believe that those who are accepted, like my thinner sisters, could eat whatever they wanted, sweets, chips, cookies, etc.. While those of us who are not acceptable are relegated to carrots, veggies, fruit, etc. Even though I know as an adult this is better for me, I still think of healthy food as a punishment and junk food as a reward. Now as an adult, I eat junk food just because I want to. I want to be able to eat whatever I want without being curtailed. While I know what kind of foods I are best for my body I haven't been able to get over the fact that eating them feels like a punishment. Has anyone dealt with that as well?