Keeping emotional eating under control: HELP!!

I have the same problem! I am completely a mental eater. I am hardly ever hungry but my brain is always going!! I try to leave enough calories to have little snacks every now and then and try to keep busy the rest of the time. Make sure you eat at least 5-6 times a day so its not real hunger. Hope this helps!! Good Luck!!

Chew gum that's what I do I'm like Veruka Salt

Have you checked to see if there's an over eaters anonymous in your area? Great support.

What motivates you? Make it your mantra. Right a note or take a picture of it and post it on the fridge, your pantry, your wallet, your car, everywhere. Remind yourself why you're doing this.

You can do this. You wouldn't be here asking for help if you couldn't. You can do this. Hang in there.

I've been reading up on this since I have a long history (nearly 30 years now) of bulimia.

The techniques that I have been using - with mixed success - are
1. to remove myself from the situation - distract myself online, on the phone, with the kids, get into the bath - whatever.
2. to 'surf' the craving. SIt, be, acknowledge the feeling. Don't try to pretend it's not there. Say to yourself, okay, I feel like I want some chocolate/ bread/ wine etc. That's interesting. Don't judge, don't invalidate. Just allow yourself to crave. The feeling peaks and crashes and then the craving diminishes. Feeding it just makes it more, as you've acknowledged in your post.
3. Ask yourself - what will giving in to this craving make me feel like?
4. Don't judge yourself for craving. Just allow the feeling. What would you say to a friend in this situation? Would you say, oh go on, who cares? Or would you say, 'No don't - you;re doing so well, stick with it, I know you can do it!' Be your own friend.
5. If you do succumb to the craving, don't be mean to yourself. Allow yourself pleasure in having eaten something. So, instead of "I can't believe I ate that cookie!! I am disgusting! I may as well eat the whole packet now!" - think "well, that was tasty. I enjoyed that. I'll do a bit more exercise/ eat a bit less dinner to make up for it."

Hope this helps. Hang in there.

I also eat out of boredom. The thing that gets me is "fixed" is I ask/tell myself that it is just a cookie, doughnut, whatever it is- and it is not the only one that you will ever see-it is not a once in a lifetime event. Can be reproduced. That usually works!

Good luck. I have hit my second plateau, not losing as fast, but it is staying off. 16 lbs total in 6 months.

If I eat enough Protein and lower the white carbs I have to say that the cravings stop.

But I don't know if I would consider myself an emotional eater. In the past I have eaten when not hungry but bored.

If you cut our White Breads, Bagels, White Rice and Pasta and make sure the majority of your meal calories are in Protein and supported by non-starchy vegetables you might beat the cravings.

Worth a try.

ps ....maybe you are detoxing from carbs? The first three days are generally the worst for me after that as long as I get in 3 meals and a couple of planed snacks I am good. Also drink more water.
good luck!:flowerforyou:

Well, writing was the first step! It shows that you want to do the right thing, but you don't know how. We are all here for that exact reason, we can all support and motivate each other.

When you are craving, but know you are not hungry, there are a few things I can suggest that work for me:
a) try drinking water - I find that sometimes drinking water fills me up, even when it feels like I am starving.
b) chew gum - You know you are not hungry, but you are craving, so you want to be eating. For me, chewing gum still has the taste and sugar of a snack (although with barely any calories!!) and keeps my mouth occupied for long enough to forget that I even wanted to eat something else in the first place.
c) sniff an apple or banana - I know, this sounds absolutely ridiculous. I remember reading this somewhere years ago, and apparently, when you sniff a banana, the smell is so strong that your mind actually believes you are EATING the banana. I have tried this (I know, weird) and it actually worked. Maybe it was all in my mind but for me, it kinda worked.

Aside from all that you just have to think about what you want more: a piece of chocolate or a healthier you? I have a few sayings: "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips!" and "What you eat in private you wear in public." And of course my signature!

Just think about your goals and what you really want to get out of life. When you want this badly enough, you may start changing your habits. Good luck! And feel free to add me if you feel you need some more motivation. I am currently not working either, so I too am home all day with a fridge full of temptations. I just know I want this weight loss more than I have ever wanted anything before. And that chocolate can wait!!