I eat too much when my kids stress me out

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Maria127lbs
Maria127lbs Posts: 5
in Motivation and Support
I have struggled with being at home with my kids. I would love to hear coping strategies from other parents who have kids that drive them to the food cupboard. I have a nine year old with Aspergers Syndrome, and an active three year old. I am working on finding other ways to self soothe when I get stressed or overwhelmed.

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  • NicolCook
    NicolCook Posts: 489 Member
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    I have the same problem. I grit my teeth when I am mad/stressed, so I have had to turn to chewing gum. It fills that void and very few calories, and still gets that jaw worked :)

    If you feel the need to actually "eat" something, make it healthy like celery.
  • dawnw30
    dawnw30 Posts: 270
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    I have 5 kids....my son has ADHD and my daughter has autism so I hear ya loud and clear!! I too chew gum and if I really need to crunch I eat apples, celery and carrots.... Good luck!! :flowerforyou:
  • morningsunrise
    morningsunrise Posts: 9 Member
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    My children are older now and they didn't drive me to the food cupboard but I was forever picking at their leftovers. I found spraying their dinner plates with water once they'd finished stopped me picking. I know that's not your problem but it was invaluable to me at the time.

    Chewing gum was helpful for me too. I sometimes just wanted to be chewing something and not necessarily eating it.

    I also found myself reaching for a glass of wine a bit too often if I'd had a bad day (still do sometimes) but I discovered that if I put a soft drink in a wine glass it had the same stress relieving effect. It was the act of holding wine glass that soothed me.

    Hope that helps and rest assured you're not the only mother (or father) in this position.
  • Triquetra
    Triquetra Posts: 270 Member
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    I too have a 12 yr old with Aspergers and an 8yr old daughter. They USED to drive me to the cupboard, but I have tried to find a better outlet now. I have a Wii and for some reason my son likes to "watch" Wii fit, so I will do a bit on there for him to watch...a workout for me and keeps me out of the kitchen. I also find that sometimes just a book snuck on the patio or even the washroom for a few minutes can get me past the stress point...I would suggest making sure you get "you" time scheduled. I know I am a single parent and have a PSW come in twice a week so I can get my stress relief break. These kids are a marathon they will not just "outgrow" their tantrums and behaviours so you still have to manage your care so you can help them through their issues....feel free to friend me.
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
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    I definitely used to eat too much when my kids stressed me out. Over the past few months I've made the change to exercising instead. Zumba on the Wii is a really good stress reliever, plus it gets my focus off my kids for 20 minutes so I can calm down. Exercise "games" are great because you don't need to go anywhere or get a babysitter or anything in order to do them. Plus, sometimes my kids try to do it with me. As an added bonus, my 4 year old and 1 year old will both randomly bust out into Zumba dance moves during the day, which is hilarious!
  • Runshanrun
    Runshanrun Posts: 21 Member
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    Hi! You are not alone in this area! Try logging the food onto the website to see how many calories it will cost you before you even open the package. I have also had success with making myself do 20 sit-ups, 10 push-ups or 15 lunges BEFORE I allow myself to eat whatever "bad" food I want to soothe myself with. If all else fails, because I know when I am going to eat something no matter what I pop some reduced fat popcorn and eat 7 cups worth. It takes a long time to eat and costs you very little plus makes you feel full. You can beat this!!!
  • ejmcam
    ejmcam Posts: 533 Member
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    I also found myself reaching for a glass of wine a bit too often if I'd had a bad day (still do sometimes) but I discovered that if I put a soft drink in a wine glass it had the same stress relieving effect. It was the act of holding wine glass that soothed me.

    LOL...I think I would be the other way around,,,wine in the soda can!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    I used that excuse when my kids were small. Now that they are all out on their own, What's my excuse now?

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